Our Betastic’s Bookmaker Awards follow on from a very successful year of voting last year where we crowned five different bookmakers over six awards. Betway were the clear winner last year scooping not only the Best Bookmaker, but also the Best No Deposit Bonus, too. Other winners included Mr Green, industry stalwart William Hill, Coral, and the ever popular 888Sport. Will these bookmakers take the silverware again this year, or will they be relegated to the bottom of their respective table? There’s only one way to find out. Place your votes carefully and keep an eye on each of those categories. The toplist can change from day to day as more votes are placed by our readers. Don’t worry if you do change your mind after casting your vote, though. You’re free to change your team of choice from now until the awards are handed out. Without further ado, let’s find out a little more about those bookmakers that sat high as the top sport betting sites.
Voting in our Betastic awards is a great way of sharing your opinions on the top betting sites available to UK players. Bookmakers will be able to gain real, constructive feedback on how players view their websites, which in turn could be used to improve their websites. You’ll also be able to help out all of your fellow players by letting them know which bookmakers are great and which should be avoided like the plague.
If you’re looking for a little inspiration on who to choose, how about reading our bookmaker or bonus reviews which will give you a detailed breakdown of a selected bookmaker’s services. Once you’ve decided on who to vote for, place your vote using the simple web form. Don’t worry if you change your mind. You can amend your vote to another bookie in the nominated list.
Every reader will have their own suggestions on what makes a world class bookmaker. None of these are right or wrong, it’s all down to your own personal preference. Perhaps you prefer a small selection of sports to a larger site. Maybe bonuses are key in your betting game, so favour sites with plenty of those deals? To help you cast your vote more easily we’ve come up with a few pointers on what we consider when deciding whether a bookmaker is good or just average.
The list is not exhaustive, but if you’re stuck, feel free to use them to help you decide who to vote for in our annual awards. Remember there are six categories; Best Bookmaker, Best No Deposit Bonus, Best Cash Out Betting Sites, Best Betting Apps, Best Betting Sites with Free Bets and Best Football Betting Sites. Feel free to vote for as many categories as you like.
Welcome Bonuses
The best bookmakers in our opinion have great welcome bonuses that offer players a taste of what it’s like to place bets on the bookie’s site. The bonus doesn’t have to be large, some of the better ones aren’t, but we do prefer one with very few restrictions attached to it.
Wagering requirements that are low can be found easily, with some bookmakers omitting all wagering attached to a sports deal. Some bonuses also restrict the betting markets or bet types you can place, so beware that when voting. Those with the best welcome bonuses offer the best flexibility without compromising on site interaction.
Betting Range
The more betting markets the better as far as we’re concerned. Some players prefer the less-is-more approach, but we love being spoiled for choice when it comes to sports. We’d expect to see a healthy mix of common and less-commonly seen sporting events such as football, golf, cricket and horse racing alongside Gaelic football, esports and karate, for example. We find that on average, most bookmakers have around 30 different sports to choose from, although some bookmakers offer many more.
Customer Support
Ever heard of the adage “The customer is king?” Well, when it comes to sports betting, that has never been more true. Customer service is something that many businesses pride themselves on, but with online gambling it becomes less of a customary measure and more of a website essential. Some bookmakers require customer service contact to register a promotional bonus, for example. Most, if not all bookmakers will also request personal ID if you win a large sum of cash. Again, this is interaction with customer service at its core. If you can’t get hold of one of the team members either via phone, email, live chat or social media then you have a problem. Good customer support should be the backbone of any bookie. If it’s not, then customer beware.
Site Security
Tying on from the customer service topic is site security. When a player signs up with a bookmakers’ site they do so understanding that there is a certain level of risk. When they give their personal information to register on the site and add their payment details, these should be treated with care. You’ll find many bookmakers use SSL encryption which encrypts personal information making it harder to expose. Personal information may also be stored off site to prevent data breaches. A good bookmaker will mention the methods they use to keep your personal information safe. Be sure to check before signing up.
Payment Methods
Most bookmakers will allow you to make deposits and withdrawals using credit and debit card, but it’s those that allow other payment methods for added flexibility that really draw our attention. More and more bookmakers are now using Neteller, Skrill and Paypal to make deposits and withdrawals, although often these cannot be used when bookmaker bonuses are involved. Others are more daring still, allowing direct bank transfers, money deposits from high street bookmakers and even the anonymous currency exchange of Bitcoin for payment from some of the best football betting sites. Generally, the more payment methods the better in our book. Although extra caution should be used with ewallets and Bitcoin due to their off-site transactions.
