The Safest Online Bookmakers

All betting sites are sure to come as appealing to a wide range of players – some offering colourful galleries of classic casino games of all sorts, some specifically focusing on casino or sports betting, and others more appealing to the younger generation of players offering alternative forms of online betting, such as virtual reality betting.

But which online bookmaker can you enjoy a safe betting experience? Here’s a list of the best options out there in the UK right now.

Now that we have established the most trustworthy sites, our article will focus on factors that affect a safe sports gambling experience. This info is designed to help players enjoy safe betting in an online gambling environment that can be confusing and intimidating. So, watch your step!

Is Online Betting Safe?

Generally speaking, online betting sites are considered fairly secure. But as you might imagine, not all sites are as safe and secure as they may appear.

Mind you, the security of a site depends on a number of factors and you should not just take our word for it. The notion that most sites are safe should not dissuade you from thoroughly examining every site before you create an account and start wagering.

Online betting sites have existed almost for as long as the internet and players now literally have hundreds of different sites to choose from. So you can understand how easy it is to be tricked by an unsafe or, worse, fraudulent site.

Early betting markets and online bookmakers have been known to be rife with myriads of flaws and weaknesses, making them much more susceptible to the many forms of fraud and deceit, which are themselves a growing (but illicit) business of sorts.

In order to know that a betting site is reliable, there are a number of factors you need to consider first.

Is Online Betting Legal in the UK?

The short answer: yes. The long answer: yes. It’s as simple as that.

Online betting is a business worth billions of dollars, and a fair portion of that money goes towards the millions of players who have helped betting markets grow into one of the most profitable businesses in the world. One of the reasons for the expanding success of online bookmakers is the availability of legit and safe betting sites to eager young adults (aged 15-24), which is estimated to be, on average, one in every six people across the globe.

Generally speaking, gambling in the UK has been legal since 1960 and under UK law, the legal age for wagering is 18 years or older. However, certain wagering options such as scratch cards, lotteries, and football pools are also legal for players aged 16 or older.

All this provided, of course, that you gamble exclusively from a UK territory.

Why are Betting Sites Exposed to Fraud

The answer to this question is contained in the paragraph above.

Online Sports gambling sites are expanding rapidly with each passing day, and so is their revenue. It is an industry that generates billions every year and it is estimated it could reach up to $1 trillion by the end of 2021. And there is your answer.

The earnings of those proportions will always attract fraudsters and schemers looking to cash in on the back of the gambling business and the players that make their foundation. Fraudsters tend to become especially crafty at exploiting certain flaws and legal loopholes to commit a wide range of known and little know scams.

How to Tell If Online Sports Gambling Sites are Safe

The first thing a player will probably ask themselves before they place a wager is, are online betting sites safe? There’s no simple answer to that question.

Both established and reputable modern sites have taken the necessary precautionary measures to make sure players can play their favorite games without having to worry whether their information or money will fall victim to some greedy hacker.

For instance, a site that has transparent terms and services, helpful and responsive customer support, and proper identity verification safeguards should be generally considered trustworthy.

But assuming a betting site has taken all those precautions and yet, without your awareness is still either deliberately or unwittingly risky for whatever reason, how can you tell a site that is legit and safe from one that isn’t?

See Site Reviews

In order to distinguish safe betting sites from dubious ones, you must know what to look for. After all, the devil is in the details.

When you first access a site you believe might meet your betting needs, don’t just rush to blindly register to claim your welcome bonus. The first thing you should do is check the reviews of the site. The majority of legal sites would have a review section where you not only see the promos and all the free bets you are entitled to, but comments from users concerning their personal experience with the betting website.

If the site has no review or comment section, google it. If you cannot find any review on that particular site, we recommend you ditch it. You don’t want to go in blind and end up filing a fraud complaint with the UK Gambling Commission.

If the site does have reviews, read through them carefully. Some minor criticism is no reason to be discouraged from using the site, so long it is not a complaint about a major issue. And if approving comments far outnumber the critical ones, we can assume the site is legit. However, reviews don’t always tell the whole story.

Check for a License

Casino and sports betting sites have particularly been subjected to some unwanted risks – the most serious of which is the lack of a proper license. However, casino and sports bettors are not alone in enduring forms of online gambling chicanery, as instances of deceit and cheating have prevailed across all well-respected sports gambling sites.

That is why a proper betting site should always provide information and links to its license(s).

Most online casinos and sports betting sites would have information about their license displayed at the bottom of the site. So, upon entering a site, scroll down and check to see if any licenses exist. If the site has a license, click to see whether it links to a gambling commission and, if it does, you can consider that site trustworthy.

Solid Security and Verification System

Sites that are transparent about their security features are always a good sign. You don’t want to go to a sports gambling site that has vague or no information whatsoever.

What makes a site trustworthy is its robust identification or verification systems, and safe betting websites will always have multiple-layered authentication protocols.

Identification methods vary from site to site, but online bookmakers favored by serious players tend to have a number of strong KYC (Know Your Customer) procedures such as multi-factor authenticators, where new players have to present at least two pieces of evidence so the site can verify their identity and age with certainty.

Be Wary of Suspicious Offers

The average internet user will be familiar with these. Extravagant offers from gambling companies tend to pop up even if when you are not looking for them. If you make the careless mistake of entering some shady betting site, you should expect to be flooded with these proposals. So, take notice.

Secure online bookmakers will have reasonable offers for customers, and if you see a site that has offers that seem too good to be true —such as $5,000 offers or 400% match bonuses, or seemingly unlimited free bets — it is a questionable one at best.

Make Sure Betting Sites are Provably Fair

But wait, what is provable fairness?

If you have ever placed an online bet or simply visited a betting site, you might be familiar with the term ‘provably fair.’ Provable fairness is a technical term to refer to, well, how fair the algorithms of betting sites games are.

Here’s a simple analogy. Say a punter plays the popular dice game Craps on a betting site that is provably unfair, by the time they finish the game, they could be so far in the hole they will find it hard to understand how it could possibly happen, save that maybe Lady Luck has turned her back on them. But luck has nothing to do with it, rather the game itself, which is essentially rigged to maximize the company’s profits.

For the untrained eye, provably unfair sites are sometimes hard or even impossible to detect — or at least not until it’s too late. That’s where software (or game) providers step in. The safest online betting sites are transparent about every aspect of their business, particularly when it comes to their providers, and an established site should be expected to have an easily accessible list of its software providers — that is the third-party companies that provide gaming software for sports gambling sites. So, before you place a bet, even before you register and create an account, spare some time to check the providers the site uses. Before you place a stake on a specific game, feel free to review the game’s provider to make sure it is a credible company. Known providers such as Microgaming adopt the pseudorandom number generator (PRNG) algorithm to make sure their games provide genuine and random results.

However, it’s worth noting that a provably unfair site is not always a fraudulent site, as it may only lack the proper regulations and standards for safe betting.

Known Types of Fraud on UK Betting Sites

As the online gambling industry rises in popularity, the risks for fraudulent operators of those sites are also multiplying. Different forms of fraud have and continue to cost betting markets millions, and can have a particularly negative impact on players. After all, it only takes a few bad experiences caused by a handful of money-grubbing individuals to tarnish the reputation of a single betting site.

According to the United States’ Federal Trade Commission (FTC), in the first two quarters of 2020, betting markets collectively suffered around $117 million in losses as a direct result of fraud, and $134 million the year before.

All the types of fraud and cheating schemes are just too many to number. Below is a list of just some of the most common types of fraud players can experience with any sports gambling site that is either deliberately fraudulent or has failed to install proper safety measures.

Bonus Fraud

Many of the best betting sites offer handsome rewards and promos in the form of bonuses. All sites have a sign up or welcome bonus for new players, as well as a deposit bonus like matching a certain percentage of a player’s deposit.

Some betting bonuses are conditioned on a certain number of rollover, or wagering requirements. Others are free. Regardless, welcome offers are one of the things that make the best online sites stand out and help in perpetually attracting new players. But they are also liable for fraud.

Bonus fraud, or bonus abuse occurs when one or several players collude (which is in itself another form of fraud) and create at several fake accounts in order to claim bonuses.

The best betting sites in the business have adopted appropriate security protocols and have easily rid themselves of this most common kind of fraud; however, among smaller sites, instances of bonus fraud can fairly easily go under the radar and drastically drain the site’s capital.

Collusion

Collusion fraud usually takes more than one scheming player to achieve.

Basically, collusion occurs when two or more players conspire to manipulate weaknesses and loopholes on betting sites that don’t have a proper security system in order to make certain gains.

For instance, two fraudsters create an account and together make a $500 deposit to receive a sign up bonus. For them it is a win-win situation as they can only “lose” to one another and keep on betting until they finally meet the necessary wagering requirements and ultimately claim a $50 each.

Card games like online poker and blackjack are among the most susceptible to collusion fraud.

Chip Dumping

Chip dumping is similar to collusion, in that, most of the times it takes more than one person to partake. Chip dumping is mostly used by criminal enterprises or groups to pay for black market services or launder money through legitimate betting sites. For example, two criminals with a large sum of cash would raise eyebrows if they try to deposit their income in a bank without a proper argument about the source of that money.

However, because many casinos take large deposits, they can simply decide to gamble with the money on online betting sites and seemingly lose to one person, who can then cash in what only seem to be perfectly legal earnings.

Identity Theft

In online betting, identity theft occurs when rogue individuals pretend to be someone else and register to a betting site without that individual’s consent. It can occur in different forms, but it is usually when someone creates an account in someone else’s name, or hacks an existing account.

Friendly Fraud

Friendly fraud, also known as chargeback abuse, is when swindlers who gamble online pay through their cards, then contact their card provider or bank and claim they did not use their cards to gamble. This way, the card provider or bank will cancel out the charge without any investigation. And since a great many betting sites are headquartered outside the UK, these issues are seldom resolved.

Some of the Safest Online Payment Methods

Secure payment methods are crucial when talking about safe betting online.

Online gambling requires making several types of payments and it is essential that betting sites have payment methods that, apart from being fast, are highly secure. Payment methods are one of the several important thing you should remember to check when searching for secure betting sites UK.

Every online gambling platform has at least one payment method, but only the safest online betting sites have multiple trustworthy payment alternatives. Here are some of the most popular payment methods available at UK betting sites.

Virtual Visa Card

A Virtual Visa works just like a regular debit card, only they are prepaid and good for a limited period of time. Once used up, they are no longer invalid. Where regular payment options leave at least some room for concern, virtual visas are good indicators of safe betting websites, as their limited period of use makes them less likely to be exploited.

MasterCard

Like Visas, Master Cards have the same advantages in that they are fast, widely used, and among the most common deposit methods. Pretty much all legit betting sites in the UK take MasterCard. Its SecureCode guarantees safe betting and payments and the deposits are almost instant.

Digital Wallets

Unlike a debit card, digital or E-wallets have found wide application with nearly every legit online betting site. They allow both for traditional wagering and betting through the ever more popular cryptocurrency. E-wallets are funded from your bank account, which, as per usual, have tight security, and are especially useful and practical for players who have multiple bank accounts.

PayPal

PayPal remains the dominant payment method for online paying, and many legit online betting sites have it as an option. Payments through PayPal are fast and it is one of the most popular forms of online payments, as well as one of the safest, licensed and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Apple Pay

Apple Pay allows for fast and easy online betting and, as expected from one of the world’s leading tech companies, it is a highly safe betting and payment alternative. It is widely available to all UK-based players using an Apple device, ideally an iPhone. If you don’t have an Apple device, you can check out the best pay by mobile betting sites here.

Sports Betting in the UK

Casino and sports betting had been among the most popular wagering games even before the era of online betting sites, and with the emergence of the digital betting markets, the popularity of online sports betting has not been diminished. If anything, it has increased.

Wagering on sport online is one of the easiest ways to bet. But easy does not always mean safe betting.

What is the Safest Way to Bet on Sports Online in UK?

That depends on both the player’s experience and the sports betting sites they use. But the short answer is to find the best possible sports site available (or what is considered to be the best), carefully read through its terms and conditions, and check for indicators pointing to its credibility. The best, of course, being a legit license.

Users with little experience with online sports betting should be particularly careful to choose sites that are both fair and offer clear tips and helpful information for beginners.

Online betting sites with diverse galleries of sports games — from basketball and football, to tennis and horse racing, and everything in-between — have dozens, if not hundreds of wagering variations for each game. Sports betting means having to take small risks and, from time to time, endure losses. It’s part of the thrill. But it is no excuse to be careless with your hard-earned money, which is why you should always add maximum value to your wagers.

Once again, the simple answer to the question how to place the securest bet when wagering online is picking reputable and trustworthy betting sites and sites that attract a large number of players. After all, thousands of sports bettors can’t be wrong, right? Another way is looking for betting markets with odds favorable to your level of experience.

Other Helpful Tips You Need to Know When Choosing a Safe Sports Betting Site

If an online sportsbook has a rich gallery of sports games and generous rewards and promos, we advise you take everything with a certain degree of reserve and check if the site has a list of its software (game) providers. Nearly all the best online sports betting sites tend to have a list and detailed information about their providers. Many betting websites use the same third-party software providers, so don’t be alarmed if you see the same providers (and, therefore, same or similar games) on several different sites. Regardless, before you place a stake, spare a few minutes to google the provider and, while at it, the site, to make sure they are deemed credible.

Quantity Does Not Always Mean Quality

Having a wide selection of online sports betting sites to choose from has its pros and cons. The tricky part is that players with little to no experience can easily get lost or stuck during the registration or payment processes, particularly on sites that do not have the necessary information for beginners. The diverse sportsbook of most sports betting sites tend to be confusing for newcomers, having galleries with literally hundreds, if not thousands of options to choose from.

However, the good part is that if anything, competition between online gambling platforms have prodded them to eradicate nearly all major or minor safety flaws in order to be able to market themselves as the best online betting platform in order to attract a larger audience of players!

However, if you are one of those seasoned sports bettors, we assume you are fully aware of all safety and gambling risks when you venture into the world of online sports betting.

How to Check if Sports Betting Sites Are Safe

There are several simple ways you can check if a sports betting site is legitimate.

First and foremost, check for a license at the bottom of the site page. Also, when you open the site, look for a small lock at the upper right corner of the site, which indicates the connection to that site is safe. Make sure the site uses legitimate providers that offer provably fair sports games and has clear terms of use and responsive customer service.

An online gambling company that lacks any or all of these requirements should be avoided.

What are Considered the Safest Sports Betting Sites in the UK

A careful review of dozens of sports gambling operators on the internet yielded the following results for what are deemed to be some of the UK’s safest sports betting sites where you can bet using both cryptocurrency and real money.

• TonyBet – +18; has one of the best betting apps; up to £50 welcome bonus, 100% match; Full T& CS apply, new customers only min odds of at least 1.65 within 30 days. Deposits using Neteller, Skrill, and PayPal do not apply; no live streaming; T&Cs apply;
• Betway – +18; up to £10 in free bets; new customers only min deposit of £10 matched 100%; 1x wagering on betting markets with odds of at least 1.75 to unlock free bet; Full T&Cs apply; accepts Debit Card & PayPal;
• MansionBet – +18; offers excellent promotions; new customers only, min deposit of £10; Bet 10 get 20; min odds events 1/5 per; get 4x£5 free bets; full T&Cs apply;
• Mr. Play – +18; wide range of sports; attractive deposit bonus offer; new customers only, min deposit £10; takes Neteller/Skrill/PayPal/Paysafe; at min odds 1/1 (2.0); max free bet £10; no live streaming; bet token not included in any winnings and cannot be exchanged for real money; T&Cs apply
• SportingBet – +18; user-friendly customer service; offers customized promotions based on betting history; min deposit £10; deposits via PayPal don’t apply; max bet £10; Min Odds 1/1 (2.0); Max Free Bet £10, excludes horse racing; new customers only; T&Cs apply;
• Grosvenor Sport – +18; bet £10 get £20 in free bet; to qualify, customers must place one bet of £10 at odds 1/2 (1.5+); two £10 free bet tokens credited upon meeting wagering requirements; offers live streaming of horse racing in UK and N. Ireland; T&Cs apply;
• 888sport – +18; best odds for UK and Irish horse racing; bet £10 Get £30 in free bets, new customers only; place min qual. bet of £10 with promo code “30F”and receive £30 of free bets, min odds 1/2; free bets expire inside 7 days; T&Cs apply;
• Ladbrokes – +18; bet £5 get £20 worth of free bets on sports markets; free bets expire in 7 days, stakes not returned; deposits only through prepaid cards; does not accept Moneybookers, PayPal, Paysafe, Neteller, or Skrill; T&Cs apply;
• Virgin Bet – +18; offers great mobile apps for Android and iOS users and excellent for live wagering; new customers only: bet £10 get £20 in free bets; deposit £10 and wager on on sportsbook at min odds of 1.5 within 14 days of account registration, receive two non-withdrawable free bet tokens of £10 each, offer expires within 7 days of sign-in; stakes non-returnable; full T&Cs apply
• Coral – +18; best odds on UK and Irish horse racing; available live-streaming on many sports; bet £5 get £20 in 4x£5 free bets within 14 days of account reg.; min odds of 1/2; offer expires in 7 days; does not accept PayPal and some other payment options; T&Cs apply;

What do Online Betting Sites Do to Promote Safe Wagering

Many moderately safe online bookies would have only basic protection. However, only the best online sites can keep customers completely safe from all possible forms of risks, except the gambling risk, of course.

Thanks to the gambling commission and other regulatory groups, the vast majority of sites in the UK have one of the best security systems and safety protocols in the industry carefully designed to protect both their lucrative business and ensure optimum player safety.

Safety-wise, betting markets have come a long way since the early days of the industry, eliminating most major threats to their businesses. But, believe it or not, brick-and-mortar gambling companies are still considered less secure even among some of the ‘least’ safe betting sites, which is mostly owed to the crafty new technologies embraced by online betting markets.

Adoption of New Technologies

The vast majority of betting sites operating on the internet have multiple ways to reduce the risk of any type of fraud and other risks by employing so-called multi-factor authentication systems. This way, sites ensure that the player is who they say they are by requiring them to provide multiple pieces of evidence (for instance, information that only the player would know) to verify their identity.

Other levels of protection such as advanced and complex software and AI technology incorporated in the hundreds of games by third-party providers also keeps players protected from shady betting sites with provably unfair games.

The UK Gambling Commission

The UK Gambling Commission is the chief regulatory body in the UK promoting and ensuring safe wagering both at all brick-and-mortar casinos and betting venues, even the ever-multiplying betting websites.

The commission has been actively regulating the online gambling community since 2005 and set the highest standards for all legit UK betting sites. The commission tracks suspicious and illicit behavior and prevents high-scale incidents such as fraud, cyberattacks, and other illicit or criminal activity, by providing multiple gambling-specific licenses.

Best and Safest Betting Sites in the UK

Creating a list of the safest sports betting sites is no easy task. But we gave it our best and have come up with a list of some of the most popular and legit betting sites operating in the UK.

• Casimba – +18; 600+ games; has one of the most secure encryptions; software providers: NetEnt, Microgaming; an excellent assortment of blackjack, poker games; 100% welcome bonus match on up to £500 +50 free spins; min deposit £20; bonus spins only on certain games and must be used within 72 hours; bonus funds expire within 30 days; 25% match up to $1,000 on second deposit; 50% match on third deposit of up to £500; accepts Skrill/PayPal/PaySafe; bonuses apply new customers only; T&Cs apply;
• BetVictor – +18; 700+ games; requires ID verification; software provider: NetEnt; regulated by UK’s gambling commission; debit card only (Skrill/Neteller/PayPal); deposit bonus: bet £10 within 7 days of creating an account and claim £70 bonus, 1x £10 Free Sports Bet, 2x £20 + 2x £10 in casino bonuses for certain games with up to 60x wagering requirement, expires in 3 days; rules apply new customers only; full T&Cs apply;
• Grand Ivy – 18+. New players only. One bonus offer per player. Minimum deposit £20. Max bonus bet is £5. Bonus spins on selected games only and must be used within 72 hours. Bonus funds must be used within 30 days otherwise any unused bonus shall be removed. Bonus funds are 100% match up to £300 on your 1st deposit. Bonus funds are separate to Cash funds, and are subject to 35x wagering the total bonus & cash. Only bonus funds contribute towards any wagering requirements. T&Cs apply;
• NetBet – +18; third-party fairness auditing; hundreds of sports games with live betting options; regulated by UK’s commission on gambling; accepts PayPal/Skrill/PaySafe; rules apply new customers only; £15 in free bets and £15 in free spins for casino and Vegas; free bets expire in 3 days, free spins expire in 7 days; 50x wagering on Vegas Free Spins, 40x wagering on Casino Free Spins;
• Betway – +18; bingo and variety of sports betting; regulated; accepts PayPal/Skrill/Maestro; minimum deposit £/€10; first deposit match up to £/€30. 1 x wagering at odds of 1.75+ to unlock Free Bet.
• Coral – +18; bet £5 get £20 in 4x£5 free bets; min odds of 1/2; great odds on UK and Irish horse racing; free bets expire within 7 days; stakes not returned; T&Cs apply
• Virgin Bet – +18; new customers only: bet £10 get £20 in free bets; excellent mobile apps for Android and iOS users, great for live betting; deposit £10 min on sportsbook at min odds of 1.5 within 14 days of account registration and receive two non-withdrawable £10 free bet tokens, offer valid for 7 days; T&Cs apply;
• Ladbrokes – +18; bet £5 get £20 in free bets; receive £100 with 3 correct scores; free bets expire within 7 days and stakes not returned; accepts prepaid cards; does not accept Moneybookers/PayPal/Neteller/Skrill/PaySafe; T&Cs apply;
• 888sport – +18; bet £10 get £30 worth of free bets using promo code ’30F’; min odds of 1/2; free bets expire in 7 days; T&Cs apply;
• Grosvenor Sport – +18; exclusive sign-up offer for new players only; bet £10 get £20 worth of free bets; to qual. new players must place min single bet of £10 at odds of 1/2 (1.5+); players awarded 2x £10 free bet tokens upon qualifying bet settlement; T&Cs apply

FAQ

Q: Which Are the Best Betting Sites UK-available?

A: Fast transfers, multiple payment options, and licensing are just some of the things that make a betting site fairly safe. However, other factors should also be taken into account. These include positive reviews and comments, regular payments, and user-friendly customer support. The safest betting websites will always have clear information about what safety and security protocols they have.

Q: Are the Sites Listed in this Article Licensed?

A: Yes. All of the sites on our lists have proper licensing either from local or legitimate international license operators or, better yet, the UK’s national gambling commission. A site may not be licensed by the UK’s commission, but it still falls under its jurisdiction and undergoes frequent regulation. You’ll find more information on the UK Gambling Commission in our designated section.

Q: What Can I Do If I Encounter a Safety Issue while Betting Online?

A: Generally, the site itself will have already taken the necessary measures to ensure that no issues arise. But should you encounter any sort of problem such as dubious activity, suspicion of fraud, do not hesitate to report it. If you have confidence in the online gambling company you use, feel free to report the problem directly to their team. If it is a more serious issue, we advise you to file a complaint with the national gambling commission. It’s always good to keep informed of the most common types of fraud on betting sites to make sure you wager safely.

Q: How Can I Tell if an Online Betting Site is Safe?

A: All the useful tips for identifying legitimate betting sites are listed in our article. Just to recap, pay attention to licensing, user reviews, transparency, as well as to the safety technology, software providers, and the site’s terms and condition and customer service. You’ll find more information about how to check if a sports gambling site is safe, here.

Q: Is Online Betting Safe?

A: With support from regulators and budding new technologies, it is safe to say that the vast majority of internet gambling companies are, as a rule, secure. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be vigilant about fraudulent activity. We discuss online betting safety in more detail further up the page.