Thanks to in-play betting, you can wager on the outcome of the next ball in cricket or your footy club to score a last-minute goal to win the match. These bookies don’t just provide you with the basic live betting markets and opportunities to stake mid-match wagers. Nowadays, practically all online bookies deliver in play betting possibilities, but there is a gulf of difference in the quality between what you will find out there.
Getting down into the nitty gritty details, from quickly you can make a mid-match deposit to how quickly the real time odds regenerate, and even what kinds of extra features or betting tools bookies provide during matches, there are many aspects that can elevate the live betting experience at your bookie of choice.
Below, you will find the best UK bookies for live betting. These sites offer the best live odds and have the most markets!
Best In Play Betting Sites
If you are looking to bet live in play, the BettingTools team have found the best UK bookies that can offer you just that. We have a thorough rating criteria, and to ensure you get real first hand insights, our team personally tests the best live betting sites. We run our tests, try different types of live bets, and even test out any of the bookies own betting tools and live betting features. This way, you know precisely what you are getting at any live betting sites.
The following sites stand out from the crowd when it comes to placing in play bets, and for each we have highlighted their key features and the reasons why they have made our shortlist. From football to darts, these bookies have the best odds and in play betting experience going.
#1. BoyleSports – Overall Best In-Play UK Bookmaker
BoyleSports has firmly established itself in the UK betting scene, and we simply can’t fault its live betting features. The interface is highly intuitive and you can easily jump into any live match and browse through the voluminous list of in play bets. BoyleSports has live streams for numerous sports, including cricket, basketball, football, tennis, and eSports, but it doesn’t cover any of the really big hyped up matches. However, you can still track the action through its live match tracker display.
Everything is neatly organised, there are little icons next to all cash out wagers, and there are more than enough of those to excite punters. Plus, we just found the offering of live player bets, props, and those “next to” bets was a lot more comprehensive than other bookies. BoyleSports has a variety of Early Payout perks, extending to rugger, baseball, footie, tennis, and even boxing (opponent knockdown pays out early). BoyleSports is king when it comes to reload boosts, free bets and other perks. it also has generous live betting cash out offers and live odds.
Pros:
- Intuitive live betting navigation and interface
- Endless Early Payout live betting tools
- Covers over 40 sports categories
Cons:
- Not many specific live betting bonuses
- Could have more live streams
#2. BetFred – Best Footie Bonuses For In-Play Betting
BetFred stands out for its excellent array of bonuses, many of which extend to live betting. For instance, its Acca Flex, which can provide a boost of 2.5% up to 100% on accas or a refund if 1 selection loses, is a game changer. Open any live match, and you are equipped with a tonne of live betting markets, including Race To, Next To, and other flash bets. It also has an excess of match statistics, live streams, and match trackers. Plus, you can use the exceptional bet builder to cover multiple sports and make swift live bets.
One of the winning features at BetFred is the Double Delight and Hattrick Heaven feature. You bet on a goalscorer in a footie match, and if they can net a brace, the odds are doubled. A hattrick sees your odds triple, so you can bang a mighty return. Then, there are recurring free bets offers, daily rewards, and the free to play game, BeatFred.
In terms of live betting, the double delight & hattrick heaven, the early payout offers, Acca Flex and generous cash outs give you all you need to bring the most out of your live footie bets. Payments are easy to manage here, and you can top up your account with as little as £5 to fund those high value live bets.
Pros:
- Quality live streams
- Loads of intriguing live props and Race To/Next To bets
- Many recurring free bet offers
- Smooth payment options and £5 minimum deposit
Cons:
- A lot of the live bonuses are only for footie
#3. Coral – Generous Cash Out Offers For Live Betting
One of the most versatile bookies out there, Coral is perfect for horse race betting, has an excess of free games and daily rewards, and it also covers a wide range of sports. There is no end to the rewards and nifty little perks Coral equips punters with. We especially like the interface, where you can filter in play betting markets and combine live betting accas on the spot. For footie betting, you can browse the main markets, or flash betting markets such as Next to Score, BTTS, total goals, and various others.
Click on any ongoing match, and you will get a neat bundle of wagers to pick from. And many of these have cash out functions attached. These cash out offers extend to bets such as Double Chance, Half Time, 3-Way Handicaps, Total Goals, BTTS, First Team to Score, and many others. There are only a few live betting markets that don’t have cash out options. Naturally, the bets on the next 5, 10 or 15 minutes don’t carry such cashouts, as they can win or lose in a matter of minutes. But otherwise, Coral is one of the top bookies for cash out offers.
Pros:
- Cash out functions offered on majority of live bets
- Easy live bet filter tools
- Next 5, 10 and 15 minute markets, and Race to bets
Cons:
- Few live streams offered
#4. BetVictor – Amazing Odds Boosts For Live Betting
In-play betting is available at BetVictor 24/7 with 1,000+ daily events. You’ll find markets for football, tennis, e-sports, cricket, basketball, rugby, ice hockey, and a whole lot more.
BetVictor has been around since the 1940s and has done a fantastic job adapting to the times. They offer a world-class interactive in-play betting experience with detailed stats, rare markets like handicaps, and thousands of weekly live streams.
BetVictor is also the king when it comes to odds boosts for in-play markets. In the past, they ran crazy promotions where they would boost odds up to 100/1!
Pros:
- Huge odds boosts for live sporting events
- Easy-to-use interface
- 1,000+ daily in-play events
- Constantly expanding markets
- Top-rated mobile app
Cons:
- Limited markets for virtual sports
#5. William Hill – Best In-Play Bookie For Streaming
William Hill is one of the most recognisable bookmakers and has been taking bets since the 1930s. They consistently have market-beating odds for basketball, table tennis and cricket in-play markets.
William Hill also impresses us with the sheer number of live betting options, including everything from 1×2 to handicap to exotic props and over/unders for endless game statistics.
If you want to catch epic live sporting events for free or just keep an eye on your wager, then William Hill is your top live streaming bookie. They broadcast from 24 racecourses, and you can tune into esports, football, cricket and live basketball matches from around the world.
The bookie also has a range of other exciting features and benefits, such as the excellent William Hill Plus Card which allows you to cash out your bets in one of the high street bookie shops.
Pros:
- Generous free bet promos
- Superior odds for in-play betting
- 30+ live betting markets
- 24/7 HD live streaming
Cons:
- The website is a little outdated
What Is In-Play Betting?
In-play betting is a type of sports betting where you gamble on events which are underway. So if you place a wager after kick-off, that is an in-play bet.
Live betting has grown massively in popularity over recent years. The idea that you can be clever and try and outwit the bookie is appealing to most punters. You might have noticed a pattern early in a game and think the odds, in real-time, don’t reflect what you are seeing. That is your opportunity to jump in and put some cash down.
Live betting is a type of reactionary bet from what you are currently seeing, rather than making a prediction before the match begins going on previous form, stats, head-to-head records etc.
How Does Live Betting Work?
Live betting works almost the same as pre-match betting. You just add your wager to your bet slip, enter your stake, and submit your bet. You’ll also find the same markets like 1X2, handicap, props, and over/unders.
The only significant difference is the volatility of the odds. In pre-match betting, the odds barely move and aren’t subject to violent shifts. In live betting, it’s the complete opposite, at a moment’s notice, favourites can become heavy underdogs and vice versa.
Unless a star player gets injured or there is some big lineup change, bookies usually only update the pre-match odds in response to large amounts of money being bet on a certain team.
So, let’s say the Chicago Bulls are paying 3/2 while the New York Knicks are paying 5/9. If millions of pounds start being wagered on the Bulls, the bookies may reduce the odds to 6/5 and increase the Knick’s odds to 2/3. This is so the bookie can profit no matter who wins.
In live betting, the odds are constantly responding to what is happening in the game. England could start the game as a big favourite over Switzerland, but then suddenly the Swiss score just before half-time, and the bookies scramble to update the odds to reflect the new reality of the match.
How to Place an In-Play Bet
Placing a live bet is just as simple as placing a bet before a match starts. The biggest difference is the real-time flow of the games that will adjust the odds. Here are some quick steps to placing an in-play bet.
Choose the game you are interested in: Hold fire diving right in and spend a few minutes watching how the game begins and unfolds for both teams before making a decision.
Choose the market you want to bet on: You can choose from the next scorer, the next player to pick up a booking and bet on cards, the number of corners for the rest of the first half, the next Ace. There is a huge range of options.
Add Bet: Add your selection to your bet slip and then enter your stake. Always remember that the odds will change once the action gets underway. Most bookies now have some form of a Bet Builder feature available to combine bets, which will increase the odds so it would be a good option to use that feature, as well.
Watch the match: If it looks like going wrong quickly, use the cash out option so you at least leave with something.
What Sports Are Available For In-Play Betting?
In-play betting has well and truly gone mainstream. There are in-play markets for virtually every sport from football to F1 to rugby to tennis. You can live bet on everything from EPL games to table tennis tournaments in the Czech Republic.
The most popular sports for in-play betting in the UK are:
- Football
- Tennis
- Cricket
- Golf
- Boxing
- MMA
- Basketball
- eSports
There are some sports in which the live betting options are very limited, or there are no in-play bets whatsoever. For instance, horse races and greyhound races do not have live wagers. Considering most horse races are around 2 miles in distance, and last 2 to 3 minutes, it shouldn’t be a surprise. Also, many track and field, swimming, or athletic sports won’t have the same in-play wagering opportunities, there may be some bookies that offer these bets, but they are a rarity.
While a bookie may cover niche events like Aussie Rules or hurling competitions, the in-play betting opportunities would be pretty limited. It wouldn’t really make sense for the bookie to put in the time and resources to generate real time odds on these events if they are’t widely used.
How We Rank In-Play Betting Sites
We have a set of strict criteria for any betting site to be listed on BettingTools, regardless of if we are ranking horse racing sites or the best live betting sites. Here are some of the most important factors, so you can see what we look at in detail from every recommendation on our ranking lists.
Safety
Every betting site on BettingTools is fully licensed, with state-of-the-art encryption and clear terms and conditions that don’t aim to mislead the customer.
Bonuses and Promotions
We live to see creative bonus ideas with easy terms and conditions. Free bets, boosts, and insurance offers are generally offered for prematch wagers, but flexible bookies may extend these perks to any live betting markets too. Reading the fine print here is essential.
Bookies Live Betting Tools
These special features and perks can take your live betting to whole new heights. Among the bookies own betting tools for live betting, you can find cash out functions, early payout, substitutions/retirement guarantees, and various others.
Mobile App
Most people prefer betting on their mobile, so any operator we recommend will have an excellent betting app for iOS and Android devices. Expect an intuitive design and a mobile experience that is as good as using a desktop.
Payment Methods
Trusted payment options, no or minimal fees, instant deposits and popular withdrawal methods. You never know when you will need to send a fiver into your betting account in the last minute to capitalise on an unmissable live bet. The best live betting sites give you that option, and handle your deposits instantly so you won’t miss out on any chance. This should also extend to mobile devices.
Odds Offered
Ultimately, as enjoyable as betting is, we all want to win some money at the end of it. So, the more generous the odds, the better. Plus, the real time odds should update seamlessly. This is where you can easily distinguish the best live betting sites from an average bookie. How long the markets are suspended for during important events in a match, and how long they take to come back, you would be surprised at just how quickly the best live betting sites beat the market average.
Customer Support
If you come across any issues, you want to get some help as quickly as possible. So we assess the quality of the customer support team and only recommend sites that provide an excellent service.
Best Live Betting Sites In-Play Betting Features
Bookie features and special betting tools extend to in play betting. Each bookie has its own exclusive offering when it comes to perks and betting tools, and the following are an outline of the types of in-play betting features you will find out there.
Super Sub Feature: A number of top UK bookies are now offering Super Sub perks, where you can continue your bet if your chosen player gets subbed. You bet on a player to score Over X goals, and if they are subbed, the player that comes on for your chosen player can continue your bet. If the sub and the original player’s goal tally takes you over the line, you win your bet. It can be used for goalscorer, total goals, total shots, and various other bets.
Double Delight & Hattrick Heaven: A BetFred special, goalscorer bets pay out at double odds if your player scores a brace. Should they get a hattrick, your goalscorer bets will treble.
Substitution/Retirement Guarantees: If your football player is subbed, instead of losing your bet, your bet may be refunded. Or, a bookie with Super Sub will carry on the bet to the subbed player. In tennis, a player who is injured and retires basically results in any bets on them getting voided, and your stakes refunded. These are essentially guarantees that if your player cannot finish the match, you won’t lose your bets.
Fast Deposits: In case you ever need to make a quick deposit to catch a live bet, these bookies provide instant deposit payment methods. The fast bank transfers don’t need all your bank account details or for you to fill in a form. No, just set how much you want to deposit, authenticate the payment, and the money will hit your betting account instantly.
Cash-out: All betting sites that want to be considered as top quality will offer cash out. This allows the customer the opportunity to at least make some returns if a bet isn’t going too well before the final outcome. The best live betting sites don’t just provide loads of cash out bets, but they will also give you options to make partial cash outs.
Early Payout: The most typical early payout offer is a 2UP early payout on footie matches. A lot of bookies offer 2UP early payouts, and some, like BetVictor or BoyleSports also offer 1UP and alternate early payouts. There are various types of early payout you will find, extending also to basketball, baseball, tennis, and other popular sports punters like the bet on in the UK.
Live Streams: A quality live stream gives you the chance to watch the event you are betting on in real-time, adding to the excitement.
Wide range of markets: We want to see as many sports available as possible, from mainstream events like a Premier League match to more niche options like volleyball.
Should You Stick To In-Play Betting or Pre-match Betting?
A key advantage of in-play betting is that it allows you to determine if your pre-match hypotheses were correct. For example, you think that Stefanos Tsitsipas’ backhand is a liability on hard court against Carlos Alcaraz’s pace. You watch the first set, see the high number of unforced errors Tsitsipas is hitting, and bet on Alcaraz.
Another great thing about in-play betting is that it allows you to hedge your wagers. If you decide to bet on Man City to win in the pre-match market but Aston Villa goes up to 2-1, you can reduce your potential loss by backing Villa in the in-play market.
An issue with in-play betting is the odds can go against you. Let’s say you’ve crunched the numbers and think Fulham has a great chance of upsetting Liverpool. However, you decide to watch the first 15 minutes of the match to get a feel for the game. If Aleksandar Mitrovic scores an early brilliant individual goal, suddenly, your bet is ruined because the odds on Fulham winning have been slashed. Granted, the opposite can also happen. If Liverpool instead scored an early goal, you’d be thanking your lucky stars that you didn’t back the Cottagers in the pre-match markets!
If you’re not a disciplined bettor, you should stay away from in-play betting because you’re likely to make impulsive wagers. When you are watching all the different markets and odds jump around, it becomes too tempting to place ill-informed bets.
In-play betting is also far more complex than pre-match betting. This is because there are more variables to consider, such as the time left in the game, the current scoreline, the players’ form, and the teams’ strategies. Let’s say you make a pre-match bet on Arsenal to beat West Ham. You know the score starts at 0-0, the Gunners have 90 minutes to win the game, and you assume players are in typical form. However, fast forward to just before half-time, West Ham is up 1-0, and Bukayo Saka is having a bad game. Trying to calculate Arsenal’s odds of winning is now far more difficult.
Pros
- Assess teams before placing a bet
- Hedge your wagers
- Potential for great odds
- Interactive sports betting experience
- Makes any sporting event interesting to watch
Cons
- Odds can move against you
- More complex than pre-match betting
What Is the Most Profitable Live Betting Strategy?
There are various ways to place live bets, and many associated strategies through which you can use your expertise to value bets mid match and look for the best real time betting prices. Unlike prematch betting, you need to be very quick here and make decisions in the blink of an eye. If you hesitate for a minute or two, the opportunity may fly right by.
For all live betting strategies, we recommend having a controlled bankroll for your live wagers, and don’t go over the top. The pressure and the FOMO of live betting is a lot more palpable than prematch betting, and here, it can be easy to get carried away and make some reckless or impulsive wagers.
Set your bankroll for a live event, and while you have the option to make quickfire topups, we recommend thinking forward and allocating your budget for the match ahead of time. Don’t leave it to the very last minute unless you have no other option. If possible, as well, try to preplan your live betting. Ask questions such as:
- How much do you want to spend on this match?
- How many bets will you place mid match?
- Are there any specific bets you are after – if so – what price works best for you?
But let’s not leave this open ended, we will go into some strategies to help you answer these questions and best prepare for the next time you place live bets.
Watch and Bet
The classic live betting strategy is to wait for the first few minutes of the game, get a feel for the rhythm, which players are poised to shine, and using your knowledge of the game, make your assumptions. In football betting, looking for aspects such as the final lineups, what strategies the managers have decided to go for, and whether there are any players who look shaky or brimming with confidence.
The realtime odds can’t really gauge aspects such as how confident a player seems, or whether their tactical lineup will give them the upper hand against another team. No, bookies use stats and stats alone to feed their odds generating algorithms. You have the personal touch, and a gut instinct which you can use to make quick assumptions and bet on the direction you think the match is heading towards.
Live Flash Betting
The best live betting sites provide you with practically all of the same bets that you would find prematch, and they don’t stop there. One of the biggest perks of live betting is that you can bet on aspects of a match such as what will happen next, in that relative point of time.
These types of bets go by a lot of names, including “Next To Bets”, “Lightning Bets”, “Flash Bets”, and various others. For instance, in football, you will find the following:
- Next team to score
- Will either team score in the next X minutes
- Next goalscorer
And just for variety, in tennis you can find:
- The ongoing game to go to deuce
- Who will win the current game
- Who will win the next set
- Total Aces/Deuces in the ongoing set
These markets will come and go in the blink of an eye, and tennis is one of the roughest in-play sports to bet on. The bets will go live at serve breaks, and you will have only a few seconds to confirm your live bets. But be wary, the odds can fluctuate aggressively depending on the result of a single serve.
In-Play Bet Hedging
This requires more premeditation and a hedged betting calculator, but it can be a very rewarding venture for any punters with a keen eye and a strict plan. You play a prematch bet on one team to win, and then during the match, when the odds on the other team are sufficient, you place a live hedged bet on them to win. Thus, it doesn’t matter which team wins, you will win one of your bets regardless of the final outcome.
It is a bit trickier on football, where you have 3 way match bets, so either you go for the Draw No Bet or the Double Chance wagers. Or, make a 3-way hedging strategy, but this can be quite complicated.
The advantage of this type of bet is that, given the odds swing in your favour, you can lock in some profits for any given match. The disadvantage is that your Net returns must cover both your prematch stake and your live hedged bet stake. So you aren’t looking at a larger profit margin as opposed to just placing the one bet.
We would recommend dropping those David vs Goliath matches, and look for evenly-matched fixtures, where the odds on either team are ample. That way, if your chosen team takes a strong lead, you don’t necessarily need to place a hedged bet. But should you see signs that the other team may steal the win, lock the odds in while they are hot, and then you can sit back and relax.
Courtsiding Live Betting
The most profitable live betting strategy is known as courtsiding. However, it’s also one of the trickiest to implement. How it works is you attend a live sporting event and then, using an electronic device, relay the score to your buddies, who then place a bet.
The goal of courtsiding is to be faster than the data companies that the bookies rely on and make bets before the bookmakers can update their odds. For example, you witness a tennis player break his opponent’s serve and go up 4-3. You then place a bet on him to win the first set while the bookmaker still thinks the score in the service game is 30-40.
While courtsiding is simple in theory, it’s difficult to pull off because sports betting data companies have become much faster. Also, sports officials are constantly on the lookout for courtsiders and will kick you out of the stadium.
The world of courtsiding is incredibly secretive with betting syndicates travelling around the world to obscure places and tournaments where there are lags in data and security is weak. If you want to get the jump on the bookmakers, get ready to go to tennis tournaments in Rwanda or ice hockey games in Kyrgyzstan.
Final Thoughts
Thanks to live betting, you’ll never have to sit through another boring footy game again. Bet throughout the game on everything from the number of corners to the next player to be booked, and take advantage of dynamic odds.
Open an account at any of our recommended in-play betting sites above via our links and get access to live markets for 20+ sports, low commission odds, and exclusive bonuses!
FAQs
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What is an in-play bet?An in-play bet is any sports bet you make while the event is underway. For example, betting on Chelsea to beat Arsenal after they go up 1-0 in the 33rd minute.
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Is it better to bet in-play?In-play can be better than pre-match betting as it allows you to study both teams in real time before placing a wager. However, the odds can move against you and reduce your payout, for example, if the team you were planning on betting on scores an early goal.
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Which bookmaker is the best for live betting?The best bookmaker for live betting is bet365. Other great bookies are William Hill, BetVictor, Paddy Power, and Sportingbet.
