When it comes to bookmakers with experience, they don’t come any bigger than William Hill. The Leeds-based company were founded in 1934 and operate over 2,000 licensed betting offices in the UK. In addition to shops and online, Hills have a huge telephone betting operation and claim to now have nearly 300,000 customers.
William Hill is now one of the most exciting online gaming brands in the business.
When you sign-up to William Hill via links on Bettingpro you'll get £60 free - use the William Hill Promotional Code CH60 to get your £60 free bet! Read full review »
Hits
- Very simple and easy-to-use website interface
- A strong reputation for being safe, secure and well-established
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Ladbrokes are arguably the biggest bookmaker in the world and one of the most reputable brands in the betting industry.
They appear to be at the forefront of many legal cases opposing the state monopoly of several different countries.
In the UK, Ladbrokes have over 2,000 betting shops and are listed on the FTSE 100 Index.
They have been established since the 1950’s and their online service has been available since 2000.
When you bet with Ladbrokes you are betting with a trusted brand that offers a safe and secure, and fair, betting service.
Ladbrokes uses a promotion code MAXIMUMBONUS which you should enter on the application form when it asks you whether you have a Ladbrokes Promotion Code or Referral ID.
Use the bonus code MAXIMUMBONUS to be sure of getting this maximum new user bonus, which is £200 free
Click here to go to Ladbrokes
Read full review »
Hits
- They are a massive betting company and, as such, they’re pretty much the safest ones to bet with.
- Strong customer service, always seems to be well-manned.
- Huge range of languages available and plenty of European focus on sports and markets
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Bet365 are one of the biggest bookmakers in the UK. They're a private, family-run company based in Stoke-on-Trent and continue to grow at a rate of knots. They claim to have close to a million customers worldwide and now employ upwards of 600 people.
The company began in 1974 as a series of betting shops dotted around the Midlands and North-West. During the late 1990s, a telephone betting division was set up and an online operation followed shortly afterwards. In 2005, bet365 decided to sell their several hundred shops to Coral and instead focus more on their fast-expanding online business.
bet365 have an easy to claim £200 sign-up bonus when you join the trusted bookmaker. To claim the £200 free simply make a deposit of £10-£200 and you'll be cash matched at 100%. So deposit £10, get £10 free, play with £20. Deposit £200, get £200 free, play with £400.
Join bet365 now via Bettingpro. Use the bet365 referral code MAXIMUMBONUS to secure the £200 free. Read full review »
Hits
- Quick, easy-to-use website taking you to wide range of markets
- Strong In-Play betting service, covering virtually every live event.
- Very reputable brand, fair-minded and efficient customer service.
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Paddy Power have been established since 1988 and are currently Ireland’s largest bookmaker. Although widely respected, they have something of a controversial opinion within the betting industry due to a number of close-to-the-bone marketing campaigns and their tendency to pay out on outcomes before an event has even been settled.
You can get an amazing £100 free when you join Paddypower today. This offer is not advertised on the Paddy Power website.
Click here to go to Paddy Power and get £100 free Read full review »
Hits
- Bettingpro readers get a massive £100 free bet with Paddypower
- They have some excellent traders who provide tight odds and a vast range of markets
- Ridiculously early pay-outs – sometimes on matches which haven’t yet taken place! Superb range of special bets
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Coral (along with William Hill and Ladbrokes) are traditionally regarded as one of the ‘Big Three’ bookmakers in the UK. Coral claim to be the fastest growing bookmaker in Britain and now have roughly 1500 betting shops in addition to their telephone and online operation.
Coral has just launched a 10% cash back offer where you can get 10% of your losses up to £2,500 back in cash every month PLUS £50 free.
You have to opt-in at the Coral Cash back page, but it's free so we recommend you do. This is an addition to your £50 free cash match introductory bonus.
Join Coral today and get £50 free plus 10% cashback Read full review »
Hits
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One of the most familiar and respected names in the British bookmaking industry with over 75 years experience.
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First-class racing service, incorporating competitive odds and enhanced place-terms.
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Simple to claim £50 free bet
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Boylesports has been established since 1989 and they have quickly grown into Ireland's largest independent bookmaker. Although this is partly due to the flotation of Paddy Power, there's no denying that they have ballooned as a company since going online in 2001, especially in 2006 and 2007. Like their main Irish rival, managing director John Boyle is keen to nurture a sense of customer loyalty through competitive products and a top class level of service.
When you sign-up use the Boylesports promotion code "MAXIMUMBONUS" to guarantee the maximum new user deposit offer. Read full review »
Hits
- Excellent customer service, including live chat
- Give other bookies a run for their money on the big football matches
- Strong trading department for UK & Irish racing
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Blue Square was launched in May 1999 and has grown into one of the biggest online British betting companies.
In January 2003, the company was acquired by Rank, a leading UK entertainment and leisure company. Blue Square now claim to have over 1m customers and have certainly come a long way since they were established.
Blue Square has a promotion code you should enter when joining. The promotion code is MAXIMUMBONUS and gets you ten pounds free.
Click here to go to Blue Square and to register
Update: Feb 2009 - The firm has just launched a VIP programme designed to reward their most active players with:
- Personalised Blue Square betting service
- Personal Account Manager
- Complete Account discretion
- Priority Sports Betting phone service and VIP hotline
- VIP email address
- Attendance at 'invite only' VIP events
- Cash bonuses and FREE bet bonuses
- Bespoke hospitality and gifting
- Increased table limits on casino games
All Bettingpro readers are eligible to join their VIP program. Register at Blue Square now
Read full review »
Hits
- Strong range of markets
- Plenty of additional content, such as bluesq TV, i-Bar and Radio Centre
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Victor Chandler set up the high stakes bookmaker as we know it back in 1946. The operation is now run by his son, another Victor Chandler, and the firm has developed a reputation for honesty, integrity and a willingness to accommodate high-stakes customers.
Based in Gibraltar, Victor Chandler has been online since 1994 and were the first UK bookmaker to offer customers tax-free betting. All new users get an introductory bonus of £100 plus £25 free Casino Chips. Read full review »
Hits
- You won't find your account restricted if you hit a winning run
- Impressive range of Asian Handicap markets (where margins are traditionally tighter than normal odds)
- A bookie who look after their customers in terms of cashback offers and good customer service
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Stan James is a privately run bookmaker that originally began with a small group of betting shops in Berkshire. Founded by bookie Steve Fisher in 1973, Stan James is still family run and Steve's son Peter is the MD.
Stan James has only a small number of shops in the UK and a larger internet and telephone betting operation in Gibraltar which handles millions of pounds of bets per day. Read full review »
Hits
- Excellent In-Play service, providing tight margins in real time.
- Website interface is attractive and easy-to-navigate
- Generally provide extra value to customers with enhanced odds and special markets
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Jennings launched their online operation in Summer 2008 adding to the 70 licensed betting offices and the telephone betting service in place.
Jenningsbet.com has a lovely welcoming feel about its website, although the same can’t be said of the customer service! They look to be on the right track overall, providing a user-friendly website which will be popular with plenty of mainstream UK customers. In particular, their odds will suit racing fans looking to get extra value on particular selection, especially some of the early-bird prices which go live several hours before the ‘off’.
Join Jenningsbet today! Read full review »
Hits
- Nice, clean and welcoming website. Includes aesthetically pleasing colour scheme and simple navigation
- Some great odds on horse racing
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TitanBet is the brand new bookmaker from the team that brought you TitanCasino and TitanPoker.
The team powering Titan Bet are closely associated with Playtech the casino software providers and have aspirations to become an online sports betting powerhouse.
That said, the team is new, the traders are new and it's a great opportunity to benefit from their relative inexperience in setting prices.
When you sign-up to TitanBet you will get a free bet bonus of £250 free matched at 100%
Use the promotion code MAXIMUMBONUS when you sign-up to get their £250 free maximum new user bonus!
We recommend you open an account with Titan Bet now
Read full review »
Hits
- Very fast website, enabling customers to place bets quickly
- Excellent new customer free bet offer
- Cutting-edge In-Play console, providing odds in real time
- Markets ordered in alphabetical order actually works
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Sportingbet was founded in 1998 and the sportsbook website was launched in October that year. They have been listed as a plc on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange since 2001. The company have acquired several smaller betting companies along the way, the most notable being SportingOdds.com in June 2002, which was recently integrated into the SportingBet brand.
When you join SportingBet you'll get a £25 free bet Read full review »
Hits
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Great odds on a range of sports
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Excellent global coverage – a good bookie to have an account with, no matter what your language or favourite sports are.
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Strong free bet offering of up to £25 in Free Bets
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Luxbet is a Racing and Sports corporate bookmaking operation, licensed by the Northern Territory Racing Commission.
They are relative newcomers to the industry, having launched in September 2008, although they have been making a splash in Australia ever since. In addition to their online offering, they have a burgeoning telephone betting operation and put tremendous emphasis on customer service and member privileges.
Luxbet claim to be Australia’s most progressive bookmaker, with the firm claiming that customers receive the highest paying racing products in the country (Australia).
They are one of several brands under the Tabcorp umbrella, Australia’s leading company when it comes to gambling and entertainment. They support the NSW and Victorian racing industries by sharing a portion of profits via a discretionary payment to the NSW and Victorian thoroughbred, harness and greyhound racing codes. Luxbet.com also complies with all product fees or race field fees which apply to bookmakers on a national basis.
Go to Luxbet now and claim $100 free Read full review »
Hits
- Fantastic service for Australian horse, dog and harness racing
- Website allows customers to place fast racing bets
- Excellent racing odds, made better by their guaranteed prices promotions
- Nice coverage of other sports, housed in a separate section
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Extrabet.com is part of the IG group of companies.
The group was founded in 1974 and now employs over 800 staff around the globe. IG Group launched extrabet.com in March 2006 as a sister site to its spread-betting offering.
Originally it started out as a unique fixed-odds site, where customers could not only place bets in the normal fashion, but also effectively close out for a profit if the bet happened to be going well. However, in March 2009, extrabet.com relaunched as the first betting platform in the world to offer sports spread betting, sports and financial fixed-odds, sports and financial binary betting and a casino all under a single account.
As well as extrabet.com, the group includes IG Index, which offers financial spread betting and IG Markets which offers CFDs and foreign exchange trading. IG Group companies have over 72,000 clients worldwide making over 1 million transactions a month, over 90% of them online.
Extrabet is our recommendation for sports spread betting and IGIndex our tip for financial spread betting Read full review »
Hits
- Faster than lightning website, with dynamic odds pages which update in real time
- You can profit from selections by backing at big odds and then closing at shorter odds, irrespective of the final outcome
- You can also try your hand at spread betting and binary betting
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The tote were originally founded in 1928 after Parliament allowed a company to be created to offer Pools betting on horse racing.
In return, Tote promised to return a percentage of profits back into the horse racing industry which they’ve done ever since. ‘The tote’ can still be found at all UK & Irish racecourses and they now have over 450 high street shops. Their online operation was launched under the guise of Tote BetXpress in 2002, with the Totesport brand being officially launched in 2004.
Click here to go to Totesport and get up to £60 FREE
Read full review »
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Betfair is the trading name of Betfair Limited, which was founded in August 1999 by Andrew "Bert" Black and Edward Wray.
Unlike fixed odds bookmakers such as William Hill, Ladbrokes and Coral, betfair is a betting exchange, allowing customers to choose whether to back a selection or instead effectively act as the bookmaker themself and lay a selection instead.
The first ever sporting market traded on betfair was the 2000 Oaks and, in the space of nine years, betfair has become the world's biggest betting exchange and effectively revolutionised the betting industry in the process. Read full review »
Hits
- Amazing interface
- Better odds on the more popular markets
- Betfair Starting Price product
- Ability to lay as well as back
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180bets (formerly Blackheath bookmakers) has launched their online operation
180bets has a lovely welcoming feel about its website. They look to be on the right track overall, providing a user-friendly website which will be popular with plenty of mainstream UK customers and particularly darts and racing fans
Their odds will suit racing fans looking to get extra value on particular selection, especially some of the early-bird prices which go live several hours before the ‘off’.
Try 180Bets today!
Read full review »
Hits
- Nice, clean and welcoming website. Includes aesthetically pleasing colour scheme and simple navigation
- Some great odds for darts betting
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NordicBet focus on Scandinavian and Nordic territories, with the site available in Swedish, Danish, Finnish and Norwegian as well as English.
When NordicBet say they offer great odds, it’s actually true. Betting to 105% on big events
Despite their Euro 100 Free Bet sign-up offer being restricted to Scandianavian customers their tight lines mean that this is a bookmaker to join particularly for betting on football.
Join Nordic Bet now and get some of the best odds for European football Read full review »
Hits
- When NordicBet say they offer great odds, it’s actually true. Betting to 105% on big events
- Bigger range of markets than anywhere else for football, while tennis, ice hockey and handball market range are strong
- Very clean and user-friendly In-Play betting section
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Hits
- Great free bet offering – up to £50. Plus lots of extra free bets and promotions available for existing customers which is good to see
- Competitive odds on UK racing and football, betting to particularly tight margins on Premier League and Champions League
- If you’re a fan of placing multiple bets, you’ll regularly find that Betfred offer to add extra to your coupon winnings, eg check out their 7th Heaven Bonus Coupon where you get enhanced odds providing you place a minimum treble.
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PlayersOnly.com was launched in 1997 and claim that they are ‘uniquely positioned as "the most exclusive online gambling destination’. That might explain why the website has the look and feel that’s described in our review. Both their sports book and horse racing book are powered by Sportsbook.com, so there’s some real expertise as far as odds compiling is concerned.
Read full review »
Hits
- Dynamic website with cutting-edge graphics – about as user-friendly as it gets
- They are undoubtedly a market leader as far as betting on US sports is concerned
- Customer service is also well above average, if only every sportsbook had a Help Cente
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BodogLife was founded in 1994 and has its head office based in Antigua. In addition to betting and gaming, Bodog provides a range of entertainment services. Their sportsbook is licensed in the UK, so you can be sure that you’re dealing with an experienced bookmaker within a highly-regulated environment. Read full review »
Hits
- Very easy-to-navigate website for new and existing customers alike.
- Superb North American betting service in terms of odds and range of markets.
- Well-versed and polite customer service.
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Sportsbet (www.sportsbet.com.au) claim to be ‘Australia’s Number 1 Betting Agency’ on their website and it’s easy to see why.
They have a website jam-packed with sports, markets, odds and special offers, with lots of promotions available for new and existing customers alike.
Sportsbet is Australia’s oldest licensed bookmaker, with young chief executive Matthew Tripp at the helm, having sold off previous betting companies that he has established.
Sportsbet has operated in Australia for more than 14 years and is licensed in the Northern Territory by the Northern Territory Racing Commission (NTRC).
Sportsbet accepts wagers on Australian and international horse, harness and greyhound racing as well as all manner of local and international sporting, political and entertainment events. City Best, Country Best, Fixed Odds, Top Fluc, SP, Quinellas and Trifectas are available for thoroughbred racing and harness and greyhound are paid at Home Tote.
Sign-up now to Sportsbet.com.au and get a superb A$100 FREE signup bonus
Read full review »
Hits
- Nice quick website with no flash graphics to slow down page loading
- A breathtaking array of horse racing markets and odds at your fingertips
- A wide range of promotions and offers listed on the homepage, including $100 free bet for new customers
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Centrebet went online in 1996 and were the first out of any sportsbook in the southern hemisphere to accept bets over the net.
Use the code MAXIMUMBONUS50 when you sign-up and you'll get a £50 FREE BET from Centrebet.
See full details of this superb sign-up bonus offer at the Centrebet £50 FREE page Read full review »
Hits
- First-class racing service, which is seperate from the other sports (both in website terms and range!)
- Willing to accept what many might describe as a ''man-sized'' bet on the European soccer leagues
- Bet to a lower % on most sports, compared to many UK counterparts, especially the ''Big Three''
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188Bet are keen to get a slice of the highly-competitive UK market, securing sponsorship deals with Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic, two of the smaller Premier League clubs. This will not only get them seen in Great Britain but also associate them with the global phenomenon of English football.
In addition to an English language website, they have also created versions for China, Hong Kong, Thailand and Vietnam, thus highlighting that they're in the hunt for customers in south-east Asia. But does their product have the necessary clout to make an impact in these territories?
Read full review »
Hits
- Fantastic odds, including betting to less than 1.5% on Asian Handicaps for top Euro football leagues
- Excellent customer service, available 24/7
- Superb In-Play coverage
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Pinnacle Sports was founded in 1998. The sportsbook is licensed in the Netherlands Antilles and accepts bets from customers all over the world. After their inception, Pinnacle quickly identified an opportunity to provide tighter margins than the vast majority of competitors and, once the customer base had grown, they start to raise their wagering limits to some of the highest in the industry.
Read full review »
Hits
- Extremely good odds on North American sports and Asian Handicaps on football.
- Fantastic $500 bonus – providing you are prepared to deposit $5000!
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Skybet are part of the BSkyB Group Plc and have been online since 1998. They were known as Surrey Bet until 2003 when the acquisition took place. Skybet.com is licensed in the United Kingdom and has a registered address in Harrogate, North Yorkshire.
As one of the 20 largest companies in the UK, BSkyB provide a strong degree of credibility, not to mention financial clout to their betting arm. Due to the provision of satellite television, Skybet's service has also become synonymous with ''pressing the red button'' and betting interactively using the remote control.
When you join SkyBet via links on Bettingpro you'll get £10 free Read full review »
Hits
- Competitive odds on English and Scottish football
- Often provide unique propositions on above matches
- Comprehensive racing service for horses and greyhounds
- Smooth registration and bet-placing process
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Although they’re newcomers to the online marketplace, Bruce Betting was established in 1977 with Thomas (Bruce) Byrne opening his first betting shop in Kilcock Co. Kildare, Ireland. It is a family run business with eight members of the Byrne family trading under the name. Bruce was the first bookmaker to offer a free-phone service in Ireland. It is Ireland’s fastest growing bookmaker with over 60 shops throughout Ireland and a Tele-betting centre.
Bet with BruceBetting now
Read full review »
Hits
- Customer service is helpful and friendly
- Some of the prices available are stand-out, especially on football and racing
- The free bet offering is particularly generous – grab it while it lasts!
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Hits
- Attractive website, with lovely clean lay-out
- Fantastic reputation and brand within the gaming industry - one that can be trusted
- Bright range of sporting markets with good reliable odds
- Obvious potential for growth and improvement
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PartyGaming are best known for PartyPoker, which is just about the biggest online poker room in the world. PartyCasino, PartyBingo and PartyGammon make up their portfolio, and they are licensed and regulated by the Government of Gibraltar.
The company were founded in 1997 and were one of the first gaming operators to produce a significant online offering. They continue to lead the way with their propietary software and are renowned for cutting-edge graphics and functionality.
Join Partybets now Read full review »
Hits
- Stand-out odds regularly available, especially on the big football matches
- Speedy website and bet placement with a minimum of fuss
- You're betting with one of the biggest and best brands in the gaming industry
- Knowledgeable and polite customer services on a 24/7 basis
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IG Index is part of IG Group, which has several operating companies offering a variety of speculative products to a retail and professional client base. The Company is a member of the FTSE 250, has a market cap in excess of £1.2 billion and has over 70,000 active clients worldwide. IG Index is fully FSA-regulated.
IG Index is one of the leading financial spread betting firms in the World and one which offers tight spreads and low commissions.
Find out more about membership requirements and the application process here Read full review »
Hits
- Established 1974, Traded on the London Stock Exchange
- Excellent Reputation
- Tight Spreads
- Tremendous Live Dealing Platform
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Unibet are a Swedish-owned company who were founded in 1997 and now claim to have over 2.5 million customers in over 100 countries. Read full review »
Hits
- Website is quick and very user-friendly, especially with their market totals on each sport.
- They cover a wide range of sports, and their piece de resistance is undoubtedly football, where they have 1000 markets during the close season in most countries!
- Thrilling In-Play experience on a wide range of events
- Strong level of customer service
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BetCRIS.com was founded in 1985. The sportsbook provides safe, legal, and secure betting on sporting events from practically any location in the world, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Read full review »
Hits
- Very competitive odds – regularly setting the line far in advance
- Excellent range of propositions on US sports
- Customer service is perhaps the best out of any sportsbook we have come across
- There are no limits as to how much you can bet with these guys
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Sporting Index have been around since 1992 and it shows.
With poor customer service Sporting Index is not a spread betting firm Bettingpro recommends.
If you are looking for a trusted spread betting firm we recommend Extrabet
Read full review »
Hits
- A large sports spread betting firm
- FSA-regulated
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Hits
- Range of markets probably leads the way, on selected sports
- One of the industry leaders when it comes to Asian Handicap betting
- Very efficient and polite customer service
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BET24 was founded in 2001 by Holger Kristiansen, the man behind the Danish Odds game “Oddset-spil” which was the most successful game in Denmark during the mid-90s. Today the company servers users in more than 70 countries around the world. BET24 holds a UK and Maltese gaming license. Read full review »
Hits
- Bet slip functionality is neater than most
- Occasionally have standout odds on certain sporting events (you just have to find them!)
- Decent free bet offering
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Canbet are starting to make waves in the UK market. The sportsbook was established in 1995 and have something of a reputation for accepting huge bets and rarely limiting customers stakes, even if they're winning a whole heap of cash. Read full review »
Hits
- It's very rare that your maximum bet size will be reduced on any sporting event
- There are more handicap and Asian Handicap opportunities than you can shake a stick at
- When you win, the money flies back into your bank account
- Fantastic opening bonuses
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Bwin, formerly known as betandwin, was founded in 1997 and has been listed on the Stock Exchange since 2000. Based in Gibraltar, they are not particularly big in the UK but have huge presence across Europe, especially in countries such as Spain and Germany to the extent where they now claim to have over a million customers worldwide Read full review »
Hits
- Brilliant football coverage - name a league and they'll have odds
- Comprehensive In-Play product – possibly the most dynamic and complete in the industry
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Betsson are a fast-growing Swedish betting and gaming company, established in 2000. As you can see from their website, they offer a range of products, including sportsbook, exchange, poker, casino and games. There is also a trader facility and a scratchcard feature.
They are licensed within the EU and listed on the Nordic Stock Exchange. They claim to employ over 800 personnel and are especially popular in Scandinavian countries such as Sweden and Denmark
Join Betsson now
Read full review »
Hits
- Wide range of football leagues covered across Europe.
- Dynamic In-Play product for wide range of sports
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