Bookmaker Sportsbook Reviews

We aim to be a gambling site different to most – our guide to Bookmakers and Sportsbooks is both candid and honest. Many gambling portals would recommend any Bookmaker – we only recommend those we use personally.

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UK Bookmakers

A land and internet based bookmaker trading since 1974 – so a solid book to trust in. The best site feature is that you can actually see the maximum bet allowed online (sometimes low) but can request a larger stake. Whilst they do restrict winners they do review account limits.

Fred Done – Fred is known as The Bonus King, a reputation he has earned through giving more bonuses and consolations back to punters. He has now expanded his empire to upwards of 500 shops all over the UK. Betfred are now one of the world's biggest independent bookmakers.

This book was originally set up in the Isle of Man in 1998 taking advantage of reduced betting duty laws, and are now part of the Webis Holdings group quoted on the AIM so have a very sound background. They have always stated that much of their focus is on the Far East so heavily promote Asian Handicap betting.

Launched as an independent internet betting site in 1999 they grew rapidly and were acquired by the Rank Group in 2003. Sadly over the last few years I think their focus has shifted and the bookmaking side is no longer as competitive as it was.

Established in 1989 Boyles is Ireland's largest independent chain of bookmakers and as such is a worthy inclusion on this site. Customer service is excellent but betting limits can be poor and they have been guilty of changing odds without taking a bet – their phone service is much better – 0800 44 00 00.

Probably one of the oldest and biggest gaming operators in the world. To our mind the sooner they integrate their different sites and give everybody, wherever they are, the same opportunities to bet with the same odds, the better as it can be confusing.

The "Bonus Kings" – seems a very apt description however I do wish they would concentrate on giving decent limits to all players rather than their frequent money back offers and spend less money on the constant barrage of TV adverts with famous sports people handing over cash. Still a great book to have IF you can.

A bookmaker that grew out of the old Surrey Sports and is now so called because of its bookmaking activities on Sky TV. A very shrewd book who will limit winning accounts quickly though again accounts are reviewed and limits sometimes raised again. Probably the best golf bookmaker out there.

A big global entity which has partly been grown from buying other books which seems to have been the way forward over recent years and has seen a dilution in the overall market. They now have different sites covering different parts of the globe – this is the UK based one but you can have accounts with the others – see below for the Australian site.

As I type this Totesport is undergoing a revamp offering a bigger and better service – whether this will improve the quality of what they offer or will just lead to new bingo and casino games only time will tell!! I do think they are a book you have to have but they will normally take heftier bets on the phone 0800 221 221.

Victor Chandler trade on the name and reputation of their founder – supposedly fearless and prepared to take on any high-flyers – we would probably reserve judgement on that. Nevertheless they often do price up individually and are a worthwhile book to have in your portfolio.

Personally I find their homepage an absolute mess there is simply far too much on it – why can't books make sites easy to navigate and spot what you are looking for? After that bit of criticism they are one of the biggest bookmakers in the world and again take bigger bets on the phone 0800 31 88 44.

European Bookmakers

Bwin were formerly known as BetandWin and were often accused of not taking decent bets and making quite a few ricks – however this means they are still around and haven't fallen by the wayside. If you can't find what you are looking for here then I would suggest you are unlikely to at any book as they offer a wide range of sports from Lacrosse to Schwingen (whatever that is).

Started in 1999 the company has grown into probably one of the best European style bookmakers.They were originally based in London and focused on the Scandinavian market and have grown steadily,they are now based in Malta and cater for a more global market . When making a bet often part of the bet will be referred to a trader but you will find out quickly whether it is accepted or not via email.

One of the few European based books we would recommend who price up a huge array of events and aren't afraid of taking an opinion. The only drawback is that if you do want a decent sized wager only part of your bet is approved whilst the rest is sent to a trader and you have to check your account up to 30 minutes later to see if the rest has been approved – notwithstanding this they are a sound book.

US Sportsbooks

This Caribbean based Sportsbook operate a pool like system of betting where bets placed actually change the odds – this means you can have huge bets on sports like American Football but not really affect the betting lines but on smaller sports with tight margins you will find limits are much lower and line movements much greater. I like their simple-to-navigate site with no frills and they are quite happy to accomodate high rollers.

Originally known as Olympic they changed their name to The Greek a few years back and are amongst the best US sportsbooks online. I don't recommend many "offshore sportsbooks" as they are called due to the number of them that have sprung up and vanished over the years but this is one that you can definitely trust. A very simple site they offer mostly odds on sports they know well.

Australian Bookmakers

The Australian division of Sportingbet is new to me and I do have a couple of gripes in that the site seems slow and bet placement cumbersome but they offer a great range of betting opportunities and from my experience so far I like them a lot. The other good thing is that Australian books are very strictly regulated and your money always safe

Betting Exchanges

Betfair has grown quickly into a betting exchange monster dominating the market where turnover on some events is simply staggering. People still find an edge and make profits despite the hotly disputed Premium Charge being introduced on top of the commission charge but if you are serious about your betting I don't think you would survive without an account even if you are simply hedging your bookmaker bets.

Many thought that Betfair had stolen the market and there would be little room for other exchanges in the marketplace but Betdaq have definitely proved that there is room and have grown steadily over the years. They might not have the same range of markets but the liquidity is definitely increasing all the time.