UK Bookmakers

The Best UK Bookies Online

The best football and horse racing betting shops on the UK high streets. This is just a selection of the well-known bookies that most punters will be familiar with. The rise of online betting has given the physical bookie locations a battering. Bookmaking shops are not finished yet go down any high-street in your neighbourhood and you will see at least one bookie if not more.

Gambling Games

Online betting is not just restricted to bookmakers and casinos there are slots more ways to lose your money. The internet as a plethora of gambling games from spot the balls, football pools to lotto’s.

Online Casinos

Choosing a casino to join and gamble with is very tricky there are loads of casinos all offering bonus’s like free spins and cashback for joining. They all offer some kid of incentive to get your gambling money.

UK High Street Bookies

High Street Bookmakers & Betting Shops

Find the bookmaker that gives you the best odds with over 10,000 in the UK we have chosen our top five UK betting shops.
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The best UK bookmakers
betfred bookies
Betfred betting on live events with the best odds
Ladbrokes Bookmakers
Ladbrokes online betting website
William Hill the gambling home of online betting
Paddy Power bookmaker
Paddy Power bookmaking shop on the internet
Coral betting shop logo
Coral.co.uk the UK's biggest bookmakers

Top 5 Bookmakers online and on the UK high street

Betfred.com Salford betting shop

1: Betfred

Betfred.com are one of the friendlier names in the high street bookmaking business within the UK. Rooted from a solid Salford and Manchester base. Out of all the bookmakers we review our favourite is Betfred by all reports a thoroughly decent gentleman. With an emphasis on the traditions that made them a big name in betting. The odds offered on sportsbook and horse racing are hard to beat with other bookies. Betfred places all the fun and pleasure of gaming in your hand with mobile devices and apps!

History Summary: Founded by two brothers Fred Done and Peter Done in 1967 they opened their first betting shop in Ordsall, Salford. This was a tough working-class neighbourhood on the outskirts of Manchester. Fred famously paid out early on his beloved football team Manchester United in 1998 to win the league. Unfortunately for Fred Arsenal pipped them at the post by one point costing Fred £500,000 on pay outs. Never mind it was great for publicity and helped raise Betfred’s profile. Unlike many bookmakers Betfred still stands on its own two feet. Having never been taken over or force to merge with another gambling group. Warrington in the North West UK is where they are based and owned by the parent company Lightcatch Ltd Subsidiaries: Betfred, Done Brothers Limited.

Founded by two brothers Fred Done and Peter Done in 1967 they opened their first betting shop in Ordsall, Salford. This was a tough working-class neighbourhood on the outskirts of Manchester. Fred famously paid out early on his beloved football team Manchester United in 1998 to win the league. Unfortunately for Fred Arsenal pipped them at the post by one point costing Fred £500,000 on pay outs. Never mind it was great for publicity and helped raise Betfred’s profile. Unlike many bookmakers Betfred still stands on its own two feet. Having never been taken over or force to merge with another gambling group. Warrington in the North West UK is where they are based and owned by the parent company Lightcatch Ltd Subsidiaries: Betfred, Done Brothers Limited.
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Ladbrokes.com Betting and Casino

2: Ladbrokes

Ladbrokes the bookies can now officially say they are now the UKs biggest high street bookmaker. After they merged with Coral with around 3,500 betting shops across the United Kingdom. Like all these big betting brands they also have online gambling sites. Where you can place your bets on the horses or visit the “casinos” and play poker or bet on other sometimes addictive casino games. The website operates gambling and sports betting in over 20 countries and 16 foreign currencies. The physical betting shops are facing an uncertain future. Companies like Ladbrokes are trying to get more of its high street gamblers to sign up to their betting websites.

Ladbrokes has a bit of a sketchy history of partnerships between a chap called Pennington and a Mr Schwind. These fellows later went into the gambling business with a Mr Arthur Bendir. This was all in and around 1886. When Old Joe won the Grand National jockeyed by Tom Skelton. They mostly operated in the early days out of private members clubs in the upmarket areas of London like Mayfair. They did have a hand in establishing the first female on course bookie Helen Vernet who later became a partner in Ladbrokes. In later years the company have been very successful and previously owning the Hilton hotel brand outside the USA. Since the acquisition of Coral Group, they have now changed their name to Ladbrokes Coral.
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WilliamHill.com the high-street booky

3: William Hill

William Hill has over 2,300 betting shops in the UK besides their UK high street presence they also run a massive online gambling website. The williamhill.com site operates worldwide in 10 different currencies and 24 languages. Gambling options offered on the site cover the full gamut of betting and ways to lose your money. In addition to the traditional horse racing bets you can place they partake in the casino style games like poker and roulette. It can be argued they are the biggest betting brand in the world. Their profits from gamblers are in the hundreds of millions.

William Hill bookmakers officially goes back to around 1934 with the first betting shop opening on Park Lane London. Mr William Hill was operating well before this and taking bets at Birmingham race tracks. This is where he came from before moving to London in 1929. At the time of opening his first shop betting in this manner was illegal so he used loopholes to circumnavigate the law. He built his betting business on trust because at the time any gambling debts were not enforceable by law. At the end of the 30s he became the first self-made millionaire bookmaker. This followed on into the 50s when William Hill bookmakers was the first to be floated on the London stock exchange.

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PaddyPower.com Irish Bookies

4: Paddy Power

Relatively new on the bookmaking scene founded in 1988 Paddy Power are an Irish and UK betting shop chain with over 500 betting shops. They also run Ireland’s biggest telephone betting service. Not so big in the USA but making a name for itself in the European betting markets. PaddyPower.com also run a full betting website with some matchless promotions. Like Paddy Powers “Beat the Drop”. Online betting options includes all the normal horse racing and football pool type bets. In addition to the casino style gambling games like poker and bingo.

Started by three Irish bookies in 1988 who got together and merged their betting shops. David Power, Stewart Kenny and John Corcoran combined resourced to create the brand Paddy Power. They approached the betting public in a different way to other bookies by treating the “punters” like welcomed customers. This created a good atmosphere in the shops. Customer service is a big philosophy at Paddy Power once they have a betting customer, they want to keep you. Continuing to grow and thrive brought on a merger in 2015 with Betfair the main betting exchange in the world. They still have the Irish charm and continue to attract a loyal betting patron.
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Coral.co.uk betting portal

5: Coral

All the Coral gambling website businesses merge to define one main brand Gala Coral. These now comprise of Coral.co.uk Galabingo.com Galacasino.com and the Italian arm Eurobet.it. They have since been merged with Ladbrokes but still at this time keep the separate betting shop branding. Between the many identities they run 3500 bookmaking shops and 25 physical casinos. Secondly, they have a big presence in Italy with 300 betting shops from Eurobet. This is besides the online casino which is one of the most popular destinations for UK gamblers. Coral online casinos provide everything from video poker to slots and a range of bingo games all at the push of a button.

The well-known bookmakers in the UK today mostly started business when gambling was not completely legal and loopholes were sought. Corals is no exception. Coral was started by a Polish immigrant Joe Coral born Joseph Kagarlitski. He was a charismatic chap who left school at a very young age to pursue something much more interesting. In 1926 he was running betting pitches at race tracks with his mate Tom Bradbury-Pratt. Spending years on the betting scene he opened his first shop in 1961. Being one of the originals to take advantage of changing betting laws. The business has had a number of mergers and acquisitions in the intervening years. The biggest one actually the Gala Group and Ladbrokes mergers.

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Be responsible with your betting

Do not bet what you cannot afford its addictive and will not make you rich.

I live in a nice part of town if I need to use a betting shop, I have to go to Burnage in Manchester. There are four bookmakers within a few hundred yards. A Coral and three William Hills no idea why William Hill have a monopoly in this area of Manchester. Its always the way that these types of shops are in areas with a higher rate of poverty than the national average. Gambling can be a big problem and it does not take prisoner on any side of the social divide. Nevertheless, it will have a bigger impact on poorer members of our society. Especially the children of parents who fall into a gambling trap. If you feel you cannot bet in moderation don’t bet at all. Contact Gamcare for expert and confidential advice on gambling additions.

If you can handle your gamble, place a bet with the greatest bookmakers on the web. From horse racing to football. All your sports betting in one place free bets and great bonus bets. Best odds on all horse racing and sports betting even the football pools. I love it when the punter wins!!

A deeper look at UK shops

Our reviewed shops provide a brief history and breakdown of what they sell. If you would like a shop added to our review section please contact us with suggestions UK Shopping Guide.