Best 7 Pools Betting Sites UK for 2023 (Ranked by Experts)

How we rank the best pool betting sites

Pools betting offers a unique and challenging experience for bettors that is an alternative to the traditional betting they might be accustomed to. In a nutshell, it works by every player placing a wager, which is the same for all participants, and that then goes into a prize pool. That pool of money then goes to whoever predicts the correct outcome of whatever it is they’re wagering on – that could be one participant or multiple. It’s a great way to bet as punters can land some significant winnings. Pools betting sites in the UK looking to provide an excellent service to bettors, therefore, need to think about certain things to achieve that. Our robust and thorough review process is as follows.

Variety	It’s the spice of life, right? Sites that provide a diverse selection of pools, including different sports and pool types, rank higher. These can include: tote betting, a popular form of betting used in horse racing; placepot, where punters pick horses to place in the first six races of a meeting, and if their selections place as expected, they win a share of the pool; sporting pools for football, cricket, and other events. Pools betting sites that cater to the diversity and tastes of their punters shows that they want to enhance their experience.
Competitive prize structures	The prize structure in pools betting refers to how the total pool of bets and contributions is distributed among the winning participants. It can vary based on the specific type of pool bet, the number of winners, and the rules of the betting site itself. We want to see that sites structure their prizes in fair and generous ways.
Bonuses and promotions	Welcome bonuses, risk-free bets, cashback offers, and loads more bonus and promotions are given out by betting sites every day, and the pools betting is no different. Punters want good value for money and a decent shot at turning bonus funds to cold hard cash, so we’ll review the bonuses and promotions offered by betting sites.
Fair terms and conditions	We expect to see accompanying terms and conditions with all bonuses, promotions, and any other features that require them. We review them to ensure that they’re clear, fair, and achievable, so that bettors are offered a good deal.
Security and safety	Pools betting sites, as a standard, should offer a safe and secure environment for punters to wager in. This includes adopting state-of-the-art and modern encryption measures (e.g., SSL), anti-fraud measures, and more. We also look favourably upon sites that demonstrate that they care for their customers’ wellbeing through the provision of responsible gaming tools, such as self-exclusion and daily or monthly limits on deposits and bets.
Live chat and customer service	The last thing anybody wants is a problem. Well, the second last thing is that. Even worse is not having a problem resolved speedily and to a high standard. We assess the customer support channels and service offered by a pools betting site and want to see 24/7 live chat – with human staff on-hand – along with accessible email and telephone numbers if that’s the punter’s preference. Providing FAQs for all those easily-answered queries is a great addition too.
A decent app	Apps are ten a penny nowadays, but they’re not all great. The quality can vary and a lot of that comes down to companies not understanding the value of an optimised mobile experience. Pools betting, and betting in general, is no different, as it’s a convenient way to bet wherever you are. We review the betting site’s app (firstly, do they even have one?) to check that it’s responsive, sleek, easy-to-use, and offers all the same ways to bet on the pools as you would have on the website.
Payment methods and payouts	Not everyone feels comfortable handing over debit card or credit card details, and if that’s the punter’s preference, then it should be catered for. On top of that, there are an ever-growing number of payment solutions hitting the market, diluting the pool (no pun intended) of customers using traditional methods. We say all that to say: it’s important that as many banking methods are supported. We want to see e-wallet solutions like Apple Pay or Google Pay, and other payment platforms – for example PayPal, Skrill, or Neteller – available to punters.

The Best Pools Betting Sportsbooks

In this section, we’ll list some online sportsbooks with pools betting that we think are worth registering at.

All of the pools betting sites we’ve listed below are safe, secure and reliable. Each one is licensed by a regulatory authority and can be trusted. We wouldn’t recommend or promote any site that we think is dodgy in any way. Become a member of one of our recommended sportsbooks and you should have a great pool betting experience.

#1 Pools Betting Site - Betfred

#2 Pools Betting Site - William Hill

#3 Pools Betting Site - Coral

#4 Pools Betting Site - The Pools

#5 Pools Betting Site - Ladbrokes

#6 Pools Betting Site - BetStorm

#7 Pools Betting Site - bet365

Introduction

Pool betting is a particular type of betting that’s becoming very popular throughout the UK. Many people practise it because it can give some pretty big returns. On this page, we’ll explain exactly how this type of betting works and we’ll show you some of the best pool betting sites that the UK has to offer.

Have a read and see if pools betting is suitable for you. If you find it appealing, register at one of the online sports we recommend and start placing some bets. Let’s get started and look at pools betting in detail.

Pools Betting vs Fixed-Odds Betting

In this section, we’ll run through what it is and how it works. First though, we’ll look at fixed-odds betting so we can compare the two.

Fixed-odds betting is where you place a bet, agreeing to the odds displayed. These odds, along with your wager, determine your payout. Let’s say you wager £1 on a bet with odds of 3/1. If this bet wins, you get your bet returned and receive winnings. The number on the left, 3, is what your bet is multiplied by to get your winnings; the number on the right, 1, is your initial bet. So, if you win a 3/1 bet with a wager of £1, you’ll end up with £4. This is made up of your initial bet (£1) and your winnings (£3).

With fixed-odds betting, other people’s bets don’t affect your winnings. With pools betting, however, they do. Here’s a rundown of how pools betting works:

• You bet on a particular outcome; other people are free to bet on the same outcome and others
• All wagered money is gathered in a prize pool
• Once the event’s finished, all people who have bet on the winning outcome get paid
• The money in the prize pool is shared evenly among all those with winning bets

Let’s say there’s an event with four possible outcomes: A, B, C and D. Ten people each wager £1 and each person picks one outcome:

• A – Two people
• B – Three people
• C – One person
• D – Four people

A total of £10 is in the prize pool. If outcome A wins, the two people who have wagered on it will split the prize money; each one will therefore get paid £5. Only one person has backed outcome C. If this bet wins, that one person will receive the entire £10 prize money.

With pools betting, the less popular a bet, the more of the prize fund those who have backed it will share if it wins. If you happen to back the winner and not many other people have done the same, you could end up with quite a substantial cash reward. That being said, if lots of others have blacked the winner, you won’t be paid as much.

When it’s fixed-odds betting, you know how much money you stand to win. You enter your stake in your bet slip and the betting site shows you what the winnings for your bet are, based on the current odds. You don’t get this with pools betting since there’s no way to tell in advance how many people will back each outcome and how the prize fund will be split.

Here’s a summary of fixed-odds betting vs pools betting:

	Fixed-Odds	Pools
Are there odds for the bets?	Yes	No
Do you know how much you could win when you place the bet?	Yes	No
Do other people’s bets affect your winning payout?	No	Yes
Do bookmakers have a say?	Yes; they set the odds	No; it’s purely down to the number of punters and their bets

If you think pools betting is for you, great. You’re sure to enjoy this type of betting. In the next section, we’ll run through some of the pros and cons associated with it, then we’ll show you some of the best online sportsbooks that offer it.

Pools Betting: Pros and Cons

All types of betting have advantages and disadvantages; pools betting is no different. Have a look below to see what these are:

• Pros
  • Potential to win big if you predict the right outcome and not many other people do the same
  • Everyone’s treated the same and pays the same amount; with fixed-odds betting, two people could end up getting vastly different odds for the same bet
  • You don’t have to wager a large sum of money to potentially win big
  • Available for major football tournaments and matches, and significant horse racing events

• Cons
  • You’re not sure how much you could win because of a lack of odds
  • The prize money depends on how many people are betting and how much they’re wagering

Most punters aren’t put off by the cons. They’re prepared to practise this type of betting since they know that they could potentially land a big win if they’re lucky.

What Sports Can You Place Pool Bets On?

At a typical UK online sportsbook, there are a few dozen sporting events and races you can bet on. For all of these, the standard form of betting is used, where you’re going up against the bookmaker and if you win, the payout depends on your wager and the odds.

Pools betting, unlike regular betting, is only available for two markets: horse racing and football. You’ll find that the majority of pools betting options are for horse racing and a smaller number are for football.

Even though the number of options is rather limited, this isn’t a problem for most punters. They enjoy being able to place pools bets on horse racing and/or football, and they don’t mind that this type of betting isn’t more widely available. If there was demand for it for other sports, it would exist, but there isn’t such demand so it’s not currently offered.

The Totepool Explained

In 1928, the Tote was established by the UK government. This company was set up to offer pools betting for horse racing and football. In July 2011, it was sold to the well-established gambling company BetFred in a deal reportedly worth £265 million. Then in 2019, it was sold to UK Tote Group.

The company operates the Totepool – also known as the Tote – which is the UK’s largest pools betting system. The company had an exclusive licence that allowed only them and no one else to offer pools betting on horse racing. This licence expired on 12 July 2018. Since then, other companies have been able to set up their own horse racing pools betting services. The Tote remains the biggest and most popular pools betting system in the UK by far.

Totepool Bets for Horse Racing

Below are summaries of the Tote betting options for horse racing:

Single Leg Bets

• Win/Place. For this bet, you’re backing a certain horse to come first or to place. For a horse to place, it has to finish in one of several positions pre-determined by the site. A site might say that a horse places if it finishes first or second, for example
• Exacta. This bet requires you to pick two horses: one to finish first and one to finish second. If your guesses match the final outcome, you’ll win
• Trifecta. The same as the Exact, except you’re picking horses to finish first, second and third. Again, all corrections have to be right for you to win the bet
• Swinger. You pick two horses and for the bet to win, these horses have to finish in the top three, in any order
• Quinella. This is similar to the Exacta in that you’re backing two horses to finish first and second. However, the horses can finish in either order and you’ll win

Multi-Leg Bets

• Placepot. A popular bet with horse racing punters, this requires you to pick one horse for each of the first six races in a single racing event. You’re able to select additional horses, but this increases the stake. For the Placepot to win, the horses have to win or place in the six races. The table below shows what positions the horses have to finish in depending on the number of racers:

 

Number of Horses	Bet Pays If the Horse…
Up to 4	Comes 1st
5-7	Comes 1st or 2nd
8-15	Comes 1st, 2nd or 3rd
16+	Comes 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th

 

This bet has an average payout of £407 per £1 wager. It can therefore be very profitable. What makes it appealing is that for a lot of races, the chosen horse only has to place; it doesn’t have to win

• Quadpot. This is similar to the Placepot, except you’re backing horses to place in races 3-6 of a meeting, instead of races 1-6
• Jackpot. For this bet, you pick six winners for the first six races of a meeting. The bet only pays if all six nominated horses win their respective races
• Scoop6. Similar to the Jackpot, except the races are from multiple meetings and are selected by the Tote; this is only available on Saturdays

Totepool Bets for Football

And here are the options for football. All of these are multi-leg bets.

Multi-Leg Bets

• 1×2. Predict which teams will win, lose or draw in a number of pre-selected matches
• Correct Score. For this, you have to predict the correct score in matches predetermined by the Tote
• Asian Handicap. This bet requires you to guess the outcome of matches where the favourites are handicapped; this means they have to win by a certain number of goals to be considered the winner
• Over/Under. For this, you’re predicting whether the final result of matches will be over or under a certain number
• Both Teams to Score. Pays out if each team scores at least one goal in specific matches

Before you start placing Tote bets, familiarise yourself with the options and how they work.

How to Choose a Pools Betting Site

Having lots of options is great, but how do you pick the right pool betting site for you? Thankfully, there’s an easy way to whittle down the options and settle on one site. What you should do is think about what you want most from a betting site. Some of the criteria you may wish to consider include:

• Betting markets
  • What sports can you bet on? What betting options are there? Does the site offer bets on smaller, local events or does it just focus on the bigger ones?
• Other gambling opportunities
  • Does the site focus on sports betting or does it offer other types of gambling? Are there casino games? Lotteries? Bingo, poker and virtual games?
• Payment methods
  • What payment methods can you use for deposits and withdrawals? Are there any fees? What are the withdrawal wait times? What are the transaction limits?
• Customer support
  • What options for contacting customer support are there? Is customer support available all day or just during select hours?
• Safety and security
  • Is the site licensed? Does it use advanced security software? Is there help available for those affected by gambling problems?
• Reputation
  • Does the site have a good reputation? Are the reviews and comments mostly positive?

Don’t just register at the very first betting site on our list. Instead, take time to look through the full list of recommendations and read our summaries. See which of these online sportsbooks appeals to you the most.

How to Take Part in Pools Betting

If you’d like to do some pools betting, there are three simple steps to take:

• Sign up at one of our recommended online sportsbooks
• Deposit money into your account
• Place a pools bet on a market of your choosing

We’ll go through these three steps in more detail below, using Coral as an example.

Signing up to an Online Sportsbook

Once you’ve chosen a sportsbook from our list of recommendations, you’ll have to become a member. This is very quick and easy to do:

1. Visit the site you’ve chosen
   

   Coral’s Homepage

2. Click the ‘Join Now’ / ‘Register’ button; this is usually in the top right-hand corner of the screen
   

   Joining Coral

3. The registration form will appear; fill this out, supplying personal details and contact information; you’ll also have to create a username and password
   

   Registration panel at Coral

4. When the form’s complete, your account will be created

When your account’s up and running, you’ll be able to access it. At some sites, however, you may need to click a confirmation link in an email the sportsbook sends you before your account is properly set up.

Funding Your Account

The next step is to add some money to your online sportsbook account. Again, this is a straightforward process that shouldn’t cause any problems. Follow the steps below to get your account funded:

1. When logged in, head to the ‘Deposit’ or ‘Cashier’ section; the link to this is usually in the top right-hand corner
   

   Depositing at Coral

2. Choose your preferred payment method from the list of options; if it’s your first time depositing, you’ll have to add a payment method first
   

   Choosing your favourite payment method

3. Enter the required details along with the amount of money you wish to deposit
   

   Adding your card details

4. Click to confirm the transaction; the money should reach your account pretty much straight away

When you deposit into your account for the first time, you may qualify for the site’s welcome bonus. This is a special reward given to new players when they first fund their accounts. Before claiming a bonus, make sure you read the associated terms and conditions so you know what the full rules, restrictions and requirements are. The rewards you can get from welcome bonuses include free bets, bonus money, enhanced odds and cashback.

Placing a Pools Bet

The final step is to actually place a pools bet. The steps below give a summary of how you do this:

1. You’ll find a list of betting markets displayed on the left-hand side of the site’s sports betting section
   

   Choosing from Coral’s betting markets

2. Click on the horse racing or football market and the current bets for it will be displayed in the middle of the screen
   

   Current racing markets at Coral

3. You should find an option for Tote betting somewhere; alternatively, some bets may be listed as specific Tote bets; when you find a bet, click it and it’ll appear in your bet slip on the right
   

   Selecting a bet and entering your stake

4. Enter your stake, click to confirm it and the bet will be placed

If you get stuck at any point, don’t hesitate to contact the betting site’s customer support team. There should be several ways of getting in touch, including live chat, email and possibly a phone line. Some sites also have social media pages listed as contact options.

A lot of the time, there’s a FAQ section where answers to common queries are listed. It’s worth checking this out before contacting customer support. You may well find the answer or information you’re after here.

Tips for Pools Betting

There’s no hint or strategy that can guarantee you a win with any kind of betting. However, certain pieces of advice can improve your betting practice and help you bring in more money. The idea is that by thinking more carefully about your bets, you’ll make better decisions that will reduce your long-term losses and, hopefully, improve your gains in the process.

Here are some tips that may go some way to improving your pools betting:

• Be as informed as possible
  • With all kinds of sports betting, having knowledge always helps. If you place bets randomly, you’re not going to have a good chance of winning. However, if you know about the event you’re betting on, you can make better decisions and place bets that are more likely to win. Some factors to consider include:
    • The venue. Where is the race or match taking place? Have competitors raced/played here before? Is it a football team’s home ground?
    • The competition. What other horses are taking part in the race? What team is your chosen football team competing against?
    • The form of the competitor/racer/team you’re backing. How has your chosen horse performed in recent races? How has your football team or individual player fared in recent games?
    • Any recent injuries or changes to a team’s line-up. Has your chosen football team had any major line-up changes? Have any players sustained injuries that have affected their performance?
    • Past statistics. How has your chosen horse, team or individual player done in the past? Do the statistics give them a decent chance of winning?

• Don’t necessarily back the favourite
  • You may be tempted to back the favourite, but this may not be the best move to make. Remember that with pools betting, the more people there are backing a particular outcome, the smaller the share of the prize money each one receives.

• Don’t place too many bets on the same event
  • If you place lots of bets on the same event, you’ll be putting a lot of money into the prize pool. Even if some of your bets win, the ones that don’t will reduce your takings and may result in your making a loss. Ideally, you should put as little into the pool as possible and take as much out of it as possible

• Be sensible with your gambling
  • When practising any type of gambling, it’s important that you gamble in moderation
    • Only spend money you can afford to lose
    • Prioritise spending your money on important things like bills, rent and mortgage payments
    • Limit the time you spend at gambling sites
    • If gambling stops being fun, stop doing it

With pools betting, or any other type of betting for that matter, it’s all about using your head. Don’t just place random bets. Take some time to think about what you’re going to be betting on and how much you’ll be wagering. One of the best ways to boost your chances of making money is by simply being sensible.

Don’t forget to make the most of sports bonuses. Whenever you sign up to an online sportsbook, there’ll be some sort of bonus you’ll be entitled to when you deposit for the first time. There should also be some promotions aimed at existing players. Take advantage of promotional offers and claim rewards such as free bets, bonus money and cashback.

Summary

Pools betting is a different kind of betting in that it’s not between you and the bookmaker. Instead, it’s you placing bets alongside lots of other people who are backing the same outcome. All of the money goes into a single pool and all winners receive a share of it.

If this type of betting sounds appealing to you, register at one of our recommended online sportsbooks and start placing some bets today. Claim bonuses to make your deposits go further and give you more chances of winning. Remember to do some research before you start pools betting so you know what you’re doing.