New Bookmakers – List of New Online Bookies For 2024
For a whole range of reasons, it is advantageous to have betting accounts at several bookmakers. For one thing, almost every single gambling site out there offers new customers some form of incentive to give them a go. Be it a free bet, an enhanced odds offer, a money back deal or something else, these promotions give you a great chance of winning. There is no obligation to stick around so if nothing else, it makes sense to claim these offers.
However, joining a new bookie also gives you access to their ongoing promos and deals for existing customers. In addition, the more accounts you have, the more likely it is that you will have access to the best odds. You will also have plenty of backup options should your account get limited or banned, or if there is an IT issue at some bookmakers, whilst you will also have access to the widest range of markets too.
If you’ve been betting for a long time, you may well feel that you have accounts with all the main sites and question what else is out there. Or you may well know that there are lots of other bookmakers that you could join but wonder whether these sites are safe and reputable. In this article, we will look at how often new sites come to market, how you can be sure they are trustworthy, legal and secure, what the advantages of a new site are and also why some of them look rather similar to each other.
Best New Bookies (Updated October, 2024)
How Often Do You Get New Bookies?
New sites spring up fairly regularly but it varies of course. They do not operate to a timetable like buses and trains (at least like the theory of buses and trains operating to timetables!) but they are launched simply as and when owners and operators see fit. That means you might not see a new site appear for months, but then you could have four or five open during the same week.
There are several stages a potential new bookmaker has to go through before bringing their site online and so naturally it takes time. As well as obtaining initial funding, getting a license from the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) – of which more shortly, building and testing a functioning website (though as we shall see, not all new bookmakers build their own bespoke sites), and marketing the brand and attracting new customers, there are many other tasks to undertake, as well.
There are a range of different ways you can check for new sites, or means by which you might stumble across them. If you watch sports, particularly football, you might see a brand/bookie advertised on hoardings at a game or as the main sponsor of a team, race or event. Many new bookmakers advertise on social media too as this is relatively cheap. What’s more, if you use other bookies and sports websites, the magic of the algorithms and computing cookies mean you are likely to be targeted with such ads.
People often moan about these sorts of processes but, of course, the idea of adverts is that they target you with things you might be interested in and that you actually want. If you are on the search for new bookies anyway, having them appear on your social media feeds saves you the effort of seeking them out.
You will also, of course, hear about new bookmakers through sites such as this, whilst word of mouth is often one of the best ways to discover a new sports betting site. If a friend recommends it, you hopefully have a decent idea that the site is worth checking out. Unless your friends are all wrong ‘uns of course! A more official option is to check out the UKGC website directly. However, as far as we know they do not allow you to filter by new licenses granted and do not make it clear what the actual website is, but rather the company behind it.
Do New Sites Offer Any Advantages Over the Traditional Bookies?
The number one advantage to joining a fresh new bookie is that many customers already have accounts with the top ones. You can only have one betting account with any particular online bookmaker and so if you have joined a bookie previously you cannot join again, and you can certainly only claim any welcome offer once.
If you are yet to get on board with one of the industry’s big names, in truth we would generally recommend joining them first, ahead of a smaller, less-established rival. There will be exceptions to this, and every old bookie was once a new one, but ones that have stood the test of time have probably done so for good reason.
This is not a blanket statement that applies in all circumstances and we are not saying that all of the big names are better than all of the smaller ones. However, most of the time you will find the big boys have better odds, superior offers, better-developed sites and apps that are faster and more intuitive to use and so on. As such, it makes sense to exhaust those first, before trying a newer brand.
As we will explain, many of the new kids on the block are what are called white label sites, which tends to mean they are rather limited. However, this isn’t always the case and occasionally a really great new bookie will arrive online with some new ideas and a slightly different feel. You may see markets, promos or extra tools that you haven’t seen elsewhere. In this instance, it can be a great idea to join a new bookie and then you can be the one recommending it to others too.
How Can You Tell if a Site Is Legal?
Before you join any bookmaker, the bare minimum assessment should be whether they are legal or not. Following the introduction of the Gambling (Licensing & Advertising) Act 2014, the laws were changed such that any gambling site that wanted to accept wagers from UK customers required a license issued by the UKGC. Bookmakers are our focus here but this included other sectors too, such as online casinos and bingo sites.
Previously, sites could be licensed by any regulatory body in the world and to say that some were less scrupulous than others would be a major understatement. The UKGS is generally considered to be one of the strictest and most thorough licensing authorities in the world. This does not guarantee that your bets will be settled correctly, winnings paid quickly, and personal and financial data handled appropriately but it certainly gives you some degree of security.
How to Check for UK Licensing
As per the terms of a UKGC license, “If you hold a remote licence, the gambling websites and apps you provide must show details about your licence and link to your public register licence information.” In other words, any fully legit, UK-licensed (and therefore legal) online bookie should display the license number.
This is usually displayed at the bottom of each page on a website, or certainly the homepage. For example, Coral state that “Coral is operated by LC International Limited who are licensed and regulated in Great Britain by the Gambling Commission under account number 54743.” The number typically links to the license holder’s information at the UKGC.
One license may be responsible for a number of brands and websites. In the left-hand sidebar, you will see listings for that license’s trading names and domain (website) names. Here you can check that everything matches up and you are indeed at the right site. It is not unheard of for unlicensed websites to simply add the license number of another site to theirs and hope that any prospective customers do not check too closely.
In addition, the UKGC has a searchable register of gambling businesses. This allows you to check the license from the other side of the fence, or search for any particular brand name, website or operating party.
Can I Gamble with Unlicensed Bookies?
Legally and technically, any site that does not possess a UKGC license cannot accept UK customers. However, many offshore sites do accept UK punters. They are acting against UK law whilst anyone who bets with them will have no real recourse or protection in the event of anything going wrong.
Such sites are, pretty much by definition, not as safe, secure or trustworthy as legitimate, regulated ones. Some turn to them if they have self-excluded from mainstream sites (perhaps due to problem gambling), whilst others may be attracted by huge bonuses that sound too good to be true – and generally are.
We can only recommend sticking to licensed and regulated UK bookmakers. If you check reviews for these offshore options, you won’t search long before encountering customers who have been unable to access their winnings, faced ridiculous delays, or discovered that the great offer they thought they had claimed comes with more small print than a miniature library and is essentially worthless.
Why Don’t Some New Sites Have Horse Racing?
If you have been betting for some time you will no doubt have seen several new bookmakers appear. There are lots of differences between these new sites, as one might expect, but one reasonably common feature is that many do not offer horse racing. This is not always the case and in addition, some of these new bookmakers may add racing in the future.
However, it is certainly very normal for these sites to launch without any horse racing markets at all. Given racing is the second-largest betting sport in the UK, and also popular in many other countries as well, this may seem a little strange. In fact, given these new bookies may well offer far less popular sports, such as handball, table tennis and cycling, it is unsurprising that the absence of equine action leaves many punters scratching their puzzled heads.
Cheap White Labels May Lack the Technology
There may be several reasons for this but we believe the major one concerns the technology that many of these sites use. Once again it comes down to that phrase, “white label”, and in the next section, we will explain what that means in more detail. However, in simple terms it means that many of these sites use a basic template that is provided by a third party and they simply create their own brand on top of that.
As such, fundamentally these are not uniquely designed websites, specifically tailored for the different markets they operate in. Many of the cheapest white label options are based in countries where horse racing simply isn’t very popular. This includes several in eastern Europe and because the designers and local clientele are not really into racing, the platforms have traditionally tended not to include it.
Altering the site is not always straightforward and different gambling suites, sports and markets cannot necessarily be grafted on easily. Some sites are able to work around this issue, whilst others switch which platform they use when they become a bit more established, or even go on to create a site that is 100% theirs. Others simply continue without racing and no doubt kick themselves when they hear about the tens of millions being bet on the likes of the Cheltenham Festival or Royal Ascot.
For a list of horse racing specific new bookies, there’s a decent list here.
Why Do Some New Sites Look the Same as Each Other?
If you haven’t managed to put two and two together yet, the reason that some sites look and feel similar to one another, and offer the same functionality, tools and extras, is that they are using the same white label. Essentially, a white label is a core website that is built by one company and then sold as an off-the-shelf product to another, who can add their own branding and marketing.
The company that designs the white label creates a fully functioning website and app, complete with a standard set of sports, markets and extra tools. They typically have expertise and experience when it comes to operating an online bookie (or casino, bingo site, poker room, and so on) but may have decided that it is easier, less time-consuming and less risky to sell their technology to others, rather than actually operate a site (or another site) themselves.
White Labels Sometimes Use a Generic Template
Alternatively, those that sell white label platforms may simply be experts at the technical side of things, including website design, but lack the experience when it comes to marketing and branding. White labels can also offer a full backend, including technology to help with payment processing, analysis, customer service and verification, tools to help keep an eye on customers’ spending and even the gambling license.
At the other end of the spectrum, some more experienced brands may simply want the basics of the website and be happy to carry out most, or all, of the other tasks themselves. Either way, when it comes to the website itself, there will be varying degrees of personalisation available to the brand.
The best, and typically most expensive white labels, will offer significant options for the operator to tailor the site. The cheapest and most basic ones may offer little more than the ability to pick a name and a colour scheme. In either scenario though, there is likely to be enough that stays the same for a savvy punter to realise they are playing at a white label that they have essentially seen before.
The reason that there are so many white label bookies around is that it makes getting into the world of betting relatively easy. If someone with a little money decides they want to have their own online betting site, they can just pay for someone to provide what they need and get started relatively quickly. Compared to developing and testing your own site and getting all the other aspects of a bookmaker ready to go, this is not only cost effective, but also so much quicker and easier.
Are Any Betting Sites Linked to Premier League Teams?
If a company has a strong brand in a different sector, they may feel they can monetise that by having an online betting website. This is especially the case if that brand is linked to sport or another area with a big crossover in the demographic with those that typically gamble. Due to the increasingly negative press that the gambling industry gets, and the legal issues due to the fact that they have so many fans under 18, we will probably never see a bookmaker linked, directly, to a Premier League club.
However, if a football team did decide they wanted to do this they would be the perfect example of a huge brand with an excellent demographic for online betting. BetLiverpool.com or ArsenalBet.com could be set up very rapidly using a white label and generate funds for the clubs. Whilst these football teams would have the money to create their own sites, they lack the expertise, so a high-level white label would be perfect.
The other possibility is that very strong brands know that they have a huge following and massive brand awareness but do not want to have any real involvement. In such a scenario, they can license their brand to either a white label, or a third-party operator who uses a white label. In this position the company behind the name that goes on the site has nothing to do with it at all, but simply gets paid by another firm to use their name to attract customers.
Sister Sites
One final reason that you may feel a site seems familiar is that it could well be the sister bookie of another that you use. This is similar to the concept of a white label but the platform will be less widespread, more bespoke and only related to other bookmakers owned by the same brand.
If an online bookmaker develops their own site and has success with it, they may decide that the easiest way to expand is to essentially do more of the same. They could invest in marketing, increase their welcome offer to attract new punters or perhaps sponsor a big sporting event. However, they may feel that there is greater value in opening a new brand.
This may be aimed at and marketed principally to a different clientele, or it may be an opportunity for them to experiment with different features, offers or tools. Why an existing site chooses to do this, and what exactly they opt to make different about the second site aside, the chances are that the fundamental core of the site will remain the same. The layout, functionality and markets are almost certain to seem very similar if you have previously played at the owner’s first site.
Should I Join a New Bookmaker?
There are two separate questions here really, depending on what we mean by “new”. The first question concerns sites that are new to you, which is to really ask, is it wise to have accounts with several bookies. The second question is more about what this feature has been about – bookies that are new in the sense of only having been launched quite recently.
Free Bets & Bonuses
Dealing with the first issue, we strongly advise that you have accounts with a good number of betting sites. As we explain in our article on football bookmakers, there are several benefits to this. Perhaps the biggest is that when you join a new site, they typically give you a free bet or bonus, whilst you will also have more existing-customer promos to choose from too. In addition, it gives you a better chance of being able to access the best odds, as well as the widest range of sports and markets.
As to joining a brand-new bookmaker online, provided they are safe there is certainly no reason not to. This is simply down to the reasons outlined above and the welcome offers and free bets alone are worth claiming, even if you decide you will only use that site once. Provided the bookmaker has a valid UK license issued by the Gambling Commission we would feel confident depositing and betting relatively small sums.
If you are making much larger bets you might want to undertake further checks, such as looking for reviews and any negative comments on social media. You might also decide to wait a few months and not create an account as soon as the site goes live. This way you can see if they garner a reputation for paying out quickly and dealing efficiently with any customer issues.
Best Odds & Offers
However, whilst we have said “there is certainly no reason not to” join a new site that lacks history, when it comes to most bookmakers we would suggest that the ones that have been around a long time are the ones you are better off joining first. That history gives you some assurance that they are able to offer what customers want and are financially stable. In addition, sites like this tend to have the best odds, offers, customer support and functionality.
We believe having a large number of online betting accounts is wise. But joining the industry big guns first makes sense, before checking out what the newer (UK-licensed) bookmakers have to offer too.