There are many factors and criteria that define whether a betting site can be classed as ‘the best’ when it comes to football betting.

We have compared the different betting sites' respective strengths and weaknesses and decided on a few that we think are the best for football betting. 

We have looked at which betting sites offer the best odds, live odds, offers, and campaigns. 

After considering lots of excellent bookies, we have narrowed it down to the below list. These betting sites achieve a high standard within all of the relevant criteria and are therefore rated as the best sites for football betting.

Best Football Betting Sites

1. Betfair: Number one exchange in the business
2. Betway: Range of Betway Boosts
3. Bet365: Best live betting in the world
4. BetVictor: Unique enhanced odds offering
5. 888sport: Fresh new betting platform
6. Ladbrokes: Reliable, classic bookie
7. Paddy Power: Lots of spontaneous promos
8. Betfred: #PickYourPunt bet builder
   

Football stretches across all countries of the world, and it is therefore not a surprise that it is the most common sport to bet on, globally. It also means that betting sites’ always are looking for new types of bets on football. This has lead to a plethora of opportunities for football punters, especially in major tournaments.

Below are some of the most common ways to bet on football, along with some pointers in terms of which bookies do them best.

Full-time result

A three-way bet on the winner of the game. You can back either side or bet on a draw. This is, of course, the bare minimum you will find on any football betting site. More often than not, you will find the best match winner odds on the Betfair Exchange where you bet against other punters.

Draw no bet

In this instance, you pick a winner but if it ends as a draw, the bet is voided and you get your stake back. A much safer play but odds are lower than the standard match-winner market.

Double Chance

Perhaps a good option if you are betting on an underdog, you can go for double chance and this means you win if they draw or win. You'll find this option on all top betting sites, including Betway and Ladbrokes.

Goals over/under

This can be a two-way or a three-way market. Two-way is more straightforward, as if the line is set at 2.5 for example, you simply either win or lose. If it is three-way, the line will be set as a whole number such as 2, and 'exactly 2 goals' would be the third option along with the over and under.

On top betting sites such as Bet365, you can bet on Asian total goals, which is more complex again.

Both teams to score

This is exactly what it sounds like. A two-way market where you can bet on “yes” or “no”.

Asian Handicap

Something most beginners would usually avoid, but this can be a fun way to bet on football. The oddsmakers essentially give one team a headstart, making it as close to a 50-50 contest as possible, and then you pick a side. It can get complicated when quarter goals are involved, so be sure to check our Asian Handicap guide and learn all about it.

A good place to start, though, is to understand that if you back a team with an Asian handicap of 0.0, this is the same as draw no bet. If you back a team with an Asian handicap of +0.5, this is the same as double chance.

In recent years, bet builders have gone from being a special feature offered by one or two bookies, to now being an essential part of a betting site.

This popular feature allows you to put together exactly the bet you want. You can combine a range of selections such as the match result, goalscorers, cards, and corners into one big bet - essentially, a same game accumulator.

Some bookies allow you to add player stats to your bet builder, with shots or shots on target among the most common.

Not all bet builders have to be long shots, but you can combine multiple bet builders into one big accumulator if you really want to shoot for the stars.

All the betting sites that we have mentioned above frequently update their sites with offers focused on football. 

It is hard to say which betting site offers the best football offers. It varies, but can you can say that Bet365 offer the best promotions for European football.

Classic bookies like Betfred also do a great job in this regard, and you can regularly find free bets on their site.

A very easy way to keep track of what promotions for football are available is to follow the betting sites on social media. An even easier way is to take a look at our football betting offers page, which details all of the best deals on the market.

The most common football betting offers include, but are not limited to:

• Free bets
• Bet 10 Get 30
• Deposit bonus
• Acca Insurance
• Acca bonus
• Early payout
• Money back

A cash out feature is vital in order for football betting sites to compete in today’s climate. Therefore, most serious bookies take measures towards that end. 

The cash out offering used to be rigid, but some betting sites now really make an effort to improve their cash out function. Such improvements include:

• More markets available
• Partial cash out
• Automatic cash out
• 100% cash out before the event

Most, if not all bookies offer cash out on football markets, but the best ones are those that tick all of the above boxes.

The ability to cash out and get your whole stake back before the event starts (as long as the odds haven't changed) is a particularly beneficial feature, and one the Bet365 offers users.

Regardless of which football markets you are betting on, you want the very best odds possible. In fact, this is probably the number one most important thing when it comes to deciding which bookie to bet with.

Of course, it cannot be guaranteed that a certain bookie will have the best price for every available bet, but there are some that tend to have better odds across the board than others.

Some football betting sites are more generous when it comes to, for example, player props, whereas others might offer a higher payout percentage on the match-winner market.

A good way to judge the payout rate is by looking at a two-way market that is as close to 50-50 as possible and looking at the odds offered for each option. If the odds on two possible outcomes are 10/11 (1.91) apiece, that is much better than 5/6 (1.83).

You might find that the payout rate, and therefore the odds, are better on the top leagues than more niche leagues because the oddsmakers have more data at their disposal to be able to set accurate lines.

In-play action is a huge part of football betting today, and you can place wagers at any point during a match.

Sometimes, you might like to wait to see how the teams have set up tactically before locking in your wager. Or, if the favourite falls behind early, this represents a chance to back them to win at a much bigger price than they would have been pre-match.

On the best football betting sites for live betting, you'll be able to bet not only on the standard markets such as the result and total goals, but also on things like corners and cards.

Some bookies will even allow you to put together a bet builder in-play, whereas others have in-play boosts or specific football betting offers that are specific to in-play betting.

The top betting sites offer live streaming across a wide range of sports, and this includes the top European football leagues.

You won't be able to watch the Premier League through online bookies, but the likes of Bet365, Betfair, Ladbrokes, and other sites show action from Spain, Germany, Italy, France, and more.

On top of that, lots of niche leagues are widely available to watch. Whether it's in Argentina, Denmark, Japan or Belgium, the chances are, you'll find it on one of the below bookies.

Best Bookies for Live Football Streaming

• Bet365
• Betfair
• Ladbrokes
• Paddy Power
• Betfred