Best UK betting sites compared: Features, odds, and promotions

betting > best odds comparison tools


The other way of finding the best odds on horse racing is using an odds matrix.

Tool Free Account Favorite Sports/Leagues Custom Dashboards
Oddsportal Yes Yes Limited
The Action Network Yes (Premium Tier) Yes Yes
Betbrain Yes Yes No

On OLBG we researched and discovered the best bookie for horse racing. It is to help bettors make informed decisions by identifying the best available odds for your bet.

Responsible Gambling

First of all, you are going to need to know what you want to back. Visit an odds comparison site and select the sport you want to bet on from the tabs at the top of the page. Click on the event and you will be brought to the odds comparison page. There is also the ability to change the odds to whichever format you are comfortable dealing with. Punters can choose between decimal, fractional and American odds and this can easily be changed using the drop down in the top right-hand corner of the page.

Novelty betting markets

Once you have found the best odds, click on the odds displayed to be taken straight to the bookmaker to place your bet. Finding out which bookmaker has the best odds on one selection is very simple when using odds comparison sites but what if you are placing a more complex betting accumulator or any other type that involves multiple selections? Fortunately most odds comparison sites will now allow you to put each selection you want to back into a bet basket. When you have added all your selections that you want to bet on you are able to view your bet basket and see which bookie offers the best combined odds on all of your selections. Each bookie's odds on each accumulator will be displayed so that you can be sure you are getting the best odds and it is worth remembering that differences in odds as they can be huge!

How the bookies use betting odds

Odds comparison sites not only compare the prices from all of the top bookmakers, but also the most reputable betting exchanges. Some betting exchanges charge 5% commission, but the odds displayed on their sites don't take this commission into account which can sometimes be confusing, especially If you are trying to decide if a traditional bookmaker or betting exchange is best. That commission is sometimes taken into account on odds matrix but on others it bet best betting sites free spins no deposit is not. When it is automatically set to reduce the available odds by commission you can compare the correct exchange prices with the traditional bookmaker prices. If you pay less than 5% commission then there is also the ability to change the commission rate on the site. Betting odds represent the probability of a particular outcome.

Compare the best sportsbooks

Odds comparisons will usually have some extra time saving tools to help the punters, they can also feature a section on where to access any special offers and free bets. One of the tools available is the Bet Basket. Most people who bet on the 1x2 markets on football each week combine their fancied selections to form an accumulator whilst doubles and trebles can be popular bets on other sports too. You can spot which bookie is best for each bet on the relevant market pages but it is more complicated comparing the combined odds of several selections and this is where the Bet Basket comes in. Simply add each of your favoured selections to your Bet Basket and you'll then be able to see the combined odds of those selections at each bookie.

Customizable Preferences

This will make picking the best bookie for your bet as easy as if you were placing a single. Odds comparison sites also give you masses of information about all of the day's betting markets. You will have the ability to browse the steamers, drifters and sleepers of the day. Steamers are selections that have been very well backed throughout the day, this may be because they were simply overpriced early on or it can also mean an outcome is very strongly fancied. Following other people's money can often be profitable if you are careful what you are betting on.

Betting Tips

Many of the tipsters on social media networks just follow the money with little or no form study, this is not something we would recommend rather it should just be another string to your bow. An example of this would be unraced horses, when one is strongly fancied but there is no form. Likewise you can also see the biggest drifters of the day. Drifters are bets that people generally don't want to back so the bookmakers are offering bigger odds to entice people in. Selections that drift can and do win. The bookies all construct their books based on percentage probability and understand it fully, we as punters need to do the same. The bookmakers are in business to make a profit. They build in a profit margin on all events, this is called the overround. In a two runner race the true odds are 1/1 or even money - 50/50. (100%) The bookmakers instead of offering the true odds of 1/1 will offer both competitors at odds of 10/11, that comes to (104.72%). The 4.72% is their profit margin. The bookmakers instead of offering the true odds of 1/1 will offer both competitors at odds of 10/11, that comes to (104.72%).

Wrap up

The prices are usually compared on a matrix, with all of the possible outcomes of the event down the left-hand side and the bookmakers' prices in columns along the top. For example, odds comparison sites such as ValueChecker compare odds from many of the best betting sites and the leading betting exchanges. Most OLBG members who are trying to win the monthly tipping prizes are always aware of odds comparison data., Having accounts with as many of these bookmakers and exchanges as possible is a must; you can then always get the best odds on your bet. We know the key to any chance of long-term betting profitability is value betting and without having access to the biggest odds, you will be putting yourself at a disadvantage. The odds available on any selection will often vary by up to 50%!

Price Converter

It is hard enough to make a profit from betting as it is, by not backing at best price every time you are seriously handicapping your chances of making betting pay. By just gaining 20% better odds you could double your winnings! You hear this talk about 20% better odds, especially from the betting exchanges but is that the case? The answer is that it is very common for odds to vary by way more than 20% between the worst odds and the best for any outcome. You may think your bookie is usually close to the best odds but there are always many examples where every bookie is far from being the best odds.

Odds Converter

This tool shows you the difference which 20% better odds can make to your profit/loss over a year. EG if you bet £30 per day and typically win £1 per day then just a 5% increase in your average odds would more than double your profits from £365 per year to £730 per year! If you don't currently shop around for the best odds try this quick test to see how much money you are throwing away - more than you think we expect. Comparing the odds of your selections would be very time consuming if you were going to each bookmaker's website to check the prices of everything you fancy and then comparing them yourself to see which offers the most value. The fact that everything is compared on one page on one matrix and the best prices are highlighted makes the whole process much easier and quicker, giving you more time to spend studying the form. Using an odds comparison tool should be part of your betting life but just as important is to be responsible when gambling. On OLBG we always advise you bet within your means and have a range of helpful articles dedicated to this.

Platform News & Analysis Bet Calculator Live Score Integration
The Action Network High-Quality, Extensive Yes Yes
Oddschecker Basic Tips & Previews Yes Via Partners
BetExplorer Minimal No Core Feature
Sportsbook Review Forum & Community Yes No

Matched betting is a way to make money online by using the free bets and promotional offers that bookmakers give to new and existing customers.

  • BetUS Odds Feed - Real-time odds for major North American sports leagues
  • VSiN Odds - Vegas-focused tool comparing opening and closing lines
  • Don Best - Historical line comparison service used by professionals
  • Sports Insights - Tracks betting percentages and sharp money alongside odds
  • Oddsshark - Popular for U.S. sports with moneyline, spread, and total comparisons

With matched betting, we place two bets on the same sporting event to cover every possible outcome. This is the initial bet you place to unlock the free bet offer. For example, a bookmaker might say: “Bet £10, get £50 in free bets.” By following the matched betting process correctly, we don’t risk our qualifying bet. We don’t aim to win or lose; instead, we cover all outcomes so that, after very small costs, the free bet is unlocked. Next, we repeat the process using the free bet rather than our own money. This is where we make our profit. Done correctly, we can typically lock in 75%+ of the free bet value as guaranteed profit, no matter who wins the event.

  • Smarkets Betting Exchange - Focuses on exchange odds versus traditional bookmakers
  • Betfair Exchange - The leading peer-to-peer betting exchange for comparing lay/back odds
  • BetConnect - Specialist tool for comparing prices from independent bookmakers
  • Matchbook - Another prominent exchange with a strong odds comparison interface
  • Betdaq - Global betting exchange providing alternative odds markets

In our example, we use a £50 free bet to generate £37.50+ profit by following the matched betting process.

  • The Action Network - Mobile app with clean odds comparison and betting trends
  • Pregame.com - App-focused odds comparison with alerts for line movements
  • Sportsbook Review - Mobile-optimized site for quick odds checks on the go
  • Covers.com - App includes odds comparison from major U.S. and global sportsbooks
  • BetStamp - Aggregator app that scans for best odds across legal sportsbooks
  • RotoGrinders - DFS-focused but includes sportsbook odds comparison tools

Here at OddsMonkey, you can learn all about the UK’s best side hustles in matched betting and value betting. As a way to earn extra income, OddsMonkey provides you with the top tools and resources to lock in profits from using bookmaker’s promotional offers.

All Sports Predictions

Sleepers are selections that are much bigger at one bookmaker than the rest. This may be because they simply don't fancy it but is most commonly because the traders have been slow to react to changes in the market. This is a particularly good tool for trading. The bookmaker with the best odds in general, if not looking bet betting comparison sites to specialise is a specific sport, or market, would be bet365 who day in day out offer great odds on all types of sports, events, and specialised betting markets from their betting website. Yes, bigger odds are better when making bets on an event to happen.

Arbitrage Betting

If you back something at 2/1 when you could have bet at 3/1 then, it would be a bad decision. This situation is reversed if you are playing the bookmaker, perhaps on a betting exchange, where you want to 'lay' bets at lower odds. There are two options if you are looking for the best odds on horse racing. Firstly, using a betting exchange is one way of getting, in general, better odds than using a traditional bookmaker. Betfair bet new customer offers sports betting SP consistently outperforms the normal industry starting price. Since launching in 2011, OddsMonkey has become a leading name in matched betting and a trusted choice for thousands of users. As pioneers behind the original OddsMatcher software, we provide advanced tools, betting calculators, and expert insights while continuously evolving to keep pace with industry changes and help members stay ahead. Since being founded in 2011, OddsMonkey has established itself as a leading authority in matched betting across the UK.

  • BonusBank - Compares odds alongside available sign-up offers and bonuses
  • Profit Accumulator - Tools for matched betting with integrated odds comparison
  • OddsMonkey - Focuses on odds comparison for arbitrage and value betting opportunities
  • Outplayed - Provides odds software for identifying value across bookmakers
  • BonusSeeker - Tracks odds boosts and enhanced price promotions

As the team behind the original OddsMatcher software, we deliver powerful tools, detailed calculators, and trusted guidance designed to help members generate consistent results.