Methodology – How We Rate And Rank Bookmakers

Our team of betting experts takes rating bookmakers seriously. All testing is conducted in-house, without external influence. 

Each gambling site is evaluated against criteria to ensure that our reviews are accurate and free from bias. We use the following methodology across each of our reviews. 

Licensing

A valid license is the single most important factor of any bookmaker. Without it, a bookie is unregulated and can land both player and provider in hot water. 

To legally offer gambling services in the UK, a betting site must be licenced by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC). The independent body regulates everything from arcades and casinos to gambling software providers and remote gambling that uses British-based equipment. 

The UKGC licenses all of our reviewed and recommended bookmakers. They are able to legally offer gambling services to UK-based players. 

Safety & Security

The safety and security of the bettor/player is paramount in the online gambling industry. 

Safety concerns primarily arise in the data breaches and leaked information in the iGaming world. This can lead to cases of fraud and identity theft that can become a real headache for victims. 

Thankfully, all UK-licensed bookmakers use the latest safety and security software to prevent data leaks. SSL encryption and KYC (Know Your Customer) verification maximise player safety when gambling online. 

We take the steps to ensure all reviewed and recommended bookmakers provide a safe and secure environment to play in. 

Payment Methods

Adding funds to a betting account should be a simple, streamlined process. But this isn’t always the case. 

Head over to the cashier of any two online bookmakers and the list of deposit methods is likely to differ. Debit cards are the standard payment method across all bookmakers, but the remainder of the list can be wildly different. Paypal, Apple Pay, NETELLER, Skrill – the list goes on. 

We always like to see a large number of payment methods at a bookmaker. This way, there’s a layer of flexibility for the player. Prefer to use PayPal? Great – there’s a bookmaker (or several) out there that will accept eWallets deposits. 

Just as the payment methods are important, the fees, minimum payments and processing times that accompany them should be top-level. Fees for depositing is a red flag and, depending on the deposit method, processing times should be instant. If either of these points aren’t met, we’ll mark the bookie down. 

Withdrawal Methods

The withdrawal methods of any given bookmaker will likely mirror the available deposit methods (with one or two fewer options). 

This is standard practice in the UK. The rules state that the payment method used to make a deposit must be used to make a withdrawal. Again, we prefer to see many withdrawal methods at the cashier to add flexibility for the bettor. 

Fees, large minimum limits and long processing times are more common when withdrawing funds – but that doesn’t mean it’s forgivable. Any time we see a withdrawal fee, a large minimum withdrawal or excessively long processing times, we mark down the bookie in this area. 

Customer Support

In an ideal world, no player should ever need to contact customer support with bookmaker issues. 

When questions do arise, it’s good to know that there’s an effective support system in place. Modern customer support is offered in a variety of forms: 

• Live chat 
• AI help bot
• Telephone support
• Email support 
• Help Centre / FAQ

Contact with a real human being, as opposed to a help centre or AI help bot, is always our preference. The Help Centre, FAQ and AI bots have their place – but this is typically solving common queries and simple issues. 

If you have a challenging question or a genuine, unforeseen problem, it’s almost always best to chat with a professional to get to the bottom of it. Bookies without a 24/7 support team on hand are marked down in the review process. 

Odds

With such fierce competition in the UK bookmaker industry, it’d be foolish to settle for poor/okay odds with your betting provider. 

We compare the odds at each reviewed and recommended bookmaker against those of their top competitors. This ensures that bettors always get the best deal, regardless of the sports or betting markets.

We also take into account odds boosts and promotions when reviewing each bookmaker. A betting site with frequent odds boosts across a wide range of markets will score well in this section.

Finally, we look for any unique features in the payouts that bookmakers may implement. Examples of this include Kwiff’s “Odd’s Supercharging” and Paddy Power’s “Justice Payouts”. 

Responsible Gambling

All reviewed and recommended bookies should promote responsible gambling and offer tools to manage betting behaviour. Not only is the encouragement of responsible gambling an ethical issue, but a licensing issue for British license holders. According to the UKGC: 

• “Licensees must make information readily available to their customers on how to gamble responsibly and how to access information about, and help in respect of, problem gambling.” 

The information must cover: 

• “Any measures provided by the licensee to help individuals monitor or control their gambling, such as restricting the duration of a gambling session or the amount of money they can spend.
• Timers or other forms of reminders or ‘reality checks’ where available.
• Self-exclusion options.
• Information about the availability of further help or advice.”

Any bookmaker or licensee that fails to provide adequate responsible gaming tools and information risks license suspension, revocation or the imposition of a financial penalty. 

Choice of Sports Markets

Navigating the main menu of any bookmaker should paint a good picture of exactly what’s on offer at the bookmaker. Available sports markets line the main menu, detailing exactly the sports that can be wagered on. 

The majority of bookmakers will offer the most popular sports for UK customers. Most cover football, cricket, rugby, golf, and horse racing in some capacity. It is more difficult to find sports markets that include American Football, eSports, Table Tennis, Winter Sports, and Volleyball. 

Variety is the spice of life and the more sports markets available to players, the better. We always like to see a wide range of sports markets available, but it’s the betting markets within them that are most important. 

Choice of Betting Markets

Passionate players may find specialist bookmakers a better choice than generic, broad bookies for their particular interests. Most bookmakers offer odds on football, but competitive odds for horse racing, motorsport and golf are more difficult to find. 

For example, most bookmakers offer Formula 1 betting markets – but the selection is typically very poor. It’s difficult to find anything other than outright winners, fastest laps and the first driver to retire. 

However, if we look at the Formula 1 betting markets at SkyBet, there’s a huge range of markets including a range of player-generated “Request-A-Bet’s”. For true sports fans looking for that extra level of bet customization, these extra betting markets are so important. 

It’s for that reason that we carefully examine the betting market selection in each of our bookmaker reviews. But it’s not Formula 1 that we’re interested in, it’s horse racing. All of our recommendations are based on the betting markets on the top ponies of the day. 

Mobile App

What was once nice to have is now an integral part of the betting experience for the majority of UK customers. 

A good mobile app isn’t always easy to find in the world of online bookmakers. We’re looking for a great user interface, a complete betting experience (no watered-down features) and mobile-only promotions to be impressed by a mobile app. 

There are some betting sites out there that treat the mobile app like a checkbox. That uploading a half-baked platform to the Apple Store is a job well done. But that no longer cuts the mustard. 

We’re looking for mobile-first bookies that create a fantastic betting experience in the palm. Anything less and you can expect a mark against the app rankings. 

Design and User Experience

The design and user experience of bookmakers tend to follow a similar pattern, but subtle changes and industry disruptors can both make large impacts. 

We always look out for clean, simple design and an effortless user experience. Opening the betting markets for the first time should feel the same as the 100th. If there are any confusing pathways or dodgy design on broken links – it’s points deducted in our review.

Sign Up Offer

The sign-up offer is the favourite among new players looking to try out bookmakers with a welcome bonus to get the ball rolling. 

Sign-up offers come in all different shapes and sizes. From bonus cash and inflated deposits to free spins and casino coins. There are plenty of great welcome bonuses out there – but for every great offer, there are five poor promotions out to catch out the newbies. 

We examine each term and condition in the small print to unmask welcome offers for what they really are. We look at the wagering requirements, minimum odds clauses, and game restrictions that impact the advertised bonus.

The great sign-up offers are those that are exactly what they say on the tin. Minimal (or zero) wagering requirements, no game restrictions and a generous bonus will score top marks. 

Regular Promotions

The sign-up offer is, however, just a one-time deal. Regular promotions are more important if you’re hoping to hang around a bookmaker for longer than the honeymoon period.

Regular, or existing player promotions, are offered in a variety of different forms. Odds boosts, acca insurance, bonus cash and loyalty schemes are just some of the ways bookies try to make you feel special. 

What we’re looking for is a diverse range of both static (always available) and dynamic (seasonal/event-based) promotions available to all players. When reviewing, we’ll weigh up which promotions are worth sticking around for and which aren’t appealing. We’ll mark down the poor promos and highlight the best top bookmakers offer.  

Features (cash out, bet builder)

The features offered by a bookmaker can make or break the customer experience. 

The majority of betting features are designed to give more control to bettors placing wagers. A cash-out feature is a great example of this and is offered to players on select bets. When selected, the bet is cashed out early at the dictated price shown onscreen. 

Other great betting features include: 

• Partial Cash Out 
• Auto Cash Out 
• Bet Builder 
• In-play Betting
• Livestreaming
• Request-a-bet

In each bookmaker review, we look for the unique features available at the betting site. You can find these under the betting features on each review. Betting sites with a range of top-quality features rate highly. Those with poor or a limited number of features will be marked down in the review process. 

Customer Reviews

Genuine customer reviews, found on Google Reviews, Trustpilot, or anywhere else on the web are fantastic resources for bookmaker reviews. 

We take these independent reviews, often with a pinch of salt, to identify positive and negative feedback from each bookmaker. These real customer reviews, especially from those who have faced issues, provide insight into areas that may otherwise not be possible. 

When creating our bookmaker reviews, we will always first read these online reviews. They are unlikely to sway our experts one way or the other but do provide a list of flags to look out for. If one review claims their withdrawal took much longer than expected, we can repeat the process and look out for similar issues.

Why You Can Trust Us

Our team of gambling experts have a wealth of experience in analysing, testing and reviewing online sportsbooks. 

We test every site, game, and feature in-house. We place real-money bets and create genuine, unbiased reviews with our findings. We use trusted independent sources, such as the UKGC, and take our roles very seriously.