Safe Betting Sites and How to Find Them


The online betting universe is a vastly unchartered territory which is packed with hundreds – and thousands even – different gambling and betting sites you can visit and invest your money at.

You can, but should you?

Blind trust is something that bettors should avoid as it is not necessarily mutual and with a good number of betting sites, you are likely to be tricked into trusting the operator, who ends up taking your money or in better case scenario simply disappointing you with unprofessionalism, unreliability and the total lack of trustworthiness.

There are several key elements that can help you identify the unsafe betting site and the first one is definitely slow cashouts. The less respectable bookies will have normal cash outs at first, money withdrawals that take no more than 2 or 3 weeks at first, but then the time starts to be prolonged until you can no longer take your money. The site can also look for all sorts of reasons not to pay you, while the customer support dodges your questions or simply does not answer your cries at all.

In order to avoid getting scammed for your money, you need to do a background check on a betting site and tick all the necessary boxes in order to call a betting site reliable and safe.

Referral & Reputation

Before you dig in the search yourself, have a listen to a couple of voices and do some asking around. The best way to get true and valid insight is to get a recommendation from people you trust. Ask the fellow bettors and you are likely to get a genuine answer whether a bookie can be trusted or not. Also, you can ask around online as there are plenty of places on the Internet where bookmakers will be rated and talked about.

This is how a reputation is built in the first place as it all depends on the feedback from customers. News travels fast through the Internet and any possible scam with a betting site will be quickly revealed as bettors like to lend a helping hand and assist fellow punters when it comes to avoiding certain places. Ultimately, no major player in the industry will risk angering its devoted customers and big names such as Bet365, Paddy Power, William Hill or BetVictor will do their best to keep their players happy and to earn rave reviews.

License and Regulation

Punters take this aspect somewhat too lightly, but a license is a great guarantee of a betting site’s safety. A betting operator with a valid gambling license issued by a recognized and respectable gaming authority is a big plus and a great guarantee that a betting site is legit.

Deposit & Withdrawal Methods

Always check to see whether a betting site boasts verified deposit and withdrawal methods. Banking is a serious business so you will need to have a bookie with your favourite money transfer method, one you can trust to do a good job with getting the money on and off your betting account.

Best 10 New Bookmakers

£20 SIGN UP HERE

Place a qualifying £10 fixed odds bet at odds of 1/2 or greater. No in-play or cashed out early. A first free £10 fixed odds bet will be credited upon settlement of the qualifying bet. Second free £10 fixed odds bets will be added on the following day. Free bets must be claimed within 28 days of opening. Free bet stake not included in any winnings. Ts&Cs Apply. 18+ begambleaware.org

£40 SIGN UP HERE

New customers only. 7 days to place a qualifying bet to receive 6 x Free Bets: 4 x £10 Horse racing, 2 x £10 Acca Free Bets. 7 day expiry. Exclusions apply. Stake not returned. T&Cs apply. 18+ begambleaware.org

£25 SIGN UP HERE

T&Cs apply. 18+ New customers only. You must place 3 x £10 sportsbook bets to qualify. Money back as free bets up to £25. Must use code welcome25afs when creating an account.

0 SIGN UP HERE
£10 SIGN UP HERE

New customers sign up with code "b20g10". Deposit £20 or more and place a £20 bet at min odds 2.0. Get a £10 free bet. Free bets expire after 7 days. Full terms apply. 18+ BeGambleAware.org

£40 SIGN UP HERE

18+ New customers only. Opt in & bet via mobile up to £40 (min. £20) on any football market at odds of 2.00+, in 7 days. Get up to £40 in free bets on selected markets. Bonuses expire in 7 days. Card payments & Apple Pay only. T&Cs apply. begambleaware.org | Please gamble responsibly.

£50 SIGN UP HERE

Full T&Cs apply. New UK and ROI customers only. The qualifying bet should be a single bet, start at £/€10, and have 1.9 or greater odds. 5 Free bets include: 1 x £10 Free bet on horse racing, 1 x £10 Free bet on football, 2 x 10 Free bet in-play, 1 x £10 Free bet Acca. 7 day expiry.

£25 SIGN UP HERE

18+ New Accounts Only. Min stake £10. Max Refund £100. refunds as Free bets. Win or or win part of E/W single bets only. Exclude multiple & ante post bets. Excludes multiple bets such as lucky 15s etc. Applies to cash stakes only. Free bets must be used in their entirety and to be credited within 24 hours. Full T&C's apply.

£60 SIGN UP HERE

*18+. For NEW UK customers only. Requires account opening. Deposit using UK debit card and certain qualifying bets of Evens or greater.

£5 SIGN UP HERE

18+ and begambleaware.org, If your first bet doesn’t win, you’ll get your stake back (up to £5) as a Free Bet within 72 hours!