Best Football Betting Sites

Football is the most popular sport in the UK, and competition among bookmakers is fierce as they vie to be the top choice.

We have selected the best football betting sites and ranked them based on key criteria, helping you find the site that best suits your needs.

Top UK Football Betting Sites Compared

Not all football bettors look for the same features in a betting site. For some, the priority might be the best odds or live streaming, while others may focus on free bets or a wide range of markets.

Read on to discover which football betting sites we have selected for each category:

Football Betting Bonuses

There are plenty of football betting bonuses available, as this term covers a wide range of offers, including free bets, early payouts and new customer promotions.

Best Welcome Bonus - BetMGM

New BetMGM users can claim £40 in free bets after signing up and placing a £10 bet. The qualifying bet can be placed on any sport, provided the odds are Evens (2.0) or greater. You’ll then receive a £10 free bet for each of the following: horse racing, bet builder, football, and accumulators.

Right now, getting £40 worth of free bets is unbeatable. Even with some restrictions on the free bets, BetMGM still takes the crown for the best welcome bonus.

Even if you're not interested in horse racing, you can use three of the four free bets on football, making this offer comparable to top welcome bonuses from bet365 and Sky Bet.

Best Promos - bet365

Regular promotions are a huge plus for punters, and bet365 delivers them in abundance, both for individual football matches and the sport in general.

The site pioneered the now-popular early payout offer, where your bet is settled as a winner if the team you back goes two goals up. The best part? Unlike some other sites, bet365 doesn’t lower the odds for this feature.

Bet365 also offers an excellent acca boost for those who enjoy accumulator bets. A winning double receives a 2.5% boost, with the percentage increasing as more legs are added, up to a maximum 70% boost for a winning 14+ leg accumulator.

Additionally, bet365 provides regular boosted odds on major fixtures, particularly in the Premier League. These include:

• Super Boosts - for example, a shot on target market enhanced from 1/5 to Evens.
• Bet Builder boosts - such as an increase from 9/1 to 10/1.

Best for Free Bets - Sky Bet

Sky Bet gets a lot right when it comes to football betting, but free bets are where they truly excel.

By betting £30 a week, you qualify for the Sky Bet Club, which rewards you with either £5 or £6 in free bets to use the following week, depending on the reward you choose.

In addition to the loyalty club, Sky Bet frequently offers free bets for major Premier League and Champions League matches. They also run ‘bet and get’ promotions, where the value of the free bet varies by account but can range from £1 to £20.

Football Betting Features 

Best for In-Play Betting - Bet365 

When it comes to in-play betting, bet365 is the top football betting site, offering coverage of the most matches across the most leagues.

Navigating in-play betting is seamless, with a dedicated tab on desktop and a convenient button at the bottom of the app, allowing you to find your match in seconds.

Just like their pre-match markets, bet365’s in-play odds are among the best in the UK, and you can also create bet builders while a game is in progress.

Best for Bet Builders - BetVictor

Bet Builder is a core feature of modern football betting sites, and even with fierce competition, BetVictor stands out as the best option.

While the website could use some improvements, their Bet Builder feature offers excellent flexibility, allowing you to craft the exact bet you want.

BetVictor also provides consistently strong Bet Builder odds, ensuring you get a highly competitive price.

Best for Live Streaming - Unibet

Live streaming is an essential tool for in-play betting, allowing you to watch and bet on the same game in real-time.

Unibet offers live streaming for a vast range of football leagues worldwide, including competitions in the USA, France, Japan, and Sweden.

Even better, you don’t need to place a bet on the game you want to watch. Simply having a funded account or placing a bet in the past 24 hours grants you access to the stream.

Best Football Betting App

William Hill

Mobile betting has never been more popular, and the competition to be the best football betting app is intense. This is where William Hill stands out.

The William Hill app loads quickly and features convenient buttons in the top third of the screen, providing easy access to popular sports like football and horse racing, as well as major events such as the World Cup or golf majors.

A menu button in the bottom left displays a full list of sports and one of the app’s best features is that it keeps you logged in. This allows you to place bets instantly without the hassle of signing in each time.

How We Review Betting Sites

Understanding how we rate sportsbooks to find the best football betting sites will help you decide which ones suit you best.

We test all betting sites using the same set of criteria, ensuring our ratings are fair and transparent. Simply determine which of the factors below matters most to you, and use that to identify the football betting sites that best meet your needs.

Odds

Better odds mean bigger returns on winning bets, so a betting site must offer competitive prices. No sportsbook will provide the best odds on every market, so look for one that consistently delivers good value in your preferred markets.

Football Leagues

A top-tier football betting site should offer a wide range of leagues. You should be able to place bets on competitions from England and Spain to Saudi Arabia and Latvia, ensuring a broad selection of global football action.

Market Options

The best football betting sites provide hundreds of markets. While standard options are available everywhere, those looking for niche or specific bets should prioritise sites with extensive market choices.

Customer Support

These days, most betting sites offer customer support via live chat and email at a minimum, but the best ones go further by providing phone support and assistance through social media. It’s also essential that help agents are knowledgeable and can resolve queries quickly.

Mobile Betting

More than half of UK bettors use their mobile devices for betting, so having a mobile app isn’t enough, it needs to be well-designed. The best betting apps are fast-loading, easy to navigate, and user-friendly.

Security

As with any site where you have a personal account, security is essential. Most sportsbooks have strong protection measures in place, and those that don’t should be avoided.

Payment Methods

A variety of payment options gives you greater flexibility when depositing and withdrawing funds. While most sites accept debit cards as standard, the best sportsbooks also support options such as PayPal, Skrill, and Neteller.

Betting Offers

Everyone enjoys betting promotions, which can include boosted odds, free bets, ‘bet and get’ deals, or money-back offers. Some football betting sites also have loyalty clubs that reward punters with free bets when they place a certain amount in wagers each week.

Live Streaming

While you won’t find live streaming for Premier League or Champions League matches due to licensing issues, the best football betting sites offer streams for top domestic leagues across Europe, as well as competitions like MLS and the A-League.

How to Bet on Football

Now that you know how to choose a football betting site, the next step is actually placing a bet.

There are a few key things to understand before you get started, all of which we have outlined below to help guide you.

Popular Markets Explained

The best football betting sites offer hundreds of markets, which can feel overwhelming for new bettors. To help, here are some of the most popular football betting markets:

• Match Result - Also labelled as 1X2, this is a simple bet on which team will win or whether the match will end in a draw.
• Both Teams to Score (BTTS) - Bet on ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ depending on whether you think both teams will score during the game.
• Over/Under Goals - Betting sites set a goal threshold, and you bet on whether the total goals will be over or under that number. The standard is 2.5 goals, but options range from 0.5 up to 8.5.
• Double Chance - This allows you to cover two of the three possible match outcomes in a single bet.
• Booking Points - Similar to Over/Under goals, but based on total booking points. A yellow card is worth 10 points, while a red card is 25 points.
• Goalscorer - Bet on a specific player to score at any time in the match. You can also bet on the first or last goalscorer.

Reading Odds

Odds may look complicated, but they are straightforward once you understand them. The UK mainly uses fractional odds, which are different from the decimal format used in other countries.

In fractional odds, divide the left number by the right number and then add one to get the “one in X” probability of the event happening.

For example, if a selection is priced at 2/1, you divide 2 by 1 (which equals 2), then add one, giving you a 1 in 3 chance of winning or a 33.3% probability.

The smaller the result of this calculation, the more likely the event is to occur.

You can switch to decimal odds if you prefer, which automatically show your total return from a £1 bet, making calculations easier.

Outright Betting

If you prefer long-term bets, outright football betting is a great option. This allows you to wager on entire seasons or competitions rather than just single matches.

Most bookmakers offer dozens of outright betting markets for competitions like the Premier League, Champions League, and major international tournaments.

While outright bets are available throughout the season, some markets close before the first game kicks off, so always check the terms on your chosen site.

Popular Outright Markets

• Winner - A bet on which team will win a league or tournament. Many sites offer each-way betting, which can pay out on top-four finishes in leagues or top-two in knockout competitions.
• Top Scorer - A bet on the player who will score the most goals. Some sites refer to this as ‘Golden Boot’, and dead heat rules may apply if multiple players finish level.
• To Be Relegated - Available for leagues only. You win if the team you back is relegated at the end of the season.
• To Finish in the Top Four - Similar to relegation betting but focused on teams finishing in high positions. Some sites also offer top-two, top-six, and top-half markets.
• Best Player - This award varies by competition. In the Premier League, it is usually PFA Player of the Year, while in the World Cup, it is the Golden Ball.
• Points Totals - Betting sites set a projected points total for teams, and you bet on whether they will exceed or fall short. This is common in the Premier League but usually only available before the season starts.

Placing a Bet

Before placing a bet, always do your research. Check statistics and current form to determine if a bet represents good value.

Steps to Place a Bet

• Log in to your chosen betting site and deposit funds if needed.
• Navigate to the sport and find the match or outright market you want to bet on.
• Select your preferred market and choose your bet.
• Enter your stake – only bet what you are comfortable losing.
• Click ‘Place Bet’ to confirm.

If your bet wins, the money will be added to your account, ready to be withdrawn or used for future bets.

Payment Methods at Football Betting Sites

Premier League Betting

Football is a global sport, and the Premier League is the most-watched league on the planet. It’s no surprise that bookmakers take a high volume of bets on every match.

Each Premier League game features hundreds of markets, covering everything from match winners and goalscorers to player stats and corner counts. The best football betting sites also offer enhanced odds and exclusive bonuses, allowing you to get better value or free bets on selected matches.

Because of its popularity, Premier League betting sites provide a wider range of outright and in-play markets than any other league, even surpassing elite competitions like the Champions League and World Cup.

EFL Betting

It’s not just the Premier League that attracts bettors. The English Football League (EFL) (which consists of the Championship, League One, and League Two) offers plenty of betting opportunities, with hundreds of markets available for most matches.

While promotions for the EFL are less common than those for the Premier League, they do exist. Bookmakers often provide special offers during international breaks, when League One and League Two take centre stage due to the temporary pause in top-flight and Championship fixtures.

If you’re looking for more competitive odds and markets beyond the Premier League, EFL betting can be a great option.

European Football Betting

Champions League Betting

The Champions League is the pinnacle of European club football, bringing together the continent’s top teams and offering fans the chance to bet on high-profile clashes between clubs from different countries.

Real Madrid are the undisputed kings of the competition, winning it 15 times; eight more than second-placed AC Milan. Six of those triumphs have come since 2014, further cementing their dominance.

Europa League Betting 

The Europa League is the younger sibling of the Champions League, originally founded in 1971 as the UEFA Cup before its rebranding in 2009.

While top clubs often view it as a consolation prize, many teams see it as a valuable opportunity for silverware and European competition. Sevilla are the specialists, having won the trophy seven times, all since 2006. Other multiple winners include Liverpool, Inter Milan, Atlético Madrid, and Juventus, each with three titles.

La Liga Betting

La Liga is historically dominated by El Clásico rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona, who have won 63 of the 93 league titles awarded. In recent years, Atlético Madrid have also emerged as challengers, breaking the duopoly with title wins in 2014 and 2021.

Bundesliga Betting

The Bundesliga has been synonymous with Bayern Munich, who have lifted the trophy 32 times since the league’s formation in 1963. However, competition has increased in recent years.

Bayer Leverkusen went unbeaten in the 2023-24 season to win their first-ever Bundesliga title, while Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig remain serious contenders.

Serie A Betting

Among Europe’s elite leagues, Serie A is arguably the most unpredictable. Juventus dominated from 2011 to 2020, but since then, Inter Milan, AC Milan, and Napoli have all lifted the title.

Serie A also has fewer goals per game on average compared to other top leagues. During the 2023-24 season, the league averaged 2.61 goals per game, while the Premier League saw 3.28.

Ligue 1 Betting

Paris Saint-Germain have dominated French football, winning 10 league titles since 2012 despite strong opposition from Marseille, Monaco, and Lyon.

Due to PSG’s superiority, their outright odds are often too short to be appealing for single bets. As a result, alternative markets like ‘Ligue 1 Winner Without PSG’ are worth considering for better value.

Conclusion

Finding the best football betting site is essential, as the top bookmakers offer hundreds of leagues and thousands of matches to bet on.

The key is identifying what matters most to you; whether it’s competitive odds, free bets, a top-tier mobile app, or a variety of payment methods. Once you know your priorities, choosing the right site becomes much easier.

Our list of recommended football betting sites is regularly updated as sportsbooks evolve and new operators enter the market. Be sure to check back often for the latest and best options.