bookmakers

List of UK Bookmakers

You might be surprised just how many UK bookmakers there are; at the last count, we made it 55. While many are familiar names, others are likely to be new to you.  Also bear in mind that bookmakers come and go, so our 2018 list may need modifying next year, though we will try to keep up with the game.

Although we consider these to be UK Bookmakers, by far the majority are now based outside the UK even though they may have been founded in the UK originally. Usually, they are based in regions with more favourable taxation, though all those listed are fully licensed and regulated in the UK.

Here they all are, in alphabetic order. Where we can, we also provide information on current new customer bonus offers and other information.

 

Bookmaker Information Bonus/ Free Bet
10Bet 10 Bet was launched in 2003 and is now owned by Blue Star Planet Ltd which is registered in Malta and licensed in the UK. £100
138Bet 138bet opened its online betting site in 2012. The company is licensed in the Isle of Man and is regulated in the UK by the UK Gaming Commission. It provides access to in play sporting markets throughout Europe and Asia. £10
188bet 188bet is licensed in the Isle of Man as part of Annatar Ltd. and in the UK. It claims to offer odds that are 20% better than betting exchanges. It also offers bet and play on bets of at least £1.00 £20
21bet A new kid on the block, 21bet was established in 2016 and is licensed in the UK. It was quick to establish a good reputation as a no-nonsense online bookmaker. It specialises in offering excellent odds and a wide range of betting options. £10 every week
32Red Sport 32Red Sport was launched in 2002 is licensed in Gibraltar and is part of the Kindred group which owns several Red brands including 32Red poker, 32Red bingo, and 32Red casino. It covers most sports betting markets . 100% profits boost
888Sport 888Sport was launched in 2008. Its HQ is in Gibraltar and provides sports betting across Europe. £30
Bet Victor Bet Victor Bookmakers began in 1946, and the business has remained in the Victor family. One of the top bookmakers in our list, this is a perfect blend of traditional bookkeeping meets modern technology. £60
Bet365 Founded in the UK in 2000, it boasts over 19 million customers and has an almost global presence. It is highly rated by many pundits. £100
Betbright Betbright is based in Ireland and fully licensed in the UK. It was founded in 2013 and currently sponsors the BetBright Cup at Cheltenham and is Nottingham Forest’s shirt sponsor. It has won several awards including best football betting product. £100
BetClic BetClic is licensed in Malta and the UK.  It began in London in 2005 and was bought by manga Gaming in 2008. The company now operates out of Gibraltar. Currently, there is no new user bonus.
Betdaq Betdaq is a betting exchange based in Alderney and founded in 2000. It is the second largest betting exchange in the UK and is now owned by Ladbrokes which acquired it for £30 million. It sponsors the London Irish Rugby Club. £25
Betfair When Betfair opened operations in 2000, it broke the pattern of online gambling. A betting exchange with a fabulous reputation, it provides the opportunity to be a punter and a bookmaker at the same time. It justifiably claims to be the most influential bookmaker in Britain. £30
Betfred Betfred is an iconic bookmaker that has been providing an outstanding service since 1967. It was started by two brothers, Fred and Peter Done, who are famous for creating the Lucky 15 bet, Football and horseracing are its main markets, though many other markets are also covered.  £60
Bethard Bethard went online in 2014. It is based in Malta. Generally considered to offer better odds than much of the competition. £50
Betrally Betrally was formed in 2012 and its website launched in 2013. The owner is ZapZap Marketing Limited, and it is based in Cyprus and licensed in Curacao in the Dutch Caribbean and in the UK. £100
BetRegal BetRegal is owned by EveryMatrix Ltd and registered in Malta. It is fully licensed to operate in the UK.  It offers 26 sports markets  plus 45 live play markets. £50
Betsafe Betsafe was launched in 2006 and now boasts 450,000 customers from 100 countries. The company is part of Betsson AB, a Swedish company. Betsafe is registered in Malta and regulated in the UK by the Gambling Commission. £20
BetStars This is the bookmaker side of Poker Stars and was launched in 2016. It covers most major sports. A unique feature is Spin & Bet which provides an opportunity to increase the odds of your bet by up to a factor of 10. £20
Betway Founded in 2006, Betway is based in Malta and Guernsey. One of the leading bookies in the business, it is known for its good customer service and wide range of markets. £30
Boylesports Based in Ireland, it is the country’s largest bookmaker. It was established in 1982. It is registered in Gibraltar and fully licensed in the UK. It sponsors several horse racing events including the Irish Grand National. £35
Bruce Betting Bruce Betting is an Irish bookmaker and licensed in the UK. It specialises in horse racing but offers sports betting in most usual markets. At one time it offered a good first-time user bonus, but that has now been withdrawn.
Bwin Originally called Simon Bold, it was formed in 1999 and changed its name when taken over in 2001. It is licensed in Gibraltar and is one of the favourite bookmakers among football betting fans. £50
Comeon Comeon is based in Malta and fully licensed in the UK. It was founded in 2010 in Stockholm and now based in East London as is its customer support team. The ethos is to provide  clear, clean betting experience. £10
Coral Coral has been providing bookmaking in the UK since 1926, the year it was set up by Joseph Kagarlitski who changed his name to Joe Coral. The company became the Coral Leisure Group in 1979 and became part Ladbrokes which bought it for £363 million and subsequently sold it to a management buyout. It became Coral Eurobet in 2000 which was again subject to a management buyout. Gala bought it for £2.18 billion in 2005 when it became Gala Coral. Gala Coral was bought by Ladbrokes in 2016. The business is now Ladbrokes Coral, though each arm operates under its own brand.  £50
Dafabet Based in the Isle of Man, Dafabet online betting website is fully licensed to operate in the UK.  The founding company is based in the Philippines. £30
Energy One of the newest bookmakers in our list, Energy was launched in 2012 as  sports bet spin-off of Energy Casino. £50
Expekt Originating in Sweden, Expekt is licensed in Malta. All major sports events across the world are covered and the site, which it shares with its casino and poker room,  claims to offer exceptionally good odds.  100% win boost
Genting Bet The company is based in Malaya through the UK betting division operates out of Alderney. The Genting casino operation is now in its 51st year, and the website appears far more devoted to the casino side than sports betting. £10
Geoff Banks Geoff Banks was founded by its namesake, the son of the legendary bookmaker John Banks. It is licensed in the UK and Irish Republic. Currently, there is no bonus and the last time we checked the website was down.
Grosvenor A truly British brand, Grosvenor was founded in 1970 and can be found on many high streets across the UK. Its online presence isn’t as large as many, but it is quite sound with high-quality customer service. Double odds
Jetbull Jetbull was founded in 2007 and is now owned by EveryMatrix.  It is based in Malta and licensed in the UK. £75
Ladbrokes Ladbrokes is one of the oldest bookmakers in our list. Established in the late 19th century, sports betting was a very different game back then and was almost exclusively on horseracing. The online arm is Gibraltar based and as up to date as you might wish. You can’t go wrong with Ladbrokes. £50
Mansionbet Mansionbet is a spin-off from the Mansion casino brand which was awarded Casino Operator of the Year Award in 2017. The company  is based in Gibraltar and fully licensed in the UK. £50
MarathonBet MarathonBet is an independent bookmaker which was set up in 1997. It is licensed in Curacao and in the UK.  Currently, it does not offer any bonus to new customers or ongoing promotions. However, it does appear to offer reasonable odds.
Mark Jarvis Mark Jarvis was founded in 1964 in Yorkshire, UK. Currently, the business is based in Cheshire and registered in the UK.  No first-time user bonus or ongoing promotions are currently available.
Matchbook Matchbook is a sports betting exchange founded in 2004 and are licensed in Alderney and the UK. They offer considerably discounted commission compared to Betfair and as a result are growing substantially. £50
McBookie As you might have guessed, McBookie is based in Scotland, and its main focus is on the Scottish sports betting market, though it offers sports betting across a wide range of international markets.  It was incorporated in 1009. £25
Mr. Green Mr. Greed was founded in 2008 and currently is registered in Malta and the UK. Their main focus is on the casino side of the business, and they didn’t open a sportsbook until 2016 but don’t let that put you off. They seem to be making a good job of the sports side too. £100
Netbet Licensed in Malta and the UK, Netbet has been operating since 2001. The main focus of the site appears to be the casino and poker rooms, but the sports betting area is easily accessible and well planned. £50
Novibet Although based in Greece, they now serve the whole of Europe including the UK. Seems to have a good reputation. £25
Paddy Power Paddy Power was founded in Ireland in 1988. from the amalgamation of three bookmakers. As well as its presence online it has 500 betting shops. It merged with Betfair in 2016. £30
Smarkets Smarkets is a betting exchange set up in London in 2008. It is regulated in the UK. It offers similar services to the other betting exchanges such as Betfair, but charges just 2% commission on winnings. £10
Sporting Index A UK company, it specialised in sports spread betting and with over 70% of the market share is the go-to website for spread betting fans. It was founded in 1992 and went online in 2001.  It is regulated by the  Financial Conduct Authority. It was the first online bookmaker to offer cashing out.  £100
Sportingbet Sportingbet is the largest UK gambling operator and is owned by  GVC Holdings . A London Stock Exchange listed company.  It was founded in 1997.  Now it boasts 700,000 clients across 22 countries. £150
SportNation Sport nation was originally launched in 2016 with the name BetOnBrazil, which isn’t as you might think the football team,  but the owner, footballer and pundit Alan Brazil. The company is now owned by Argyll Entertainment AG in Switzerland and registered in the UK. £100
Stan James Stan James was a traditional UK bookmaker set up in  Wantage Oxfordshire UK as a single betting shop. Interestingly the founders were Steve Fisher and James Holder; the name Stan James was compounded from their names and those of their wives. It is now owned by Unibet Group PLC. It was a regular sponsor of British horseracing. £20
Tipbet Tipbet is based in Malta and licensed in the UK. The original company was set up in 1995. It offers free online streaming. £150
Titanbet Titanbet was set up in 2010 by Playtech plc, a major developer of online gaming software. It is run by Imperial E-Club in the Philippines and is registered in Cyprus and the UK. £25
Tony Bet Founded in 2009 it originated in Lithuania and is licensed in the UK, Denmark, and Estonia. Some consider the odds to be a little lower than the competition. £200
Totesport The Tote was set up in 1927 by Winston Churchill as a horse race betting pool. It expanded into fixed price betting and was rebranded as Totepool in 2004. Totesport was set up to offer online betting at Totepool as well as fixed odds betting. In 2011 the government sold the Tote to Betfred and the operation is now licensed in Gibraltar.  £20
Unibet Now one of the largest online bookmakers in Europe, the company was formed in 1997 and opened up to English players two years later. £30
Vernons Sports Vernons was set up in 1925 as a UK bookmaker and was one of the largest football pools companies in the UK.  Today it is owned by Netplay TV Group Limited. It is run from Saint Peter Port in the Channel Islands and registered in the UK. £25
William Hill William Hill is one of the old boys on the block, dating all the way back to 1934. Currently, the online part of the business is licensed in Gibraltar. If you want to use a good old-fashioned trustworthy bookmaker with oodles of prestige, you are not likely to finder a better example. £30
Winner The company launched in 2009, but the sports betting operation didn’t open until 2013. It is licensed in Antigua and Barbuda, and it is registered in the UK. £200

 

 

 

 

 

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