These pages are dedicated to some of the newer bookmakers that I consider to be most worthy of your time. I’ve told you all about the different free bets that you can get, given you a bit of info about how the bookie works and what their website is like and more. I’ve also written some pages that tell you all about the different types of offers and features that you’ll be able to find if you have look around the place.
All of the sites listed here are UK licensed and accept UK players.
Best New Betting Sites
| Bookmaker | New Customers (T&C's Apply, 18+) | Owner | Location | Visit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Bet £10 Get £30 | Dribble Media Limited | London, UK | Visit T&C's Apply | |
| 18+ New customers only. Place a £10+ bet at min odds 1/1 (2.0) within 14 days of sign-up. Get £30 in Free Bets, valid for 7 days on selected bets only. Free stake not returned with winnings. T&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org #ad | |||||
 | Bet £10 Get £30 In Free Bets | Virgin Bet Limited | Gibraltar | Visit T&C's Apply | |
| New Members only. £10+ bet on sports (ex. Virtuals), 1.5 min odds, settled in 1st 14 days. Free Bets: accept in 7 days, valid 7 days; £20 use on sportsbook, £10 on Bet Builder. Stake not returned. T&Cs & deposit exclusions apply. Bet Responsibly. GambleAware.org 18+ #ad | |||||
 | Bet £10 Get £30 | LiveScore Betting & Gaming | Gibraltar | Visit T&C's Apply | |
| New members only. £10+ bet on sports (ex. virtuals) at 1.5 min odds, settled within 14 days. Free Bets: accepted in 7 days, valid 7 days; £20 use on sportsbook, £10 on Bet Builder. Stake not returned. T&Cs + deposit exclusions apply. Free Bet up to £10. 1st cash Bet Builder on every England match (ex. Price Boosts). Min odds EVS. Free Bet: valid 7 days on sports. Stake not returned. T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. Gamcare.org.uk 18+ #ad | |||||
 | Bet £20 Get £20 | Off Course Bookmakers Limited | Hove, UK | Visit T&C's Apply | |
| 18+. New customers only. Opt in required. Minimum bet of £20 on any selections. Min odds of evens (2.00). Pre-game only. Free bet awarded upon settlement. Free bet split into 4 x £5 Free Bets. Free bet expiry 24 hours. Other free bet terms apply. Maximum pay-outs apply. GamCare.org.uk | UK only. Full T&Cs apply #ad | |||||
 | Bet £10 Get £40 | ProgressPlay | Cyprus | Visit T&C's Apply | |
| New Players Only. Min £10 qualifying bets, stake not returned. Free bet - one-time stake of £40, min odds 1.5, stake not returned. 1X wager the winnings. Wager from real balance first. Wager calculated on bonus bets only. Max conversion: £200. Free bets and Bonuses are valid for 7 days. Limited to 1 sport & 5 casino brand/s within the network. Withdrawal requests void all active/pending bonuses. Excluded Skrill and Neteller deposits. Full Terms apply #ad | |||||
 | £25 Free Bet (up to) | Bet Tom Ltd | Uckfield, UK | Visit T&C's Apply | |
| New customers only, 18+. 50% of first day losses refunded as a free bet up to £25. To be credited within 24 hours. Max free bet per customer £/€25. Minimum of 3 bets of £/€10 or more on separate events at odds of evens (2.0) or bigger to qualify. Minimum first day losses of £10 to qualify. Full T&Cs apply #ad | |||||
 | Up To £40 In Free Bets | BV Group | Gibraltar | Visit T&C's Apply | |
| 18+ New Customers. Opt in, deposit and bet min £5 (up to £40) on Sports at 1/1+ odds within 3 days of registration. Should your first bet lose, get your initial stake up to £40 Free Bets for set markets. Free bets expire in 7 days. Scroll down for T&Cs. GambleAware.org | Please gamble responsibly #ad | |||||
 | Bet £10 Get £20 | Parimatch (operated by BetVictor) | Cyprus | Visit T&C's Apply | |
| 18+, New customers only. Opt in, deposit & bet £10 on any sports (odds 2.00+) in 7 days. No cash out. Get 4x£5 sports free bets for set markets (odds 2.00+), which expire in 7 days. T&Cs Apply. GambleAware.org | Please gamble responsibly #ad | |||||
 | Bet £10 Get £30 | ProgressPlay | Cyprus | Visit | |
| 18+ | New Players Only. Min £10 qualifying bets stake not returned. Free bet - one-time stake of £30, min odds 1.5, stake not returned. 1X wager the winnings. Wager from real balance first. Wager calculated on bonus bets only. Max conversion: £200. Valid for 7 Days from issue. Withdrawal requests void all active/pending bonuses. Excluded Skrill and Neteller deposits. Full Terms Apply|#ad| begambleaware #ad | |||||
 | 10% Cashback Always | L&L Europe Ltd | Malta | Visit | |
| Cashback is cash without restrictions. Full T&C's apply. No Max cashout. Gambling can be addictive. Play responsibly. T&C's apply. 18+ #ad | |||||
 | Bet £10 Get £15 | Goodwin Racing Limited | Uckfield, UK | Visit T&C's Apply | |
| New customers only. One participation per customer. Qualifying bet must be placed within 7 days of registering your Account. £15 in Free Bets credited as 3 × £5 free bets after your qualifying bet has fully settled. Full T&Cs Apply. #ad | |||||
 | 50% Back Up To £25 | Belbridge Consultancy | Ireland | Visit T&C's Apply | |
| 18+ New UK Customers Only. Bet £10+ on any sportsbook markets at odds of evens (2.00) or greater. No cash out. Get 50% back of your first day’s losses (from first bet settlement until 23:59) as a Free Bet up to £25, valid for 7 days. Min. 3 bets on different events required, with 2 bets being at least 50% of your largest stake. Place at least 1 bet of £10+ at odds 2.00+ to receive a £5 Free Bet even if your account is up or losses are under £5. T&Cs Apply. GambleAware.org #ad | |||||
 | Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets | LeoVegas Gaming | Malta | Visit T&C's Apply | |
| New customers: Deposit £10+ within 7 days and place a sports bet. Get 3 x £10 Free Bets (3 x £10 Sports Bet). Valid 7 days. Min odds apply. Excludes virtual sports, esports and horse racing. 18+. T&Cs apply. #ad | |||||
How To Choose A New Online Bookmaker
But how do bookmakers get started in the first place? How easy or otherwise is it for a company to start up a new site? Are there any guarantees in place to ensure that your money will be safe if you decide to take a punt on a new venture? How do they get a UK Gambling Commission license? Perhaps what you’ll be most interested in is how I vet them before choosing to recommend them to you on this site. Well hopefully I’ll be able to answer all of those questions here.
How Easy Is It To Start A New Betting Site?
The answer to this question largely depends on how reputable the person creating the site is choosing to be. Obviously they have to be pretty damn reputable in order for me to be interested in talking about them, but not everyone is that scrupulous. It’s why I recommend you only use bookmakers I’ve talked about if you want to ensure your money is safe.
There are companies out there that specifically work in helping people to set-up new gambling sites. That means that people without the first clue what they’re doing can have an online site in no time at all. Many new sites are known as White Labels, these sites that use software platofrms to provide all or some of their product. There is nothing wrong with a white label but it is worth being aware of what they are otherwise you can end up signing up to very simialr sites. Read out these brands and sportsbook software providers on our White Label Betting Sites page.
Of course if people want to operate their site within the UK or have UK residents placing bets on it then they’ll need to get a license (or work with a platform that already has a license). I’ll talk about that in a bit more detail shortly, but if you can’t see evidence of a licence then I wouldn’t go anywhere near the site no matter what they’re promising you.
It’s worth noting that there are different types of betting sites, with your run-of-the-mill casino style sites significantly easier to get going than a fully blown bookmaker’s site, complete with sports book and so on. It’s still easy enough for someone untrustworthy to do it, though, so do make sure you check out their background before jumping into metaphorical bed with them.
How Do NEw Sites Get A UK License?
I have looked at Gambling Licences in detail elsewhere on the site, so I won’t go over old ground here. What I will say is that it isn’t all that easy get a license to operate in the UK and it’s a criminal offence to operate without one in this country.
There are numerous conditions that must be met in order for a company to be granted a license. They have a social and moral responsibility to look after their customers, as well as a legal responsibility to prove that they’re not money laundering. If companies don’t do exactly that then they’ll find themselves victim of some regulatory actions.
However let me answer the above question as simply as possible: How do sites get a UK license? They apply for one. They need to prove certain things and make specific promises, with the Gambling Commission investigating them to ensure that they have answered honestly. If they pass meet the criteria then there’s a strong chance their license will be granted.
What Guarantees Are There For Your Money?
If a company takes money for the purposes of gambling then they need to outline how and where that money is held in their terms and conditions. Your money is actually not protected by the government if it’s been deposited with a gambling company in the same way as it is with a bank, for example.
Companies are required to keep your money in a separate account to their business account, but they do not have to guarantee you’ll get your money back if they go bust in order to get a gambling license. In fact, there are three levels of protection and you may want to have a look at which one each bookie offers before deciding who to bet with.
Basic Cover means nothing, to be honest. Your funds will be held in a separate account but if the bookie goes bust then that money will be seen as being part of the business and you’ll lose it. Medium Cover is a little more reliable, with companies normally having insurance to mean that you’ll get your money back if something bad happens. The best one is High Cover. This ensures that your money is not only in an account that is separate from the rest of the business but is also controlled by an entirely external person or company.
How Do We Vet New Betting Websites?
I would guess this is what you’ll be most interested in when you consider the fact that I’m giving you advice about who to place bets with. After all, you have no idea who I am, so it’s only fair that I explain what processes I go through before recommending a bookmaker on here.
Firstly, I do a lot of research. I not only look into the initial company but also their holding companies and backers. I have a look at their history and explore whether anyone associated with the site has ever had a ‘dodgy’ past. Have they been linked with companies that were set-up for a short period of time then disappeared without a trace, taking people’s money with them? If so they won’t feature on this site.
Obviously part of that also entails having a look at their UK Gambling License details and ensuring that everything on that front looks solid. When did they apply for it? How long have they held a license? If possible I also attempt to find out if any of the major players have applied for a license in the past and been turned down.
Once I’ve done all that I put them through the ultimate litmus test of all – the user experience. I join up to the site, place a few bets and see what the overall experience is like. How quick are they to pay any customer bonuses they’ve promised? Are they always fair with that, or do they try to renege on a deal somehow? How easy is it to place a bet?
I also go out of my way to put their customer support team through their paces. I want to know how quickly they respond to queries, how easy it is to get an answer and how often I’m left waiting before someone answers my questions.
One of the other things I like to do is make a deposit through a number of different means. If a bookie says that they accept PayPal, is that a decent way to put money into your account? Or is it just them having the option because it looks good and the actual experience is tricky to go through? Arguably even more important is how easy it is to withdraw your winnings. There’s no point placing bets and winning loads of money only to not be able to get it into your bank account without jumping through countless hoops!
Obviously some sites are easier to find out about than others. It’s also entirely fair to say that this isn’t an exhaustive list of things I do and stuff that I check. What I would say, though, is that I do my very best to double-check everything before I’m willing to talk about a site in favourable terms on these pages.
