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

£100 SIGN UP HERE

New players only | Maximum bonus is 100% up to £100 | Min. deposit is £20 | No max cash out | Wagering is 35x bonus | Maximum bet with an active bonus is £5 | Skrill & Neteller deposits excluded | Cashback applies to deposits where no bonus is included | T&C's apply

£50 SIGN UP HERE

Full T&Cs apply. New UK customers only. The qualifying bet should be either 1 Single or Accumulator (2+ selections) 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. Max payout – £500. 7 day expiry. 18+ only. Begambleaware.com.

£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

£111 SIGN UP HERE

#AD 18+, New customers only, min deposit £10, wagering 60x for refund bonus, max bet £5 with bonus funds. Free Spins bonus has x40 wagering. 23 free spins on registration (max withdrawal is £100). 100% refund bonus up to £111 + 77 spins on 1st deposit. No max cash out on deposit offers. Eligibility is restricted for suspected abuse. Ecopayz, Skrill or Neteller excluded. Full T&Cs apply.

£25 SIGN UP HERE

Applies to new UK/IE customers only. Place your first bet at odds of Evens (2.0) or greater and if it loses, get a free bet equivalent to 50% of your first bet stake, to a maximum value of £25. 18+ BeGambleAware.org. Full T&Cs apply.

£10 SIGN UP HERE

T&Cs: New customers only. Max. one £10 free bet. Qualifying bets must be placed at odds of 1/1 (2.00) or greater. Paid as bonus token with min. 4/5 (1.80) Odds req. T&CS APPLY. 18+

£20 SIGN UP HERE

New Players Only. Min £10 qualifying bets, stake not returned. Free bet - one-time stake of 20, min odds 1.5, stake not returned. 1X wager the winnings from the free bet. Max conversion: £200. Withdrawal requests void all active/pending bonuses. Excluded Skrill and Neteller deposits. Full terms apply

£100 SIGN UP HERE

New UK/IE customers . Place your first Football bet as an Accumulator (minimum four selections) and AK Bets will boost the return by 25% in the form of a Free Bet up to a value of £100. 18+ BeGambleAware.org."