There are many big hitters in the UK betting space but plenty of new betting sites have entered the fray and are making some serious noise.
The likes of Paddy Power, Sky Bet, William Hill and Ladbrokes might have the name recognition but new sports betting sites are making waves in the UK. So, we’ve come up with a comprehensive list of the best newcomers currently shaking things up and what exactly makes them our top-rated new betting sites.
Why choose a new betting site?
It’s a great question – why should you choose a new betting site over an established industry name?
The main reason is that, in a crowded marketplace, new sports bookies are desperate to stand out and grab your attention. That leads them to put on creative – and often better – deals, sign-up offers and promotions than the big names, who don’t need to push the boat out in order to get brand recognition.
The new bookmakers are often trying to offer an alternative betting experience to the status quo and unique promotions help fuel this. If you’re a canny customer who knows what you want, then you can really benefit.
And remember, all of our recommended bookies are regulated by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), so they’re safe to use even if you don’t initially recognise the name.
To find out more about how we rate bookmakers and about gambling responsibly please scroll a little further down the page.
New betting sites: Best by category for July 2024
We’re aware that everyone is looking for something different when they bet. Some are only interested in football, others horse racing, some might be looking to rinse every company they can for free bets, while others’ only betting experience might be a Saturday accumulator.
Whatever your interest, we’ve broken down the best new betting sites in popular categories such as key sports, free bet offers and price boosts. There should be something to tickle everyone’s fancy.
Best new football betting site: BetMGM
BetMGM were already a big name in the US betting world, which never hurts when trying to establish yourself on this side of the Atlantic. Their outstanding reputation appears well-earned, especially in their football coverage.
Their site is smart and slick, as you would expect from an American operator, and they offer a diverse range of markets across football, with competitive odds. The ability to sort matches by popularity, as well as start time and alphabetically is also a neat addition.
But it’s their ongoing football promos and offers that really make them stand out. Their Golden Goals prediction game offers customers the chance to win up to £2m for correctly picking the final score of six matches, with smaller prizes available if the main jackpot isn’t won.
If football accumulators are your thing, then the Golden Acca promotion (BetMGM’s brand colours are black and gold if you’re wondering why every offer is called Golden something…) is ideal, allowing you to boost your profits by up to 200 per cent if successful, depending on how many selections you’ve made.
They also have some cracking free bet offers including a £5 weekly free bet on any sport if you place both a £10 football accumulator and a £10 football bet builder, plus a £60 free bet welcome offer if you sign up and place any £10 bet at odds of greater than evens.
Best new horse racing betting site: BetGoodwin
BetGoodwin are a new betting site that has entered the market and chosen to focus on horse racing. Given the quality of their offer, that appears to be a smart choice.
Their racing-specific bonuses, offers and promotions really make them stand out. It starts with Best Odds Guaranteed for all UK and Irish racing, meaning that if the starting price is greater than the price taken, BetGoodwin will pay out at the starting price.
They then offer a free bet refund (up to £100) for a number of scenarios where you’d probably consider yourself unlucky as a punter. You will get your money back if your horse:
- Is beaten by under half a length in a chase
- Is beaten by a nose in any race
- Finishes second to a 50/1 or bigger-priced winner
- Falls at the final hurdle when leading
It’s a strong offer from the newcomers in a competitive market and, allied with a pleasant black-and-yellow aesthetic plus good site useability, earns them our recommendation as the best new horse racing betting site. And handy to have on the radar with King George Weekend Ascot coming up as well as Goodwood Festival taking place in August.
Best new betting site for free bets: LiveScoreBet
If you’re not a big name in the industry, then having a slew of free bet offers is a good way to attract both attention and custom. LiveScoreBet have gone down this path to make their mark.
They have a straightforward, reasonable sign-up offer where betting £10 on any sports market will earn you £20 of free bets – in two £10 increments.
After that, there’s still plenty to sink your teeth into as an existing customer.
Racing-wise, you’ll get your money back as a £10 free bet if your horse finishes second or third in a selected race. Acca lovers will also enjoy LiveScoreBet’s offer where you can earn a £5 free acca bet every week by placing four or more £5-plus accumulators during the week.
Their odds are competitive across the board and they also offer special promotions around big events, such as paying seven places rather than five at The Open this summer and extra places on selected horse races every day.
Best new betting site for price boosts: TalkSportBet
If you enjoy contentious sporting opinions being thrown around between pundits with abandon, then you’ll surely be aware of TalkSport radio station. Well, they’ve now branched out into betting.
TalkSportBet has a really clean user interface across devices and as an existing media company, their branding is already recognisable. In terms of what they offer, it’s a good all-round experience but price boosts are where they are particularly excelling.
They have a Lucky Dip feature that is a lot of fun and can give you outlandish odds on selections. You are given a market and a price, for example Premier League winner at 16/1. You enter your stake, spin the wheel and then are assigned a random selection in that market and paid out at odds of 16/1 if they win. You could get Manchester City, whose actual odds to win the title are considerably shorter than 16/1, or be given Nottingham Forest, whose actual odds are much longer. That’s the luck of the draw.
TalkSportBet also link into the radio arm of the company by boosting prices on their pundit predictions. So if you agree with Jamie O’Hara or Stan Collymore’s prediction for a game, you’ll be able to make that bet at better odds than normal.
Best new betting site for accumulators: Fafabet
No one can accuse Fafabet of being backwards in coming forwards as they announced their entrance into the UK market with a ‘best acca offer ever’ promotion.
A bold claim for sure, the merits of which are slightly debatable, but it’s undoubtedly a good deal as customers are given a free bet when placing a pre-match football accumulator (of at least three selections). If you win, you’re entitled to a free bet worth between 5 and 50 per cent of your returns, depending on the size of the acca.
They also offer a £5 free bet when you place a £25 ‘create a bet’ (an acca by any other name…) of three or more selections and you will get your money back as a free bet (up to £20) if one leg lets you down in a five-plus selection ‘create a bet’.
FafaBet then throw in other offers such as money back as a free bet if a football match finishes 0-0, a free bet worth five per cent of your daily in-play betting amount and multiple horse racing money-back promos.
How we rate new bookmakers
So how did we arrive at the ratings and recommendations above? How did we pick the best new betting site wheat from the chaff? There were a number of factors that came into our thinking during our research:
Regulation: This is a non-negotiable before we recommend any gambling site. They have to be regulated by the UKGC for us to even consider rating them, so you can be confident that every site above is safe to engage with. There are too many illegitimate gambling sites out there to take chances – every site mentioned on this page is UKGC-regulated and safe.
Reputation: They may be relatively new to the UK but within the gambling industry, every bookmaker is generating some form of buzz. We factored in whether the company is already well-regarded in the UK or had a solid reputation overseas before branching into the British market.
Responsible gambling: Similarly to regulation, how committed the bookmaker is to responsible gambling was important to us. Is ‘When the fun stops. Stop.’ just a slogan to the company or have they taken genuine steps to ensure their actions towards their customers are morally sound? We considered their approaches to vital tools such as deposit limits, loss limits, reality checks and self-exclusion. More on this below.
Customer experience: How good an experience the site provides for its customers was also taken into account – across desktop, mobile and app. If the site design is smart and well laid out, if the useability is logical and straightforward, then that all makes for a better customer experience. Similarly, how easy it is to interact with staff and solve any potential issues is also a factor.
Promotions: Of course, a betting company can also be judged on its promotions and offers. Were these new betting sites offering deals we hadn’t seen anywhere else or that really enticed us to sign up? If you feel like you’re getting more bang for your buck – be that in terms of free bets, odds boosts or one-off promotions – you’re more likely to use the site.
Gamble responsibly
Quite simply, the most important thing to remember is to gamble responsibly. Betting should only be considered a form of entertainment – it has not, and will never be, a surefire way to make money, no matter how much you think you know about sport.
When betting, always assume you’ll lose and therefore, only bet what you can afford to lose. Sports betting can also be addictive, so please take steps to remain in control of your time and budget.
Make sure you use the responsible gambling tools offered by betting companies such as deposit limits, reality checks, loss limits, time outs and self-exclusion. These can stop your gambling from getting out of hand.
There are several charities and healthcare providers should you wish to seek help for gambling-related issues. The providers below offer guidance, support and information:
Best new betting sites summary
Ultimately, while we can recommend what we think are the ‘best’ new betting sites, the truth is that everyone is looking for something different from their bookmaker.
What’s ‘best’ for one person will be different to what’s ‘best’ for another. You may want to focus on one specific sport or be eager for lots of unique offers. Whatever floats your boat, hopefully this information can help you make an informed decision about where to send your custom.
Remember, each of our recommended new bookies is fully licensed and regulated by the UKGC, ensuring that your personal and financial data is secure. We also regularly update our list should you wish to keep tabs on the best new UK bookmakers on the sports betting scene.
