Online Sports Betting
Europe is the largest sports betting market in the world, and UK punters are a big part of it. As such a huge market, there are several online sports betting sites that cater to the United Kingdom. The most important things to consider when signing up at an online bookmaker are safety & security. Are your funds safe? Do they pay out big winners without a hassle? Are they financially secure? There are more online bookies that fall into the ‘no’ category than the ‘yes’ category, so we’re very picky about who we recommend.
At OnlineBetting.co.uk, we only recommend the best sites for online sports betting. The bookmakers listed on this site have the best reputations in the industry, and are some of the largest, most secure books in the world.
It’s also very important to shop around for the best prices and odds. Over the course of time and hundreds of bets, small advantages can amount to thousands of pounds in your pocket. If you take your sports betting seriously, register at several of the best online bookies and compare odds before every bet.
Best Online Sports Betting Sites in the UK
To attract a large base of UK customers, the best sports betting sites offer more leagues & games for sports that UK punters are interested in. They also offer more betting variety, live betting, live streaming video, and special promotions for these sports. Some of the special promotions might include free bets or bonuses exclusive to UK residents.
For UK punters who are mostly interested in football, cricket, rugby, Formula 1, tennis, EPGA golf, and UK horse racing, we recommend Bet365.com, PaddyPower.com, Ladbrokes.com, and WilliamHill.com. We also recommend StanJames.com for online tennis betting. For popular US sports like NFL & NCAA football (American football), NBA & NCAA college basketball, MLB baseball, and NHL hockey, each of the sites mentioned above are solid choices. However, we also recommend BetOnline.com for those sports because they’re a US focused bookmaker with an excellent variety of betting options.
How to Read UK Sports Betting Odds
In the UK, most punters prefer fractional odds over decimal or American odds. At most online sports betting sites, punters can select how they want to view odds, but UK sites typically default to fractional. Fractional odds are simple because we learned them in grade school. Here’s how they work:
Manchester United: 1/2
Draw: 3/1
Manchester City: 6/1
Above is a typical 1X2 football bet, and Manchester United is the favourite. For every £2 wagered on them, £1 profit would be won (£3 total return). For Manchester City, every £1 wagered would return £6 in profit (£7 total return). If the match were to end in a draw, punters who bet the draw would receive £3 profit for every £1 wagered (£4 total return). So, the right side of the fraction shows us the wager amount, and the left side shows us the potential profit. The wager which pays the lowest profit is the favoured bet.
Live Online Sports Betting
One of the most exciting developments in online sports betting in recent years is the growth of live sports betting. Sports betting sites that offer it are constantly expanding their live betting options, and those who don’t are falling behind. This niche is growing very quickly, with bookmakers offering more sports, more games, and more betting markets all the time.
Live bets are prop bets that can be placed while a match is happening. For example, you could bet on the total number of runs scored by the next batsman in a cricket match, or who the next tryscorer will be in a rugby match. In football, you can bet on which player will be the next goalscorer, which team will be next to score, first or last player to score, which team or player will get the next penalty, and all sorts of other things. Online sports betting sites have become very creative, now offering dozens of different types of live bets for all of the most popular sports.
Punters can also wager on most of the same things as they can before a match, like final results of a match, totals, and handicaps. The difference is, the odds change as matches play out. When one team takes a lead, their odds become shorter. When the opposing team falls behind, their odds become greater. This can create some interesting betting opportunities for sharp punters.
Mobile Sports Betting Online
With the growing popularity of internet-enabled smartphones, more punters are wagering from their mobile phones than ever, in particular placing iPhone sports bets. To accommodate handicappers, most online sports betting sites have created versions of their betting software that are compatible with iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry, and other mobile devices. When you login to your betting account from your mobile device, the software automatically detects the device you’re using and gives you the appropriate version. Mobile betting software is typically lighter weight as well, meaning that they load much faster than in the past. This makes it easier to view odds and place bets.
Combined with live betting, punters can place prop bets from their mobile phone while they watch the match from the stands. With the rapid growth of live betting, even the most boring games can be a lot of fun.
Is Mobile Sports Betting Safe?
We can’t speak for every online sports betting site, but the most reputable sites use the latest mobile encryption technology to secure all private information. Real money deposits and withdrawals are protected with the same technology. Before signing up to play, visit the mobile section of the bookmaker you’re interested in and look for information on the type of security they employ for mobile betting. Most sites post information about the type of anti-spyware and antivirus software they use on their servers, along with the type of encryption technology they use. Remember, the most reputable sites want to keep their positive reputations intact, so they do everything they can to make sure their software is free of viruses, trojans, and spyware. We can’t give you a guarantee, but if you stick with the more respected sites in the industry, your mobile sports betting accounts should be perfectly safe. We bet on our own mobile devices every day.