Recommended UK Sports New Betting Sites
Online sports betting is on the up and up. Year-on-year growth is tracking at 14%, with some £12.6 billion in online gambling revenues reported in 2015. As more people switch from high street bookies to online betting, this has paved the way for a new generation of upstart challengers to enter the fray. Competing directly with the big names in the industry, these new sports betting sites sites represent a strong alternative for punters looking to get the best deal. In the table below we’ve ranked the best new betting sites based on our review team’s in-depth tests.
Recommended Sites
Why Bet With New Bookmakers?
There are plenty of good reasons to take a chance on a recently launched bookie, but it’s important to be aware of the potential pitfalls. Forewarned is forearmed.
The Advantages
Enhanced Odds and Promotions
New bookmakers have a point to prove. They need to sign up customers to stay in business, and often don’t have the luxury of the bottomless marketing budgets afforded to the big name brands. This means they have to compete in other ways, like offering enhanced odds and better promotions than comparable sites. By playing with these new sites, you can often find better odds on your bets, as well as a range of juicy free sign-up offers to tempt you through the virtual doors.
Latest Technology
Newer sites, by definition, tend to be built using the latest software platforms and technologies. That means they have often been at the cutting edge of new developments in the industry, such as eSports. Whereas the more established players might need to migrate millions of gamblers to new platforms, industry upstarts can afford to have a more modern setup right out of the box. As a result, betting with newer sites often means accessing the latest sports betting tech and innovations such as betting via Facebook or WhatsApp for a more flexible, more enjoyable betting experience.
Trying Out New Names
There’s also something cool about trying out new bookmakers and new platforms and getting in at the ground floor on what could become the next big thing. With new sports betting sites, you’re playing ahead of the curve, so you get to experience their platform ahead of the mainstream. And who knows – with a bit of luck, you might even add a new favourite to your roster. Having access to a variety of bookmakers is key to intelligent betting, giving you the opportunity to compare odds and take advantage of event-specific offers.
The Disadvantages
Established Reputation
Of course, for some punters, the lack of an established reputation is the thing that worries them about betting with new sites. We understand this, and we’re always a little unsure ourselves when we go to review new platforms. However, with the help of our recommendations, you can cut through the noise to find out which of the newbies is worth your while, and which are best kept at arm’s length. Moreover, all of our recommended new betting sites are as a minimum UKGC licensed.
Less Liquid Betting Markets
With some newer bookies, you may find less generous odds and a narrower selection of market or at least less transparency with the new bookies not showing at least at first on the various odds comparison sites. Again, this is a concern we try to offset, by showing you the best promotions and enhanced odds offers we can find, so you can still grab a great deal – even if you’re playing with a smaller operator.
Fewer Payment Options
While new betting sites are getting set up, they some times will provide a smaller range of payment options. This is usually only for a while as they establish relationships with new payment processors. This can be limiting for some players, but by checking out our reviews and payment method guides first, you can find which new bookie accept your favored payment methods. However, even though it can take time for newer bookmakers to get up to speed with payment processors they are usually first out of the blocks with more innovative payment types like Bitcoin. In addition, low deposit betting i.e opening an account from £5 or £10 will usually be offered by new operators (see our Black Type review or our Karamba sport review as examples). High stakes betting, on the other hand, is most likely to available at well established bookies.
Customer Support. Similar to payment options, choice of customer support options is one of the things that takes time for a new bookmaker to ramp up. You’ll definitely find email/ticket support on a new site but phone and live chat may not be on offer at first
- Better promotions
- Latest technologies
- Trying a new name
- No established reputation
- Less liquid betting markets
- Fewer payment and support options
How We Choose New Betting Sites
Our aim is to demystify the world of online betting sites, to help you sort the men from the boys. We don’t recommend any site we wouldn’t use ourselves, and all of our recommendations have scored favorably against our key criteria. We look for sites that are legitimate and trustworthy, with a wide range of betting markets and competitive odds. But we also care about things like customer service and ease of deposit and withdrawal. We try out different bonuses and free bets on your behalf, so you can trust us when we recommend a great site. Similarly, we won’t recommend anything that doesn’t meet our standards – and as experienced gamblers ourselves, we have a fair idea of what you’re looking for.
We want to take the hassle out of finding somewhere to bet. Particularly with new, often unproven, betting sites, we move first to take the plunge. Our reviews and recommendations are based on personal experience with each of the bookmakers we’ve covered, so you can get the most detailed picture of where you should place your bets online.
Developments in New Betting Sites
As sports betting sites continuously innovate and evolve, a number of new opportunities present themselves in betting markets. As new sites launch, and more established names double down to secure their position, there’s never been a better time to be a punter. There are three key areas where we expect to see major advances in the coming years.
The Perfection of Mobile betting. Without the development of mobile betting apps, innovations like live in-play betting and cash-outs would never have taken hold the way they have. Mobile betting is one of the key drivers of the industry. Yet, while there are some user-friendly apps out there, nothing has really drawn together the combined potential of in-play, cash-out and live streaming in a way that will wow punters. Could 2018 be the year we see the first really big mobile-first sportsbooks? One strong contender may be Bookee which has done away with the de facto list style sports book interface with a tinder style swipe selection on its app.
One only needs to look at the success of mobile-first casinos like Leo Vegas Casino to understand that there is vast untapped potential for any operator ready to take full advantage of the advanced technology of today’s smartphones.
The Development of Social Betting. There’s an inherently social aspect to having a flutter that no online bookmaker has really captured yet. Where’s the eToro of the betting world? The social-trading platform has torn through the online financial trading space by allowing investors and speculators to copy one another’s trades and take advantage of the wisdom of crowds. Betfect is one company that’s making strides in this area. Describing itself as a social betting network, it allows punters to share, copy and discuss bets, and it already has deals agreed with some big names in online betting. This will be an area to watch in 2019
The Rise of eSports Markets. According to one mid-2016 study, eSports has a global audience of 226 million people, and a demographic that is 85% male. It’s no surprise, then, that this is seen as an area of huge potential by online betting sites. Expect to see betting markets offered for more games and tournaments by bookmakers old and new. Fast-rising betting site Betway, for instance, brands itself “the home of eSports”, and offers a dedicated eSports lobby and even in-play betting on the biggest matchups.
For many punters, new sportsbooks represent the best of both worlds. Playing with a newer name often means getting a better deal. With better odds available and some of the more generous promotions, it’s easy to get off on the right foot with a new provider. And as long as they are regulated by the UK Gambling Commission, any one of our recommendations is a great option for punters who want value for money.
Not Convinced with Trying Out a New Bookmaker?
There are clearly both pros and cons of betting with a new bookmaker. They may offer a fresh experience and, perhaps, a big welcome offer, but new bookies can still fall down in areas like choice of markets, payment methods and odds pricing.
After all, it’s important to remember that established bookmakers have succeeded for a reason. They have earned the trust of punters down the years by offering them what they want – lots of betting markets, top odds and promotions.
Big marketing budgets and industry experience can lead to advantages for bettors, as established names fight for their place at the top table. In short, that means sticking with the big names can get you better odds and more betting promotions. Indeed, it’s no surprise that some of the most popular promotions used by players today – Acca Insurance, Acca Edge, Price Boosts, Request-a-Bet – have all come from the more established betting sites, most of whom are listed below.
| Bookie | Launch Year | Revenue (2017) | Number of Employees | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | SkyBet | 2002 | £515M | 1253 |
 | Betfair | 2000 | £1.75B | 7557 |
 | William Hill | 1934 | £1.7B | 16000 |
 | 888sport | 2008 | £420M | 1310 |
 | Ladbrokes | 1886 | £1.5B | 16685 |
 | Coral | 1926 | £1.5B | 16685 |
 | Paddy Power | 1988 | £1.75B | 7557 |
 | Bet365 | 2000 | £2.3B | 3500 |
If you choose a new bookie from our recommended top list above you’ll get the best of both worlds – an exciting new brand eager to prove itself, offering attractive new player promotions and the security in betting at a site accredited by the UK Gambling Commission
