There are hundreds of bookmakers on the international market, if not thousands. As a new player, it can be difficult to pick the right one, and as an experienced player, it can be an advantage to hold accounts with several bookies in order to catch the highest odds at all times.
We have tested and reviews many of the most popular bookmakers in the world. You can read articles about each of those in this section, but you can also get our complete overview of the best bookmakers in 2023 right here.
Contents
Pinnacle
Arguably the most serious bookmaker on the market. Pinnacle is very confident in their odds, so they do not limit winning players. At the same time, you can bet quite large amounts – especially on major events.
Pinnacle has an average margin of just 2%, making it possible to spot value quite often. Overall we consider Pinnacle to be the best bookmaker in the world, due to their selection, high odds, no personal limits, and great platform.
Furthermore, Pinnacle is probably the best bookmaker when it comes to e-sports specifically.
Read our Pinnacle review here.
SBO
SBO is another serious bookmaker, and a great alternative to Pinnacle if you can’t bet with them.
You will once again find an awesome game selection. SBO is an Asian bookmaker focused on handicaps. They have a similar margin to Pinnacle, usually around 2%, although it is sometimes as little as 1%.
The website of SBO looks nice – it has the classic bookmaker look. However, the website can sometimes be slow to load, so that is the main reason why we place SBO behind Pinnacle.
Betfair
Betfair has been the world’s most popular betting exchange for a long time. You don’t bet against the house, but rather against other players. But we still want to include Betfair on this list since you can still place bets – and usually in great conditions.
Since Betfair is an exchange, you won’t meet any personal limitations. Only the natural limitations of the market. The odds are high, but remember that you have to pay a commission of your winnings. This commission may vary from country to country, but in most cases, it is a 5% commission. It is possible to get a lower commission if you bet a lot. Alternatively, sign up on the broker SportMarket, where you can also place bets through Betfair, but at a much lower commission.
Read our Betfair review to learn more about their platform.
Cloudbet
The best Bitcoin bookmaker on the market right now. Cloudbet has high odds, a wide game selection, great service, and you can bet anonymously. In fact, Cloudbet is one of the best bookmakers in the world.
We highly recommend Cloudbet, and we use it ourselves. But remember that you can only bet with Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash, so if you’re not holding any cryptocurrencies, you’ll need to exchange your normal money into that before starting to bet with Cloudbet.
Here’s our Cloudbet review, find out how to buy and bet with Bitcoin, and here’s how to obtain Bitcoin Cash easily.
Bet365
Bet365 is arguably the best European bookmaker. Their live section is nothing but amazing, and with high odds across the board, Bet365 is a great choice for most bettors.
Due to some limitations, high-stakes sharps are not always allowed, but if you’re a beginner or a semi-pro, Bet365 might be the best choice of any bookmaker. They receive great reviews from most of their users, customer service is top-notch, and we’ve only had good experiences with Bet365.
If you want to bet with the best Euro bookmaker, read our full Bet365 review here.
Marathonbet
If you want high odds, then sign up with Marathonbet. Their payback rate is very high and they often estimate sporting events differently than other bookmakers, creating great value bets.
The bad news? They limit some players fast, and Marathonbet is only available in a few countries. If you’re lucky enough to be in a country where Marathonbet has a license, then take advantage of it, because it is one of the easiest bookmakers to make a profit with.
Nitrogen Sports
Nitrogen Sports get most of their odds from Pinnacle. However, they adjust them a bit, so they are slightly lower. Yet – still higher than the odds you’ll find with many other bookmakers.
But the odds are not the main reason for Nitrogen’s ranking here. It’s the second Bitcoin bookmaker on the list, and you get the opportunity to bet anonymously, which is a plus for many bettors. Instead of betting with regular cash, you bet with Bitcoin. There’s no KYC process for most customers, meaning you can play from any country.
Read our review of Nitrogen Sports here!
Bethard
A relatively new bookmaker that provides high odds. And best of all – no personal limits!
Bethard has a lot to offer. It’s still a Euro bookie and can be considered soft in many regards, but we do believe that even professionals can use Bethard for good purposes. Especially when it comes to tennis betting – Bethard has odds on many events, and they are usually among the best on the market.
If you’re interested in signing up with Bethard, then read our full review here.
Unibet
A European-based bookmaker that works fine in many regards. Unibet offers odds on almost any sports event on the earth, and the odds are generally fine. Their odds are not as high as Pinnacle and SBO, but among the soft bookmakers, they are ranking quite well.
The only negative side of Unibet is that they are fast to limit sharp bettors. So, for professionals, Unibet is not the best long term bookmaker. But for players that are building up their bankroll, Unibet is a great place to start. They also offer a nice welcome bonus.
Update: Many bettors have had issues with Unibet over the last two years, so we no longer consider it to be a top bookmaker. At best, it is a complimentary bookie to have in the portfolio for hobby bets.
1xBet
1xBet has some of the highest odds of any bookmaker in the world. You’ll regularly find events with a 98-99% payback rate, which is insane. So when it comes to the odds alone, there are very few places that are better than 1xBet.
However, the problem with this bookmaker is that some players have issues with paying out. For some players, it works just fine, but 1xBet will usually put up a lot of requirements when it comes to documentation, and that can be annoying. Also, 1xBet tends to limit winning players. But if you want the highest odds, and if you’re willing to take a chance, then it might be worth a shot.
Consider a bet broker
Bookmakers are sufficient enough for most bettors, but if you are really serious about your sports betting, you should absolutely consider a bet broker.
A bet broker, also known as a betting brokerage, is a middleman between you and the bookmakers. Some of them have platforms where you have just one account, but where you can place bets with several bookmakers all from the same place.
Our favorite bet broker is SportMarket – without any doubt! With SportMarket, you get access to several of the best bookmakers in the world, such as Pinnacle, SBO, IBC, ISN, Betfair, Betdaq and Matchbook. Players from most countries are accepted (notable exceptions: US, UK, France). They have their license in Isle of Man. We have written a full review of SportMarket here. It is HIGHLY recommended to bet with SportMarket, as they offer advantages that normal bookmakers simply don’t.
A solid alternative to SportMarket is AsianConnect/AsianOdds.
But we believe SportMarket is the best of all the betting sites. You can sign up here if you want to try their platform.
Conclusion
We hope our list of best bookmakers in 2023 has been useful to you. Remember – you can read our specific review of every single bookie if you are looking for more information before you start betting. Simply check the list from the dropdown in the menu.
Best of luck, and feel free to follow our regular picks if you need some inspiration.
Hi right now im with unibet and you say they are good with there bets well can i say think again as ive lost loads of winning bets with shit outfit as with horse racing they shut the book down even when theres about 5 or 6 horese to go in the stalls and its totally wrong what they do as i said ive lost a lot of winning bets because of the way they treat there customers like now im watching the tour de france and trying to bet with them on this race is again totally crazy as i like to bet each way a lot and when you have 175 riders plus you cant even bet each way on any body as they have there own way of working it like a 40/1 shot they will give you 10/1 odds a place so if your man wins you only get 10/1 not 40/1 and 10/1 place NO 10/1 THATS IT and the same in a lot of races they will give you 1/5 in a 16 plus race places 1234even 5 but not the 1/4 odds they are ROBBERS THATS IT AND ANOTHER THING AS WELL THE GOLF YOU CAN ONLY BET ON PLAYERS THAT THEY HAVE PICKED AFTER THE FIRST ROUND LIKE IF THERES 125 PLAYERS LEFT THEY WILL PICK ONLY 60 PLAYERS THEY THINK WILL WIN AT LESSER ODDS ITS CRAZY THEY ARE JUST A LOAD OF SHIT FULL STOP.
Thank you for the input Peter, we have made a quick update to the Unibet description and we no longer recommend it to anyone serious about sports betting.