Best Betting Sites UK: Top New Online Sports Bookmakers 2026

Our top recommended virtual horse racing betting site: Betfred – for its Dash and Jumps modes. Because the format of greyhound and horse racing is very similar, virtual events in these sports are also near-identical. Winners, each-way, forecasts, tricasts and accas are also available with virtual greyhound events.

Betting Sign-up offers and new customer offers

Football, horse racing and greyhounds are the other virtual sports categories at Betano. New customers are entitled to £50 in free bets when they first sign up. Verdict: Exceptional for punters who enjoy fast-paced, high-scoring simulations. The list of virtual sports isn’t as long as real sports at UK betting sites, but there are still plenty of options for fans of this format. We’ve organised these sports into the individual sections below. Our recommended virtual greyhounds betting site: BoyleSports – due to immersive audio commentary and two derby formats.

14. Paddy Power: Best betting site for early payout features

Inside you’ll find three horse racing categories — flat, jumps and sprint — as well as World Cup, Club Football, greyhounds and motor racing. Each event has a 2–3-minute interval, so you’ll never be waiting long for the next one. New customers can claim £50 in free bets when they wager their first £10. Free bet tokens come in the form of bet builders, accumulators and multiples; the latter two can be used on virtual bets. Stand-out feature: Betfair’s cross-platform continuity means your betslip syncs between app and desktop in real time.

What New UK Betting Sites Do Differently

There’s little between Betfair and PaddyPower in terms of virtual sports markets. Both sites offer the same horse racing, greyhound racing, football and motor sports events; the difference is that PP opts for a Super League format as opposed to Betfair’s Club Football. There’s £30 of free bets available to new customers who wager £5 first, and these free bets can be used on virtual markets. PaddyPower is renowned for its frequent and high-quality promotions, so expect to see plenty of offers coming your way, including on virtual sports. Extra: Look out for “Virtual Happy Hours” — timed promos exclusive to the app.

7) Mobile experience

bet365 really attends to the burgeoning virtual sports market by offering an incredible 14 different sports to bet on: football, horse racing, greyhounds, cricket, American football, speedway, motor racing, darts, basketball, tennis, baseball, cycling, golf and trotting. Some of these sports, like trotting(?!) won’t be found anywhere else, and bet365 is adding new sports to its virtuals list all the time. For example, American football and baseball are brand-new additions to the line-up. Market depth is impressive within these categories too. In the tennis section, punters can bet on the precise score, winning margin and total points of a tie break. Virtual football rivals virtual horse and greyhound racing in terms of popularity and availability.

• Most sites offer dedicated mobile apps for iOS and Android devices
• Apple Pay and Google Pay are widely accepted for quick deposits
• Responsive websites provide full functionality on mobile browsers
• Push notifications for odds alerts, bet settlements, and promotions
• Touch ID and Face ID login for enhanced security and convenience

Matches are just as frequent, bet betting sites with free spins on registration taking place every three minutes, with in-game commentary giving each event a dose of realism.

• Match Result (1X2), Correct Score, and Both Teams to Score are core football markets
• Horse Racing Win/Each-Way, Forecast, and Tricast betting are standard
• Over/Under Total Points, Runs, or Goals is a popular alternative market
• Player Specials such as Anytime Goalscorer or Total Strikeouts
• Outright Winner betting for tournaments and league championships

Matches typically have a minimum of four highlights per half; each highlight ends with either a goal, a save or a missed chance which plays out on-screen.

• William Hill - Established UK bookmaker offering extensive football and horse racing markets
• Bet365 - Leading platform with in-play betting and live streaming for many sports
• Ladbrokes - High street brand with strong online presence and competitive odds
• Paddy Power - Known for novelty bets and generous promotional offers
• Coral - Popular for football acca insurance and daily price boosts

Some virtual betting sites have over ten different virtual football categories, but three is about par for the course.

New Betting Sites UK: Ten of the Best for Markets, Sports, and Betting Features

Sign up and claim £50 in free bets and use these tokens on bet365’s vast range of virtual sports. Why it ranks high: bet365 continually adds new disciplines and maintains the smoothest streaming engine in the sector. For those who like to head to the virtual races, Betfred offers four different racing categories: standard horse and greyhounds, as well as Dash Horses and Dash Greyhounds. There’s not much between them, except a change of track and some faster times, but it gives punters more options. I’m impressed with Betfred’s virtual horse racing betting options, which includes forecasts, tricasts and accas as well as standard singles and each-way bets.

Betfair World Cup offer 2026: Bet £10 Get £50 in free bet builders

Football, speedway, motor racing, darts, cycling and tennis make up the rest of Betfred’s virtual sports markets. New Betfred customers will be rewarded with £50 in free bets when they sign up and wager £10 of their own, which can be used on virtuals. Unique advantage: Virtual race results include full finishing orders and times, giving a near-real racing experience. Sky Bet offers six virtual sports: football, greyhounds, horse racing flats, horse racing jumps, motor racing and speedway. It’s not the widest selection, but I’m impressed by Sky Bet’s virtual football markets — as well as standard pre-match selections, punters can also wager on the correct score, total goals, double chance, and over/under 2.5 goals.

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For all other virtual sports at Sky Bet, punters can bet on winners, forecasts and tricasts. This virtual betting site currently offers one of the best welcome bonuses of all time: £30 in free bets when customers sign up and wager just 5p. You’ll need to deposit a minimum of £5 to qualify, but it’s still an outstanding deal. User interface: While the bet sign up bonus bookies sport list isn’t the longest, the user interface is top-tier and transitions between matches are smooth. Star Sports outperforms all other virtual football betting sites in this list by offering 11 different categories. Typical betting markets include match result, correct score, half-time score and over/under goals.

How Do Betting Odds Work? (Betting Odds Explained)

Midnite’s specialism is European virtual football, with punters able to place bets on the site’s equivalent of the Premier League, Serie A and La Liga. The teams are bet betting apps with sign up bonus uk easily recognisable too — for example, Man United are abbreviated to MNU, as opposed to Manchester Red at other sites. It’s the same story across Spain and Italy, with backgrounds modified to reflect each league. There’s a great range of betting markets on these virtuals too, including half time correct score, BTTS, double chance and more. Horse racing and greyhounds make up the other virtual sports at Midnite.

Great for Golf – BetTOM

Why we like it: High production values and precise European branding create authenticity. I was blown away by the quality of Betano’s virtual commentary. Whereas other sites deploy stock phrases that are out of sync with the action, Betano’s commentary genuinely feels like a real game. This is particularly true of its virtual basketball games, which are delivered in two leagues: the US League and the US League 2. Each game is split into four quarters, with the best of the action playing out on screen. Our recommended virtual football betting sites: Sky Bet – for market depth, and Star Sports – for number of leagues. Virtual tennis isn’t offered at as many sites as virtual horse and greyhound racing, but remains a popular option.

Why Online Sports Betting is Superior to Offline Betting

Virtual horse racing is one of the most popular virtual sports to bet on and is available at every site in our top ten list. The best virtual horse racing sites run a range of different events, such as flats, jumps and sprints, just like regular horse racing betting. Races take place every few minutes, with line-ups presented to bettors before each race starts. The race then plays out virtually, with ‘live’ commentary accompanying the action. Betting markets include winners, each-way, forecasts, tricasts and accumulators. Each virtual tennis match lasts the duration of one game, with punters able to place bets on the winner, the total number of points, and the exact score of the game.

• UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) licence is mandatory for legal operation
• Operators must adhere to strict advertising standards set by the CAP and BCAP
• Point of Consumption Tax is paid on bets placed by customers in the UK
• White label agreements allow brands to operate using another company's platform

Our recommended virtual tennis betting site: Betfred We’ve encompassed all virtual motor sports under the same category here, which includes motor racing, speedway and NASCAR — all of which are commonly available at virtual betting sites.

5 UK Sports Teams to Bet On

These games take bettors around the world with a range of international club competitions, as well as English and Brazilian virtual leagues. Star Sports has had some fun with its virtual football category, offering innovations like Football Penalty Duel and Football Streak Legends; in the latter, famous names from yesteryear turn back the clock on the virtual turf. Virtual bets can also be placed on horse racing, greyhounds, NASCAR, and two different basketball leagues, offering a varied and unique selection for virtual bettors. Why it’s unique: No other UK bookmaker offers this many virtual football leagues under one roof. BoyleSports offers two virtual greyhound markets: Greyhounds and Greyhound Derby.

5. Withdraw your winnings

Each race comes with detailed commentary, with the outcomes and odds of every race available to review in the Results tab. BoyleSports customers also have access to four horse racing virtuals, three football virtuals, motor racing and speedway. This betting site is known for offering loads of promotions at a variety of sports; if virtual betting is your thing, you’ll be sure to receive consistent bonuses and offers in this category. Sign-up reward: Bet £10, receive £25 in free bets – ideal for testing multiple race types. For those who like to know exactly their chances of winning when placing virtual bets, BetGoodwin publishes detailed pay tables of all of its virtual sports.

How long do withdrawals take at UK betting sites?

You can see how return-to-player (RTP) percentages are affected by placing different bets, such as winners, forecasts and tricasts. In a similar way to playing slots at an online casino, this information helps bettors develop and maintain wagering budgets. Football, greyhounds, cycling and motor racing are the available virtual sports, alongside three different horse racing categories. Best for: Punters who prefer to understand the maths behind each wager. Each virtual sports betting site has its own approach to virtual football betting. There are fewer competitors in virtual motor sports compared to horse or greyhound racing, but betting options and event presentation are the same.

Our recommended virtual motor sports betting site: bet365 – for variety and event frequency. Virtual basketball matches take the best highlights from each quarter, allowing punters to wager on winners, total points, point spreads, half-time/full-time and more. In our opinion, the commentary on these events is superior to all other virtual sports. Our recommended virtual basketball betting site: Betano – for lifelike play-by-play commentary Fair enough — but take a look at the reasons we like it: Continuous games — With virtual sports events taking place every few minutes at betting sites, there’s no need to wait around for the action to take place.