Best Football Betting Sites

Q: How do I choose a football betting site?

Choose a licensed and regulated football betting site with a wide range of betting markets, competitive odds, secure payment options, valuable bonuses, strong customer service, and a user-friendly interface. Gambling.com's ranking of the best football betting sites considers all of these features, so check this page to see the top picks.

Q: How do I bet on football?

First, choose one of the licensed betting sites on our list of the best options. Register an account, deposit funds, and select the match or market you're interested in. Place your bet by picking the type of bet (e.g., full-time result, goalscorer, outright winner) and stake amount.

Q: How do bookmakers calculate football betting odds?

Various factors go into calculating odds for football matches, including prior form, historical data, injury news, expert predictions, statistics, and what is at stake. Bookmakers will monitor how much money bettors place on a given outcome and either shorten or lengthen the odds accordingly.

Q: Should you use cash out when football betting?

This is up to the individual and their chosen betting strategy. Again, it is beneficial to use this option when viewing a match in real time, when you can use your judgment to determine whether things will likely go your way.

How We Test and Rate Football Betting Sites

This online football betting guide provides all the information you need to choose a football betting site confidently. The list here constantly changes as new sites launch and established betting sites add new features.

At Gambling.com, we follow a strict review and rating methodology. This means we sign up with football betting sites and test all of their features to provide a complete overview and rating for each one.

To be included in our rankings, sites must meet strict standards for reputation, legality, and user experience. Our recommended football betting sites are all licensed and regulated by the proper governing bodies. When choosing a football bookmaker, a licence is the first thing you should look for.

To obtain a license, football betting sites must to keep your personal and financial information safe, and the team checks to ensure bookmakers are using the latest security measures to uphold those standards.

Our 10-Step Review Process

Below is a simplified outline of the 10-step process that we undertake when testing any football betting site, which can take up to two months for one of our experts:

Check to see if the site is safe, secure, and licensed.
Sign up for the site as a new user and verify ID.
Deposit to the site using real money.
Claim the new customer offer and confirm the terms and conditions.
Review the odds and markets available across a range of sports.
Claim any existing customer bonuses, again confirming their terms and conditions.
Place bets across a variety of markets and sports.
Get in touch with customer support to ensure a high level of service.
Test any football betting app on both iOS and Android devices.
Withdraw any available funds to check processing times and withdrawal charges.

Our Trust Factors

Once we have finished our 10-step process, we start the review process to assign an overall rating to the site.

We will assign a score out of 10 for each category below and use these figures to calculate an average score for our review.

For example, if a site scores 85/100, we’ll assign an 8.5/10 rating.

Once we’ve assigned a score, we’ll revisit each site monthly to test any new features and allow ourselves to update our rating accurately.

All the football betting sites on this page are reevaluated at least once every six months.

Sports & Markets
With so many different ways to bet on football, we check whether punters have plenty of choice on betting sites. We would like to see a great range of matches and future markets.

This has long been one of the first things we look for when conducting reviews at Gambling.com. A bookie can have all the fancy features it wants, but it's a big negative if all types of bettors aren't catered to.
Promotions
With football matches occurring worldwide 365 days a year, your football bookmaker must offer regular (ideally daily) promotions. They should also provide sign-up offers without restrictive terms and conditions where the law allows.

The best football betting sites will run money-back promotions, while you can also find early payouts and profit boosts.
Payments
With so many ways to complete financial transactions, we expect licensed bookmakers to offer various payment options, from bank transfers to debit cards to e-wallets.

Transactions should be processed quickly on any platform a customer chooses, providing fast withdrawals.
Customer Support
The better, the more customer support channels. Live chat is the handiest way to get a question answered, and every bookmaker should have this facility available. E-mail and toll-free phone number details should also be provided.

If something goes wrong, being able to get in contact with a football betting site should be straightforward. Our team tested to measure customer support outfits' response times and measured their effectiveness in resolving issues.
Reputation & User Feedback
Football betting sites must feature on this page from betting companies with a solid reputation in the gambling industry. You won't see any disreputable names in Gambling.com's list of recommendations. We listen to what Gambling.com users say about football betting sites before deciding whether or not to sign up.

If a site receives terrible reviews, it's a big red flag, as there's usually no smoke without fire. We only recommend football betting sites that have proven to be a big hit with punters.
Site User Experience
A well-designed football betting site should have an intuitive user interface. It should be easy to navigate, aesthetically pleasing, and responsive to ensure a good user experience.

You shouldn't have to jump through too many hoops when signing up for football betting sites. It should be a simple, secure process that doesn't take much effort. Safety is a priority for our review team, so we want football bookmakers to carry out the necessary legal checks.
Mobile Features
The rise of mobile betting has changed the way we gamble on football. We've checked those betting apps to ensure they are quick and easy to load.

Good sites should have football betting apps that allow you to bet quickly and easily. They should cater to iPhone and Android users.
Responsible Gambling
All licensed football bookies must have accountable gambling features, but some sites do better than others in this area.

We've checked to ensure that all our recommended football betting sites promote and implement responsible gambling practices and provide tools to anyone needing them. That should include providing tools to help users stay in control of their gambling, and external help should they need it.
Live In-Play Betting Features
The best football betting sites must offer 24/7 live betting. In-play betting is the perfect tool for strategic punters who want to take advantage of football odds while a game is live. You should be able to enjoy super-fast live betting with a simple click or tap of a button.

It also helps if a bookmaker has football live streams so you can watch matches while betting. Our team has checked which football betting sites offer a good selection of matches on live streaming, awarding extra marks if they cover popular competitions such as the EPL and Champions League.
Value of Odds
Any good football betting site must have competitive odds. Having an abundance of markets is all well and good, but they aren't much use if they aren't priced competitively.

We compare the odds on various football betting sites to identify the bookmakers with the best prices and ensure punters get the best value for money.

Our User Testing & Feedback

Our review process considers our expert opinion and incorporates feedback from Gambling.com users.

We gather these insights in a few different ways:

Live User Testing: We hold individual sessions with real users, which independent moderators guide to gather honest feedback.
Focus Groups: We observe our members engaging in group discussions, during which they discuss their own experiences using betting apps.
User Ratings & Reviews: Our members regularly share their reviews and ratings, providing valuable feedback from real users.
Surveys & Polls: We regularly run polls among our members to gather feedback on new features, promotions, or site updates.

By getting real-user insights, we can accurately recommend the best football betting sites that real bettors are interested in.

You can join Gambling.com as a member today to share your opinions and help other users find the best betting sites.

Popular Football Betting Markets Explained

Match Result: The simplest and most popular market is the match result, or full-time result. It is sometimes labelled 1X2 at football betting sites. It is simply a bet on the outcome of a match.
Draw No Bet: Pick either side to win, and if the match ends in a draw, your stake will be refunded. However, you will be offered shorter win odds as a result.
Both Teams to Score (BTTS): You select yes or no, based on whether you think both squads will score a goal. BTTS markets exist for each half of the play.
Goalscorer Markets: Goalscorer betting has long been a favourite sport among football bettors. You can bet on the first, last, or a player to score anytime in a match.
Over/Under: Over/under can apply to various scenarios. Typically, a line is set on a number of goals, corners, or cards. Simply choose whether there will be more or less than the line set by the bookmaker.
Double Chance: Double chance bets allow you to wager on two outcomes in a match at reduced odds. For example, you can wager on the home side to win or draw, meaning either result would make your bet a winner.
Correct Score: Correct score is one of the most self-explanatory football betting markets. Simply predict the exact score at the end of the match. You can bet on the correct score at half-time or other intervals during a game.
Half Time/Full Time: HT/FT allows you to combine the result of a match at half-time with the full-time outcome. So, for example, if a team is expected to dominate, you may back them to lead at half-time and the end of full-time.
Handicap Bets: Handicap betting involves the bookmaker giving one team an advantage or disadvantage to level the playing field. For instance, if Team A has a -1 handicap, they must win by two or more goals for your handicap bet to win. If the team wins by one, the bet settles as a push.

Football Betting Tips & Strategies

Gambling comes with risks. No matter how much work you put in when picking out a bet, there's always a chance your bet will lose.

But by understanding a few basic principles of football betting and following the advice of experts, you stand a better chance of finding more winners than losers.

More experienced bettors should check out our advanced football betting strategy. But if you are new to betting and looking for some football tips to help you get started, here are a few basic ones you need to know.

Stay Disciplined

Always remain in control of your betting. Never chase your losses if you get on a losing run, as you'll rarely catch up using this method. If you struggle to pick winners, don't bet on impulse; instead, take a step back to analyse where you might be going wrong.

Check Odds & Offers

Double-check that you get the best value for your football odds before making a bet.

Shop around before placing a bet and have accounts with multiple football betting sites to get the best price. By having an account with more than one book, you can also enjoy any exclusive betting offers that may come up.

Do Your Homework

With so many resources now available to bettors to harvest information, there's no excuse to bet on football blindly. The best football betting sites will produce stat packs for games, giving you an insight into recent trends, while a little bit of digging can quickly reveal the latest injury news and information on which players are in and out of form.

Beware the Favourite

We've all done it. You are putting together a multi, also known as a parlay or an accumulator, and throw in a few favourites to bump up the price.

But by not going through each match in turn and checking out why teams are the favourites, you are setting yourself up to fail. Not only that, you don't always get fair value backing a favourite, as online football betting sites expect to see the majority of bets placed on the favourite and keep a tight leash on those odds.

Seek Out Advice

If you don't have time to research a football bet but still want to place a wager, you might be best off following a tipster's selections. Sites offering football tips are plentiful, so carefully inspect the author and the organisation to ensure they are legitimate.

Check to see if the tips are backed up by data and what kind of record the tipster has before following any advice.

Responsible Gambling with Football Betting Sites

We at Gambling.com take responsible gambling very seriously. Our main goals are to connect you with reliable betting operators while maintaining a safe gambling environment for all users.

Football betting sites must follow strict protocols to spot, prevent, and reduce gambling-related harm. These aren't optional measures; they're legal requirements and essential safeguards that protect vulnerable players from developing problematic habits.

We always keep these requirements in mind whenever we review and rate a betting site, and we only partner with licensed operators that adhere to legal standards. Moreover, all betting sites we review here have responsible gambling tools and resources to help you control your betting.