Betting has been a traditional pastime in the UK for centuries now. Going out to a football match or a horse race without paying a visit to the local betting shop may very well feel like you’re missing out. The online betting scene in the UK is very vibrant at the moment, with the bookmakers featuring exciting options and improving their offer every day.
With bookmaking activity on the rise, the question still stands — is it worth it to get into betting in 2023? Can you (and should you) still join the army of punters if you’ve never made a singly bet yet? Let’s have a look at the mechanism behind these sites to find out.
The way betting works is that if you place a wager on an outcome, odds are determined by a bookmaker. Odds are important because they represent the ratio between your stake and winnings, i.e. if the event’s outcome has odds of 1.5, it means that you will win £1.5 for every £1 you bet. With the bookmaker being such a vital part of the equation, the debate whether to bet or not often boils down to whether you choose a dependable bookie.
You want a reliable website that offers a great number of convenient and lucrative options all around. Fortunately, UK punters can currently enjoy a wealth of betting options when it comes to online gambling. Amid this variety, focusing on specific criteria is a must. Let’s look at the ones that will make your betting hassle-free and provide a chance to win big.
First off, if you want to place bets on sports in the UK, licensed and regulated bookmakers should be your best (and only) friend. These sportsbooks operate within a framework that will protect your money and personal data at all times. The UKGC is known to be one of the strictest monitoring authorities globally, so generally, you don’t have to look further than online betting venues that possess a valid UKGC licence. All winnings from bets placed on their websites are subject to judicial protection, too.
To aid the convenience of customers, betting sites make sure to add a plethora of payment options that make it easy to deposit and withdraw your funds. The majority of them have opted to include some of the most widely used payment methods in the UK — Visa and Mastercard, followed closely by PayPal. A range of e-wallets is to be expected as well. Reliable bookies make sure to pay out all fair winnings without any problems and clearly follow their own rules for calculating bets.
Now we’ll get to the core of what makes betting an interesting and worthwhile investment — odds and promotions. If you’re a sports bettor, odds are the most important part of your strategy. They can give you a clear idea of the likely outcome of a match and help you find the best price on a specific team or event. Odds are generally higher for popular events and leagues, and bets on these events generally come with a lot of professional advice, making them a go-to choice for beginners.
The year 2023 has seen many sites expand their promo selections, as well as add more offers with no or 1x turnover. Turnover has long been the bane of existence for newcomers, as they had to bet 8x to 10x of the bonus amount to cash it out. A lot of the current offers have no such strings attached, making them a lucrative way to boost your bankroll and try out the sportsbook in full without having to invest any money.
In a nutshell, the trend of more reliable, open, and user-friendly online sportsbooks is going strong. Betting can indeed net you profit, especially with due knowledge of high-profile sports teams, popular match line-ups, or even the political landscape of a given country. With many resources featuring both professional predictions and free bets on the same site, online betting can well be made into a profitable and exciting hobby in 2023.