Best Championship Betting Sites 2025

The Championship is one of the most-watched football leagues in the world, and naturally, there’s a huge appetite for betting.

Below, we’ve evaluated and rated the top Championship betting sites, allowing you to choose the one that best suits your needs. This page also provides essential information on how to bet on the league and the most popular markets available.

Best Championship Betting Sites by Category

Championship bookmakers excel in different areas, meaning there is no one-size-fits-all option that suits every punter’s needs.

One bettor may prioritise the best odds, another might favour regular free bets, while a third could simply be looking for a bookmaker that accepts Paysafecard.

To make your decision easier, we have selected the top Championship betting site for each major category, so you can choose the one that best suits your preferences.

Bonuses - Bet365

As one of the best all-round bookmakers, it’s no surprise that bet365 features prominently here. The Stoke-based betting site offers punters a range of excellent bonuses for The Championship and other leagues.

All Championship match result bets qualify for the Early Payout offer, meaning your bet is settled as a winner if the team you back goes two goals up at any point. This applies to both single bets and accumulators, ensuring your accas remain intact even if a team surrenders a 2-0 lead.

Bet365 also offers an acca boost, which increases profits on winning accumulators. The boost starts at 2.5% for doubles and goes up to 100% extra for 20-folds.

Finally, the Soccer Substitute Guarantee returns your stake as bet credits on selected player markets if your chosen player is substituted before half-time.

Welcome Offer - BetMGM

The BetMGM welcome offer gives new punters £40 in free bets when they register and place a £10 bet on any market.

The £40 in free bets is divided into four separate £10 bets:

• One for football
• One for an accumulator
• One for a bet builder
• One for horse racing

While the horse racing free bet cannot be used on the Championship, the other three can, making this BetMGM welcome offer one of the most generous available.

Be sure to register when the Championship is in season, as free bets expire after seven days. For example, you wouldn’t be able to sign up in June and use them in August.

Free Bets - Paddy Power

There are always plenty of football free bets available ahead of the weekend’s Championship action, and Paddy Power is one of the leading bookmakers for regular bonuses.

It’s common for Paddy Power to offer at least one no deposit free bet or bet-and-get free bet each weekend. Additionally, Paddy’s Reward Club gives punters a £5 free bet every Monday, provided they have placed at least five £5 bets in the previous week.

In-Play - Ladbrokes

Ladbrokes offers an excellent in-play betting experience for the Championship, thanks to competitive odds and minimal market suspensions.

Speed is crucial when placing in-play bets, and Ladbrokes ensures a smooth experience with quick bet placement and a wide range of live markets.

Bet Builders - William Hill

William Hill’s bet builder feature offers Championship punters some of the best odds and the widest range of markets available.

The bet builder window is easily accessible with a single click at the top of the match page, keeping it separate from single markets. Additionally, markets are neatly categorised by type, such as goals or shots, making it simple to create customised bets.

Mobile App - Betfair Sportsbook

A strong mobile app can make or break a bookmaker, as over half of UK punters place their bets via mobile.

There are several top-tier betting apps available, but Betfair stands out as the best for Championship betting, offering seamless navigation and a vast range of markets on every game.

Betfair also provides a unique football promotion that settles match result bets as winners if your selection is leading when the clock hits 90 minutes, eliminating the frustration of stoppage-time goals.

How Championship Betting Sites are Ranked

Every Championship betting site is evaluated using the same criteria to ensure fairness and provide clear comparison points across different bookmakers.

Below, we outline the key features that define a top Championship betting site, along with what to look for when choosing the best option for your needs.

Odds

For many bettors, securing the best odds is key, as it maximises returns on winning bets.

No single bookmaker will offer the best odds on every Championship market, so the key is to find sites that consistently provide competitive prices across a wide range of bets.

Markets

A wide selection of markets gives you more options when betting on Championship games, allowing for greater flexibility beyond basic bets.

The best Championship betting sites offer over 200 markets per match, ensuring plenty of choices. In addition to popular markets like match result and goals, a top bookmaker should also include options such as player cards and shots on target.

Promos

Championship betting promotions include free bets, bet-and-get offers, early payouts, and boosted odds.

The most common bonuses are boosted odds and profit boost tokens, but top bookmakers also offer ongoing promotions like early payouts and acca boosts, which frequently apply to Championship matches.

In-Play

Championship in-play betting is available at nearly every bookmaker, allowing you to place bets while the action unfolds.

The key factors to consider for a top in-play betting experience include:

• Over 100 live markets per match
• Minimal odds suspensions or frequent changes
• Quick bet acceptance, with only a slight delay between confirming your bet and the bookmaker processing it

Payment Methods

A top Championship bookmaker should offer a variety of deposit and withdrawal options to suit different preferences.

Alongside VISA and Mastercard debit cards, the best sites should also support PayPal, bank transfers, and e-wallets like Skrill for added convenience.

Low minimum deposits are also important, with an ideal range of £5-£10, making betting accessible and affordable for most punters.

Mobile

With most UK punters placing bets on their phones, a bookmaker must offer a high-quality Championship betting app that matches the functionality of its desktop site.

A top-tier app should be easy to navigate, allow for quick bet placement, and have fast loading times, especially during peak periods like the Saturday 3pm kick-offs, when hundreds of football matches are in play.

How to Bet on The Championship

Championship Betting Tips

Before placing a bet on a game or two in the Championship, it’s important to consider a few key factors to determine whether your wager makes sense.

The reality is that you won’t win every bet, whether on the Championship or any other league. However, by taking a logical approach, you can maximise your chances of success.

Below are some essential Championship betting tips from our experts:

• Research - If you’re serious about winning, research is crucial. Analyse stats, form, and head-to-head records to identify the best betting opportunities.
• Check team news - You don’t always need to wait for official lineups, but staying informed on injuries and suspensions is vital. If a key player is likely to miss the match, you should know well before the team sheets are released an hour before kick-off.
• Understand what you’re betting on - It sounds obvious, but many inexperienced punters place bets without fully understanding the market. Always make sure you know what needs to happen for your bet to win.
• Shop around - Odds can vary between bookmakers, so always compare the top Championship betting sites to find the best value for your bet.

Popular Markets

There are hundreds of Championship betting markets available at top bookmakers. While this offers incredible choice, it can also feel overwhelming.

Market availability varies between betting sites, so you may need to shop around, especially for more niche options. Below are some of the most popular Championship betting markets, along with explanations of how they work:

• Match Result - A simple bet on which team will win or if the match will end in a draw. Some bookies list this as “1X2”, where 1 is the home team, 2 is the away team, and X represents a draw.
• Both Teams to Score (BTTS) - Bet on whether both teams will score during the match. Select "Yes" if you think both will find the net or "No" if you believe at least one team will fail to score.
• Over/Under Goals - Predict whether the total number of goals will be over or under a specified amount (e.g. 2.5 goals). The half-goal increments (e.g. 0.5, 1.5, etc.) ensure there’s always a clear result.
• Booking Points - A yellow card is worth 10 points, and a red card is worth 25 points. Bookies set a total (e.g. 45.5 points), and you bet on whether the actual number of points will be over or under that amount.
• Player Shots on Target - A popular market for bet builders, this lets you bet on the number of shots on target a specific player will have. A shot on target is defined as one that results in a goal or would have if not for a save.
• Goalscorer - Bet on a specific player to score during the game. Bookies offer options such as anytime goalscorer, first goalscorer, or last goalscorer.

Bet Builders

Championship bet builders allow you to combine multiple selections from the same game into a single bet, similar to an accumulator.

The key difference between a regular accumulator and a bet builder is that the selections in a bet builder are related. Since one event can affect another, bookmakers use a specific formula to calculate the new odds.

For example, in a match between Leeds United and Middlesbrough, you might want to bet on Mateo Joseph to score first and Jonny Howson to be booked anytime. A bet builder allows you to combine these selections into one wager.

Most markets can be included in a Championship bet builder, such as corners, goals, and bookings, as long as the selections do not contradict each other. For example, you cannot bet on Mateo Joseph to score while also selecting under 0.5 shots on target.

Accumulators

Most Championship matches kick off at 3pm on Saturday, making it the ideal time to build an accumulator that can offer high returns from small stakes.

An acca combines selections from at least two different games into a single bet. For the accumulator to win, all selections must be correct.

Any market can be included in a Championship acca, and selections do not have to be from the same market in every game. However, many punters prefer to create accumulators focused on match winners or both teams to score, as these are easier to follow while watching the games.

Outright Betting

In addition to betting on individual games, you can also place wagers on outright markets, which remain active for the entire season unless they are settled early.

Championship winner betting is particularly popular due to the league's unpredictability, often resulting in big-priced outsiders winning the title or finishing in the each-way places.

Top Championship bookmakers also offer outright markets for:

• Top goalscorer
• Promotion
• Top-six finish
• Relegation
• Playoff winner

Most outright markets remain open throughout the season, allowing you to assess teams' performances before committing your money for the long term.

Past Championship Winners

The Championship was formed in 2004 as a rebrand of the Football League First Division, which itself was renamed following the creation of the Premier League in 1992.

Leicester City hold the record for the most second-tier titles overall with eight. Since the Championship rebrand, six clubs have won the title twice:

• Sunderland
• Newcastle United
• Wolves
• Norwich City
• Burnley
• Leicester City

Championship on TV

Live coverage of the Championship is shown exclusively on Sky Sports, which broadcasts 328 of the 552 matches played each season across its various channels.

Due to UK TV blackout restrictions, games kicking off at 3pm on a Saturday cannot be shown live. However, almost every other match is available to watch.

This makes Championship broadcasts a great opportunity for in-play betting or simply tracking your pre-match bets as the action unfolds.

Conclusion

Despite being the second tier of English football, the Championship is one of the most popular leagues in Europe, attracting huge fan engagement and betting interest.

With every UK bookmaker offering Championship betting, you have plenty of choices when placing your bets.

The best Championship betting site for you will depend on your personal preferences, whether you prioritise the best odds, the most promotions, the largest number of markets or something else entirely.