Why should you use PayPal?
There are many different payment options available at UK bookmakers in 2023, from traditional debit cards, online banking and a wide range of E-Wallets. PayPal is probably the most commonly used E-Wallet there is in the UK and there are Pros and Cons of using it when online betting.
✅Pros:
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Deposits are instant and withdrawals also paid swiftly
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There is unlikely to be a fee charged by the bookmaker
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Sensitive financial details can be kept away from the bookmakers
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Anyone looking at your bank accounts (perhaps for a mortgage application) will not see gambling deposits which they may disapprove of.
❌Cons:
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Welcome bonuses usually have payment method restrictions apply and PayPal is one of the excluded methods
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PayPal may have no fees directly linked to your deposit or withdrawal into a betting site but generally it is incredibly expensive to operate your account most of the time.
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PayPal has a draconian system of closing (suspending) accounts and freezing money for inordinate lengths of time, often for a trivial reason, with no thought of the trouble this could cause whoever's money it is.
Top UK Bookmakers that take PayPal
Betfred
If you are betting with PayPal then Betfred is well worth a look, they have some of the best promotions in the online gambling industry, both for new and existing users including extra place offers and Best Odds Guaranteed. They cover sports from all over the world and have many markets and In play betting for most. Both deposits and withdrawals are processed quickly and they are free!
✅Pros:
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£30 in Free bets for new users
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Best Odds Guaranteed on all UK races
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Best Priced on feature races and the big games
10bet
Since 2003 10bet have been going from strength to strength and are now one of the best gambling sites available to UK customers. What makes them so good among betting sites is the excellent betting odds and high limits across the board. They have existing user promotions including being Best Odds Guaranteed on all UK horse races and they have a loyalty club giving away Free bets each week. They accept PayPal as one of their large range of payment methods.
✅Pros:
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£50 cash Welcome bonus
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Regular reload and loyalty bonuses
- Great App for mobile betting
888sport
888Sport began life way back in 1997 as one of the first ever online casinos, but they have grown a lot since then. 888Sport offer all forms of sports betting and every day they have all sorts of sportsbook bonuses and promotions on their site, notably that if you ever have a winner at 3/1 (or above) you will have Free bets paid to your account the next day. If you are going to be betting with PayPal then this is a site you should seriously consider.
Pros ✅
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£30 in Free bets plus £10 casino bonus when you place your first £10 bet.
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Wide range of sports to bet on
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Excellent existing user bonus promotions
Unibet
If you are going to be using betting sites with PayPal then Unibet should be one of those sites, since PayPal deposits and PayPal withdrawals are processed quickly and for free! They have all sports covered but if you like Horse racing there is a separate mini site dedicated to this, where they go above and beyond in terms of providing race info, live streaming, and generous unique bonuses and price boost promotions.
✅Pros:
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£40 cashable Welcome bonus
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Fantastic horse racing odds
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Wide range of markets and a great In play betting interface
BetWay
Betway is another of the best PayPal betting sites that UK customers should consider. You are just a swift account reg away from sports betting on over 30 sports ranging from Football to Formula One, from Snooker to Surfing! Betway have regular bet boosts with odds that are fantastic value and other regular Free bet offers for new and existing customers.
✅Pros:
£30 Risk free Acca as your first bet
Excellent 24/7 customer support
Great App with built in Cash out feature
How do we rank bookmakers with PayPal
Odds
This is a crucial factor to consider if you want to take maximum in the long run from gambling. Should you not be taking it so seriously and you are just betting for fun entertainment, the odds should matter to you because at the very least they will help you to lose more slowly. The top PayPal betting sites are likely to have the top odds.
Number of Sports covered
Some PayPal betting sites could have as few as ten to fifteen different sports priced up and available for you to bet on. Sports like football and horse racing will always be there but if you want an international game like baseball or NFL then perhaps they won't be. The best PayPal betting sites will have a huge range of sports to bet on, meaning you can rest assured knowing that if it is on TV, you can bet on it. The PayPal betting sites with the most sports covered will be the ones to score the most highly.
Number of markets
As well as having the sport you want to bet on it is also important to have the specific game and also the specific type of bet that you want. The best PayPal betting sites will cover not just the top leagues but go right down through the levels, and offer interesting betting options not just who do you think will win.
Welcome Bonuses
Although it only matters once, it is still an important feature of any online bookmaker. An increasing number of sports betting sites may accept PayPal but they are not giving any Free bets to new users who use it! Finding online bookmakers who credit Welcome bonuses for a PayPal deposit, have low min odds to qualify for the Free bets, and a decent length of time to complete the process is what we aim to do.
Promotions for Existing Users
It is more common for sports betting sites to credit promotional Free bets to existing accounts regardless of the deposit method used, which is good news if you make PayPal deposits. The more promotions and Free bet offers that a PayPal betting site has, the more strongly it will score in our review.
Live Streaming
Online gambling these days is not so much taking a punt and waiting for the results to come in the news, instead it is likely that you will want to bet on a game AND actually watch it. The betting sites with the widest range of sports live streaming for you are going to be the best PayPal betting sites.
Mobile Experience
Linked to the above, as well as watching the game in 2023 it is frequent for betting sites to provide their players with mobile Apps enabling them to bet from almost anywhere at any time, including not just pre-match bets but also In play. The over mobile gaming experience we define as how easy is it to navigate and then place the bets? Can you access the account details? Are all the features carried over from the website? These are what we look for and rate.
Customer Support
Hopefully, you will never have to use them but we rate how accessible and how useful a betting site's Customer Support team actually are. We see if they are available 24/7, how many different ways are there to get in touch, and whether or not you have to jump through hoops with an AI robot before you can actually talk to a person. The better the support a betting site has the higher we will place them in our rankings.
How to make a PayPal Deposit & Withdrawal
When you use PayPal everything about it has been made as simple as possible. When it comes to making a deposit and withdrawal both are quick and easy.
How to Deposit with PayPal
When you are betting with PayPal there are a few simple steps that you must follow.
1# Register at one of the sites that accept PayPal
Sign up with one of the bookmakers we have recommended, or one of your own choice, just make sure that they definitely allow PayPal deposits.
2# Log in to Your Betting Site and Head to the Deposit Page
Go to the "My Account" section of the website. Each may have a slightly different design and call the area a slightly different name (perhaps "cashier"), but you want to go to the area where you can select what payment method you will use to deposit.
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3# Choose PayPal, Go to Deposit Funds, and Authorise The Payment
From the list of available methods choose that you want to make a PayPal deposit, select the amount that you want to put in and answer any security questions that come up.
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Depending on your PayPal security settings it could be just entering a password or you could have a 2-Factor system in place which will involve entering the relevant codes from that as well.
4# Time to Go betting!!
That is pretty much it, a PayPal deposit is credited to your betting account instantly, and you are ready to start exploring the site looking for bets that you like.
How to Withdraw with PayPal
Withdrawing with PayPal is even easier than depositing, but note that PayPal withdrawals can only be made if you made a PayPal deposit initially.
Go to the cashier
Log in and go to the "My Account" section / "Cashier" section of the betting site and choose "Withdraw"
Confirm the Payment method
Make sure that PayPal is selected as the destination for the funds, if this was the last method you used to deposit then it will have the details in place by default but double check it anyway.
How much?
Enter the amount that you would like to withdraw, there is sometimes minimum amounts that can be withdrawn from online bookmakers of either £5 or £10 but this will vary from site to site so check the T&Cs of your one.
It's on its way?
That is it, submit the request and your money will be with you shortly.
How to protect your PayPal account
Since a PayPlay account is likely to contain at least some of your money, you will want to be sure that you keep the account secure at all times and not have any PayPal transactions which are fraudulent. There are a few things that you can do towards this end...
Two-factor authentication
Having a separate authorisation App on your smartphone can ensure nobody who manages to force hack your PayPal account password will be able to get in. Even if the Email address which you use for PayPal transactions gets compromised nobody can do anything untoward without the code generated by the Two-factor security.
SMS log-in confirmation
Similar to the above, but not restricted to use just by those who own a smartphone, requiring an SMS text sent directly to your mobile number will ensure that even if someone tries to transfer money out of your account they will not be able to because they will not have the code sent to your phone.
Strong password
Back to basics with this one, it goes without saying that a password which is your pet's name and your birthday at the end, or even worse "password123" is a terrible idea. Pick a strong password with both lower case and UPPER CASE letters, and some symbols such as ?!$ in there too with some numbers thrown in are what you want. PayPal accounts are hard to hack into if you make them hard to hack into.
Benefits of using PayPal for betting
There are several benefits that come with funding your betting account using PayPal.
- Deposits are instant and withdrawals are quick.
- The majority of betting sites that accept PayPal deposits don't charge fees for these transactions.
- Your online betting history is hidden from anyone who may want to see your bank statements, and although you are doing nothing wrong some people may want to be discrete and keep that information private. Using PayPal as your payment method of choice achieves that.
Betting Offers for PayPal users
As far as we know, at the time of writing, there are no betting offers given specifically for using PayPal. It is much more common for PayPal deposits to be excluded from receiving Free bets! When these payment method exclusions apply it is usually for NEW customers, not for existing user bonuses. There are some Welcome bonus Free bets that PayPal deposits do qualify for.
| Bookmaker | Deposit Amount | Bonus Amount | Key Terms |
Unibet | £40 | £40 | Place a sports bet of minimum £1 with odds 2/5 (1.40) or greater. If your first sports bet wins, you have completed the bonus, you will receive your winnings and your stake. If your first sports bet loses, you will receive your stake back up to a maximum of £40 in bonus money. |
LiveScore Bet | £10 | £20 | Place a bet of £10 or more on ANY sport at odds of 1/2 (1.5) or greater to qualify for two £10 free bets upon settlement — regardless of whether your bet wins or loses. |
Virgin Bet | £10 | £20 | Place a bet of £10 or more on ANY sport at odds of 1/2 (1.5) or greater to qualify for two £10 free bets upon settlement — regardless of whether your bet wins or loses. |
Bet365 | £10 | £50 | Sign up, make a qualifying deposit and then claim the offer.Sign up, make a qualifying deposit and then claim the offer.Must contain at least one selection at odds of 1/5 (1.20) or greater. |
* Please note that Bet365 include a PayPal deposit as a valid payment method only if they have fully verified your account. This requires them to have successfully verified and accepted your Identity Documents and you have entered a Postal Verification Code (PVC), or they have successfully verified two accepted forms of your Identity Documents.
PayPal vs Other Deposit Methods
When it comes to funding online betting sites PayPal is obviously not the only option, we look at a few of the alternatives and see how they compare.
PayPal vs Debit cards
When it comes to using sites that accept PayPal they will ALL also accept debit cards. Debit cards are better for a number of reasons, such as withdrawals instantly back in your bank account ready to be sent anywhere or taken out as cash. PayPal withdrawals ever since the advent of VISA Fast Funds are slower than using a debit card, and also you just end up with money in PayPal, you would have to withdraw it AGAIN from there in order to use it again at most places. The one advantage that a PayPal deposit does have is that it masks your deposits to sports betting sites which you may want to keep off your bank statements. It is also easier to ringfence a dedicated gambling bankroll and store it in PayPal rather than allowing it to mix with your day to day spending.
PayPal vs Skrill
Skrill is one of the other payment methods accepted by UK betting sites which avoids having to have gambling transactions on your bank statements. Skrill began life as Moneybookers and also used Email addresses to link accounts and facilitate payments. They are accepted around the World and can be used in over 40 currencies. Skrill is the sister company of Neteller, and everything that applies to Skrill applies there too. They deliver instant deposits and quick withdrawals, both deposits and withdrawals are usually free when moving money in and out of a bookmaker, but other fees apply when operating an account.
PayPal vs Trustly
The Trustly Group are a Swedish company founded relatively recently in 2008. Trustly acts as an open banking payment method, what that means is that customers can spend money online and pay for it directly from their online bank account, without the use of a card or app. The big advantage of this is that you do not need to open any other accounts, you can use the bank account which you already have. There are rarely fees involved and this is probably a better way for large deposits and withdrawals than betting with PayPal where there are relatively low limits in comparison.
PayPal vs Paysafecard
Paysafecard is (as the name suggests) part of the Paysafe group and the USP of this method is it allows UK customers to take part in online gambling without ever having to enter financial details or make an account registration online. You go to a shop that is partnered with paysafecard and hand over cash at the counter, they give you a PIN, and when you enter this at an online bookmaker the value of the cash which you handed over is applied to your betting account.
The advantage of this over PayPal is that you are in control of your online gambling and it is very hard to get carried away and deposit more than you can afford, the negative is liked to this, yes it stops you from going on tilt by having to leave the house and go to a shop to redeposit, BUT, that can be annoying when you are not on tilt and you just want to deposit money normally.
The top betting sites are…
Here at Legalbet we have also categorised the top betting sites and their features to make them easier for you to find. They are:
By Sport: Football | Tennis | Boxing | Cricket | Snooker | Golf | UFC | Darts | Greyhound | Rugby | Horse Racing | Basketball | Baseball | Formula 1 | Ice Hockey (NHL) | Volleyball | Cycling
By Payment Systems: PayPal | Skrill | Klarna | Boku | Debit Cards | Apple Pay | Paysafecard | Neteller | Google Pay | Prepaid Cards
By Features: Cash Out | £5 Minimum Deposit | Minimum Bet Sizing | Live Streaming | Betting Exchanges | Safest | Fast Withdrawal | Daily Free Games
By Events: Politics | Superbowl | WWE
By Esports: CS:GO | Dota 2 | League of Legends | PUBG | Valorant | FIFA
Frequently Asked Questions
In short, if you are a UK resident and you are going to make a PayPal deposit into a licenced and regulated UK bookmaker then yes you can. Other countries (Notably the US) have restrictions in place, and even in the UK you can not use PayPal to gamble on any unlicenced events.
We cover this in more detail above but in short, the steps are, sign up for a PayPal account, upload funds from your bank account, verify your PayPal account, log into your bookmaker account, go to the deposit screen, select PayPal, enter your PayPal Email address, and submit!
The majority of UK bookmakers offer Esports markets these days so there is not really such a thing as an "Esports site", but of the bookmakers who allow customers to bet on Esports AND deposit with PayPal the best five are probably Bet365, 888Sport, 10bet, BetFred, Parimatch.
When you are betting with PayPal they can be hard to find. You are more likely to find them as ongoing existing user bonuses because for a large amount of New User Welcome Bonuses there are T&Cs that apply and PayPal transactions are not eligible for Free bets.
For the deposit and withdrawal the vast majority of online betting sites will cover the costs of the transactions themselves, as they do most payment methods. You may find that PayPal charges fees elsewhere though, for example uploading funds to and withdrawing funds from your PayPal account back to your bank account.
You do not "have" to, but it is advised that you verify the account as soon as you can. There will be low limits imposed as well as other restrictions until you do.
Yes you can, it is one of the advantages of PayPal that it can be used to house your gambling bankroll and be spread among many different sports betting sites, but all are still part of the same closed loop system.
There is not an easy answer to this, it will depend on which online betting site you are using and what your Net position is. Some bookmakers state that withdrawals must go back only to the payment methods used and that is that. Others (and this is more common) will allow withdrawal of “winnings” to other methods once every deposit method is in a Net £0 position
The good news is that it is available on both, with a high user rating, and it is completely free.
The bookmakers will all have withdrawal limits for all payment methods. These limits will vary from betting site to betting site so the PayPal withdrawal limit will vary. What is always true is that for "unverified" accounts the amount of money you can receive is limited to £1,900.
PayPal is safe to use in terms of transferring money to and from online sports betting sites. PayPal itself has a terrible reputation for closing customer accounts and freezing money for months on end with no explanation, which in itself makes them a massive risk.
