When it comes to the high street, there are few retail spaces quite as iconic as the bookmaker. Once on every street corner, they are as part of a community as a post office or pub, so with lockdown hitting, many people will be missing their hub.
However, that doesn’t mean you need to miss out on betting on the weekend’s football or the day’s horse racing. In fact, it’s easier than ever to place your bets via your smartphone.
There are dozens of fantastic bookies offering thousands of markets and fixtures, but what can be tricky is deciding who to play with. Below you’ll find our guide on how to select the best bookmaker to suit your needs…
Promotions on Offer
When it comes to signing up, it’s all about the promotions that are on offer to you. Most bookmakers will have a welcome bonus for you to enjoy so you should be aware of exactly what they offer.
No deposit offers are among the most popular as they don’t require you to make a deposit or place a bet to receive your bonus, while 100% match bonuses are also among the best, with you receiving 100% of your first deposit as a free bet. That means if you sign-up and deposit £20, you’d receive an extra £20 as a free bet.
What is important to note is the terms and conditions which can include wagering requirements, timeframes and minimum odds, so ensure you read them before you sign-up to them.
Betting Markets
Most importantly for punters is the number of betting markets available to them. All the major brands have a wide selection, such as William Hill and Ladbrokes, but you may find for newer brands the markets may be a little more limited.
Ensure you explore the markets they do have on offer and ensure you can bet on what you want to bet on. It’s as simple as that really.
The best bookies will have a large number of outright, antepost, in-play and a wide range of markets across football in particular, including everything from number of goals to the number of cards and corners.
Deposit & Withdrawal Methods
While you may be used to placing your bets in certain ways at a high street bookmakers, do check the methods you can use to make a deposit and withdraw winnings online.
Brands such as 888sport allow you to deposit in a range of ways from debit card to the likes of ewallet and bank transfer. The number of methods vary from bookmaker to bookmaker, as well as the time it takes to make a deposit.
With 888sport you can make your withdrawals within 7 days with the likes of PayPal and debit card, with the former often taking just a couple of days. However, methods such as bank wire can take much longer.
Live Streaming
In high street bookmakers you can also enjoy live sport on the screens, and that’s the case with many online bookies too via both desktop and smartphone.
Many of the biggest brands will allow you to watch a range of top European football fixtures including the Bundesliga and La Liga, as well as the likes of rugby, snooker, cricket, tennis and every UK and Irish horse race each and every day.
If you are looking to watch sports events as you bet, make sure you check each bookmaker’s live streaming offering before signing up.