The only downside is that it almost always awards you a price boost, but not always on an event you might want to bet on.
| Term | Typical Rule | Why It Matters | Common Pitfall |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Odds | Bets must be at 1.50+ | Prevents low-risk qualifying | Using odds of 1.40 |
| Expiry | Free bet valid for 7 days | Use it or lose it | Forgetting to use in time |
| Eligible Markets | Excludes certain bet types | Restricts where you can bet | Using on ineligible market |
| Withdrawal Restrictions | Winnings only, not stake | Affects potential profit | Expecting full return |
Overall, it’s a solid betting app. Betano has made a huge splash in the UK betting industry over the past 18 months.
After coming to the attention of UK gamblers with their involvement in Euro 2024 and last year’s Copa America, Betano has continued to raise their profile by becoming the official betting partner of Aston Villa and the official sponsor of the 2024/25 Europa League and Europa Conference League. The Betano betting app is rating well with users, particularly on iOS.
The biggest attraction to SBK is its simplicity, competitive odds, and variety of markets. Tote is a brand that disappeared from our streets when they were taken over by Betfred in the early 2000s. It is now back and trying to break into the UK betting industry again with its unique Tote betting options. Offering Tote bets makes this app perfect for horse racing bettors. But elsewhere, there is room for improvement.
Our biggest moan is that some of their football betting markets could be easier to navigate. For example, if we want to place a bet on a player to score or assist, we have to scroll through numerous markets to get to the bet we want to place. Not the biggest gripe, but something that can be improved. Overall, the Tote app was fine to use, and we would have no problem recommending it, especially to punters who prefer betting on horses. Spreadex offers both sportsbook betting and spread betting, but our rating is lower than Google and Apple because their odds could be better, and we feel they are short on the number of sports they cover.
They’ve got a decent rating on Trustpilot (where they are active), and bettors like their live streaming, their stats centre, and all the information they offer on the event. We have to confess we love their statistics centre, especially for football betting. For example, if you are betting on a player to be booked, you just click on the name, and all their details appear on a pop-up screen. It’s great and gives you an advantage when you are making your selections. It’s nothing special, but it works well, is easy to navigate, and we have no complaints. We found their app to be fine and adequate, but it wasn’t one that jumped out and demanded that we use it.
Nevertheless, there was nothing wrong with it, we just found it wasn’t as appealing as some of the others.
Live streaming options are also currently on the lighter side. However, they frequently offer unique crossover promotions that you simply won’t find on traditional betting apps. Overall, if you are a punter who enjoys mixing standard sports betting with the thrill of massive global lottery jackpots, the Lottoland app offers a genuinely unique, all-in-one experience that is well worth your time. Another of the newer bookmakers, Betway, was established in 2006. The company has a brand association with West Ham and has made huge strides in recent years to establish itself in the UK gaming market.
The Betway app ranks slightly better with Apple users than it does with Android users, but there is little difference. Our own rating is slightly lower than both. This is down to the limited customer support that does have room for improvement. Overall, it’s another solid betting app that does everything you need it to. It’s great if you like betting on cricket, but there are better apps for football betting listed on this page.
When we look for an app with live streaming, we look no further than bet365. They have by far the best live streaming in our view, covering top football leagues like the Bundesliga as well as top tennis events, including Grand Slams. From a betting perspective, bet365 ticks all the right boxes. They cover a huge range of sports, and they are especially good for football betting, an area in which they really excel. Overall, this is our favourite betting app. With the level of investment the company is making in building its brand, we wouldn’t be shocked to see a shiny new app appear any time soon. As we mentioned in our introduction, we are not just looking for the easiest app to use with the best betting offers. The list of criteria we use to judge an app is extensive. It covers everything from licensing and regulation to how easy it is to place our Bet Builder or watch the 3.30 from Kempton on live streaming. This plays a role in our rating of an app, with user feedback also taken into consideration.
We also use The Sun Factor, our unique ranking system, to determine if a bookmaker or a casino has what it takes to be showcased to our readers. Starting with the most important things first, all the apps we have recommended possess licences issued by the UKGC.
UKGC stands for the UK Gambling Commission, a government-backed organisation that ensures all betting platforms follow a strict set of rules.
Like all their competitors, Coral has an easy-to-use interface and offers a wide range of sports and in-play markets. We especially like Coral’s daily offers for both new and existing customers. There is the Rewards Grabber, where you have the chance to play free games that win Coral Coins, and these coins can be used to claim free casino spins and free bets on sports such as football. Another daily offer from Coral is their Rewards Shaker. This is another good innovation where you shake your phone for a reward. These rules are designed to protect you and ensure fair play.
| App Name | Type of Free Offer | Key Requirement | Opt-in Required? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bet365 | Bet £10, Get £30 in Free Bets | Min deposit £5 | Yes |
| William Hill | Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets | New customers only | Yes |
| Betfair | £20 in Free Bets | Place a £5 bet | Yes |
| Paddy Power | £20 in Free Bets | Bet £10 on Sportsbook | Yes |
In order to check the betting platforms are doing as they say they are, the UKGC conducts regular audits of all sites, ensuring they are looking after their customers. This includes checks for having adequate cyber security, ensuring fairness, implementing anti-money laundering practices, verifying your age through KYC and also looking after your data. Having timeout options and making them easy to find is also crucial, and something the UKGC will also make sure is available to players. Ultimately, they will live or die on the standard of their product. And in the case of betting, that equates to the amount of betting markets they offer, and the competitiveness of their odds within those markets.
CopyBet brings something genuinely different to the table, and it’s one of the more innovative betting apps we’ve tested recently. As the name suggests, its standout feature is “copy-betting” – a social function that allows you to browse top-performing tipsters and automatically replicate their wagers. It’s a brilliant concept if you want to follow the experts without putting in the hours of research yourself. From a traditional sportsbook perspective, they also deliver. We really like their horse racing coverage, which offers Best Odds Guaranteed (BOG) all day, every day on UK and Irish races – a massive plus over competitors who enforce strict time restrictions.
However, it’s fair to say the app itself is still a bit bet sign up offers bookmakers of a work in progress. It can occasionally feel a little laggy, and navigating between the standard sportsbook and the copy-betting platform could be smoother. Their customer support is also limited to email and chatbots right now, which is something to keep in mind. Overall, if you are looking for a unique, social approach to betting and love following tipsters, CopyBet is absolutely worth a download. Coral is another of the well-respected traditional UK bookmaking brands that have been on the scene for years. It’s not the perfect case of one size fits all.
| Criterion | Importance | Good Example | Poor Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offer Terms | High | Reasonable wagering | High rollover |
| App Usability | High | Intuitive navigation | Frequent crashes |
| Market Selection | Medium | Wide range of sports | Limited events |
| Withdrawal Speed | High | Within 24 hours | 3-5 business days |
Some bookmakers cover some sports better than others. For instance, we love cricket as a team, so we look for an app that covers that in more detail. You might prefer hurling or the NHL. Our recommended apps cover the main sports in detail and offer more than enough markets to bet on. But you may need to dig a bit deeper to find the ideal one for you. This is an area that nearly every sportsbook and betting app has tightened up on in recent years. All of our recommended betting apps have numerous deposit methods such as debit cards, bank transfers, e-wallets, and prepayment cards, along with Apple Pay and Android Pay. They also offer fast and instant withdrawals.
And looking at the online ratings and reviews, we’re not alone in that opinion. Use our bet365 bonus code (SUN365) to see for yourself. Established in 2018, the US brand is now attempting to conquer the UK market. BetMGM is the sponsor of the 2025 Premier League Darts season, and they also have a brand association with Newcastle United. Well, as a new kid on the block, BetMGM has invested heavily in modern technology and has an app that is the equal of the more established brands, if not better.
It certainly has a silky smooth look and offers everything we would expect to get from a top-quality bookmaker. The BetMGM app has adequate streaming, including horse racing, football and tennis and also offers cash out, partial cash out and all the usual stuff like acca insurance and odds boosts. The only negative is that it could improve UK sports coverage. But if you love betting on American sports, this is the perfect app for you. And one final thought, as a relatively new player in the UK market, BetMGM is only going to improve as it learns what works and what doesn’t.
That’s not to praise the app too much, there is little special about it, but it ticks all the required boxes and does what it says on the tin. The main reasons for using SBK are their competitive odds and the sheer amount of markets they offer. There are 25+ sports and topics to bet on, with numerous markets available for all events. There are no gimmicks with this company. And as a lesser-known brand, they certainly don’t spend their budget on marketing. This area of sports betting is a bit like getting out of bed in the morning. If the betting sites can’t get that right, then what is the point of using them? A couple of hugely important factors in a good betting app are how easy it is to use and how easy it is to place a bet. In other words, is it user-friendly?