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Most gambling sites nowadays do their best to cover all bases, from sports betting to slots to poker. The experts at Wisegambler.com have decided that the best all-round UK gambling site from their commercial partners is BetVictor, but you can see their full list of recommendations below:
BetVictor – Bet £10 Get £40 in Free Bets
Betfred – Bet £10 Get £50 in Bonuses
William Hill – Bet £10 Get £60 in Free Bets
BetMGM – Bet £10 Get £40 in Free Bets
888 – Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets
Boylesports – Bet £10 Get £20 in Free Bets
Unibet – Money Back as Bonus if your 1st Bet Loses
bet365 – Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets
10bet – 100% up to £50 welcome bonus
Star Sports – Get Best Odds Guaranteed
AKbets – 25% Bet Boost on Initial Bet up to £100
Livescore Bet – Bet £10 Get £20 in Free Bets
bet365 T&Cs: Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply.
18+ Gambling Can Be Addictive. Please Play Responsibly. BeGambleAware GamStop Gambling Commission
DISCLAIMER: This article is provided by wisegambler.com, part of the Acroud group and all opinions are their own. All offers are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change without notice.
Best Gambling Sites in the UK Reviewed
The following are the experts’ picks for the top five all-round gambling sites UK!
BetVictor – Bet £10 Get £40 in Free Bets
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Taking the place of honour is BetVictor. The sportsbook is nigh unparalleled in UK gambling, with competitive odds, an intuitive user interface and some generous bonuses. The casino sections of BetVictor are also stellar, with a jaw-dropping range of live dealer titles and a smaller but high-quality collection of regular casino games. If we’re looking for issues with the site, we’d have to say the sportsbook livestream coverage is limited to only a few major events.
Pros
✅ Wide range of sports and markets
✅ Modern and user-friendly platform
✅ Mobile friendly
Cons
❌ Limited live streaming
BetVictor T&Cs: 18+ New customers only. Opt in, bet £10 on any football market at minimum 1/1 odds. No cash out. Get £40 in Free Bets on selected events. Free Bets expire in 7 days. Debit card / Apple Pay payments only. T&Cs apply, see below. gambleaware.org | Please gamble responsibly.
Betfred – Bet £10 Get £50 in Bonuses
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Betfred sets itself apart with one specific feature — the range of bonuses. Betfred is famous for its expansive range of betting promotions across all its gambling services. We also love the big update the Betfred website recently underwent, with a shiny new look that improves user experience and adds an element of professionalism. As a gambling site, we were disappointed with the comparatively small collection of table games available in the regular and live casinos. However, the overall library is strong, with many titles from top developers.
Pros
✅ The best lineup of promotions around
✅ Reliable British betting brand
✅ Many casino games from top-tier developers
Cons
❌ Small lineup of table games
Betfred T&Cs: New customers only. Register (excl. 13/04/24) with WELCOME50. First bet £10+ at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports within 7 days to get Free Bets: £20 In-Play, £20 Acca & 50 x £0.20 (£10) Free Spins on Fishin’ Frenzy within 10 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility & payment exclusions apply. Full T&Cs apply.
William Hill – Bet £10 Get £60 in Free Bets
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This is the oldest brand on our list, first entering the sports betting business in 1939 and still standing strong 80 years later. Since then, William Hill has expanded into a sprawling gambling empire with its live casino, vegas, bingo and poker services to complement it! Each is of fantastic quality with excellent games, live dealer options and top-notch service. Unfortunately, William Hill’s website is bland compared to its competitors; certainly user-friendly, but not very exciting to look at.
Pros
✅ Well-established betting brand
✅ Hundreds of games, including live dealer options
✅ Friendly and responsive customer support
Cons
❌ Bland website design
William Hill T&Cs: 18+. Play Safe. New players only, using promo code T60. Valid from 13/04/2022. Online play. Get £60 Bonus split between Vegas & Sports in the following manner – (i) Deposit £10 to unlock £20 Vegas Free Bet on Selected Games (72hr expiry, wagering reqs apply); then (ii) bet £10+ (odds 1/2+) with cash (excl. £10 deposit) or Vegas winnings (after wager reqs met). Once settled, receive £40 Sports Free Bets excluding Virtual Markets (4x £10, 7 days expiry). Payment methods & country restrictions apply. Full T&Cs apply. #ad
BetMGM – Bet £10 Get £40 in Free Bets
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BetMGM is a brand familiar to any avid US sports bettor, but in 2023 it made its way to British shores and made one hell of a splash! Its classy user interface spreads from the desktop to the dedicated mobile apps, with BetMGM proving to be the pinnacle of modern gambling platforms. The casino and sportsbook are well-balanced and cohesively designed, so users looking for either will be satisfied. Its one major issue is the distinct lack of payment methods, with only a handful available, which prevents many users from using the site.
Pros
✅ Competitive odds and promotions
✅ Seamless mobile experience
✅ Live betting and streaming
Cons
❌ Limited payment options
BetMGM T&Cs: New cust only. 7 days to opt in by placing a £10 qualifying bet at 1/1 (2.0) odds or greater to receive 4x Free Bets: 1 x £10 horse racing, 1 x £10 Bet Builder, 1 x £10 Acca and 1 x £10 football. 7 day expiry. Exclusions apply. Stake not returned. T&Cs apply. 18+ BeGambleAware.org.
888 – Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets
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888 is one of the older UK brands on the market and has a fantastic reputation to accompany it. This is a one-stop shop for gambling enthusiasts with a combined sportsbook, casino and poker site! The sportsbook boasts many betting markets, the poker site hosts many variations, and the casino features a plethora of games, including original content! While the service is excellent overall, we must criticise the support limitations, with some customer contacts reserved exclusively for VIP customers.
Pros
✅ Trusted and reputable brand
✅ Wide variety of sports and events
✅ Mobile-friendly
Cons
❌ Live chat customer support only for VIPs
888 T&Cs: New online 888sport customers in the UK and Ireland, excluding re-registered customers. Valid from 15/01/2024. Min Deposit £/€10 with code 30FXS. Qualifying bet: ‘real money’ stake of £/€10+, odds 1/2 (1.5)+. Free bet, consists of 3x £/€10 tokens: 1x £/€10 horseracing, 1x £/€10 football, 1x £/€10 in-play, which will be credited upon qualifying bet settlement and must be used entirely before expiration in 7 days. No cashing out, each way bets, permutations, or combining with ‘real money’ stakes. Payment restrictions apply. T&Cs apply.
Best Gambling Sites for Betting
BetMGM — the sophisticated betting interface lends itself to user-friendliness, and the live streaming is superior.
BetVictor — renowned for its odds on football and horse racing betting, also features some of the best sportsbook apps on the market. Click here for more information on the best football betting sites.
William Hill — a highly experienced betting brand with unbeatable odds on horse and greyhound racing.
10bet — there are fewer betting markets, but the interface is modern and the betting promotions are varied across many different sports.
bet365 — a highly respected sports betting site with a slick interface and some of the best horse racing promotions in the business.
Best Gambling Sites for Casino
William Hill — the Vegas service at William Hill has a high-quality variety of casino games from many top developers.
Betfred — stands out for its plethora of casino bonuses, so you can play more of its excellent lineup for less.
888 — with its original games and fantastic user interface, 888 makes for a top-tier casino experience.
BetVictor — BetVictor’s casino selection is smaller than others but makes up for it in sheer quality. The site is also attractive and has exceptional mobile compatibility.
BetMGM — The game selection features titles from all the best game developers and hosts it all on a classy website and mobile app.
Best Gambling Sites for Slots
Betfred — Their hundreds of slot games come from only the best developers in the business, and all benefit from the fantastic casino promotions Betfred is famous for.
William Hill — with more than 1000 slots on offer, William Hill will leave any slot enthusiast satisfied.
888 — the 1000+ slots feature all the classic titles we expect from a top gambling site, and 888 even hosts a selection of original gaming titles to set itself apart from the competition.
Boylesports — features an elite lineup of slots with huge jackpots and exciting themes to keep the slot experience from growing repetitive.
Planet Sport Bet — doesn’t have the biggest selection of slots but is picky about the developers they come from, offering more titles from smaller but excellent-quality game studios.
Best Gambling Sites for Bingo
Betfred — this is one of the most extensive bingo services offered by a multi-service gambling site, with a huge range of bingo variations and unbeatable promotions.
William Hill — boasts an excellent selection of bingo variations, including rush bingo, speed bingo and your classic 90 and 75-ball games.
Boylesports — doesn’t host the most bingo games, but it’s easy to find a game to suit you and the site is super beginner-friendly.
Unibet — only hosts 90 and 75-ball varieties, but there are always games on offer and at all buy-in prices! From penny rooms to six-figure progressives, Unibet will surely have something that suits you.
bet365 — one of the most impressive bingo sites we’ve seen, from its attractive design and fantastic collection of Virtue Fusion games, to the promotions available.
Best Gambling Sites for Blackjack
BetVictor — while the table games are a little slim here, the blackjack is well served. You’ll find many variations, especially if you prefer live dealer varieties.
Unibet — features a good balance of blackjack variations in both the regular online casino and live casino options.
888 — the collection of live dealer blackjack options at 888 is more than any fan could hope to need. And while the non-live variants are slim pickings, they’re all high quality.
BetMGM — the live casino blackjack titles come in more varieties than you ever thought existed, all with excellent chat functions and entry minimums starting from just £1.
10bet — the library of blackjack titles is extensive on all accounts, and the experience of playing them is a dream with the fantastic website they’re hosted on.
Best Gambling Sites for Roulette
BetVictor — you can find fantastic roulette options at both the live and regular casinos. Not to mention that BetVictor hosts original online roulette tables.
William Hill — the regular online roulette options aren’t the biggest at William Hill, but the live pickings are top-notch. You can find all sorts of roulette variations too, including American, European and Arabic.
Boylesports — the roulette options at Boylesports are highly varied, with many unique kinds like spread, diamond, and even themed games.
bet365 — the bet365 roulette lineup is excellent, with unique variations like mini super spin, penny roulette and Dragon Jackpot in addition to the classic wheels.
Livescore Bet — Livescore Bet is one of those gambling sites you’d never expect to have an impressive roulette range, but it knocks it out of the park with an impressive collection of top-tier live roulette games.
Mobile Gambling Sites
In the modern era, mobile devices are steadily but surely outstripping PCs as people’s primary source of internet access. As such, online gambling sites need to offer mobile services to rival their PC browser sites! There are many betting apps out there, but they vary wildly in quality. The following are the best you can get in the UK, according to the experts at Wisegambler.com:
BetVictor
BetMGM
888
bet365
10bet
How to Sign Up to an Online Gambling Site
Signing up to online gambling sites has never been easier, with simple online forms that take minutes to complete. While each casino will be slightly different, just follow these basic steps, and you can start playing or betting online today:
Use one of our affiliate links to reach the sign-up page for your chosen gambling site
Click ‘Join Now’ or similar to open the registration page
Enter your personal details like name, date of birth, address and contact details
If you have a promo code, enter it before finishing account creation
Confirm your account, verify your email, and get playing
Where Can I Play Online Poker?
Online poker is a little more specialised than other online gambling services, but you can still find plenty of online poker games in the UK. These games alter the rules a little and should be approached differently than regular poker, but there are also online-specific tournaments and game types that only work well online. If you’re a poker fan, the experts at Wisegambler.com recommend these sites in specific:
888
BoyleSports
bet365
Unibet
William Hill
What is the Best Live Casino?
Live casino sites exist to add a personal touch back into the online gambling experience. Live dealer games are hosted by a human croupier instead of a computer program. You can see them through a live stream and interact with them and other players through a chat function. These games have grown highly sophisticated and even have unique options like game shows! You can find many quality live casino sites, and here are the favourites of the Wisegambler experts:
William Hill
BetMGM
10bet
Betfred
BetVictor
Where Can I Play Online Lottery?
Lottery services at online gambling sites — usually shortened to lotto in the UK — are a little rarer than the other features we’ve looked at so far. These can function similarly to bingo sites, with rooms you can join and play in, or you can play instant win titles like scratch cards. The experts at Wisegambler.com recommend the following sites for players looking for lotto options:
Betfred
Boylesports
BetVictor — scratchcards and instant-win only
William Hill — scratchcards and instant-win only
How does Wisegambler.com Review Online Gambling Sites?
So now that we’ve shown you the expert-certified best gambling sites in the UK, it begs the question: what makes these ‘the best?’ The Wisegambler experts have shared their top judging criteria below so you know what you can expect from all of their top picks:
Welcome Offers and Promotions
One of the first features we look at is the promotional lineup. Of course, this includes the welcome offer — we want to know how generous it is and what it entails. Is the welcome bonus different across the various gambling services, or are they combined, like free bets awarded alongside free spins?
Beyond that, we look at the existing promotions — bonuses shouldn’t be exclusively heaped upon new customers. This means recurring deals like reload bonuses or weekly free spins. We also give bonus points for services with VIP schemes, rewarding loyal players and giving them a reason to hang around.
We have put together a list of the best free bets available in the UK right now, head over to our page here.
Variety of Games and Betting Markets
A gambling site would be nothing without its primary content. If a site hosts both casino and sports betting, we want to see a high-quality offering for both. This means a variety of game types — slots, instant win, table games, live casino options — and betting markets that either cover a wide range of sports or allow for an in-depth betting experience. We feel that quality far outstrips quantity in this category, and we’d rather see a site do a small number of things well than have many mediocre services.
User Experience
This may seem obvious, but it’s a point that we often overlook in the competition to have the most games or the biggest bonuses — is the gambling site pleasant to use? User experience should be at the top of any service’s priority list. This means we expect an attractive, easy-to-navigate interface, intuitive account management systems and quick loading times.
Mobile Compatibility
Mobile gambling has grown exponentially more popular in the past decade, and we’ve come to expect some level of mobile compatibility from all gambling sites we look at. We want all the gambling sites we consider to at least have a well-adapted mobile website. The best of the best will also have functional apps for both iOS and Android, which streamline the process further. Not all apps are made equally, though, so we need to know these apps work well and consistently please customers.
Licensing and Safety
These are UK gambling sites, so every one of them is guaranteed to have a reliable licence. Without a UKGC or otherwise approved regulator attached to the site, it can’t operate in the UK at all. But we like to see when a gambling site has two or more licences! This is usually because it’s catering to an international market, but this also gives us more confidence in the stability and legitimacy of the site. Additionally, all gambling sites worth their salt need some kind of web security to protect user data, especially regarding transactions.
Customer Service
Finally, when we recommend a gambling site, we first want to know that the users will be well cared for. So, the site should feature a robust customer support service with multiple points of contact and swift response times. We’re especially pleased with the trend towards social media contacts, which allow for near-instant communication between gambling sites and their customers.
If you want to know more about how wisegambler.com’s team ranks and reviews online gambling brands, click here.
What Payment Methods are Available at Online Gambling Sites?
You can use many different methods when making payments at online gambling sites. Here’s a look at some of the most popular options:
Debit cards — the default payment method. You can use VISA and debit cards at just about every online gambling site in the UK.
PayPal — is a popular online payment option, allowing for fast and secure payments that don’t require you to input your details every time.
Paysafecard — prepaid cards like this allow you to make quick payments from a dedicated pool of money. These are particularly good for players trying to control their spending, as you can’t spend more than is on the card.
PaybyMobile — an increasingly popular method in the UK. This allows you to pay using your phone number and simply add the charge to the end of your phone bill. This method often has daily transaction limits.
The United Kingdom Gambling Commission: How Are Gambling Sites Regulated?
In the UK, all gambling businesses are regulated by the UKGC — the United Kingdom Gambling Commission. It is a non-governmental regulatory body, however it does enforce UK gambling legislation. For a gambling business of any kind to legally operate in the UK, it must hold a licence from the UKGC — this includes gambling sites, land-based casinos and even arcades.
The UKGC’s primary role is to ensure that gambling companies treat users of these establishments fairly. This prevents companies from withholding a player’s winnings, capping withdrawals, or taking advantage of vulnerable people like addicts, children and the elderly. The UKGC is notorious for being one of the strictest gambling regulators in the world, so you know you can trust sites licenced by it.
What to do if you have a gambling problem
We understand that gambling can be fun, but it’s important to gamble responsibly. If you are struggling with a gambling problem, please do not hesitate to ask for help. There are people who can help you get on the road to recovery.
Here are some resources that can help you:
National Gambling Helpline: 0808 8020 133
GamCare: https://www.gamcare.org.uk
GambleAware: https://www.begambleaware.org/
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Are UK Gambling Sites safe?
Gambling websites operating in the UK must be licenced and regulated by the UKGC. With such a reliable licence, you know you can trust any UK gambling site.
Is Online Gambling Legal in the UK?
Yes, online gambling is legal in the UK. This is thanks to the extensive gambling legislation, ensuring that online gambling operates above board and protects vulnerable parties.
Why Should I Trust Wisegambler.com?
Wisegambler.com has a team of gambling experts on hand who understand the ins and outs of online gambling services. You can trust our team and its collective decades of experience in this field.
Is online gambling better on mobile or desktop?
This will entirely depend on your preference, although, as a general rule, online gambling sites are designed to work on desktops first and are later ported to mobile devices. Many mobile betting apps can also be very hit or miss.
Are Online Gambling Sites easy to use?
Yes, most online gambling sites are designed to optimise user experience and be simple to use or play on — all of our top recommendations sport easy-to-use websites.