The incessant need to gamble is quite simply a normal human trait that none of us should not be ashamed of, betting on horse racing and football in the UK especially being a cultural tradition, but knowing where to start and how to make sure you are doing it right is crucial?

Despite the fact that even to this day, millions of punters flock to local betting shops and especially at weekends, online betting is the way to go to get the best value for our money, so long as we are being secure.

There are a number of advantages to betting online as opposed to high street shops, not least the quoted prices. Without having to maintain wages and other overheads, the costs for an  online bookmaker are much lower and lead to us receiving better odds and bonuses as well as free bets.

Even when an established high street bookmaker also operates online, the prices they offer in the shops vary dramatically from those they offer on the internet or an apps.

For a neophyte, online is usually the way to go because it is much less intimidating. Walking into a betting shop and not knowing what to do in order to place your bet is quite embarrassing for some people, whereas online most things are explained as you go along by the online bookie.

List of trusted sports betting sites

Online Bookmakers	Bookmaker's Promotion	Amount	Bet Now
	Open Account Offer Bet £10 & Get £30 in Free Bets for new customers at bet365. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply. Registration required.	£30	Bet now
	Bet £10 and get £30 in free bets New online customers only, min £10/ €10 stake, win only, min odds 1/2, free bets paid as 3 X £10/€10, 30 day expiry, free bet/payment method/player/country restrictions apply.	£30	Bet now
	Welcome Offer - Bet £10 Get £30 New 18+ UK customers. Deposit & place bet on sports at a minimum of £10 in one bet transaction at evens (2.0)+ within 7 days of registering. £30 paid in Free Bets within 10 hours of bet settlement, expires 7-days after issue. E-Wallet & Prepaid Card restrictions apply. Your first bet must be settled within 7 days of registration. Proof of I.D and address may be required. Full T&C's apply.	£30	Bet now
	£30 Matched Free Bet If Your First Acca Loses + 50 Free Spins New UK customers only. Min Stake: £5. Maximum Free Bet: £30. First bet on a Football or Horse Racing multiple with 3+ selections. Overall odds: 3.00 (2/1) or higher. Free Bets available upon settlement of the qualifying bet. 50 Free Spins on Big Bass Bonanza (£0.10 per spin) credited on settlement of qualifying Acca bet. No wagering requirements on free spin winnings. Debit Card deposit only (exclusions apply). This offer is valid 7 days from the new account being registered. 18+ BeGambleAware.o	£30	Bet now

How To Find Trusted Sports Betting Sites

A very quick Google search will bring up the most popular betting sites on the net and from there you will find various bookmaker reviews to help you decide who is reputable and who is not.

In all honesty, the only thing stopping some online betting sites from gaining more custom is the value they offer, or lack thereof, most almost all can be trusted with your funds.

As well as showing their standard prices for each race,  bookmakers will offer various sign-up bonuses which can be very lucrative for a first timer. Getting the best value for money is crucial for your football bet. Make sure you shop around; use odds comparison for an easy way to compare prices across the board for all races.

Only the biggest, best and most secure firms are listed on what is essentially an online bookmaker comparison site so this would be an excellent first port of call for a novice worried about security.

What Makes A Betting Site Trustworthy?

There are myriad factors to consider when deciding just how trustworthy an  online bookmaker is, here we explore a few of them.

Privacy - Many punters who love to bet on horse racing or greyhounds tend to love the betting shop environment, while others would rather not be seen in one for their own personal reasons. Placing bets online makes the experience a private one between you and your bookie.

That anonymity can suit some people’s lifestyle choice, as well as taking away that potentially intimidating trip to the shop, if it’s not your bag. Check your bookmaker’s privacy terms and conditions before joining and depositing your funds.

Best Odds – Having placed a bet in your local betting shop, it is nigh impossible to know what odds their rivals are offering in the area. Most areas won’t have every single brand of bookmaker and so the firms who do operate there have a captive audience and have little incentive to offer great prices.

Betting online gives us the opportunity to compare odds and bonuses across a range of bookies as they change, so getting that value for money is a much simpler task yet something we need to bear in mind as only the biggest and best will have the clout to offer good deals.

Quick Pay-Outs – Trustworthy online sites will not see keeping your money in their account as key to their business plan, so make sure you choose a bookmaker with a fast turnaround when releasing funds. These timings are found on the general terms & conditions of each site, though reputable bookmaker reviews will help you to discover this information.

Most Trusted Sports Betting Sites 2018

Punters are encouraged to do their own research into which firms they find most trustworthy, or even which ones they simply find easiest and most fun to use. Here though we look at a few of the absolutely established names, sites we now know can be 100% trusted to offer a good service on a very secure network:

Bet365

bet365 have arguably done more than most firms to move the game of online gambling on in recent times and feature at the top of most lists. Started in Stoke, England from very humble roots, the bet365 has grown into a worldwide online betting giant and its promos and exclusive offers are more or less unparalleled.

Easy deposit methods, good bonuses, partial cash-outs, live streaming, bet editing and lots more make Bet365 the most popular choice for new online betting customers.

Bet365’s mobile platform, live betting and live streaming are all quality which is becoming an essential for the modern gambler. Offering fair prices is a fundamental thing that makes them the strongest around, though with security absolutely not comprised they remain one of the most trustworthy firms.

Ladbrokes

Still known affectionately as The Magic Sign, Ladbrokes are one of the oldest, biggest and most trusted bookmakers on the planet and that has remained the case in the digital age.

Offering a huge range of markets and offers to punters on a very secure platform, Ladbrokes have evolved almost constantly and while they still have a huge presence on the UK high street since their merger with Coral, they are now one of the biggest worldwide online firms too and their service just gets better with time.

Their overall online offering is strong and secure with a good interface, everything where you would expect it and funds both in and out made easy to manage.

Up to this point, we have yet to discover an online bookmaker which has managed to perfect every single area of concern for punters and frankly, we are unlikely to find one which will please everyone. Generally speaking Ladbrokes are offering a strong service, especially in terms of mobile, live betting and streaming and as this is where betting is heading it’s easy to see why they remain ahead of the game.

Although it’s not a foolproof opinion, generally speaking we all feel more secure when handing over money to a large firm than a less established one and in this case Ladbrokes has a massive tick in that box.

Up to £50 Free Matched Bet from Ladbrokes

TC's for F50 Multi Sports Offer:

18+. New customers only. Promo code 'F50' required. Certain deposit methods excluded. Min £/€5 on win or each-way bet excluding Tote or pools = match max £/€50 free bet. Min odds 1/2 (1.5). Bet must be made within 14 days. Free bet valid for 4 days. Free bet stake not returned. Single bets only. Free bet cannot be used on certain markets. T&Cs apply.

William Hill

Another one of the big traditional high street firms from the UK, William Hill has been around in excess of 80 years now and is very keen for its online game to be kept strong in order to keep up with the newer firms, such as Bet365.

In the high street betting shop sphere, William Hill still stand along with Ladbrokes as by far and away the biggest bookmakers but online, it’s harder for them to compete. The Bet365’s of this world have stolen a march on them and William Hill’s strategy now is to offer innovative bonuses and signup deals to attract new punters.

That’s not something they have actually managed to achieve though to be honest, with better bonuses available elsewhere but at least their security and trustworthiness is absolutely not in question.

The negative points of William Hill’s online service are not necessarily game changers for modern gamblers. Not everyone is bothered about the weak signup bonuses and may be depositing large funds meaning that the £10 minimum offered is not a problem. The live in-play markets and streaming options are good and the mobile site is fast, slick and easy to use.

Betting with William Hill overall though is a way to play it safe; a large established brand, reasonable if unspectacular prices, huge range of markets and a professional service. The site is extremely secure too so you’d have no worries about depositing your money with them and overall, they can still be recommended and especially for football punters.

Bwin

Although not as well established as a brand name as the other three mentioned here, bwin have been on the go for over ten years now and their experience is starting to show to really good effect. Sponsorship of some pretty major football teams has helped to thrust them into the public eye even more, especially around Europe.

More than 20 languages and 14 currencies are supported on their platforms and on any given day there will be as many as 30,000 different bets on offer across at least 90 sports markets, something which can only be dealt with in a safe and secure way.

The main bwin website is slick, fast and very easy to use. Football punters in particular are well catered for with over 500 leagues priced up in over 100 countries – the kind of market level only rivalled by the very biggest firms on the planet such as Bet365.

Trustworthiness cannot be measured only by how secure your money is with a betting firm of course, but by what the firm is willing to offer you in order to keep your custom. With that in mind,  Bwin’s Protektor feature enables you to protect your stake against a given number of unsuccessful selections in your multi-bet.

This feature is only available on pre-match multi-bets for certain matches and these will be clearly displayed on the site. You can protect any number of selections on your multi-bet, as long as you choose a number of selections at least one less than the total number on your slip. For example; if you pick 6 selections on your multi-bet, you could protect anything up to 5 of them making it a very handy tool.

The only slight negative for Bwin are the rather low signup bonuses on offer, capped at £20 usually, though it’s not something that affects security and therefore doesn’t really impact on how trustworthy we believe they are.

With all things considered it’s easy to recommend Bwin to punters given that they are the sort of firm which likes to reward customer loyalty, much like Bet365. Their 10-year history means they have built up a very safe environment for punters to bet on.