Getting Started with Sports Betting, Part 2: Choosing Your UK Betting Site

Maybe you have placed a casual wager here and there with your friends while watching football, but have you ever placed a serious bet with a bookie?  Whether you are just curious what the experience is like, or you have won bets against your buddies before and figure you can make good money betting on sports, you have come to the right place.  I am going to help you learn the ropes and get started with our beginner’s guide.

In this installment, I want to talk about where and how you can place wages on sports.

If you read Part 1 of this guide, you already know that I favour online bookies.  You may be wondering why; there is a lot of mistrust either way you go—online or offline.  Here is what you need to know about online and offline sportsbooks:

• Con artists exist both online and offline.  You cannot avoid them by only betting online or only betting offline; you have to do your research.

• Likewise, good bookies also exist both online and offline, and if you hunt around, you can find them.

• Local bookies will often accept credit; UK betting sites rarely will.  Personally, I think avoiding credit is the best practice for responsible betting for most punters.

• Local bookies may negotiate with you, which can be to your advantage; online betting sites never will.

• If your local bookie gets to know you too well, however, they may start moving the odds in their favour.

With clear advantages and disadvantages going for both online and offline bookies, here are some of the reasons why I ultimately recommend UK betting sites over local bookies:

• Major UK betting sites have really solid reputations.  You know exactly who you are dealing with, and can bet securely.

• Online betting offers unparalleled convenience as well as access to a wider variety of sports and bet types.

• Online, you can easily plan your wagers and track your successes and failures.  Everything you need is all in one place, so consolidating and organising your betting activities for success is easy.

When you choose your UK betting sites, here is what I suggest you look for:

• A well-known name.  Not a must, but this definitely removes a lot of questions about reputation
• Great (but believable) reviews from third-party sites as well as other punters
• Proper licensing and regulation
• Secure encryption
• A wide range of betting markets
• Many types of bets (I am not referring here just to different structures of bets like straight bets or teasers, but also different types of bets like Win, Lose, Draw (WLD), Half Time Result (HTR), First Goal Scorer (FGS), and so on)
• Awesome bonuses for new and loyal players
• Flexible deposit and withdrawal terms.  Watch out for excessive fees
• A betting site that accepts your currency and country (this should not be a challenge in the UK)

One last recommendation is to join several betting sites and not just one.  Why?  One of the first things you need to do before you put down a wager is shop around for the best deal.  You want the lines to be in your favour; even half a point can make all the difference in the world.  Joining more than one betting site also gives you access to more great bonuses! 

It may take you some time to pick the right betting site(s), but once you do, you will probably want to jump right into the action!  Before you do, I suggest reading on to Getting Started with Sports Betting Part 3.  In the next article, I will be talking more about what you can wager on and what types of bets are available to you.  I will also give you some recommendations for what you should focus on. In addition, in Getting Started with Sports Betting Part 4 I'll be offering more tips for new bettors.

Between articles, take a look at our recommended bookies to find your UK betting site!