New UK Betting Sites for 2018

Big Bonuses and Promotions

To stand out from the crowd, new bookmakers have introduced even bigger welcome bonuses than we have seen before. This means when you sign up you are getting a fantastic reward that you can use to build your betting bank. It doesn’t stop there either, because they also want to retain you as a customer you will find that new betting companies offer some of the biggest and best regular weekly promotions around, giving you a great deal from day one, every day with them. They realise the importance of doing this, meaning now is a great time for punters to sign up and take advantage.

Better Value and Bigger Odds

The other way new bookmakers stand out from the crowd is to simply be the best. While there are many other factors, the most important factor for any punter is how much money they win or lose. To be a better punter you win more, and to win more you always ensure you are on at the best price, and with a bookmaker offering a low margin. Online betting sites are targeting this in an attempt to drive business to them, again making it a fantastic time to sign up with them and take advantage of the great prices that are on offer when you place your bets.

More Betting Opportunities

When you are a punter logging onto a new betting site the one thing that you want is choice. The new betting sites have seen this, and they have worked tirelessly to provide punters with as many different betting opportunities as possible. Whether they are adding new sports and leagues to bet on, or they are giving you more ways to bet on the big games, this is a big positive for punters and one you should be using to your advantage. While you will not use all of the betting markets on offer, choosing from 100 instead of 80 means you have more flexibility to decide how you want to bet.

Wide Range of Payment Methods

People are looking for more than just the ability to use their bank card to deposit online. Both e-wallet payments like Skrill, Paypal and Neteller, or pre-paid cards like the Paysafecard are becoming important and the best new betting sites are all realising this and allowing punters the choice to deposit with those if they wish. Choice when it comes to payment methods is more important now than it has ever been before with so many different options available to you.

State of the Art Mobile Betting

Technology is advancing quickly and the best new betting sites are ensuring they use it to the max. These sites have state of the art mobile betting apps waiting for you, allowing you to take your betting on the go with you. In a world where people demand everything is available in a mobile world, bookmakers are following suit and using the available software to bring it to life. If you intend to bet on the go then look out for new betting sites that have mobile apps available for download, then you know that you are always just seconds away from placing a bet on your phone.

How to Choose New Betting Sites

After finding our list of credible and top new betting sites it is now up to you to decide which one you would like to open an account with. Even though all of the betting sites listed are new, each of them has their differences, and ways in which they stand out from the crowd. This means it is vital that you don’t just sign up with the first new bookmaker that you find, instead you should take a look at a number of different factors before deciding which one to sign up with. Here are the factors you should look out for:

Legality and Regulation

You want to feel safe and comfortable when you are placing your bets and because of that, this is the most important factor to look at. The sites we have listed are all licensed by the UK Gambling Commission and this is vital for UK players. It is highly recommended from us that you do not sign up with a bookmaker that fails to have the correct licence in place, make sure you stick with regulated UK betting sites.

Software and Platform

You will often find that credible, new sports betting sites are towards the front when it comes to having state of the art software on their website. This means they are more accessible, easier to user and have quicker processing times than a lot of their older rivals. Be sure to check that the website uses software that is compatible with the device you intend to use when betting, and if you are going to use more than one device, check that it works on them all and doesn’t limit you.

The User Experience

Betting should be fun and enjoyable and something to look out for when you are choosing which new betting site to use is the overall user experience. This cannot be underestimated, and if you can find a bookmaker that stays ahead of the times with things like state of the art in-play betting facilities with the opportunity to cash out and brilliant graphics then you are likely to have an enjoyable time with them as a new customer.

Odds and Markets

The odds and markets on offer are one of the best things about signing up with a new betting site. These betting websites have to offer something different to attract people and make themselves stand out from the big names. Some choose to cover additional markets, giving punters even more choice while others offer slightly better odds. Finding both is achievable, so be on the lookout for them and take advantage.

Bonuses and Promotions

Following on from the theme above, the best betting sites have to find a way to stand out from the crowd and look better than their rivals. Bonuses and promotions are another way they do this, offering welcome bonuses, free bets and various other consolation prizes, all of which you can take advantage of. These lucrative deals are certainly worth investigating and another reason why new sports betting sites often offer punters the best value.

Virtual Sports Betting

The sports coverage we have available to us through our online bookmakers is as big as it has ever been. You can place your bets any time of day, on events kicking off all over the world at various times. This is great, but what if you want to place a bet anytime, any day, anywhere? Virtual sports have been created by the bookmakers to solve this issue. With football, horse racing and much more available, you can immerse yourself in a virtual world with betting opportunities whenever you need them.

In Play Betting Console

One of the biggest and best things to come out of internet betting has been the in-play betting revolution. This means that betting doesn’t have to be done prior to a game starting, you can join in the fun whenever you like during play. On top of the ability to do this, the best sports betting sites all have a number of great markets that are specifically designed for in-play betting, as well as a cashout facility to use.

Dedicated Mobile Apps

We are no longer satisfied with being able to place a bet from the comfort of our own home, now we want to take our betting sites with us. This has led to a huge demand in mobile betting, so much so that many of the best betting sites are launching their very own mobile betting app. This allows users the chance to bet on their phone regardless of where they are, if you have your phone then you are just seconds away from your next bet.

VIP Loyalty Scheme

Something that online betting sites have ensured is that they don’t forget just how important their customers are. They don’t take us for granted and understand that they need us for their business to survive and grow. The best betting sites have taken this to another level and some of them offer a VIP loyalty scheme for the biggest and most loyal punters to be involved with. If you intend to use a bookmaker a lot, then one with a scheme like this will really suit you.

Banking, Security and Payment Options

Credit and Debit Cards

This is by far and away the most popular way to deposit money into your betting account. Almost every new betting site will accept these as payment methods, allowing you to get your money into the account without the need to have an internet e-wallet or something else. When signing up, check that your new betting site accepts card payments, and check that they accept the type of card you have.

E-Wallets

E-Wallets are becoming very popular and one area they are excelling is with those who want a new way to deposit funds into their betting account. Most bookies have seen this and taken action upon it. You will notice that they accept a lot of different e-wallet payments, so be sure to look out for this and find one that gives you a number of options if you want to use an e-wallet.

Pre-paid Debit & Credit Cards

Pre-paid cards are something else on the rise right now, with many people using these online instead of a debit or credit card either if they don’t have one or don’t want one. These cards allow you to top-up in a variety of different ways, before using the card to make an online payment to your new betting site. The best new sports betting sites have seen how popular these cards are and they are accepting many different versions of them.

Calculating football margins is something that is not easy to do, but this is something that has a huge effect on your profit and loss as a punter. If you want to know the easy way to understand it, the lower the margin, the better your profit will be with that bookmaker. The margin is the profit that the new betting site makes, if that is lower, they leave more in the pot for you to win.

If you would like to calculate your own football margins then below is an explanation showing you how to do it.

The below image is of a football game between Liverpool and Chelsea, with the betting odds for each team and the draw. This is all you need to work out the betting margin for an event, you don’t need any special information.

The calculations you need to make are 100 / the odds to win, so there are three calculations for this market.

100/2.10 = 47.62

100/3.60 = 27.78

100/3.40 = 29.41

The next step is to add together the numbers you have created, these are the percentage chance of each outcome happening, so for example, according to the odds, Liverpool have a 47.62% chance of winning.

The total comes to 104.81, which means that particular game of football is ran using a betting margin of 4.81%, which is the bookmaker’s profit. The smaller the margin, the smaller the profit that your bookmaker will take, so be sure to look out for this when you are comparing new sports betting sites.

Bookmakers will never pay out the max 100% of the stakes they receive, they will keep some of that as their profit. Payout margins are usually around 95%, which means a bookmaker will make 5% profit on the markets they produce. This isn’t an exact science of course and depends on the different outcomes that are backed, but a bookmaker will try to balance the book where they pay £95 for every £100 they collect.

When creating betting odds, bookmakers use their knowledge, who they think will win, how strongly that selection is fancied and a margin. This is the calculation that forms the odds that are offered to you by the bookmakers.

Using the game above between Liverpool and Chelsea, we can calculate the payout margins on that game. Liverpool are 2.10, the draw is 3.60 and Chelsea are 3.40. Converting the odds for all three outcomes to percentages, then adding them together will reveal the over round that the bookmakers have put in, giving us their profit margin.

Liverpool: 2.10

Draw: 3.60

Chelsea: 3.40

(100 / 2.10) + (100 / 3.60) + (100 / 3.40) = 47.62 + 27.78 + 29.41 = 104.81

The closer this number is to 100 means that you are getting a better deal from your bookmaker, the 104.81 is lower than 105, which means it is a good payout in this example, meaning you should bet now, and this is something that many new sites aim for.

To calculate the payout percentage we do one more calculation here

1

——————————————————– =0.952

1 / 2.10 + 1 / 3.60 + 1 / 3.40

0.952 means that 95.2% of the money is paid out, giving a calculated margin of 4.8% and something that a new customer should be looking for when signing up to a brand new betting site.

Choosing which new customer offer to accept from a bookmaker is very difficult to do if you do not understand the different types of offers available. Here we will guide you through the common offers that you will find on the best new betting sites so you can make the correct decision.

Generally, you will find two different types of welcome offer:

1 – Matched free bet – receive a free bet based the stake of your first bet

2 – Matched deposit bonus – receive bonus funds based on your first deposit

How do Free Bet Offers Work for Punters?

Matched free bet offers at the moment represent around 75% of the welcome offers that are available so you are likely to have seen one of these. These offers are easy to understand, and the free bets are clearly given to you after you have hit a certain limit.

For example, bet £10 and receive £20 in free bets is simple to understand, all you need to do is bet £10 with the bookmaker and they will give you £20 in free bets.

The stipulation is that you have to place a qualifying bet, which is the £10 bet, and this may have something else attached to it, for example, the minimum odds be evens or better. After this you will receive your free bet, any winnings from that will not include the stake so just remember this when you are using one and don’t forget the minimum odds. Free bets may also include a number of free spins in the casino, so this is something else to look out for.

How do Matched Deposit Bonuses Work for Punters?

Alternatively, betting sites may offer new customers bonuses linked to your first deposit with them. For example, receive a 100% matched bonus when you deposit up to £50 on your first deposit. This means that if you deposit £50 of your own cash into the account, you will be given a further £50 in bonus funds to spend on the site. If the matched deposit said 50% then you would receive 50% of your own deposit, so in this instance, it would be a £50 deposit and £25 back in bonus funds.

Matched deposit offers are often bigger than free bet offers, but with wagering requirements connected to them, you have to understand what you are signing up for when you join. You will have to his two targets, the first is to get the bonus itself, and the second is to be able to withdraw the bonus from your account. This could be up to 4x or 5x over, so make sure you take this into consideration when you are choosing your bonus.

This is an answer that we cannot give, because everyone has different needs. Betting is very personal and what is good for you, may not be good for someone else. Use our checklist below to help you decide which new account to sign up with, making sure it is one regulated in the United Kingdom.

Welcome Offer

Choose the best bonus that you can find, and one that you will be able to use with ease. Don’t go for something that is too complicated and don’t stretch yourself when you are looking at these, go with one that fits your normal betting pattern, especially if it involves a qualifying bet.

Regular Promotions

Look out for a bookmaker who offers regular promotions to their new customers. After taking advantage of a welcome bonus, they will want to keep you as their customer so you will find that the new betting websites all offer regular promotions to keep you happy.

Betting Markets

The first thing to look out for is to make sure that any new bookmaker you are looking at offers the sport and betting markets that you already use. It is pointless signing up with a new bookmaker and then changing how you bet, you shouldn’t have to do that so make sure you check this out first so you can place bets when needed.

Competitive Odds

We all want to win as much as possible from our bookmaker and choosing the right one can make a big difference to your betting profit and loss. Look out for how good their prices are and also the margin they take out as their profit, find one with competitive prices and a low margin to give you the best chance of winning money.

Live Streaming

Many new bookmakers offer you the chance to live stream games while you bet on them, so you can cashout if things aren’t going to plan. If you are interested in watching the action then this is a fantastic initiative and one that you will use a lot. Look out for bookmakers that offer streaming services and what sports they will have live for you to watch, with bet365 and William Hill offering the standout service online with live betting alongside the action.

Betting Interface

This really is up to your own personal choice, but look for a betting site that you feel comfortable using, you can navigate with ease and one that runs quickly without any long loading time. Reliability shouldn’t be an issue with any new betting site, but check them out and be sure to settle on one you like the look of, the William Hill website is a good example of a smooth, easy to use betting website.

Mobile Betting Experience

Pretty much everyone will encounter a time when they want to bet on their mobile, while some people will only bet on their mobile and not on any other devices. No matter how often you use it, you never know when a good mobile site will be needed to make sure you check out what is available. The bet365 green themed app is one that stands out, as do the apps from Betfair and Betbright.

Existing customer offers are very important to take advantage of after you have signed up with a bookmaker and used your welcome bonus. These offers ensure you are getting a good deal and you are happy with your chosen bookmaker. Here are just a few to look out for:

Free Bets

These are often given out for specific sporting events if you place a bet on them, and can be popular around the big events. Look out for them because everyone loves a free wager! Sometimes these can be free spins in the casino, so look out for them.

Money Back

These offers are seen mainly on football games and horse racing. They offer you your real money back if something happens as a consolation, so for example, money back if there is a penalty in the game, money back if the favourite wins a horse race, and various other things like that, Ladbrokes and Betfair offer many of these on a regular basis.

Enhanced Winnings

These occur when something happens to trigger your bet. For example on football, you may get enhanced winnings if there is a penalty in the game, or if your team hits the crossbar. These offers help build your profit up so are certainly worth watching out for on the various sporting events that are happening.

Acca Bonus / Acca Insurance

These two are some of the most popular offers available, the bonus offers you additional winnings when you land a winning acca and insurance offers you money back if you miss out by one selection. If you place accumulator bets then you simply must find a bookmaker who offers these like BetVictor.

Loyalty Bonus

Sometimes you may receive a loyalty bonus from your bookmaker. This may be because you have placed a large number of bets and hit a certain target, and these can often be available every week if you are a regular punter.