Independent bookmaker reviews & betting guides

BETTING BY SPORT · 14 COVERED

The best bookmaker depends on the sport

No operator prices everything well. We measure margins and market depth sport by sport, so the recommendation on this page changes depending on what you actually bet.

14
sports covered
3.4%
lowest sport margin
40
markets priced monthly
6
sport guides

MAJOR SPORTS

Six sports our readers bet most

Each card names the bookmaker that priced the sport best in our August measurements, not the one with the biggest bonus.

Football
FootballAugust — May

The deepest market lists and the tightest pricing in betting, because it is the most compared. Player props are where the margins hide.

Avg margin
3.4%
Depth
300+ markets a match
Our picks
48 published
Competitions
46 leagues
Best for footballKestrel8.6

Premier Division, Liga Primera, Lega Prima, Rhine Liga, Continental Cup and 41 more

18+. New customers only. Terms apply.
Basketball
BasketballOctober — June

Fast lines and heavy in-play volume. Rest days and back-to-backs move prices more than most bettors account for.

Avg margin
4.2%
Depth
120+ markets a game
Our picks
21 published
Competitions
17 leagues
Best for basketballStadion8.8

CBL, Basketball Cup, Women’s Basketball League and 14 domestic leagues

18+. New customers only. Terms apply.
Tennis
TennisJanuary — November

Point-by-point in-play is the draw, and retirement rules differ between bookmakers more than in any other sport.

Avg margin
4.5%
Depth
90+ markets a match
Our picks
18 published
Competitions
5 leagues
Best for tennisLanterna7.2

Continental Tour, Women’s Tour, the majors, Challengers and futures

18+. New customers only. Terms apply.
Gridiron
GridironSeptember — February

Spreads and totals are priced very tightly. The value sits in player props and early-week line movement.

Avg margin
4.0%
Depth
160+ markets a game
Our picks
12 published
Competitions
4 leagues
Best for gridironMarlin9.2

Gridiron League regular season, playoffs, the title game and college

18+. New customers only. Terms apply.
Horse racing
Horse racingYear round

Best odds guaranteed and non-runner rules matter more than the headline price. Terms vary enormously.

Avg margin
4.4%
Depth
Full racecards
Our picks
9 published
Competitions
5 countries
Best for horse racingTallow7.7

UK, Ireland, France, USA and Australia

18+. New customers only. Terms apply.
MMA
MMAYear round

Small cards, sharp closing lines and thin early markets. Prices move hard on late news.

Avg margin
4.8%
Depth
70+ markets a fight
Our picks
7 published
Competitions
4 promotions
Best for MMAKestrel8.6

Apex Cage Series, Frontier League, Cage Alliance and regional cards

18+. New customers only. Terms apply.

EVERY SPORT WE COVER

All fourteen, with the numbers

Coverage counts how many of the fifteen bookmakers in our guide carry the sport. Margin is our own monthly measurement of that sport's main markets.

Sort by
SportCoverageStreamingBest pricedMargin
FootballAug — May
14 of 15YesKestrel3.4%
13 of 15PartialMarlin4.0%
BasketballOct — Jun
14 of 15YesStadion4.2%
Horse racingYear round
12 of 15YesTallow4.4%
TennisJan — Nov
14 of 15YesLanterna4.5%
CricketYear round
12 of 15PartialNovaBet4.6%
Rugby unionSep — Jun
11 of 15PartialMarlin4.7%
MMAYear round
13 of 15PartialKestrel4.8%
Ice hockeyOct — Jun
11 of 15PartialStadion4.9%
BoxingYear round
12 of 15NoKestrel5.0%
GolfYear round
13 of 15NoPelagic5.1%
DartsYear round
10 of 15YesCrestly5.3%
EsportsYear round
8 of 15YesMeridian X5.3%
SnookerSep — May
9 of 15YesHarbour5.4%

Margins measured May — August 2026 across the main markets in each sport. Streaming requires a funded account or a recent bet at every operator that offers it.

WHAT IS ON NEXT

The next six months

AugustFootball seasons start across EuropePremier Division, Liga Primera, Lega Prima, Rhine Liga
SeptemberGridiron League kicks off; rugby union returnsGridiron League week one, Union Premier, Continental Rugby
OctoberBasketball and ice hockey openCBL, Basketball Cup, Ice League
NovemberContinental Tour Finals; football internationalsContinental Tour Finals, Nations Cup
DecemberRacing festivals and dartsWraydale December, World Darts Championship
JanuaryContinental Open; Gridiron League playoffsHard-court major, Wild Card round

HOW COVERAGE IS SCORED

What each column measures

Coverage

How many of the fifteen bookmakers in our guide carry the sport at all, counted from live market lists rather than marketing pages.

Margin

The average overround we measure across the sport’s main markets, re-checked monthly.

Streaming

Whether a funded account can watch the events, and on which competitions.

Depth

Markets per event, counted per fixture rather than per sport — the figure operators rarely publish.

Responsible gambling

More sports is not a reason to bet on more of them

Fourteen sports and a year-round calendar make it easy to always have something to bet on. Pick the one or two you actually follow, set a deposit limit before you open an account, and treat every stake as spent the moment it is placed.