Best 11 European Betting Sites for 2023 - UK Free Bets and Offers

Our Favourite European Bookmakers:

#1 Euro Site - Unibet

#2 Euro Site - 888sport

#3 Euro Site - BoyleSports

#4 Euro Site - Parimatch

#5 Euro Site - Bwin

#6 Euro Site - Mr Green

#7 Euro Site - NetBet

#8 Euro Site - LeoVegas Sports

#9 Euro Site - Casumo Sports

#10 Euro Site - LV Bet

What are European Betting sites?

As you might be well aware, betting is an extremely popular activity amongst sports fans worldwide. The UK & Ireland are two nations with many bettors who frequently place wagers on sporting events and outcomes. European bookies, which frequently offer different markets, bonuses, and features, are becoming increasingly popular among those in these two countries as well. So, whether you’re looking to make bets on football, golf, horse racing or rugby, there are plenty of European betting sites to choose from. Take a look at our guide to see how you can start using euro betting sites too.

Euro bookmakers: A quick summary

To make it easy to choose a bookmaker for your betting needs, below we will quickly summarise some of the common features bettors look for in their EU betting sites. If you continue reading you will see more in-depth reviews of each betting site.

Bookmaker	Live Streaming	Cash Out	Live Betting
Unibet	✅	✅	✅
Boyle sports	✅	✅	✅
888 Sports	✅	✅	✅
Parimatch	✅	✅	✅
LV Bet	❌	✅	✅
Bwin	✅	✅	✅
Mr.Green	❌	✅	✅
NetBet	❌	✅	✅
LeoVegas Sports	✅	✅	✅
Casumo	✅	✅	✅

What to look for in European betting sites

When looking for a new bookmaker there are certain features you should be looking out for to get the best experience. Here we outline the various questions you should be asking yourself in order to compare the European betting sites on offer.

• What sports do they cover?

Do the EU betting sites you’re considering cover all the sports you could want to bet on? Is there a specific event you plan on following and does the European sportsbook cover it? If the answer is no then it would be pointless taking the time to register as you won’t have the chance to wager on what you want. If the answer is yes then you can begin your betting journey with them.

• What payment methods do they have?

Since there are so many payment methods available these days, not everyone will use the same one. When looking to use eu betting sites you should always compare the different methods of payment they offer. That way you can make sure they accept the method you were planning to use so you don’t miss out.

• What are their sporting odds?

One huge factor to think about while betting is the odds that are available for your sport or event. When European betting sites offer higher odds for an outcome compared to competitors, it means you could potentially win more money in returns should your prediction be correct. The smallest variation in odds can make a large difference in returns.

• Do they have any offers?

If you have the chance to use welcome or reload offers with one company, or no offers with another, you’re more likely to go where the offers are. This is because offers and promotions can often lower your chance of risk. Many promotions offered by European sportsbooks allow bettors to take a chance using free bets which means you could win returns without spending a penny.

• Do they have the right security?

Since betting includes spending your money there are certain security features you should be aware of. When it comes to Euro betting sites they all need to be regulated by the gambling commission as well as hold security features such as an SSL certificate. This means that the sites are legally governed by the correct people and your data are protected and secured. Security should always be taken seriously when it comes to betting.

EU Countries & their best European betting sites

Country	Legal gambling age	Bookmaker
Sweden	18 years old	LeoVegas Sports
Gibraltar	18 years old	888 Sports
Malta	18 for foreigners, 25 for locals	Unibet
Austria	18 years old	Bwin
Cyprus	18 to gamble, 21 for land-based casinos	Parimatch
United Kingdom	18 years old	Kwiff
Ireland	18 years old	Paddy Power

Popular promotions you’d expect to find in euro betting sites:

Betting promotions are one of the main selling points of top European sportsbooks. The following are the most common betting offers available at European sportsbooks:

• Free bets
• Accumulator insurance
• Welcome bonus
• Early cash out
• Price or odds boosts
• Matched deposit bonus

Offers like these above, are available to both new and existing customers, allowing punters to maximise their winnings while minimising their losses. Each offer has its own set of terms and conditions that will affect your ability to qualify and profit.

• Free bets are bets of a specific value that you can stake on your own prediction which lowers your risk since you could win, but you didn’t actually spend money to wager. These betting offers are primarily a benefit of betting online via mobile, desktop, and tablet, rather than in betting shops.
• Accumulator (or Acca) insurance is when you get money back if one of the legs of your acca loses. This is a fantastic way to lessen your risk since you will win money both if the outcome you bet on comes true, as well as if one leg loses. There are often many terms and conditions for this type of bet however.
• Welcome bonuses are quite simply just a bonus to welcome you to the site as a new user. The bookmaker will use this type of bet to encourage you to join their site over their competitors in the first place. Welcome bonus can consist of a range of different betting types, but are only available to new users.
• Early cash out is when a punter withdraws their bet and money early or before the final match outcome has been determined. This is great if the game is a lot closer between the competing teams than you would have liked and gives you a chance to come out with some money rather than nothing if it looks like your team might lose.
• Price or odds boosts are when a bookmaker offers higher odds on a bet than usual as a promotion to their customers, this is known as a price boost. If the back price they are offering is greater than the lay odds on the exchange, we can place a matched bet to ensure an instant profit.
• Match deposit bonuses are a betting offer in which you receive a free cash amount equal to your deposit up to a certain amount. For example, the bookmaker could provide a 100% match bonus up to £100. If you deposit £50, you will receive an additional £50 in your account.

As you can see, there are many different types of promotions that European betting sites use to entice new customers as well as keep their existing players interested and loyal to their brand. That’s why it is always worth taking a look through the promotions and offers an eu betting site provides to see which one appeals the most to you.

Step by step guide: How to bet on European betting sites

For our example we will use the bookmaker Parimatch.

Step #1: Register as a new user on their site

If you are not yet a registered user, you can create one from their homepage by clicking the “Join” button in the top right hand corner. This will launch a three-page registration form. On the first page, enter your full legal name as it appears on your ID, as well as your date of birth and phone number.

On the second page, select your legal residential address from the drop down menu. On the third and final page, enter your email address and the password you want to use for your account in the future. After entering all of the required information for your account, you must select your marketing preferences and accept the terms and conditions before clicking the final “create account” button at the bottom of the form. This will complete your account and return you to the homepage, ready for the next step.

Step #2: Depositing your funds

Before you can begin placing bets, you must first deposit funds into your account so that you are able to put money down on your bets. To access the deposit window, click the green “deposit button” at the top of the page, next to your account balance.

The first window is a pop-up in which you must confirm your personal deposit limits. This is where you can specify the maximum amount you’re willing to deposit daily, weekly, and monthly. This helps to keep your gambling safe without going overboard.

The second window allows you to select your preferred payment method and enter your payment information. If you’re using a debit card, enter your full name as it appears on the card, the expiry date, and the last three numbers on the back of the card, followed by the amount of cash you want to deposit. Once everything is filled out and you are satisfied, check the box confirming this and press the deposit button.

Step #3: Look for your sporting events and markets to bet on

From the homepage after you have logged in and deposited your money, you will need to look for the sportsbook. On the left hand side of the page you will see the vertical side bar. Click on “sports home” to be taken into the sportsbook on this European betting site. As you can see once you have arrived inside the sportsbook there is a bar in the middle of the screen with a list of the different sports the site has available for punters to bet on. This is where you will find everything you are looking for. Click on the sport you wish to bet on and it will show you all available events and matches for you to choose from.

Step #4: Choose a match and place wagers

Since football is one of the most popular universal sports across most European betting sites I will use a football match as our bet example. Scrolling across the middle bar you should find World Cup 2022. We will use the Qatar vs Ecuador opening match.

To place a bet you need to select which outcome you want to back. For example, if we think Ecuador is likely to win the match then we should click the odds of 23/20 to the right of the country name. As you will see this opens a new window which is the betslip.

As you can see, as you change the value of the stake in the text box the overall returns for this outcome will change too. Due to the odds of 23/20, if you wager £20, you’d win £43 if your prediction came true.

Once you are happy with the value of your stake, make sure to click the green confirm button to finalise your bet.

Step #5: Wait for the bet to settle & see if you won

As with any bet, there isn’t much to do other than wait until it is over. Only once there is an official outcome will you know if you have won any returns or not. If you were successful in your guess then your winnings will automatically be deposited into your account. If you were unsuccessful however, then you will not receive any returns.

If you won, and would like to withdraw your funds, you can do so by accessing “My account” which, similar to the deposit process, will let you withdraw instead.

Do different countries have different regulations for bookmakers?

EU member states have the autonomy and freedom to regulate their gambling services as long as they adhere to the fundamental freedoms and general provisions outlined in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). Most EU countries permit at least some online gaming. By having different regulations, bettors from the UK and Ireland sometimes have more flexibility in where and how they bet if they look towards foreign bookmakers.

Legal gambling age by country

As we saw in our table above, different countries in the EU have varying legal gambling ages. Some of these are in reference to gambling as a whole, and others depend on online accounts and physical land-based casinos.

Here are some rules of various European nations with their gambling laws:

Italy: In terms of gambling operations, Italy is one of Europe’s most liberal countries. Citizens and residents have been able to gamble at online casinos since 2006.

Sweden: Private casino gambling was illegal for many years. Every form of gambling was solely the domain of the state-owned Svenska Spel. However, its laws have recently changed to allow for more progressive and liberal legislation.

Spain: When looking for an EU country with some of the most progressive gambling laws, many gamblers choose Spain. If operators meet the requirements of the Spanish National Gaming Commission, they can obtain a licence.

Malta: Maltese law allows both online and offline gambling. However, for locals they are only legally permitted to bet using locally owned betting sites and operators.

Germany: The main German legal framework on gambling allows for gambling to be operated by private enterprises rather than the state, but only to a limited extent.

Final thoughts on using European sportsbooks

Whether you’re new to betting or a regular, you should always pay attention to the market in order to find the best European sportsbooks to use. Luckily for our readers, the Gambling Commission licences all of our top-rated EU betting sites so you know you’ll be using a reputable brand and can have peace of mind. Make sure to follow our tips and tricks in this article to give yourself the best shot at being successful during your European betting sites experience.