Welcome to OnlineBetting.org.uk, your premier guide to the world of betting and gambling on the internet. Whatever your sport or game we are here to offer expert advice on where to place your bets, with recommendations and guidance based on a combined experience of over 40 years.
On the site we provide up to date and detailed reviews of all major UK bookmakers, as well as a handful of carefully selected online-only sportsbooks and casinos – all of which are licensed and regulated right here in the UK. As well as individual reviews, we have also written a number of guides which recommend bookies based on sport, bet types or offers so that you can find the best betting sites for your needs.
Whilst we prefer to give more detailed advice based on the features you’re looking for or sport you want to bet on, we also understand that some people just want a list of betting sites to try out for themselves. For this reason we’re kicking things off with a list of our favourite bookmakers. For details of promotions for existing customers see our reviews or visit or betting offers page.
Best UK Online Betting Sites
Welcome Offer of the Month
Virgin Bet: Bet £10 Get £20
Sometimes with offers we focus on the biggest ones or the ones that give most in promo funds but in reality what most people want are simple and clear sign up bonuses. This is why we are giving the welcome offer of the month slot to Virgin Bet this month with their simple but effective £20 in free bets if you bet £10.
You can place your £10 qualifying bet on any sportsbook market so long as the wager is placed at odd of 1/2 or more (1.50). You have two weeks to do that from registration. Note that if placing an each-way bet only the win part would count, so this would need to be a £10 each-way bet to qualify.
For this you get two £10 free bets that you need to accept within 7 days and are then valid for one week and can be used on any single markets (i.e. not each-way or multiples). As with all free bet offers the stake is not returned with any winnings.
Virgin get high marks for their straight forward introductory offer but is it actually a good sportsbook? Well, as with most things that carry the Virgin branding it is good looking, nice to use and vibrant while maintaining focus on the product. The depth is fantastic in terms of markets, streaming and promotions once you become a customer. You can read more about them in our Virgin Bet review.
New Customer Enhanced Odds Offers & Free Bets
In addition to the standard welcome free bets and bonuses you can read about on this site, many betting sites also run enhanced odds and free bet event specific specials.
If you are planning on betting on a certain event, especially a high profile one (e.g Premier League, Cheltenham, Wimbledon, etc.), then you can sometimes find added value compared to the general welcome offer by taking a bespoke deal.
At OnlineBetting.org.uk we focus on the nuts and bolts of betting but we also have a sister offers site that carefully screens new and existing customer promotions for all sports and events worth knowing about.
From the World Cup to the Ryder Cup, Champions League to Royal Ascot, if you are looking for something for a given sport or event then head over and take a look. We also list a wider range of betting sites if you would prefer to see a longer list of UK licensed operators.
What’s On & Upcoming Major Events
Below we list the major sporting events on now and upcoming to help you plan your betting.
Many bookies often give boosted odds and high value retention offers surrounding these feature events that can boost winnings or reduce loses for diligent punters.
It is often worth waiting until closer to an event start time to utilise the best prices, insurance offers, free bets, money back and other promotions available. You can visit our sister site, featured in the section above, LatestBettingOffers, for event specific odds and deals for both new and existing customers.
The Premier League is the worlds biggest sporting competition in terms of revenue, number of people watching, wages, attendance and pretty much any other stat you want to look at; including betting, accounting for over half of bets placed on football in the UK.
Let’s face it the league is elitist and based on money, and for a long time this caused stagnation with three teams dominating the first 20 years; Man Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal. Lately, however, the league has gained a new competitive streak, most notably with Leicester winning in 2015 and then two new dominant forces arising in Liverpool and Man City, who look set to continue their battle in 2022-23, in the way United and Arsenal did 15 years ago – that is except the level is now much higher, as seen with Liverpool coming second in 2019 with an astonishing 97 points.
In the UK 70% of bets are placed on football and nearly three quarters of those wagers go on the Premier League, making this one event responsible for around half of all bets placed. Considering this if you bet on the PL you would be insane not to search around for the best offers and odds from our leading bookies. Read our detailed guide for more.
Watch: Sky Sports, BT Sport & Amazon
The 2024 FA Cup could be one of the best in years, yes there is an expectation that Manchester City may simply walk it, but then they said that in 2012 when Wigan produced the biggest shock of the last 30 years. This is the 143rd edition of the world’s oldest and best domestic cup competition and see 732 teams compete in 764 games to find a winner.
Despite the magic and all the giant killings it remains true that the FA Cup has been won by only three teams other than Man Utd, Man City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea since 1992. That doesn’t stop fans believing however and an upset is due again soon surely? After all, Leicester won it in 2021.
Man City have their eyes on other prizes this year there is no doubt, but then they have one of the deepest squads to cope with it and are aiming to win as much as they can. On the flip side the likes of Man Utd, Newcastle and Chelsea will be taking the tournament more seriously this year as they won’t win the Premier League, a lot of clubs will also be courting the Europa League spot available to the winners along with the trophy.
Watch: BBC and ITV
The darts Premier League takes place from February to May every Thursday evening, it moves around each week meaning that 17 different venues across the UK and Europe will be used this year.
The format changed in 2022 and now takes place over 17 evenings with 8 players competing in a series of 16 mini-tournaments before a final play-off. For the first 16 nights players play quarters, semis and a final with the winner getting 5 league points and a £10k bonus, runner-up 3 points and losing semi-finalists 2 points.
The top 4 players in the league progress to the final play-offs and the final due to be staged on 26th May. The world’s eight best PDC players compete in the Premier League. Michael Van Gerwen won the 2022 and 2023 versions and is record holder with 7 titles, ahead of Phil Taylor with 6 titles. MVG also won four titles in a row between 2016-2019.
The event was only conceived in 2005 and yet has already become one of the most high profile events on the darts calendar, second only perhaps to the World Championship.
You can find some excellent linked free bets and price boosts, especially from the previous event sponsor Unibet. For nights 1 to 16 each match is best of 11 legs, the semi-finals best of 19 legs and the final best of 21 legs.
Watch: Sky Sports
The knockout stages of the Champions League 2021 continue with the semi-finals, first legs due to be played 27/28 April and the second legs scheduled for 4/5 May. Being the semis both matches are feature ties, although it is Mauricio Pochettino’s PSG taking on his old rival Pep Guardiola’s Man City that gets the nod. Poch came out on top the last time they met at this stage taking Tottenham to the 2019 final, which he then lost to Liverpool.
Given the strange year we are all having it is very hard to predict how teams will fare in the latter stages of this years competition. There are a number of added factors including heightened injuries that could all come into play due to the sheer number of games players have had to place in a shorter space of time than usual. Teams also have to play behind closed doors and some in neutral venues, all of which can throw spanners into the works.
How teams react to these challenges will vary and this could make some shock results more likely than in the past. The bookies also can’t rely on historical data and form like they usually would to price markets, which means if you are savvy you could find a lot of value for some markets.
The Irish Grand National is always held on Easter Monday and is part of a three day festival of 23 races held between Easter Saturday and Easter Monday. It just happens that for 2024 Easter falls the week before the English Grand National and two weeks before the Scottish version, making it a perfect trio for lovers of the longest distance National Hunt races.
The Grade A Irish National itself is held over a distance of 3 miles and 5 furlongs, making it the shortest National race, but with a prize fund of over half a million Euros it is the second only to the English version. The race requires horses to hurdle no less than 22 fences at the famous Fairyhouse course in Ballybin, County Meath.
There are plenty of decent ante-post offers and deals you can find for the Irish National if you wait until the week of the race. You may also find more this year with the three Nationals coming as a trio. There is also a whole host of other races to watch and bet on during the festival and being Easter means it also has a captive audience.
Watch: RTE
Without question the worlds biggest and most challenging horse race. The 4 mile 2 1/2 furlong grade 3 steeplechase requires horses to jump now less than 30 fences, many of which are over 5 feet high and include famous obstacles such as Beecher’s Brook and The Chair.
In 2020 the Grand National race at Aintree was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the first time in history the meeting has been cancelled during peace time. In 2021 the race was held without fans as restrictions were still in place, although history was still made as Rachael Blackmore became the first woman jockey to win the big race in its history. Last year the National attracted over £300 million in stakes, and that is only counting the legal bets. To say the event is a betting phenomenon wouldn’t do it justice, pretty much everyone who has ever bet has done so on this race, and more often than not it is the first bet people make.
It is surprising that many bookies shy away from the National, partly because they can’t cope with the demands of so many people wanting to have a punt. Many bookies cancel their offers and even sign ups on National day, so if you want to get added value this year it is recommended you sign up in advance. If you wait until a few days before to bet you will also find many of the better sites offer 6 places each-way.
Don’t forget also that the National is only one race among a 3 day festival starting on Thursday, and you can find many offers and specials for these other races too.
Watch: ITV
Following two years of disruption in 2020 and 2021 the 2022 Masters reminded us why we love this event so much in the last couple of years and hopefully 2024 will be the same. It is probably the most famous Golf major and it gets underway in the second week of April. The only major to be held at the same course each year, Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, enters its 88th year with one of the most open fields of all time.
Rory McIlroy will be hoping to finally complete his career grand slam by winning the one major he is missing, he missed the cut last year. There are plenty of great golfers in with a shout this year and there is no discounting Dustin Johnson, who won in 2020 with a record 20 under par, Jordan Speith, Justin Thomas or last years winner John Rahm. Even the rejuvenated Tiger Woods, who won the Masters in 2018 after an 11 year gap between majors has made the cut for 23 consecutive years.
The event is live on Sky and as the tournament is 5 hours behind spectators in the UK can enjoy golf in the evening each day. If you are backing a player outright wait until a few days prior to the event and you will be able to find odds boosts, price guarantees and money back promotions that can add value to your wagers. There are also a lot of in play bet clubs that can be used to claim free bets along the way if you plan to bet live.
Watch: Sky Sports Golf
Those who love long distance jump racing are in for a bumper treat in 2024 with the Scottish Grand National coming just one week after the English and two weeks after the Irish versions of the national.
The Scottish National is not quite as tough as the one at Aintree but is still a gruelling race over just under 4 miles (3 miles, 7 furlongs and 176 yards) jumping no less than 27 fences. With a purse over a quarter of a million pound too this is one of the richest jump races on the calendar.
Amateur punters might fancy testing their newly acquired knowledge obtained betting on the English National the week before, while more experienced punters know this is the business end of the jump season and can predict the horses likely to be in best form.
As with its English counterpart the Scottish National is not held independently but is part of a two day festival of 15 races held on Friday and Saturday.
Watch: ITV
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Modern online gambling allows you to deposit and withdraw to and from betting accounts using a vast array of payment options. Our banking guides discuss the difference in funding methods, bookmakers that accept them, how to use them, fees, security, limits, bonus availability and more. Whether you want to use an e-wallet, bank account cash alternative or even real cash we will tell you how.
About Our Online Betting Guide
At OnlineBetting.org.uk we provide impartial betting advice whether you are a complete novice or you have been doing this for years. All guides and reviews are written by Matt (that’s me) and our in house team, or by carefully selected and vetted expert writers. We update our offers daily and we revise our reviews and guides regularly.
A little introduction to me, Matt. I have been betting for many years in all formats, I love all sports and games and as we all know there is no better way to get into an event than by having a cheeky flutter. Everything written on this site comes from first-hand experience and has been fully tried and tested by either myself or our team or our expert writers. I aim to guide you through all things betting from old school bookmaker’s shops to modern bookies that solely offer online betting tools. We assess the pros and cons of online vs betting shops, conventional desktop sites, mobile betting, payment options, offers/promotions, live betting and betting with streaming and more.
I am a diehard Liverpool FC fan and I truly love my football but I also like watching and going to, Horse racing, Dog racing, Cricket, Tennis, Darts, F1, Rugby, Golf, Snooker, Boxing and even the odd NFL game. If you watch a sport or game in my opinion it is worth placing a bet on it but given the wide range of choice and offers available in the world of online betting it is often hard to know who to bet with. In my own experiences I have made some mistakes but I have found a lot of gems that can make betting on events a lot more fun, and profitable.
Maybe you want to find the best bookmaker for betting on football for example, or you might want to know how to bet with cash online, who offers Cash Out, live streaming, who has the best mobile app or who provides the best live betting – whatever your query or question we have complied a comprehensive resource to online betting to help answer it.
Here we list good, established, UK licensed (by the Gambling Commission), reliable betting sites for punters and by having a good relationship with these companies in many cases we are able to offer you exclusive and one-off deals you cannot find direct with the bookmaker. If you like what we do come back and visit us often and see what’s new, share the love too and tell your friends about us.