Which are the best UK and Irish Betting Sites?
Online betting
Online betting has become very big business nowadays with literally hundreds of bookmakers fighting for attention on the increasingly crowded UK and Irish betting circuit. Long gone are the days when the only way to place a bet was to head down to a betting shop on the local high street, fill in a betting slip and hand it to a person behind the counter. Nowadays you only need to log into an online betting site using a desktop, tablet or even mobile phone and you can place your bet in seconds without needing to leave your house, or even whilst travelling on public transport.
Generous promotions
This has been a revolution in the way that we gamble and it has been to the clear advantage of the punter with each and every online betting site tempting customers with generous promotions such as sign-up bonuses, free bets, price boosts, cash-back offers and other deals which were never available when betting was restricted to a betting shop. Many online bookmakers also offer an online casino and these come with their own welcome bonuses such as free spins and other promotions.
Increasing variety
The ever-increasing range and variety of online betting sites can be somewhat bewildering to those who are relatively new to the online betting scene, especially since each operator has something a little different to offer. Many concentrate more on particular betting markets or sports, while others focus more on spread betting and other financial trading. Some betting sites are aimed towards Irish customers while others may be geared towards horse racing markets, therefore it is important that you consider these facts when searching for an online betting site which best suits your needs.
Sports Coverage
All the main betting operators touch on the main sports such as football and horse racing to various degrees. Football is the main focus for most online bookmakers and with the larger operators such as William Hill and Ladbrokes there may be upwards of 400 different markets and submarkets for some of the more high-profile games or competitions. Similarly, horse racing tends to be prominent at many sites and there may be boosted odds and enhanced places for the larger horse races or meetings such as the Grand National and Cheltenham festival. Many bookmakers offer markets for smaller niche sports such as volleyball, baseball and handball, therefore if these are your ‘things’ then it is worth looking for a betting site that covers your chosen sport.
Free Bets
All the leading online betting sites offer new customers a welcome bonus of some description, sometimes referred to as a sign-up offer. The general rule is that new players will be welcomed with a free bet bonus which is activated once an initial deposit and wager of a predetermined amount has been made. Once the initial bet has been settled, the free bet bonus will be released and the funds therein can be used to place further bets in the same manner, subject to any attached terms and conditions. These free bet bonuses can’t simply be withdrawn as cash, they must be used to place further bets with, however you have the same chance of winning with these free bets than you do with your own hard-earned cash.
Matched Deposit Bonuses
A Matched Deposit Bonus is another form of welcome bonus or sign-up offer for new customers, but it works in a slightly different way to the simple ‘free bet’ bonus. In this case, the amount awarded as a free bet is determined by the amount which is deposited. For example, newly registered players will be invited to make a first deposit up to a certain amount and the bookmaker will match this by a certain percentage, for example ‘Matched Deposit of 50% up to £50’. In this instance, a new customer can make a first deposit of anything up to that amount and receive a bonus worth 50% of that same amount.
Terms and conditions
All bookmakers attach certain terms and conditions on all their bonus offers, whether these are free bet offers, matched deposit bonuses, cash-back offers, enhanced places or price boosts. Before entering into any agreement with a betting operator regarding a bonus offer, it is very important that you read in full all the terms and conditions attached to such an offer. Even though some of the bonus offers may seem very similar between bookmakers, the terms and conditions attached to the offer may differ significantly.
Best Bookmakers
Determining which is the best UK and Irish bookmaker is entirely subjective based on what your preferences and requirements are. If you mainly indulge in spread betting, there are only a handful of operators which will meet your needs, while if your particular focus is football, then every betting site will have something to offer. Some bookies offer a greater variety of betting markets on the major sports and sporting events, however their odds may be slightly inferior to others for that sport, while some sites may not offer less popular markets. It totally depends on what you are looking for. As a rule, the larger and longer established betting sites tend to tick most of the boxes but many newly launched sites have much to offer and should never be overlooked.
Safe Gambling
By far the most important thing to consider when betting online is ensuring that you always bet fully within your means. It is important that you set yourself time and money limits when using an online betting site and the bookmakers themselves always have a duty of care towards their customers. They all offer a facility where you can fully control the amount of time you spend gambling or the amount you stake each week. You determine these limits and the bookmaker will set them in place at your request. If you believe your gambling is becoming a problem, websites such as GamCare and GambleAware can offer assistance where needed.