Best bookmaker for Premier League betting
Leading tipster site Betting Expert compares bookmakers’ Premier League offerings, comparing their odds, markets, commission levels and features to determine the best in the UK.
For this research, we focused our attention on one particular game. This was the opening Premier League game in the 19/20 season between Manchester United and Chelsea.
One of the most important factors for punters when deciding which bookmaker to bet with is the odds on offer.
We compared the odds for match result, over/under 2.5 and Asian handicap markets.
We also looked at the range of Premier League promotions, live streaming and statistics.
In the table below, we’ve displayed 25 of the top bookmakers in the UK. We analysed each of their offerings on the English Premier League.
Top bookmakers for Premier League betting
The top five bookmakers that offered the most well-rounded, competitive Premier League betting experience were:
- 888sport
- Unibet
- Betsafe
- LeoVegas
- ComeOn
There’s a tie for number one place, with 888sport and Unibet sharing top spot. What makes these two operators different from their competitors?
Both excelled in all of the areas we looked at. For the Manchester United versus Chelsea match, both of these operators offered 132 markets. Both also offered competitive odds on the match result, over/under and Asian handicap markets we analysed.
In addition, 888sport and Unibet offered excellent odds on the title winner and top goalscorer markets we researched.
Moving on to other features, both operators offer a statistics service. These stats provide players with information such as past results, current form, top goalscorers and more.
Specific Premier League promotions are available at both 888sport and Unibet too. Both bookmakers offer a Bet Builder feature on major football leagues. Live streaming is also available on selected football competitions.
In third place was Betsafe. Betsafe has performed well in all of our bookmaker comparisons, and this review was no different. This operator actually offered more markets than 888sport and Unibet.
Odds for either side to win in our chosen game were also slightly longer than our number one choices. Betsafe also took a lower commission than any bookmaker tested on individual game markets, with the exception of Marathonbet.
Outright odds were also competitive here, though 888sport and Unibet offered much more value on most outright markets we tested. We did, however, find that with the outright winner market, Betsafe charged a much higher commission.
Our fourth placed operator was LeoVegas. This might perhaps come as a surprise to some as LeoVegas is typically viewed more as a casino than a sportsbook operator.
The number of markets available for Manchester United against Chelsea was much lower than at most of its competitors. LeoVegas did, however, offer most major markets, with odds among the most competitive we found.
Rounding out our top five was ComeOn. It offered an excellent range of markets for Manchester United v Chelsea, and commission was reasonably low.
League outright winner and top goalscorer odds
One of the most interesting findings of our research was the difference in outright winner odds between bookmakers. Manchester City is favourite for the title, and the odds rarely differ between bookies.
However, if we look at Arsenal, considered sixth favourite, the difference in odds is huge. The longest odds we found were 67.0, with the shortest at 34.0.
We chose our best bookmakers for the outright winner market based on those which offered the best odds and the lowest bookmaker commission. Our top five bookmakers were as follows:
- Matchbook
- LeoVegas
- 888sport
- Unibet
- Betway
In terms of the top goalscorer market, there was little difference in odds for the big favourites between the operators we tested. However, as we looked at other players, the difference was apparent. For example, odds on Gabriel Jesus of Manchester City to finish as top goalscorer ranged from 26.0 to 34.0.
Once again, we chose our top bookmakers using the odds on offer and the commission charged.
- LeoVegas
- 888sport
- Unibet
- Betsafe
- SkyBet
Best football market coverage
We compared how many separate markets were available on the Manchester United v Chelsea game. From our data, we established that Marathonbet offered the biggest range, with a massive 390 markets available.
In second place was popular bookie William Hill, which offered 201 markets. Betsafe came in third place, with 176.
Lowest bookmaker commission
Another aspect punters consider when looking for a bookmaker is bookmaker margins. We calculated the lowest bookmaker commission on the 1X2, over/under 2.5 and Asian handicap markets.
For the 1X2, or match result market, we compared the odds on offer from all bookmakers in our test. Marathonbet had the lowest margin for this market at 2.32%. Betsafe was in second place with 2.42%, and Matchbook followed with 2.85% commission.
In the over/under 2.5 market, Marathonbet also offered the lowest bookmaker commission rate with a commission percentage of 2.26%. Next lowest was Matchbook’s at 2.72%, with BetVictor in third place with 3.43%.
It’s important to note that not all bookmakers tested offer Asian handicap odds. Of those which do offer this popular market, Matchbook offered the lowest commission at 1.40%. BetVictor was just behind with 1.41%, followed by GentingBet in third place with 2.42%.
Additional features
It’s more than just odds and markets that determine which bookmakers are most attractive to players for Premier League betting. We also compared other features for each bookmaker, assessing statistics, promotions and live streaming facilities.
Statistics
Most operators featured in our best bookmakers for Premier League betting guide offered some form of football statistics. These included:
Live Streaming
Currently no UK bookmaker can legally broadcast Premier League games live to its customers, however, many live streaming options on other leagues and tournaments are available.
Bet365 is famous for its live streaming service. In addition, streaming facilities are available at the bookies listed in the table below.
Promotions
There are a range of football promotions available at the majority of bookmakers we researched. Even if there’s no specific football promotion, there is usually a welcome bonus available.
One of the most popular football betting opportunities right now is Bet Builder. Many of the bookmakers in our guide offer some form of Bet Builder or Request A Bet opportunities.
Sometimes punters want to edit a bet they’ve placed. Currently, there are only four bookmakers that allow them to do this: bet365, Ladbrokes, Sportingbet and NetBet.
Overall, our research into the top Premier League bookmakers came to a similar conclusion as a number of investigations in our ‘best bookmaker’ series – that smaller operators can in many cases be more competitive than the more famous names.
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