Explore the world of online betting sites with our expertly selected bookmakers, ranked by the UK Bookmaker Awards. Throughout the year, a dedicated team of 15 industry specialists meticulously sifts through over four million data points to unveil the best betting sites that promise the ultimate betting experience for new and existing customers.
Are you on the hunt for bookmakers that boast incredible free bets sign-up offers, competitive odds, exclusive promotions, and a superior user interface? Look no further - this page is your one-stop destination.
Our comprehensive guide to the finest betting sites in the UK features the rankings assigned to each operator according to the annual Bookmaker Awards. Armed with a rich dataset compiled over the past year, we’re ready to lead you through the best online betting options available today.
We will detail the best horse racing bookmakers, including betting sites which require promo codes to claim their sign-up offers: Betfair, Paddy Power, William Hill and bet365 and what makes them shine above others.
The world’s leading bookmaker, bet365, is the best operator for competitive odds and boasts a strong welcome offer, presenting a 300% bonus. It is a firm favourite with horse racing fans and you won't find many racegoers who don't have a bet365 account.
Visit our bet365 offers page.
One of Ireland's best horse racing bookmakers, offering an excellent welcome offer to UK customers and plenty of specials during major festivals, it's easy to see why it is one of the favoured horse racing bookies with our audience.
Visit our Boylesports offers page.
The world's number one online betting exchange and among the top online bookmakers in horse racing, offering something a little different for Irish customers and a host of additional benefits to those who do sign up.
Visit our Betfair offers page.
One of the best horse racing bookmakers, Paddy Power is well known for its tongue-in-cheek humour and entertaining content. Bettors can be certain their money is secure and enjoy a wealth of betting offers, price boosts and money-back specials on racing's big days.
The Tote's world pool has thrust the operator back into the limelight. Customers can get cracking odds on the world pool available on select racedays throughout the year and is among the top horse racing bookmakers
No Bookmaker Awards betting data available for Tote.
Visit our Tote offers page.
One of the oldest bookmakers around, William Hill is a leading bookmaker which shines a spotlight on horse racing. There are lots of added bonuses for existing customers when you sign up with William Hill and is therefore considered one of the best horse racing betting sites.
Visit our William Hill offers page.
Fancy owning a share in a racehorse? That's just one of the many benefits of joining Coral, one of the best horse racing betting sites and a bookmaker known for it's excellent welcome offer and customer experience.
Visit our Coral offers page.
Steeped in history and tradition and thanks to its racing expertise, there is a whole host of benefits when you sign up to this bookmaker.
Visit our Ladbrokes offers page.
A great value offer for new customers, Betvictor remains to this day, one of the best betting sites for horse racing and those who love the sport. The UK offer is particularly strong and you get the additional pleasure of enjoying free casino offerings.
If you haven't already signed up with Betfred and claimed its excellent sign up offer, then you are missing out. Betfred is a historic and long-lived horse betting site which offers great value offer for new and existing customers. Betfred is one of our favoured horse race betting sites.
Betway is one of the most popular betting sites with horse racing bettors and there is good reason for it. The site is easy to use and there is a strong focus on horse racing.
Unibet is one of the top horse racing betting sites out there and its welcome offer is one of the most claimed consistently by horse racing bettors, thanks to its high value.
If you have an extensive list of betting sites to your name, you can also consider these lesser-known bookmakers who offer competitive welcome offers and an excellent customer experience once you are signed up.
Once you have signed up to a betting site and claimed your free bets, you can then enjoy spending the bonuses.
Racing experts produce a 'nap of the day' following extensive form study to serve up their most confident selection of the day. This is a great place to start.
The UK Bookmaker Awards are held annually by Better Collective and take into account a wide range of factors, including detailed data sets and user reviews. This ensures we provide an accurate assessment of each betting site rather than taking the opinion of a single reviewer.
The bookmakers are ranked in a number of categories including:
The betting sites are ranked out of 23 for each category listed above, allowing you to assess each operator for the categories most important to you.
This gives an exceptional overall review of an operator and takes into account the factors most important to horse racing punters.
At irishracing.com, between us we have over fifty years of experience within the horse racing and betting industry. This deep knowledge of our subject means we can apply our expertise to finding the best betting sites.
Furthermore we identify the top operators based on data findings incuding:
You will also find the best betting offers and free bets which present excellent value for UK customers.
Take a look at our new betting sites for smaller bookmakers.
Choosing a betting site in the UK depends a lot on personal preference and it is worth considering which operator is best suited for you. It is worth keeping the following in mind:
The UK Bookmaker Awards are a good pointer to which bookmakers provide the best offers, odds, payment methods and existing customer offers. Inform your decision and take a look at which bookies came out on top.
Almost all online bookmakers offer incentives to new players. New customer offers vary between horse racing betting sites and different events such as Cheltenham and Royal Ascot. when new customer offers are well worth taking advantage of.
Some major horse betting sites turn off their welcome offers for the Aintree Grand National when people will open new accounts without an incentive to bet again.
Standard welcome offers provide new customers with free bets based on their first deposit or first bet, but they always come with extensive terms and conditions.
Betting sites offer different odds on horses, but bet365 is known for having excellent odds. To get the best odds available, it's recommended to have multiple betting accounts though so you can compare and find the best price.
No single betting site consistently offers the best odds on individual horses or races.
Betting experience is a key consideration when choosing a betting site. Ease of use, mobile app and live streaming were all taken into account when scoring betting sites.
It is important to consider first of all which payment methods you are comfortable using and then you can decide which operator meets your needs. The number of payment methods as well as deposit and withdrawal times are analysed in this category.
Most UK and Irish horse racing betting sites cover most UK and Irish events such as Cheltenham, Punchestown or Grand National.
International events such as the Breeders’ Cup in America and the Melbourne Cup in Australia are also covered but if you have an interest in horse racing from other countries make sure to check if your betting site covers those races.
Having taken all of the above categories and results into account, the best overall bookmaker has been determined and it is no surprise to see bet365 take the top spot. In second is Sky Bet followed by Unibet who rated particularly well for existing customer offers.
William Hill and Betway made it into the top five through range of markets, betting experience and welcome offers.
We recently welcomed Bzeebet to irishracing.com and we are delighted to present their offer of Bet £10 and Get £10. If you have not already signed up, then this is one of the new betting sites in the UK which is definitely worth a try. Get your free bet to spend on this jump season's wealth of action.
Bzeebet pros:
Bzeebet cons:
Matchbook is fast becoming one of the most popular exchanges and is well known for its sporting offers as well as its new betting promotion for horse racing, which is well worth a second look. The welcome offer presents you with the opportunity to get £30 in free bets.
Matchbook pros:
Matchbook cons:
You can find the horse racing section with ease at Mr Play, it is simple to navigate and offers an intuitive experience. The welcome offer of ‘Bet 10 Get 15’ may not be as competitive as other new betting sites but who wants to turn down a £15 when horse racing offers up competitive action most days of the week. Get yours below:
Mr Play pros:
Mr Play cons:
Netbet is one of the most secure new betting sites for horse racing punters which has an extensive array of markets with over 40 to choose from. Horse racing is one of its main focuses and odds are competitive.
Netbet pros:
Netbet cons:
Expand your betting portfolio with this new customer offer courtesy of 10bet. Deposit £15+ when you create your account and you will receive a 50% bonus up to £50. This means if you deposit £50 you will get a £25 free bet.
10bet serves up a fantastic horse racing experience with competitive odds, multiple markets, existing customer specials which include enhanced odds, fast withdrawal times and a shiny new app.
10bet pros:
10bet cons:
Place your first bet with AK Bets as a Lucky 15 (with 4 selections) and win a free bet worth up to 25% of your winnings, up to £100. See their terms and conditions for details.
Want more information on a Lucky 15 and how it works? Watch our explainer video below.
AK Bets pros:
AK Bets cons:
BETMGM is one of the latest operators to join our ranks and you can find its horse racing welcome offer below of 'Bet 10 Get 60' which represents a whopping 600% bonus.
Once you are a member you can take advantage of BETMGM's weekly profit boosts on horse racing.
BetMGM pros:
BetMGM cons:
A new betting site to join us recently is PariMatch and its welcome offer allows you to bet just £10 to get a £5 free bets for seven days
PariMatch pros:
PariMatch cons:
The majority of horse racing bookmakers will offer live streaming of the races. Some horse racing betting sites require that you have placed a bet on the race before you can watch it while with others you just need a funded account or to login to your account. Have a look which operators offer horse racing live streaming.
The irishracing.com team comprises a number of individuals with many years of experience in the horse racing and betting industry, including editor Vincent Finegan and racing pundit Emma Nagle. The annual Bookmaker Awards results are used to highlight the best offers on the market. You can bet in the knowledge that the recommended sites are secure and trustworthy.
Every betting site is different and suit some people more than others, hopefully this guide will help you to choose. A good place to start is with the major bookmakers. bet365 offers fantastic odds, Paddy Power is known for money-back specials, Betfair is the world's most famous online exchange, while the Tote offers something different with its pool betting and its iconic placepot.
Generally horse racing betting sites are trustworthy but like any industry there are black market operators. There are some simple steps you can take to ensure that you can trust a betting site. Check if the betting site is promoted on irishracing.com as we only promote licensed companies. You can also check betting forums to see what other keen bettors have been saying about the betting site.
All licensed bookmakers are regulated so we can recommend any of the bookmakers registered on irishracing.com.
When choosing a betting site, consider factors such as the best:
For detailed insights on leading betting sites see above.
