How we rank betting sites
On Bookiesbonuses.com, you will find lists of the best betting sites within each country. We only list excellent bookmakers, so if one isn't as high in our rankings as another, that should not necessarily put you off.
You can rest assured that all of the betting sites listed on our pages are fully legitimate and worth your consideration. Otherwise, we would not have them on our website.
Every bettor has different preferences and priorities so some betting sites may be more suitable for certain people more than others. But we rank the betting sites on Bookies Bonuses, and we do so based on the below factors.
Betting sites ranking criteria
Of course, there are other elements that are key to determining the overall quality of a betting site, and you can read about them in detail across our betting site reviews.
Licence
First and foremost, the betting site must be licenced and regulated. Of course, the bookmaker would not make it onto our list without a licence, but we consider this to be crucial.
We list betting sites that are licenced in a range of countries worldwide. Some are only available in a handful of countries, whereas international betting sites like Betway and Bet365 cover a much wider scope, and this certainly helps their position in our rankings.
The legal situation is different in many of the countries we feature on Bookies Bonuses, but in the UK, for example, online betting sites are required to hold a licence from the UK Gambling Commission in order to operate in the country.
Betting odds
Value is important when using online betting sites and a high payout percentage is a prerequisite for that.
There is no single betting site with the best odds on every market, but we have analysed the payout percentage across each of the bookmakers we have listed, and consider some to be better than others in this regard.
The higher the payout percentage is on a betting site, the smaller the cut is that the bookie takes from punters on each market.
Anything above 95% can be considered an excellent payout rate, and ideally, you want to be avoiding betting sites that pay out less than 92%.
You may find that bookmakers set a higher payout percentage for top level sporting events, and a lower rate for more niche competitions.
If two outcomes are each priced at 1.91, that indicates a 95.5% payout.
Betting markets
Competition is fierce among online betting sites and one of the best ways for some to steal a march over others is by offering a wide range of markets.
This can apply to the number of markets that are offered within the major sporting events or the selection of sports that are available to bet on.
For example, in the English Premier League, many bettors don't just want to bet on the standard markets anymore. The expectation is now for them to have player props, Asian lines, set-piece markets, and more.
Esports has increased in popularity and betting sites have made this a priority in recent years, while some niche sports have also come to the fore and must now be given attention by bookies.
Functionality
Many new functions and features have been introduced to online betting sites as of late, and the ones at the top of our rankings are leading the way in terms of live betting, streaming, cash out, bet builders, and more.
The increase in technology has coincided with the demand for these new features, and the top betting sites all have state-of-the-art apps on offer now as well.
We give preference to betting sites with a great app and live streaming.
Every site has a live betting offering of sorts, but some offer more markets than others and even offer an in-play bet builder.
Through live streaming services on betting sites, you can watch many European football leagues, plus the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB.
Betting offers & promotions
As you can tell by our brand name, Bookies Bonuses, we consider betting offers, promotions, and bonuses to be hugely important.
When setting our rankings, we consider the quality not just of the welcome offer, but also the existing customer promotions.
Certain types of betting offers are more popular in different countries. In the UK, most sign up offers include free bets, whereas betting sites in India tend to have deposit bonuses instead.
As a regular user of a bookmaker, you can take advantage of frequent promotions such as Acca Insurance or Enhanced Odds, and these deals are arguably even better than new customer offers in the long run.
Payment methods
The more different banking options that are available through online bookmakers, the more flexibility the user has.
In some countries, payment methods are absolutely pivotal. PayPal is available on most UK betting sites but in other territories, it is only accepted by a few bookies.
Other eWallets such as Skrill and Neteller are always welcome inclusions, and so are prepaid cards such as Paysafecard.
Some sportsbooks and casinos have taken it a step further and now accept cryptocurrency.