How we Evaluate Betting Sites in 2021
Here at FreeBetInfo.com we have a very strict process when it comes to listing betting sites on this page. Each of our site auditors follows a set process where we dive deep into each section. You’ll notice our site reviews all follow a very similar structure:
Site Information & History
We start off with the very basics of the site, what date they started on, whether its a white label operation or an independent betting site, if it was a high street bookmaker or if its a completely online operation. The answers to these questions can give away a lot about how reliable a site would be.
Website Layout & UI
Our second step is to analyse the site itself, how easy is it to use? Whether it’s quick to load. Ideally we’re looking to be able to navigate through the site easily. Ideally every part of a betting website should be accessible from the homepage of the site in 2 clicks.
Betting App/Mobile Interface
Mobile betting is now one of the most popular ways to place a bet, no one wants to be stuck on a computer placing bets on the internet. It takes away from the social aspect of betting that you can enjoy. Imagine being sat with your friends at the pub watching the football and having to leave to find the closest bookies to place a bet. Fortunately due to technological advancements this is no longer the case. You can use your mobile phone to bet on every market imaginable.
Odds & Betting Markets
Odds are the most important part of betting. The higher the odds the bigger the returns, its commonly known that betting sites don’t all feature the same odds/pricing which is why people use sites like OddsChecker in order to ensure that they’re getting the best value bets. While we don’t offer an odds comparison service we do collect historical data in order to guide you on which betting website statistically offers the best odds over time. For instance for punters placing football bets you may want to check out BetVictor.
Live Betting
Live betting is now one of the most popular areas of online betting, previously punters were only allowed to place bets pre-match and then they had to wait and see how the match unfolded. Now thanks to improvements in tech, customers can now place bets as a match or event goes on. We like to see what markets they offer live betting on and the types of bets you can make.
Free Bets & Promotions
We love Free Bets, that’s partly why this whole site was set up as we’re a free bets and betting sites comparison portal. Here we will analyse the welcome bonus available for new customers. Looking briefly over the terms and conditions that you’ll have to stick to and providing our thoughts on the offer and whether it’s worth claiming.
We also go into detail with what current promotions are on offer, whether there are any price boosts, enhancements or VIP programs.
Payment Methods & Withdrawal Speeds
A variety of payment methods is something we always look for in our analysis. The more the better, we like to see debit cards, bank transfer, e-wallets like Neteller, Skrill and PayPal as well as many others.
We also test out the withdrawal speeds of each of the betting sites we sign up to. Now our data has shown that using e-wallet methods tend to be the quickest way to get funds in and out of your betting account. However for those of you wanting to claim a welcome offer always make sure you use your debit card on first deposit.
Customer Support
Customer support is often overlooked by some of the competitors in our industry, with all the focus being the glitz and glamour of the betting sites being reviewed. However at every site you’ll get into a bit of bother at some point, whether it’s depositing, withdrawing or information on a specific bonus you’re trying to claim.
When reviewing this part of the site we test out how quick customer support is in answering questions and what methods are available/what are the normal hours of operation.
Verdict
Finally we give our overall opinion on the site, summing up the bad and the good and recommending whether we’d advise you to have an account with them or not. However keep in mind, if we’ve got the betting website featured in our best betting sites table then you can bet they’re a reliable place to bet.
Best Betting Sites By Category
Everyone has a different betting style, whether it’s using a specific payment method like paypal or perhaps you want to bet on specific sports like tennis and are uninterested by the prospect of betting on horse racing.
Here we will be analysing the top betting site of each sub category that we’ve got listed on site. For more a wider range of betting sites feel free to check out the page for more information.
Newest
The online betting market is a very competitive arena, new betting sites are always trying to break through all the time however only a few really do. The costs associated with starting up a new bookmakers can prove to be a massive hurdle especially if they have a few big winners early on.
We know our readers are keen to find out which betting sites they should be signing up to but some of us are looking for brand new sites this could be for many reasons. Quite often we’ve seen established online casinos begin turning their attention to the sports betting market. In fact in the last few years we’ve seen the likes of Grosvenor, Genting and Leo Vegas enter into sports betting and there’s plenty more. Below is the top site of our New Betting Sites page:
Betting Exchanges
Not all of us like the idea of betting against the bookies, in fact some of us here may even have had our accounts factored (more on this later) meaning we no longer get the odds we want on a bet. This is where Betting Exchange sites come into the mix. An exchange works the same way as betting sites do however you’ll either be laying or backing a bet but this won’t be against a bookies it will in fact be against another person. The bet will play out the exact same way as it normally would. Below is our top rated Exchange Betting Site:
Cash Out Feature
The cashout feature is a blessing and a curse in our opinion, we’ve all been there had a 5 team football accumulator on and we’re waiting for the last team to come in with the betting site dangling a 50% payout in front of us and we claim it meaning we don’t get all of our winnings. But this works the other way as well, you could claim the cash out and then your bet loses, phew right? Well a lot of betting sites now offer this with our favourite being:
Bitcoin
Bitcoin betting sites are still pretty rare in the UK partly because it’s legal here so why use a currency that would be needed for privacy? Due to this UK betting sites have been slow to pick up and adopt the virtual currency but that doesnt mean some haven’t. While there are some betting sites that use it as its sole payment method. Below is the best bitcoin sportsbook we’ve played at:
PayPal
PayPal is one of the UKs favourite ways to payment methods to shop with, whether it’s on ebay or Betfred you’ll be able to use it everywhere. We’ve got a page dedicated to PayPal betting sites which will list all of the websites that use this payment method. While it is popular not every site has the functionality mainly due to the high fees. However there are numerous benefits to it like speed and privacy. Below is our top rated PayPal sportsbook:
Boku
Boku is one of the quickest ways to fund a betting account, allowing you to deposit up to a maximum of £30 by using your mobile phone bill. However keep in mind that you can’t withdraw back to it. For more information on this payment method head over to our Boku Betting Sites page.
Cricket
We can admit that cricket isn’t for everyone as it’s certainly one of the slower sports to be aired on television, but did you know there’s quite the demand for IPL Cricket Betting Sites particularly in the UK. Check out our top rated cricket betting site below:
Horse Racing
Horse racing is one of the world’s major betting attractions, with courses across the globe from Dubai to America it features some of the most popular sporting events such as the Cheltenham festival and the Grand National. With it being one of the main betting markets, horse racing betting sites are constantly striving to be on top of their competitors. Below is the sportsbook we’ve rated the best for horse racing markets:
Football
Football is the main focus with all online betting sites, well most of them the only one we know that doesnt offer odds on football markets is RaceBets. Betting websites offer markets across the entire world allowing punters to place bets on a variety of markets whether its betting on the Saudi Arabian leagues or international competitions.
Household names like Bet365 and Betvictor tend to be the go to for most football bettors due to the range of additional features that each one of them has such as live streaming, cash out and in-play betting. In fact it’s little known that Betvivtor has some of the best odds when it comes to football betting. Head over to our football betting sites page for more information on who you should be betting with.
Esports
ESports is one of the worlds fastest growing markets especially amongst young adults. With sold out arenas all across the world it now pays to play video games. Sports betting sites have begun cottoning onto this popularity and have started offering odds on a number of different games and events. For more information on this sport check out our ESports Betting Sites page. Below is our top rated Esports Betting Operator:
The Future Of Sports Betting Sites
With the online betting market being so fast paced and technology advancing at such a rate its vital that betting websites stay on top of their game to ensure they’re always offering the latest in tech.
Some of the advancements over the last 10 years of internet betting are:
Mobile Betting: Thanks to smartphones betting on a mobile is one of the easiest and most convenient ways to place a bet. Using a desktop computer is so antisocial and let’s face it, slightly cumbersome having to wait for it to turn on and then sign into your betting account. Instead you can just reach in your pocket, load up your chosen betting app and place a bet within less than a minute.
In-Play/Live Betting: We mentioned earlier that before the in-play betting revelation only came about in the last few years. Allowing punters to truly take control of how they bet, giving them the option to bet according to the flow of the game.
What’s Next?
While it’s impossible for us to predict the future of sports betting sites here are some of the things we foresee happening in the gambling industry within the next few years:
Personalised Experiences: The world is all about data interpretation and online gambling isn’t any different. With betting sites all storing data on their customers we predict that sportsbooks will be able to tailor make specific offers and promotions directly to you. Currently they take quite a blanket approach to this, but to really be the best betting site we’d expect them to know what types of events we bet on, whether it’s in-play or on horses and provide offers that are specific to us.
Betting Sites FAQ
What is the best betting site?
Choosing the best betting site is all down to personal preference, each of us has our very own needs and wants from an online betting site.
However there are a few well known brands that should be good in everyone’s betting sites repertoire: Betfred, Bet365, Ladbrokes and William Hill.
We try our best to guide you in the right direction with what kind of sites you may like to bet at, but which is ranked truly as your best is down to you.
What betting site will suit me?
Before signing up to any of the betting sites we’ve got listed here you have to ask yourself a few questions. What sports you want to bet on, are you looking for free bets and promotions, do you bet in-play, what payment method you want to use to fund your account as well as many others.
Once you’ve got an answer for this it’s the time to filter through our reviews for the one that ticks most of your boxes. All of the sites listed on FreeBetInfo.com are reputable sites so that takes part of the worry out of it.
I’ve chosen a betting site, what do I do next?
Unlike some other countries the UK requires you to register an account with the betting sites of your choice. So once you’ve decided on which site you want to sign up at you’ll then need to click on the visit button and register.
This will guarantee that if you follow the terms and conditions you’ll get your free bet. Once you’ve signed up your account you’ll then need to make a deposit and place your bet. It really is that simple!
Can I trust the betting sites listed here?
This is where attention to detail comes in. If you want trustworthy betting sites always go off our referrals, however if you do start doing your own research head down to the bottom of the page and see if the betting sites in question have been licensed by the UKGC. If this is the case then you can bet (no pun intended) that they are trustworthy and reliable.
Are there any betting sites that I should stay away from?
If it looks rubbish, then it probably is rubbish. That’s one of the first things we keep in mind when reviewing operators for this site. One thing to keep in mind though is just because a site is listed in google it doesn’t always mean you can sign up to it. Make sure that the betting website is licensed to accept customers from your country.
What is factoring?
Factoring is when you’re too successful at betting, yup you heard us right too successful! It’s when a sports betting site decides they’re losing too much money to you that they decide to reduce the standard odds that you would get. So instead of getting 10/1 on a horse you only get 1/1. When factoring starts happening it’s impossible to do and in our opinion would be best to move onto a new betting site.
Can I have my account closed/banned?
Account bans/closures can happen for numerous reasons whether it’s because you win too much money from them, you’ve already got an account with them, you’ve signed up to the Gamstop self exclusion scheme or they think you’re cheating/conducting illegal activities.
What are the best bonuses for new customers?
New customer betting offers are some of the most enticing parts of betting online. Let’s face it we all love a free bet or two and having something for nothing certainly makes the appeal even greater. But which type of free bet offer is best, well that’s completely dependent on what type of offer you want to claim. We’ve got more information on bonuses on our free bets and betting offers pages.
Which betting sites will offer a free bet on sign up?
If a site is listed here then you can bet they offer free bets, while not all offer them as a welcome bonus they will be included within their promotional offerings as well. We will be covering any free bets promotions in every single one of our reviews.
Which betting sites have the best mobile application?
Pretty much every one of the independent betting sites listed will have their very own mobile betting application. However white label betting websites seldom have their own application. They will have however a perfectly optimised mobile site that will do everything an app could do.
Will every betting site listed have football markets?
While football is definitely the most popular sport in the world and therefore the most popular betting market. There is only one online sportsbook in existence that we know doesn’t offer odds on it which is Racebets. This is because they are solely a Horse Racing betting site.
Is it illegal to bet on sports?
If you live in the United Kingdom and access UK betting sites that have been licensed and regulated then it is 100% legal to gamble in the UK. If you travel a lot make sure you check out whether or not the country you’re going to allows betting.