The UK betting market offers an excellent range of sports to gamble on, and a wide selection of bet types to suit all preferences.

With some of the world’s biggest and best sporting events taking place in the UK, it is inevitable that the betting market will be popular. The English Premier League, Wimbledon, The British Open, and The Grand National are just some sporting spectacles that draw the attention of the world’s sporting media and fans.

With more than 6,000 bookmakers in the UK and the development of online gambling, it is easier than ever before for UK gamblers to place a bet on their favourite events. Impressive levels of coverage allow people to enjoy most sporting events from the comfort of their own home where they can also place bets by using handy apps.

Those that attend sporting events can also bet on the move, and with so many great betting sites they will be able to find the best odds and incentives to improve their experience. Lots of betting sites specialize in different sports, so here is a list of new reviews for 2023 to give you a better idea of the offers available.

With so many sports and betting options available, it can get overwhelming for those without in-depth knowledge. Take a look below to learn about the most popular markets for different sports.

Betting Markets for the UK’s Most Popular Sports

Statistics show that 55% of sports bettors have gambled on horse racing within the last 12 months in the UK. This is second only to football at 70%. This makes football and horse racing the two most popular sports in the UK in terms of betting.

Despite the higher percentages of bettors, football and horse racing tend to attract smaller bets with only 7% and 8% respectively spending over £100 per month. The large volume of gamblers more than makes up for this and they have a great range of markets to choose from.

Horse Racing & Greyhound Racing

There are lots of great bet types for horse and greyhound racing to make a day at the races or remote viewing a bit more exciting. These start with the single which is a straightforward bet on a horse to win.

Singles

If the bet is placed each way the stake is split between the winning odds and the place odds. Place odds offer a percentage of the winning selection’s odds if it finishes in, typically, the first three or four places. The amount of place positions is determined by how many horses are running.

Accumulators

An accumulator allows you to bet on more than one horse winning and will include doubles, trebles, fourfolds, and more. All selections must win in an accumulator unless you place it each way.

Perms

Bettors can also place bets on multiple selections with different permutations. For example, a bet with three selections where a bet is placed on the three doubles and single treble within this would be called a Trixie. If the bettor wanted to include singles there would be 7 bets in total. These permutations can be used for any number of selections, but individual stakes must be placed on each bet within it.

Forecasts and Tricasts

Forecast and tricast bets also prove to be popular. This is where the bettor selects the horses they think will finish in first and second position, or first, second, and third in the case of a tricast.

Placepots

The placepot is where you can select a horse for the first six races at a meeting. All horses in this bet must place and then the returns are a dividend payout based on the overall pool paid in.

Football

Football is the UK’s most popular sport in terms of participation and viewing. This means there is lots of opportunity for the betting industry to capitalize on the market.

There are lots of bet types available for people to explore with some taking into account the match statistics and others relying on goalscorers and overall results. Here are some of the most popular football bet types in the UK:

Match Betting

Outright betting sees a bet placed on the result of a match. This will be either a home win, away win, or draw. Because there are only three outcomes, odds will typically be low and many choose to select a few outright to create an accumulator.

First Goalscorer Correct Score Betting

Football fans can explore a range of markets to get better odds. One of the most popular is the first goalscorer correct score double. Both of these selections can be bet on individually or put together for the chance of more winnings.

Special odds are created for the double because the bet is a related contingency. This means that the outcome of one part of the bet affects the other.

Handicap Betting

Handicap betting provides greater odds on firm favourites by offering betting on teams with a handicap of +1, +2, -1, or -2 typically. This means that if you bet on a team to win -2 they would have to win by 3 clear goals for the bet to come up.

Over/Under

Over/Under betting refers to the total amount of goals scored in a game. The market offers anything from over 0.5 to 6.5.

BTTS

BTTS betting stands for both teams to score. This is a popular bet that can be placed as a single or part of an accumulator. It is great for those that want to keep an interest until the last minute as there is always an opportunity for teams to score late.

Stats Betting

Stats betting can include how many corners take place or if there will be a booking or sending-off in the match.

Cricket

Like football, cricket allows bettors to choose outright match winners or bets on individual achievements like top batsmen and top bowlers. You can even bet on the toss winner which is a simple 50/50, heads or tails bet at even money.

Tennis

Tennis betting can cover everything from a match or tournament win to set betting. There is also a range of prop (proposition) bets that can be placed on players including how many aces they will get or the amount of double faults.

UFC

UFC has become one of the most popular combat sports on the planet. People can bet on competitors to win or narrow it down to the type of win including K.O. or submission.

Round betting has long been popular in boxing and is equally as popular in UFC and allows the bettor to choose which round they think the bout will end. Prop bets in the UFC can cover the most significant strikes, the first to bleed, or the first strike.