Find the best betting sites for new and existing customers HEALY RACING© Photo Healy Racing
Is your head in spin from trying to decipher which betting site is the best? We are here to consider the best bookmakers in the business and to inform you of which sites are worth your time.
Each operator is slightly different, but we are here to help you with a comprehensive review of the best betting sites in the UK. Which sites present the best sign up offers, competitive odds, specials and a high-quality user experience? Read on to find out.
We will detail the best bookmakers for horse racing, including Betfair, Paddy Power, William Hill and bet365 and what makes them shine above others.
This weekend, all racing enthusiasts will be closely following the action at the Curragh in Ireland for the Irish Guineas Festival, which marks the start of the Classics. The main event taking place on Saturday is the Irish 2000 Guineas, with Aidan O'Brien possibly fielding Paddington and Little Big Bear, while son Donnacha will be aiming for victory with Proud And Regal.
On Sunday, the spotlight will be on fillies and the highly anticipated rematch between Tahiyra and Mawj in the 1000 Guineas. The Tattersalls Gold Cup is also worth watching, as 2021 Derby winner Adayar and Westover may make appearances, with French star Vadeni to be supplemented.
The UK's highly anticipated Betfred Derby is coming up in early June, but for now, racing fans can take advantage of free bets and betting offers throughout the week. Thursday's Brigadier Gerard event, featuring last year's Derby winner Desert Crown, is a major highlight, along with Saturday's Temple Stakes at Haydock, marking The Platinum Queen's comeback since joining Roger Varian.
May is a busy month for Flat racing with the first Classics in the UK and Ireland taking place. This is an excellent time to explore new betting sites or add new ones to your portfolio.
Look for the best odds offered by bookmakers like bet365 and William Hill, who are renowned for their competitive prices. If you have specific horses in mind for the big events, make sure to check out the benefits of various major bookmakers listed below.
There are many factors to consider when identifying the best bookmakers for horse racing available to UK customers and so how do we conduct a thorough review of the marketplace?
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.
Racing experts Vincent Finegan, Johnny Ward and Emma Nagle, plus Betting Expert's Stephen Harris and broadcaster Ed Quigley are among our exceptional team. The following factors are also taken into account:
Some horse racing betting sites present better standout sign-up offers than others.
In a crowded market, bookies are attempting to stand out with various campaigns and gimmicks but what makes the top betting sites worth a second look? Read on for information on why the following bookmakers are considered champions of the betting world.
The horse racing betting sites available in the UK are tried and tested by our expert team who know exactly what to look for when discovering new horse racing betting sites. Further aspects we focus on include:
The world’s leading bookmaker, bet365, is the best operator for competitive odds and is unsurprisingly the number one choice for UK punters.
Visit our bet365 offers page.
One of Ireland's best bookmakers for horse racing, 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 horse racing, offering something a little different for Irish customers and lots of added 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 and price boosts on racing's big days.
Visit our Paddy Power offers page.
The Tote's world pool has thrust the operator back into the limelight this year. Customers can get cracking odds on the world pool available on select racedays and is among the top horse racing bookmakers
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 customer 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 bookmakers and a betting site known for it's excellent welcome offer and customer experience.
Visit our Coral offers page.
Steeped in history and tradition and thanks to its knowledge of the racing game, there are 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 bookies for horse racing for 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 claimed this excellent 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 and is one of our favoured horse race betting sites.
Gowran Park 26 January 2023 A busy betting ring on Goffs Thyestes Chase Day © Photo Healy Racing
At first glance most horse betting sites seem very similar and follow the same functionality and menu options whereby you first select 'horse racing', then select the event, and then select the participant you wish to place a bet on, however each site offers something different.
Once you become more confident with your betting, you will realise there is a whole host of different markets, existing customer offer and odds can differ quite substantially.
Choosing a betting site in the UK depends a lot on personal preference and it is worth considering which welcome offer is best suited for you.
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 worth taking advantage of.
Some major horse betting sites turn off their welcome offers for the Aintree Grand National when they know people will open new accounts without an incentive.
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.
Which horse racing bookmakers offer the highest-value welcome offers?
Bet365BetfredBetfairWilliam HillLiveScore Bet
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.
Most notorious for competitive betting odds:
Bet365William Hill
Many of the best horse racing betting sites offer 'BOG' or best odds guaranteed. This concession means that if your horse wins the race the betting site will pay you out at either the price you backed the horse at or the SP (official starting price), whichever price is greater. It is worth making sure that the horse betting sites you are considering opening an account with have this concession.
Most major bookmaker offers BOG.
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.
Other factors to take into account when considering which are the best horse racing betting sites for you are the payment methods that they accept, their mobile experience, customer support services, peer reviews and how easy their sign-up process is.
Most horse betting sites will allow you to sign up to a new betting account with basic information such as your name and email address but in order to be able to withdraw funds, all betting sites require by law that you verify your account with photo ID and proof of address.
Once you have chosen a horse betting site that suits you, click on the 'Claim here' link above which will take you through to the offer. Signing up is usually very simple and you just need to fill out a form with your personal details. You will then receive an email from the betting site with a link to verify your new account. When you click on that link you should be ready to deposit money into your new account and start betting.
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.
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.
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 a horse racing betting site is trustworthy. Check if the betting site is promoted on irishracing.com as we only promote trustworthy companies. You can also check betting forums to see what other punters 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.
