Online Betting Guide For Beginners

If you are a complete novice, online betting may seem a little daunting but it really isn't and our guide will help get you up and running.

Choose your bookmaker

The first thing you need to do is choose the bookmaker you are going to use. Long term, it's better to have a selection of accounts for the simple fact they all have different offers and prices but to get you started, we will select one.

The majority of online bookmakers will give you a free bet when you open an account. You can view a full selection on our Free Bets page.

Open Your Account

Once you have chosen your bookmaker, go to their homepage and look for a link saying join now, register or something similar. You will then have to fill out some information including your name, address, username and password. All the bookmakers we endorse are secure and well respected so we recommend you stick to using them.

Funding Your Account

Making a deposit is generally a very simple process. The bookmaker will first ask to to register a card. Once this is completed, you will then be able to fund your account. The minimum deposit for most online bookmakers is £10 but some are as little as £5. No further money is taken from your registered account unless you deposit more funds yourself.

Winnings can be withdrawn as and when you wish and normally appear back in your bank account wihin 3 working days. Most bookmakers will only send the money back to the same card you used to make the deposit.

Your First Bet

Once your account is funded, you are free to make your first bet online. There is a huge range of markets to choose from so have a good look round the site and see what there is to choose from. The minimum stake is typically very low (50p or less), but is a little higher with Betfair the betting exchange (£2).

When you have chosen what to bet on, click on the relevant market to display your selection. Enter your stake and press the bet (or similar) button. You'll normally then be presented with another screen listing your bet details and asking you to confirm it.

Free Bets

Once you are comfortable with the process of setting up an online betting account, why not take advantage of the free bet offers on our site? Most of them match your initial bet, such as stake £25 get a £25 free bet. Other offer bonuses such as 50% of your initial stake back if your bet loses.