Independent bookmaker reviews & betting guides

Lanterna review

Best for tennisEstablished 2020 · Reviewed 21 June 2026 · Tested for 90 days

Our testers ran a funded Lanterna account for three months — 73 settled bets, six timed withdrawals and twelve support queries. This is what we found.

Oddsmark score7.2Ranked #12 of 15

The verdict

Our verdict on Lanterna

Lanterna is built around tennis: point-by-point in-play, streams on all four tours and handicap pricing tighter than the generalists manage. Outside tennis and football there is little here. Across forty markets a month it averages 4.5%, sixth of fifteen, and our six test withdrawals cleared in 6 — 24 hrs. Its strongest categories are odds and markets; the weakest is promotions, at 6.9.

What we liked

  • Deep tennis in-play
  • Streams every Continental Tour and Women’s Tour match
  • Tight handicap pricing

What we didn't

  • Little beyond tennis and football
  • Sparse promotions

Who it suits: bettors who put odds and markets first, and who bet in-play. If the last half-point of price matters more than anything else, read our Kestrel review instead.

Welcome offer

£10 free bet on any Continental Tour or Women’s Tour match

The headline and, more usefully, the eight conditions attached to it.

New customer offer

£10 free bet on any Continental Tour or Women’s Tour match

Minimum deposit £10 · Credited within the hour · No wagering

Claim at Lanterna18+. Terms apply.
Qualifying bet£10 minimum, single or multiple
Minimum odds1/2 (1.50) on the qualifying bet
The offer£10 free bet on any Continental Tour or Women’s Tour match
CreditedWithin one hour of the qualifying bet settling
WageringNone — winnings paid as cash
Expiry7 days from credit
Excluded paymentsSkrill and Neteller deposits do not qualify
MarketsFree bets usable on any sport, cash-out disabled

Our reading: an ordinary opening offer. It is worth claiming if you were opening the account anyway, but it should not decide where you bet. The seven-day expiry is the catch — plan to use the value in the first week.

18+. New customers only. Terms apply.

Sports & markets

What you can bet on

17 sports carried in total. These are the six our readers bet on most, counted per event rather than per sport.

FootballFootball
TennisTennis
BasketballBasketball
Horse racingHorse racing
GridironGridiron
EsportsEsports
SportDepthCoverage
Football80+ markets a matchEvery top-25 European league, plus 41 more competitions
Tennis33+ markets a matchAll four tours, challengers and futures, most streamed
Basketball44+ markets a gameCBL, Basketball Cup and 7 domestic leagues
Horse racingFull racecardsUK and Ireland daily, selected international meetings
Gridiron League & college58+ markets a gameFull season and playoff coverage
Esports26+ markets a matchThe four biggest titles on major events

Odds & margins

How the prices measure up

We price the same forty markets every month across all fifteen bookmakers. The margin is the built-in edge — lower is better for you.

MarketLanternaBest in guideRank
Premier Division 1X24.6%+1.13.5%Sixth of fifteen
Match totals4.4%+1.13.3%Seventh of fifteen
Both teams to score4.8%+1.23.6%Fifth of fifteen
Player shots on target6.5%+2.04.5%Ninth of fifteen
CBL point spread4.2%+1.03.2%Fifth of fifteen
Tour match winner4.7%+1.23.5%Seventh of fifteen

Across all forty markets Lanterna averages 4.5% — sixth of fifteen, roughly 1.1 points behind Kestrel. On a £50 stake that difference is around 55p a bet — enough to notice over a season of regular betting.

How we tested

Ninety days, 412 settled bets and six withdrawal races

What we measured across all fifteen sportsbooks, and why the biggest brand finished sixth.

Read the full test

Live betting

In-play and cash-out

The category where this bookmaker separates itself from the field.

Live now
10 — 14 secaverage settlement
Pre-matchmarkets with cash-out
22+in-play markets a match
720pvideo coverage
Settlement speed10 — 14 secondsMiddling against a field average of 11 seconds.
Cash-out coverageSelected pre-match onlyNo cash-out in-play, and none on outright markets.
Live streamingFootball, tennis, racingRequires a funded account or a bet placed in the last 24 hours.
In-play markets22+ per matchNext goalscorer, next card, next corner and full builder access.

App & mobile

The mobile product

Tested on a current iOS handset and a current Android handset over the full ninety days.

Bet slipSingle
Ashford City to win2.10
£10 stakeReturns £21.00
iOS3.7 / 54,480 ratings
Android3.6 / 511,600 ratings
Size107 MBUniversal build
Face / Touch IDLogin onlyNot offered for withdrawals
Bet slip5 tapsFrom market to confirmed bet in our lab test
OfflineNoSlip persists, submission queues

Payments & withdrawals

Getting money in and out

Deposit and withdrawal times below are our own, measured across six real withdrawals rather than quoted from the operator.

MethodMinimumDepositWithdrawalFees
Visa / Mastercard£10Instant6 — 24 hrsNo fee
Skrill£10Instant6 — 24 hrsNo fee
Bank transfer£101 — 2 hrs1 — 3 daysNo fee
Withdrawal window6 — 24 hrsAcross six timed test withdrawals
Minimum deposit£10The same on every listed method
VerificationAt signupPassport and address, cleared the same day

Customer support

Getting help

Twelve queries sent across three channels, at different times of day and week.

Live chat08:00 — 00:00Answered in 12 min 30 s across twelve test queries
Email24/7Median reply over 24 hrs
TelephoneNot offeredChat and email only
Help centreAlways152 articles, searchable and current

Licensing & security

Is it safe?

What protects your money and your data. Licence details should be confirmed on the regulator's own register before you deposit.

Licensedin every market shown
Segregatedcustomer funds held apart
TLS 1.3with optional 2FA
0unresolved payout complaints
LicensingLicensed in every market shown on this page, with the licence number in the site footer and verifiable on the regulator register.
Segregated fundsCustomer balances are held separately from operating funds, at the medium protection rating.
EncryptionTLS 1.3 throughout, with two-factor authentication available and mandatory for withdrawals over £2,000.
Identity checksVerification is requested at signup rather than at first withdrawal — slower to start, far fewer payout disputes.

Safer betting tools

What Lanterna gives you to stay in control

Lanterna carries four of the six controls we check, all reachable from the account menu without contacting support. Set your limits before your first deposit, not after a losing week.

Responsible gambling hub
Deposit limitsDaily, weekly and monthly. Decreases apply immediately; increases take 24 hours.
Loss and stake limitsNot offeredNot available at Lanterna — the other controls listed here are.
Reality checksNot offeredNot available at Lanterna — the other controls listed here are.
Time-out24 hours to six weeks, applied instantly and irreversible for the period.
Self-exclusionSix months to five years, and registered with the national scheme.
Activity statementA full record of deposits, stakes and returns, downloadable at any time.

Questions

Lanterna FAQ

The things readers ask us most often about Lanterna.

It holds a licence in every market where it is shown on this page, segregates customer funds and runs identity checks at signup. We have logged no unresolved payout complaints in eighteen months of monitoring.

Lanterna7.2
Welcome offer£10 free bet on any Continental Tour or Women’s Tour match
Min deposit
£10
Withdrawals
6 — 24 hrs
Avg margin
4.5%
Sports
17
Visit Lanterna18+. New customers only. Terms apply.
Score breakdown
Odds 25%8.2
Markets 20%7.4
Payments 15%7.0
Usability 20%7.3
Promotions 10%6.9
Support 10%7.1

Alternatives

If Lanterna is not for you

KestrelHighest odds8.6

Sharpest prices in this guide. Average margin 3.4%, minimum deposit £10.

NovaBetBest football markets9.0

300+ markets per Premier Division match. Average margin 3.9%, minimum deposit £10.

StadionBest for live betting8.8

Best live product tested this year. Average margin 4.6%, minimum deposit £5.

£10 free bet on any Continental Tour or Women’s Tour match

Minimum deposit £10 · Free bets credited within the hour · No wagering

Visit Lanterna18+. New customers only. Terms apply.