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.
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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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Hits
- 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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Betfred, formerly known as Dones, was established in 1967 by Peter and Fred Done. It’s the latter who now chairs and plays an active role in promoting the company, to the extent where you can find his portrait on the website homepage! Nevertheless, this is a bookmaker to be taken seriously, especially when you consider they are the world’s biggest independent bookmaker with a combined turnover of £1.5billion.
As is the case with a number of firms, Betfred started out as a series of betting shops in the north-west, gradually branching out geographically before introducing telephone betting in 2002 and launching their online operation in 2004. Fred Done likes to regard himself as the ‘Bonus King’ and the company claim they invented the Lucky 15 bet and were the first to offer daily early price races in the UK.
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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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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.
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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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Hits
- Very simple and easy-to-use website interface
- A strong reputation for being safe, secure and well-established
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Blue Square was launched in May 1999 and has grown into one of the biggest online UK betting companies. In January 2003, the company was acquired by Rank, a leading UK entertainment and leisure company. They now claim to have over 750,000 customers and have certainly come a long way since they were established.
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Hits
- Strong range of markets
- Plenty of additional content, such as bluesq TV, i-Bar and Radio Centre
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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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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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Jennings launched their online operation in Summer 2008 adding to the 70 licensed betting offices and the telephone betting service in place. Read full review »
Hits
- Nice, clean and welcoming website. Includes aesthetically pleasing colour scheme and simple navigation
- Some great odds on horse racing
- Generous new customer bonus, which is better than most competitors
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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. 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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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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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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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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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.
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Expekt.com (as they're keen to call themselves) were founded in 1999 and now claim to have over 1.5 million customers worldwide. Read full review »
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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