We know that it’s a crowded sportsbook industry right now and any new company coming online has to compete with established brands, many of whom predate the internet and have been around for decades.
However, every bookie has something to offer and deserves to make their mark. Our task is to bring you the best of these so that you don’t miss out on great offers, choice and value that can complement and even outdo some of the older names.
Here then is a round up of the best new bookmakers in key categories.
Most Promising Bookmakers for UK Customers
Following changes to tax regulations in 2014, a number of existing bookmakers closed their doors to UK customers. That was an obvious blow to the British betting community so it’s important that a good selection of new outlets have come along to fill the gap.
The UK sector is a profitable one for sportsbooks and the following would be excellent additions to any portfolio of sites.
GentingBet
Genting own a number of land based casinos and their online casino arm gets a good set of sign ups as a result. They are a respected name in this particular side of the iGaming industry so it was logical that they should set up GentingBet as a sportsbook.
GentingBet have recently started to give good value from the start with enhanced trebles for new customers on Premier league football. All profits have been paid in cash which makes this very tempting but if you prefer not to have a gamble at such an early stage, we have an exclusive welcome offer which gives a risk free opening bet of £25.00.
Unlike other new bookmakers, there are ongoing promos here including Acca Insurances on football matches and some innovative offers which can give multiple free bets on football and golf. Prices are strong and the choice of markets is an extensive one so this is another new bookie to include on your portfolio alongside the established brands.
EnergyBet
EnergyBet came along in 2016 and began to make themselves known by getting behind English football clubs such as Aston Villa and Leyton Orient. Those sponsorship and betting partner arrangements helped to get them noticed and for those who took things a stage further by signing up for a new account, there was plenty to enjoy.
Promotions were introduced after a short period and a welcome offer of £25.00 as a 100% match on opening credits was brought in. Loyal punters were rewarded too as EnergyBet started to bring more ongoing promos to add in some extra value. As of September 2017, a choice of Acca Insurance deals is available in the football markets.
Football is therefore an obvious focus but the choice of markets here is a good one. The only possible disadvantage for UK bettors is the absence of horse racing but all the remaining popular sports are here alongside some obscure niches and this is also one of the best places to play for anyone interest in the growing eSports markets.
Royal Panda
A number of recognised casino providers have recently added a sportsbook arm to their company but few have done this as successfully as Royal Panda. Often, the sports betting page looks like an afterthought with little in the way of offers or choice of markets to bet on.
Happily, the great offers that Royal Panda have become known for as a casino operator have been carried across so for new customers, things start off very positively with a welcome offer that has a low entry level of £10.00 and can provide up to £100.00 as a bonus at the top end of the scale.
That’s an excellent start and one which compensates for the lack of any ongoing promos but regular players can get value in a long term relationship that provides some of the best odds around. The choice of sports covers all of the popular options so once again this is a new bookmaker that is proving to be a great all-rounder.
Best Newcomer for Mobile Users
Bookee
Bookee have not only taken the category of best newcomer, they have also revolutionised the way that we bet on the go. It’s been described as the Tinder of sports betting – an app only service aimed specifically at mobile users that suggests bets on your preferred sporting event and you decide whether to take them up or not by swiping in the appropriate direction.
Bookee is very much a developing service and as of September 2017 you could only bet on four specific sports – horse racing, football, boxing and golf. However, this is a bookmaker that is evolving all the time and having launched with just two sports, it’s already started to grow and will continue to do so in the future.
A regular general welcome offer has yet to arrive but we have seen the type of enhanced odds deals for new customers that are common with other bookmakers. These have included some very generous odds at times so look out for these as they come along.
It’s evolving all the time so it’s a good time to get on board with something really new and positive in the betting industry.
Recommended Bookies for Football
Grosvenor Sports
Grosvenor are another operator who are primarily a casino who have crossed to provide sports service but why do we feel they are such a good option for football betting? One of the reasons is the coverage and you can enjoy all the games from the top leagues around the world as well as many obscure options.
Logging on to the site on a random day in September 2017 gave us games in Indonesia and Mongolia so it really is a diverse service and the options for live betting are also very extensive.
General prices are good too and there is a double the odds offer for new customers so this is a sportsbook site that offers good value while really scoring on the choice of markets.
SportNation.Bet
The overall list of sporting markets at SportNation is a relatively small one but if you like to concentrate on football then this is one of the best places to be. The company changed from its original name of Bet on Brazil in 2017 but despite dropping Alan Brazil as their brand ambassador, they carried on the ethos and focus of the former professional footballer.
As a result, football is a big deal here and there is huge choice of leagues from all around the world from the big games in the top divisions in Europe right down to the more obscure competitions in the far flung corners of the globe. SportNation also provide excellent odds and a good selection of side bets for all of those games.
Live betting on football is also popular and there are promotions geared specifically to the game including regular enhanced odds offers to tempt in new customers. Look out for these as the boosts can be more generous than other deals of this type.
Recommended Bookies for Horse Racing
Sun Bets
As we’ve seen, not all new bookmakers are happy to accept horse racing on their sportsbooks but it’s an important inclusion for most bettors. This is where betting began for most of us and it remains the second most popular sport in terms of money staked.
Happily, Sun Bets are among a clutch of new bookies who do include horse racing on their roster and they take it very seriously. The wider Sun newspaper group has been providing top coverage of meetings for many years so it’s logical that the new sportsbook should do the same.
Sun Bets have quickly made their way onto the main odds comparison sites so we can tell straight away that their prices for the horses are excellent. They also provide a best odds guarantee on all UK and Irish Horse Racing and there have been frequent price boosts along with a smaller selection of enhanced odds offers for new customers.
Meetings are included from around the world and overall, this is a horse racing package that eclipses many of the established brands that we have staked with for a number of years.
21Bet
All good bookmakers should have a best odds guarantee system for UK and Irish Horse Racing. 21Bet provide that and they go further by providing consistently excellent ante post prices for the sport.
Coverage is very good too with all meetings across Britain and Ireland getting strong coverage together with many of the smaller races from outside of the UK. 21Bet are known in the industry for listing some very interesting and generous promotions and this bookie has a regular horse racing offer where they provide money back, up to £25.00, on all live races broadcast by ITV where your pick loses by a length or less.
Look out too for a welcome deal that could provide a free bet every week for the life of your 21Bet account.
US Sports
RedZoneSports.Bet
Betting on US Sports is a popular pastime but it can be tricky to find a bookmaker that really gets behind those events. As the name suggests, RedZoneSports are a bookie that focuses a lot on these options so it’s logical that we should see what they have to offer.
Choice is the first plus point and while NFL games are routinely picked up by other outlets. RedZoneSports go a step further by offering plenty of prices for College Football and for the CFL in Canada.
They go further still by quoting extensively for Baseball, Basketball and Ice Hockey and once again, while the major games in the MLB, NHL and NBA are priced up, you can get options for games from all over the world.
Odds for all US Sports are very competitive too so if you like to get involved with any of the above, RedZoneSports is one of the first bookmakers to check out.
All new bookmakers give us different options and as we’ve seen from the above list, some are strong in certain areas such as football while for horse racing, we can look at other alternatives. All of them give us extra choice however and in an industry that gets busier all the time, it’s punters such as ourselves that continue to benefit.