Best Betting Apps

Here at Racing Post, we focus on helping readers find the best betting app for their needs. That may seem like a simple task, but the online gambling market is incredibly crowded, and it can be difficult to spot a great bookie in a world of good bookies. Finding the best betting apps is essential to helping you become a profitable sportsbook gambler and getting the most out of your betting.

Several key players lay claim to being the best betting app UK fans can download today. Some are worthy contenders, while most are little more than clever marketing and often fall apart under scrutiny. We understand our readers lead busy lives and struggle for time to spend analysing UK betting apps, that’s why our experts have done the hard work for you. The more you know about how the industry works and what to look for, the greater your chance of finding the best sports betting app for you.

Keep reading as we guide you through the sports gambling wilderness and toward the clearing. We’ve researched the best betting apps for Android and iOS, the leading gambling sites, and the welcome bonuses and free bet promotions you can expect to find at both. By the end of this page, you’ll know exactly what you’re looking for and where to find it.

Top 5 best betting apps in the UK in 2023

We waste no time in helping readers find the best betting app, diving into the results as easily as possible. The table below highlights our pick of the five best betting apps, and you can join any featured on the list now. Search our final five best betting app UK and click any link to your chosen bookie to register and claim your bonus. 

Stick to one bookie or spread the load and join several UK betting apps. The more you join, the more bonuses you can claim, and you’ll always be a click away from getting the market’s best price on your wagers. Study the table and click the link to begin your gambling journey with a new bookmaker.

Rank
Betting App
Racing Post Rating
#1
bet365 App
4.8/5
#2
Betfair App
4.7/5
#3
Paddy Power App
4.75/5
#4
Sky Bet App
4.75/5
#5
William Hill App
4.8/5

How do we rate the best betting apps UK?

Now we know the contenders for the best sports betting app; it’s time to create your account, deposit funds, and wager to claim the welcome bonus free bet. But before getting into the thick of registration and moving your journey to the next stage, we take a brief pause. In this section on the best betting apps for Android and iOS, we explain how we rate bookies and the methods used to find the standout bookmakers.

The boring stuff

When searching for the best betting app to join, I always start with the legal stuff. Yes, it’s boring, but it’s extremely important as it will protect you from scams and illegal bookmakers. If you don’t want to keep joining bookies, then having to move when you find an app isn’t good enough. You also want to avoid the risk of falling foul of a scam and providing your details to a bookie that’s not as it seems. 

Checking if a firm is worthy of your custom is easy. Simply search the app for its licensing information. Are they licensed and regulated by a trusted source, and who provided the licence? Is a bookie permitted to trade in your region, or could you get in trouble for joining and playing with that bookmaker? All this information should be on the bookies app and site.

Sports and markets

Now, it’s time to look at the more interesting side of the best betting apps, finding those with great sports coverage and many markets. Although you want a legal bookie with generous odds and a stunning welcome bonus free bet for new customers, it’s worth nothing without sports to bet on and markets to hold your interest. The best betting app UK covers all the top sports, including horse racing, football, and greyhound racing. They also provide betting on American Football, rugby, boxing, MMA, baseball, basketball, and others. Then, we have niche markets like reality TV, politics, and E-sports.

Here you can find that you want many sports to wager on, and each firm meets our expectations. You also want countless markets daily with over 100 pre-game and in-play options on Premier League football games and fixtures from the UEFA Champions League. The more ways to bet, the greater your chance of finding a winner and landing a profit. Horse racing events should have several betting markets, including win and each way, place betting, winning distances, and others.

Betting promotions

You can tell a lot about an online gambling app by the generosity of their promotions. The most popular betting promo is the new customer welcome bonus. It works as an incentive to encourage customers to choose one bookie over the mountain of competition in an ultra-competitive market. The welcome bonus comes in a few forms, but the most popular with bookies and bettors at present is the deposit-matched free bet. Join a bookie, deposit funds, and gamble. You’ll get a free bet that’s equal to your first deposit.

Other promotions exist for new customers, with the cream of the crop being the no-deposit free bet. These deals are much more rare today than a few years ago, but you might still find them if you hunt hard enough. The leading apps don’t just look after their new customers with welcome bonuses but serve recurring deals for their existing players, those who have proven themselves loyal to the cause. Click on the promotions page of an established bookie, and you should see free bets, enhanced odds, cashback, profit boosts, and more.

Highest rated mobile betting apps in the UK

When searching for the best betting app you can join today, you must do as much research as possible. The more you know about a list of the best betting apps, the more likely you are to find the perfect fit the first time. Within this section on the best betting app UK fans can download today is a great place to start, but it also pays to learn from everyday bettors. What do they make of the app, and is it popular with gamblers?

The best way to get a feel for a bookie is to read customer reviews. Not every post on the App Store is accurate, and you’ll find many paid promotions and disgruntled gamblers eager to blacken the name of an app over a dispute. But if you remove the posts promoting the app and slating it, you’ll often find the truth somewhere in the middle. Check out how the gamblers received our picks.

Bookmaker
App Store Rating
Google Play Rating
bet365 App
4.5
3.4
Betfair App
4.5
3.7
Paddy Power App
4.4
4.4
Sky Bet App
4.7
3.1
William Hill App
4.0
4.3

Best betting apps breakdown by bookmaker

It’s now time to pull back the curtain and look at each app in a bit more detail. It’s always worthwhile checking the ratings of major bookies, but nothing beats finding out for yourself. Keep reading as we explain what impressed us about each name mentioned in our list of the best betting apps.

Bet365

No area of online gambling shows how much the industry has improved more than live-streaming, and bet365 boasts the best live stream of any bookie on this page. They are head and shoulders above the chasing pack with this technology. They are getting results as customers join to benefit from the faultless, modern, and reliable live-streaming of football, horse racing, greyhounds, and more. The live-streaming at bet365 works best with horse racing, allowing customers to wager on a race and watch the contest using their mobile from anywhere. Turn everyday scenarios into an opportunity to watch live sports.

Betfair

We love Betfair as it offers two ways to gamble, increasing your chances of getting the best odds and value each time you wager. Join Betfair through this page and get access to a busy bookmaker page that offers betting on the biggest sports with multiple markets on the most popular competitions and teams. Click the exchange tab and back or lay selections to increase your chances of landing a profit. Your login allows you to use both the bookmaker and the exchange, and the shared wallet means you can better control your spending.

Paddy Power

There’s lots to like about the bookie with its head office in Dublin that’s planning world domination, but we’ll focus on their promotions. The welcome bonus offered to new customers is more generous than most other firms. The promotions tab is packed tight with recurring deals and offers, including free bets, loyalty reward points, cashback for losing wagers, and profit boosts for winning gamblers. Check the promos page for an updated list of today’s deals at Paddy Power.

Sky Bet

We are big fans of the in-play betting feature at Sky Bet. They aren’t the only bookie to offer in-play betting, of course, but they are better than the competition. Sky Bet offers dozens of pre-match markets, extending to hundreds for the biggest events like the Champions League final. Almost all the original markets continue to live betting, allowing customers to wager before the start or at any time during the contest.

William Hill

The bookie with generous odds on more sports more of the time. William Hill offers a fantastic welcome bonus and some great recurring deals, but this UK bookmaker prefers to offer customers market best price odds they can rely on. Check any betting odds comparison app and see William Hill often sets the standard for the most generous odds on the most popular sports and markets, including the first goalscorer in Premier League ties.

Which betting app has the best payout speeds?

If you’ve landed a winner, you’ll want to get your hands on the profits as soon as possible. Thankfully, the apps mentioned on this page give customers instant or super fast and secure withdrawal methods. Check the table below for more information.

Best Betting App for Payouts
Racing Post Rating
bet365 App
13 days
Betfair App
13 days
Paddy Power App
13 days
Sky Bet App
13 days
William Hill App
13 days

How to choose a sports betting app that’s right for you

Here are a few non-negotiables when choosing the best betting app.

Ease of use

Mobile gambling is all about speed, and you want an app that’s fast, secure, and responsive. Look for homepage quick links to the next horse race due to start. You want everything you love about betting at your fingertips.

Live-streaming options

If an app doesn’t have a faultless live stream, it isn’t worth considering. Look for a bookie with a fantastic live-streaming tab packed with upcoming sports, including UK and Irish horse racing. The more sports, the better.

A wide range of markets

More ways to bet on sports means more ways to win. Don’t stick with the basic 1-X-2 betting. Branch out and try new and inventive markets that improve your chances of landing a profit while limiting the risks of losing your stake.

Why place your bets via the bookmaker’s betting apps?

A recent study into the habits of online gamblers showed more bets are struck using mobile apps than desktop computers and land-based bookmakers combined. That’s every day, and it shows how we prefer to wager on sports. Mobile betting cuts the ropes holding you to the desktop computer and your TV.

How to sign up with a bookmaker through their betting app

Use the easy-to-follow guide in this section within the best betting app UK to create an account using your mobile.

  1. Download the app to your device and click Join.
  2. Complete the registration form, providing your details.
  3. Create a username and password.
  4. Make your first deposit and wager.
  5. A welcome bonus free bet will appear in your balance.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Yes, each app mentioned on this page is legal and licensed by the UKGC.

Yes, you can download all apps mentioned on this page for free.

Use countless payment methods, including debit cards, e-wallets, and crypto.

Each of the five bookies mentioned on this page offers user-friendly apps.

All apps included on this page passed our tests on quick and secure payments.

Yes, add a payment method and deposit funds with a single click, then withdraw winnings back to your account.