REVIEW METHODOLOGY · LAST REVISED 2024
How we review betting sites
Six weighted categories, ninety days of testing per operator, and our own money in every account. This page sets out exactly what we measure, how each figure is produced and what would get an operator removed.
- 6
- weighted categories
- 90 days
- minimum test period
- 70+
- bets settled per site
- 40
- markets priced monthly
THE SIX CATEGORIES
What we measure, and how much it counts
The weights have not changed since 2024 and are applied identically to every operator. Odds carries the most because it is the only factor that applies to every bet you place.
Odds
25%The margin built into the prices — the bookmaker’s edge, and the only factor that applies to every bet you place.
How it is scored- 1We price the same forty markets on the first Monday of every month, across all fifteen operators within a 30-minute window.
- 2Each market is converted to implied probability, summed, and the overround recorded.
- 3The monthly figure is the mean across those forty markets, then mapped onto a 0—10 scale on a fixed curve: the lower the margin, the higher the score.
Markets
20%Breadth and depth: how many sports are carried, and how many markets exist on an ordinary fixture rather than a showpiece one.
How it is scored- 1Counted per event, not per sport, on a mid-table league fixture chosen at random.
- 2Counts are taken from the live market list, never from a marketing page.
- 3Sports coverage and in-play depth are weighted equally with pre-match depth.
Usability
20%How quickly and how clearly a bet can actually be placed, on desktop and on a phone.
How it is scored- 1Timed bet placement in our lab on a current iOS handset and a current Android handset: taps from home screen to confirmed bet.
- 2Bet slip readability, stake and return clarity, and error handling scored against a fixed checklist.
- 3Withdrawal flow tested in-app, including biometric confirmation where offered.
Payments
15%How money gets in and out: methods, fees, and how long a withdrawal really takes.
How it is scored- 1Six withdrawals per operator, at different times of day and on both weekdays and weekends.
- 2Time recorded from request to funds available, not to “processed”.
- 3Deposit methods and any fees checked against the live cashier, and offer eligibility noted.
Promotions
10%The real value of an offer after qualifying odds, wagering, stake caps and expiry — not the headline figure.
How it is scored- 1Every welcome offer is claimed with a funded account and taken through to withdrawal.
- 2Turnover requirements are converted into the volume of betting they actually demand.
- 3Recurring offers are weighted above one-off signup bonuses, because they apply all season.
Support
10%Whether a human answers, how fast, and whether the answer is correct.
How it is scored- 1Twelve queries per operator across chat, email and phone, at varied times including weekends.
- 2Two of the twelve are deliberately awkward: a settlement dispute and a withdrawal delay.
- 3Response time and answer accuracy are scored separately, then averaged.
THE TESTING PROCESS
Seven stages, ninety days
Every operator goes through the same sequence, in the same order, with the same minimums.
Shortlist
An operator enters the programme when it holds a licence in a market we cover and runs a full sportsbook rather than a single-sport book. Licence status is checked on the regulator register, not the operator’s own footer.
Open and verify
We open an account as an ordinary customer, with our own money and no press access. Identity verification is completed at this stage and the experience recorded.
Deposit and bet
A minimum of seventy bets are placed and settled over ninety days, across at least four sports and both pre-match and in-play.
Measure
Margins are priced monthly, withdrawal times recorded six times, bet placement timed in the usability lab, and twelve support queries logged.
Score
Each of the six categories is scored 0—10 against its published rubric by the tester, then reviewed by a second member of the team before the weights are applied.
Write and publish
The review is written from the measurements. No operator sees a review, a score or a ranking position before publication.
Re-check
Margins re-measured monthly, full review re-checked quarterly, and immediately whenever an operator changes its offer, app or payment list.
A WORKED EXAMPLE
How a 9.2 is assembled
Marlin's August score, category by category, with the weighting applied. Nothing is rounded until the final figure.
Marlin tops only one of the six categories. It ranks third on price and second on markets, but scores above 8.8 in five of six — which is what the weighted model rewards.
Read the full reviewA score is only comparable within a month. When margins are re-measured, every operator moves together, so a 9.2 in August is not the same measurement as a 9.2 in May.
WHAT GETS AN OPERATOR REMOVED
Four things a score cannot outweigh
No valid licence
Removed the day we learn of it, whether or not a replacement licence is pending.
Unresolved payout complaints
A pattern of unexplained withheld withdrawals ends the review, regardless of score.
Terms that contradict the offer
Where the small print reverses the headline, we do not publish a score — we publish why.
Score below 6.0
A product can be licensed and honest and still not worth recommending.
UPDATE CADENCE
How often each figure is refreshed
Every review page carries the date of its last full re-check. Margins move more often than scores do.
INDEPENDENCE & FUNDING
Where the money comes from, and what it does not buy
Commercial terms come after the review
A rating is set and written before any commercial conversation. Renegotiating terms never reopens a score.
Bookmakers cannot buy inclusion
Nor position, nor a badge, nor a mention in a ranked list. Several operators in our top five pay us nothing.
We publish what we are paid for
If you open an account through a link on this site we may receive a commission, at no cost to you. That is how the site is funded.
Corrections are published
Errors are corrected on the page with a dated note, not quietly edited out.
WHO DOES THE TESTING
Three people, named and accountable
Every review carries a byline. If a figure on this site is wrong, there is a person to write to about it.
Ellis Hartnoll
Head of TestingPrices forty markets a month and owns the scoring rubric. Formerly priced sports markets at two bookmakers.
Priya Nandakumar
Regulation CorrespondentChecks licence status and terms, and covers regulation and consumer protection.
Dara Okonjo
Senior Football AnalystRuns the football market testing and the weekly market-movement column.
QUESTIONS
About the
methodology
What readers ask us most often about how the scores are produced.
Spotted an error? Write to the testing team
No. Commercial terms are agreed after a review is written, and renegotiating them never reopens a score or a ranking position. Several operators in our current top five pay us nothing at all.
Three people, named above, using their own accounts and their own money. We do not use operator-provided test accounts, because they do not behave like customer accounts.
Enough to settle at least seventy bets and complete six withdrawals over ninety days. Stakes are deliberately ordinary — a test account that bets £500 a time gets treated differently.
Because it is the only factor that applies to every bet you will ever place. A welcome offer is claimed once; the margin is charged forever.
They can write to us, and we will re-test the specific claim. We have changed two scores that way in eighteen months, both on payment timings, and both changes were noted on the page.
Yes. Anything scoring under 6.0 is not listed in our ranked tables, but the review stays published so the reasoning is on the record.
