Sports betting in the UK is almost as popular as the sports Brits love to watch. The fact of the matter is that you really cannot escape sports betting in the United Kingdom. Not only are there physical betting shops on what seems like every street in even the smallest of towns, there is sports betting advertising on television and even on the shirts of professional sports 
teams.
In recent years, online sportsbooks have taken center stage as the primary way by which people place wagers in the United Kingdom. Thanks to regulation from the UK Gambling Commission, sports bettors in the UK have never been better-protected. Add to that a plethora of online sportsbooks from which to choose and you have one of the best overall sports betting markets in the world.
UK Sports Betting History
The official history of sports betting in the United Kingdom begins back in the early 1960s, when Parliament implemented the Betting and Gaming Act. What this did was allow for the existence of the betting shops that populate the UK today. In the immediate wake of the 1961 passing of the Betting and Gaming Act, thousands and thousands of shops opened up, forever changing the sports betting landscape of the UK.
When betting shops were first created, the organization tasked with regulating and licensing these shops was the same organization that oversaw horserace betting, the Racehorse Betting Control Board. The reasoning behind officially legalizing and regulating sports betting was none too different from what we have seen in recent years in the United States. Lawmakers in the UK wanted to curb illegal sports betting that was running rampant and contributing to many different instances of criminal activity, such as extortion, battery, and much more.
Sports Betting Revitalization of the 1980s
Through the first 20 or so years, sports betting in the UK did not change all that much. Betting shops were plain, boring, and were generally places where people did not want to spend too much time. As a result, there was a movement to revitalize shops, making them more welcoming and accommodating. That is exactly what happened and by 1987 betting shops were serving drinks, televising sporting events, and giving people a reason to hang around.
Premier League and Online Betting Change Everything
Soccer, or football, had long been the most popular sport in the UK, but in 1992 the creation of the English Premier League took that popularity to new heights. Between the massive clubs, big-name players, and quality of 
the football product, it did not take very long for the EPL to be the most popular football league in places other than the UK. As a result, betting on the EPL skyrocketed as well.
Flash forward to 2005 and Parliament passed another piece of gambling legislation, this time in the form of the Gambling Act. Due to the rising popularity of online sportsbooks, the UK government decided to create a dedicated Gambling Commission that would oversee the existing sports betting industry as well as create a framework for licensing and regulating online sportsbooks.
During the earliest days of the UK Gambling Commission, online sportsbooks that were licensed were required to be located within the UK. In other words, the plethora of offshore sportsbooks that had previously been used by those in Britain were no longer able to offer their services. Less than 10 years after the creation of the UKGC however, offshore online sportsbooks were also able to apply and receive licenses to operate in the UK. Since that happened, an already crowded online sportsbook landscape in the UK became that much more crowded. Today, there are quite literally thousands of online sportsbooks in the UK, all of which are legal to use and regulated by the UKGC, which is one of the most powerful gambling commissions in the world.
Where to Bet on Sports in the UK
As was mentioned above, there is an overwhelming number of online sportsbooks licensed by the UK Gambling Commission. If you have ever watched the English Premier League or any other level of English soccer, you are likely familiar with many of the brands due to their being sponsors of teams and stadiums. The following will provide a brief listing of some of the most well-known online sportsbooks in the United Kingdom:
-32 Red UK Online Sportsbook
-888 UK Online Sportsbook
-10Bet UK Online Sportsbook
-Bet365 UK Online Sportsbook
-BetDAQ UK Online Sportsbook
-BetFair UK Online Sportsbook
-BetVictor UK Online Sportsbook
-BetWay UK Online Sportsbook
-BGO Vegas UK Online Sportsbook
-Casumo UK Online Sportsbook
-Coral UK Online Sportsbook
-Energy UK Online Sportsbook
-Golden Nugget UK Online Sportsbook
-Ladbrokes UK Online Sportsbook
-Mansion UK Online Sportsbook
-Mr. Green UK Online Sportsbook
-Paddy Power UK Online Sportsbook
-SkyBet UK Online Sportsbook
Types of Sports Betting in the UK
When it comes down to it, there is no shortage of options at UK online sportsbooks. This is true in terms of the number of different types of bets as well as the number of sports and leagues that can be wagered upon.
With regard to bet types, the sky is the limit. For most matches and games you will have all the standard bet types you can imagine, including spreads, moneylines, and totals (over/unders). Most sportsbooks do not stop there however, and will also include player and team props such as bets regarding what individual player will score a soccer match’s first goal, or the timeframe of the match’s first goal (Ie. The first 15 minutes of the first half). Because soccer is far and away the most popular sport in the United Kingdom, the sportsbooks tend to have what can be described as a ludicrous number of betting options.
Due to it being mentioned a number of times up to this point, it should be evident that soccer/football is the largest single betting market at more or less every legal and regulated UK online sportsbook. From the most popular leagues in the world such as the English Premier League and German Bundesliga, to lesser-known leagues like Poland’s Ekstraklasa and Argentina’s Superliga, the coverage you will encounter is nothing short of comprehensive. Beyond soccer, sports like rugby, cricket, and basketball are wildly popular amongst Brits.
Thanks to American sports like football, baseball, basketball, and hockey growing their global presence all the time, UK online sportsbooks are also great places to bet on the NFL, MLB, and any other major US sports league.
Who Can Bet on Sports in the UK?
Unlike the United States, where you have to be at least 21 years of age in order to bet at online sportsbooks, the UK requires sports bettors to only be 18. When playing at an online sportsbook, you will be required to prove that you are of legal gambling age, usually by supplying a scanned copy of your government-issued identification.
Mobile Sports Betting
As technology becomes an increasingly integral part of everyday life, it should come as little surprise that mobile sports betting is quickly becoming the go-to method of placing bets online. As a result, most UK online sportsbooks offer mobile apps that are compatible with all types of smartphones and tablets. Users of iOS Apple devices can often find their preferred sportsbook app in the App Store, whereas Android users are required to download an online sportsbook directly from the sportsbook’s website. No matter what device you are playing on, you can often expect the same betting experience from a mobile device as you would from a desktop or laptop computer. With that being said, it is always recommended that bettors do a little bit of research before signing up at an online sportsbook to ensure that their mobile betting experience is what they are expecting.
Commonly Accepted Banking Methods
Funding a UK online sportsbook account is perhaps the most important thing that players often do not think about. With that being said, it should be of no great concern for those using UK online sportsbooks because they are often equipped with a boatload of banking methods, many of which can facilitate both deposits and withdrawals.
The first banking method that comes to mind for most people is credit and debit cards, mostly because they use them so often. While almost every UK online sportsbook supports deposits via credit or debit card, bettors are not able to withdraw via the same method. What’s more, many financial organizations have rules and regulations that prevent them from dealing with funds that are being sent to a gambling site.
For this reason, we often tell players to use alternate methods of banking, including wire transfers that can quickly and easily move funds from a bank account to an online sportsbook account, or vice versa. There are other methods of direct banking including a bill pay function that allows you to fund an account (or receive a withdrawal) in the same way you would pay a bill online. These methods of banking are simple, secure, and versatile in that they support both deposits and withdrawals.
Another very popular way people deposit to and withdraw from a UK online sportsbook is by way of e-wallets like PayPal and Neteller.
In addition, there are a variety of other banking methods including the physical mailing of a check, but many of these are antiquated and slowly but surely being phased out thanks to the existence of many easier, safer, and faster methods of banking.