Best PayPal betting sites UK: Reviews, apps & offers (February 2026)

The best PayPal betting sites in the UK in February 2026 are Betfair, bet365, BOYLE Sports, Virgin Bet, Coral, Betfred, and BetMGM.

These eight bookmakers accept PayPal deposits and withdrawals, offer competitive odds across upwards 50 sports markets, and most provide welcome bonuses worth up to £50 in free bets for new customers.

The best betting sites that accept PayPal – top UK picks for February 2026

Here are my top eight picks for the best bookmakers that currently accept PayPal payments, along with their standout features, bonuses, and promotions.

PayPal has become one of the most popular payment methods at UK betting sites. It’s fast, secure, and familiar, and most punters already have an account. Below, I’ve reviewed each of these eight PayPal bookmakers in detail, compared them across key categories, and picked a winner (spoiler alert, it’s Betfair).

1. Betfair – more than just a bookmaker

Betfair is a first-rate PayPal gambling site, but there is more to it than just that. This is because it also serves as a sports betting exchange platform. With a betting exchange, you are not betting against the bookmaker but instead betting directly against other players, with the bookie acting as a host for and earning a small commission from the trade.

The betting exchange operates in conjunction with the sportsbook, which offers a vast range of sports betting markets similar to those found in traditional bookmakers. Betfair is part of the giant Flutter Entertainment group, which also operates many other major gambling platforms in the UK and around the world.

For customers in the UK, Betfair is licensed and regulated by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission as well as the Malta Gaming Authority.

Special offer & promotions

For new players only, the Betfair sign-up bonus is a bet £10, get £50 in free bets. If you want to get this offer for yourself, here’s how to go about it. Sign up and deposit at least £10 using the Betfair promo code.

You can only do this using a debit card or Apple Pay so, even though Betfair accept it, do not use PayPal on this occasion. Then, place a minimum £10 bet on the Betfair Sportsbook at minimum odds of 1/1.

This must be completed within the first 30 days of your account opening. £50 sportsbook free bet builders, accumulators or multiples will then be awarded after the qualifying bet has settled.

Betfair sportsbook review

Betfair is one of the most popular and famous online sportsbooks in the country. As such, it scores highly in most categories.

• Sports coverage variety/sports market depth: 28
• Live betting options: Yes
• Streaming services: Yes
• Competitive odds: Yes
• Betting limits: £3,000 P/M
• Special features: Betting exchange
• Mobile betting experience: Very good
• Virtual sports betting: Yes

2. bet365 – biggest range of sports betting markets

bet365 claims to be the world’s most popular online sports betting platform, and I would certainly believe it. I have been involved in betting, off and online, for the best part of 20 years, and this site stole a march on its rivals at the turn of the century and hasn’t looked back.

This is an online bookmaker still based in its hometown of Stoke-on-Trent and owned by the family that launched it in 2000. Today, while the UK-based multinational operator has withdrawn from China, it is increasing its presence in the US.

In the UK, bet365 is operated by Hillside (UK Sports) ENC, which is licensed by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission under number 55148.

Special offer & promotions

Newcomers to bet365 can get up to £30 in bet credits just for signing up for a new account, depositing, and then betting £10. If you deposit between £5 and £10 you will receive three times that value in free bets as soon as your qualifying bets have been settled.

Bets must contain at least one selection at odds of 1/5 or greater, and they must settle within 30 days of claiming the offer.

bet365 sportsbook review

By far and away the most comprehensive sportsbook I have ever come across can be found at bet365. Everything about bet365 works for me. I like the design, the options, the features, the bonuses and the odds.

• Sports coverage variety/sports market depth: 51
• Live betting options: Yes
• Streaming services: Yes, including very single NBA match
• Competitive odds: Yes
• Betting limits: £100,000
• Special features: Bet builder
• Mobile betting experience: Superb
• Virtual sports betting: Yes

3. BOYLE Sports – high street flexibility

BOYLE Sports is Ireland’s largest independent bookmaker, with more than 230 high-street bookmakers across Ireland and Great Britain. Like many online bookmakers with a high street presence, BOYLE Sports allows its players to link their accounts and enjoy extra benefits that online-only operations can’t offer.

In truth, it is less well-known than other betting sites and flies somewhat under the radar. This is no bad thing from a punter’s point of view, as the site is less busy most of the time. Unlike its competitors, it doesn’t really advertise on British telly, which might be why.

As for its licensing credentials, BOYLE Sports is licensed and regulated in Great Britain by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission under the account number 39469.

Special offer & promotions

The BoyleSports sign-up offer is £40 in free bets. This is paid out in return for a minimum £10 deposit and wager when you open a new account.

Restrictions apply to the banking method you use to make the qualifying deposit (see above), but the wager can be placed on any sport. The bet must be placed within your first 30 days as a BOYLE Sports customer and must have odds of at least 1/1.

BOYLE Sports sportsbook review

The BOYLE Sports betting experience is a good one overall. The site doesn’t assault the senses, but it does an effective job of what it sets out to do: offer uncomplicated, uncluttered sports betting options backed by a ton of bonuses.

• Sports coverage variety/sports market depth: 36
• Live betting options: Yes
• Streaming services: Yes
• Competitive odds: Yes
• Betting limits: £50,000
• Special features: High street account linking capabilities
• Mobile betting experience: Decent
• Virtual sports betting: Yes

4. Virgin Bet – bonuses galore

Licenced in Great Britain by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission under the number 54310, Virgin Bet was launched by owners Gamesys in 2019 but is today operated by Virgin Bet Limited.

Since then, it has grown into a prominent platform in British sports betting that routinely offers great promotions to customers in the United Kingdom, for whom this site was specifically designed.

Virgin Bet offers daily price boosts and a huge range of markets across all major sports, as well as a bet £10 get £20 welcome offer that is fully claimable on their excellent app, which perfectly replicates the website and can be downloaded for both operating systems.

Special offer & promotions

A single bet of £10 is all it takes to unlock the Virgin Bet welcome bonus. This minimum £10 bet needs to be placed and settled within 14 days of registration, and it must have odds of 1/2 or greater.

Once your free bets have been issued, you have seven days to accept them and another seven to use them.

Virgin Bet sportsbook review

While the Virgin Bet sportsbook is still very good, the sports options on offer are not as comprehensive as I have seen at other sports betting platforms. However, this site does still provide everything a British bettor could ask for.

• Sports coverage variety/sports market depth: 36
• Live betting options: Yes
• Streaming services: Yes
• Competitive odds: Yes
• Betting limits: £1,000,000
• Special features: Live betting
• Mobile betting experience: Good
• Virtual sports betting: Yes

5. Coral – a sports betting powerhouse

Coral has been a British institution for almost a century. This bookmaker started out in 1926 as a trackside operation before opening its first betting shop in 1961. Since then, the bookie hasn’t looked back and has firmly established itself as a top online betting platform and app.

Coral doesn’t always offer the greatest value odds, but it more than makes up for it with its ongoing promotions. Plus, there are loads of ways to boost the odds so you are unlikely to notice.

Part of the Entain group, this bookmaker is owned and operated by LC International Limited, which is licenced and regulated in Great Britain by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission under the account number 54743.

Special offer & promotions

The Coral welcome offer is a good option for punters looking for a low-deposit bonus. It only takes £5 to trigger 6 x £5 in free bets, which are issued instantly. You then have a whole week to use them up.

The free bets can be used on Win or Each-Way Bets and can only be used on the following listed Bet types: Single, Double, Treble, Four Fold and Upwards Accumulator, Forecast and Combination.

Coral sportsbook review

As you would expect, Coral’s sports offering is vast. Players can bet on a massive range of sports, although most of Coral’s promotions are designed for football and horse racing.

• Sports coverage variety/sports market depth: 44
• Live betting options: Yes
• Streaming services: Yes
• Competitive odds: Yes
• Betting limits: £20,000
• Special features: Rewards Shaker
• Mobile betting experience: Brilliant
• Virtual sports betting: Yes

6. Betfred – the bonus king

Betfred is one of the UK’s largest independent bookmakers. It was founded in 1967 and funded with money won through betting on England’s World Cup win one year earlier. Since then, it has grown into an empire of high-street betting shops across the country.

Today, it also has a first-class online operation. Punters can join in the fun via the website or app, available on iOS and Android. One of the first things you will notice about Betfred is the huge amount of bonuses on offer at any time, which are all tailored for a huge range of different sports.

Petfre (Gibraltar) Limited trades as Betfred and is licenced and regulated in Great Britain by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission under the account number 39544.

Special offer & promotions

Register and place £10 or more on your first sports bet to get £50 in free bets is the current Betfred promo code. To make the most of this offer, register, deposit via debit card and stake at least £10.

Next, place your first bet of £10 at odds of evens or greater on any sports market within seven days of registering. Do this and you will get 3 x £10 in Sports Free Bets and 2 x £10 in Acca Free Bets within 10 hours of settlement.

Betfred sportsbook review

Although it’s one of my favourite UK free bet sites, Betfred has a surprisingly small number of markets to wager on, and not all of them are sporting. This doesn’t always matter to me, however, as Betfred are so good when it comes to bonuses and promotions and odds. Besides, all of the major sports are covered, so most people will be happy.

• Sports coverage variety/sports market depth: 26
• Live betting options: Yes
• Streaming services: Yes
• Competitive odds: Yes
• Betting limits: £100,000
• Special features: #PickYourPunt
• Mobile betting experience: Yes
• Virtual sports betting: Yes

7. BetMGM – golden sports betting platform

We all know the MGM Grand Las Vegas casino on the Las Vegas Strip is a massive name in gambling, their sports betting arm, BetMGM, only launched in the UK as recently as August 2023.

If it just so happens that football betting is your thing, then you’re in luck as BetMGM covers a wide range of leagues from around the world. They also boast features such as bet builder and pre-packs, where players can select the most popular backed bet builders and place their bets with one fast and simple click.

BetMGM is powered by LeoVegas Gaming PLC who is licensed and regulated in Great Britain by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission under account number 39198.

Special offer & promotions

Because of its newness, BetMGM is genuinely keen to make an impression and woo new customers, which is no easy feat in the UK’s already saturated market. As such, newcomers to BetMGM who place a qualifying bet of at least £10 at even odds or higher within seven days of signing up can expect to receive £40 back in free bets.

Any free bets at MGM are awarded as such: 1 x £10 football, 1 x £10 horse racing & 2 x £10 Bet Builders. Be warned, though, these free bets will expire within a further seven days.

Darts betting sites will have odds out for the next edition shortly.

BetMGM sportsbook review

Straight out of the traps, BetMGM offers a diverse range of sporting markets, including football, horse racing, tennis and much more. Furthermore, this exciting new site offers impressive odds that players can toggle between fractional and decimal formats.

• Sports coverage variety/sports market depth: 40
• Live betting options: Yes
• Streaming services: Yes
• Competitive odds: Yes
• Betting limits: N/A
• Special features: BetMGM Rewards
• Mobile betting experience: Yes
• Virtual sports betting: Yes

Best 10 bookmakers in the UK: Winners across key categories

Category	Winner
Best Sports Bonus	Betfred
Best Free Bets Bonus	Betfair
Best % Welcome Bonus	Betfred
Sports betting market	bet365
Football betting	Betfred
Horse racing betting	Coral
Niche sports markets betting	bet365
Best odds	Betfair
Live streaming & betting	Betfair
Virtuals, iGaming, & esports	BOYLE Sports
Customer service	bet365
User experience	BetMGM
Best mobile app	Betfred
Gambling awareness	Befair

The next area we need to explore is how well these online sports betting sites fare in direct comparison, considering some of the factors I mentioned earlier when judging and rating the PayPal betting sites UK.

To clarify, the key aspects that will be compared are things like sports coverage, betting markets, odds competitiveness, user experience, customer service, payment options and promotions.

💰 The best sports bonuses on the market

Of the eight welcome bonus offers on this list of betting sites that accept PayPal, some are arguably better than others. There are many ingredients that go into making a decent welcome bonus. Whether it’s the size of the bonus, how expensive the deposit is, wagering requirements or validity period, it really depends on what you are looking for.

Betfred – Best bonus percentage markup

The winner for best bonus size has to be Betfred as it gives bettors £50 when they stake £10. In contrast, DAZN Bet only give you £10 when you play the same amount. Also, Betfair rewards £50 in return for a £10 opener; however, these are all for multiple bets, making them much harder to win.

Coral – Best low deposit bonus

This is the sign up offer that has the lowest deposit cost. And it’s still a good markup: for an opening bet of £5, bettors get £20 in free bets. And, because it’s dealt out in four free bets worth £5 each, you multiple attempts at a win and getting your new account’s bankroll off to a great start. In fact, you get five!

bet365 – Best validity periods

Not only does bet365 give you 30 days to make your qualifying deposit and wager, but you also get 30 days before your bet credits expire. This contrasts with the seven-day maximum validity period offered by other bookmakers.

⚽ Sports betting market depth – bet365 dominates

With 51 sports betting markets on offer, there can only be one winner in this category, and that’s bet365. That’s a whole 11 extra markets over its nearest competitor when it comes to the number of sports markets offered, which is Coral.

Football selection at Betfred: In a league of its own

Betfred, which only exists thanks to a fateful football bet that was placed in the sixties, has always been into its football. While it doesn’t have the biggest sportsbook, it really does give football a whole lot of love.

You can see for yourself the many football markets and bet types on offer, covering popular leagues like the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A, as well as lesser-known leagues from all over the world. Betfred also runs a whole host of football promotions while promoting good odds at the same time.

Horse racing betting at Coral reigns supreme

At Coral, there is a real emphasis on horse racing. Not only can you get a feel for what it’s like to be a racehorse owner through the Coral Horse Racing Club, but there’s also best odds guaranteed, Horse Racing Super Series, UK Tote guide, extra place races, pipped at the post, and odds boosts.

You can also track and keep notes on your favourite horses with the My Stable feature. If you want to watch the majority of UK and Ireland horse races, you can through the Coral live streaming service. This includes the portfolio of races that it sponsors, such as the Coral Eclipse, Coral Welsh Grand National, Coral Scottish Grand National and Coral Gold Cup at Newbury.

And, of course, you can place every type of horse racing bet that you can think of. Wager on bets such as win, place, show, exacta, trifecta, placepots and more. You can make ante-post bets and get non-runner no bet.

BetMGM excels at in-play betting

I found BetMGM’s live betting options especially pleasing. You can access a daily selection of sports directly from the operator’s homepage. The selection of live markets can be accessed via the LIVE In Play button at the top of the page. Next to the button, the number of ongoing events at that time is displayed.

You can choose from sports such as football, tennis, basketball, cricket, golf and table tennis. When I went to place a live football bet, I found my options to be Match & Total Goals, Team to go through, Both Teams To Score, Double Chance, Half Time, Total Goals – 1st Half, Draw No Bet, 3-Way Handicap, Total Goals by Home Team, Total Goals by Away Team and Total Corners.

Best odds in the UK: Betfair wins

While all of the sites on this list of PayPal sports betting sites offer some form of odds boost, I have found that Betfair consistently offer some of best value odds around. I didn’t just wager on one single solitary sport either, I looked into as many events as I could and believe that Betfair’s betting odds often came up best.

In truth, there isn’t usually a whole lot of difference as most betting sites score their odds around the same marks on average.

Betfair’s seamless live streaming & betting

These days, most online bookmakers have live streaming services, the bigger sites at least. This true of Betfair who has an excellent streaming service. Called Betfair Video, there are 25 sports that can be viewed live on the Betfair site or app.

These include many of the most popular and well-known sports, and also some of the more obscure sports, such as bandy. It’s a reliable stream too, with minimal lagging, I’m pleased to report. Most live pictures are typically delayed by 2 – 5 seconds.

It is also very user-friendly, and switching to your live betting options is simple. To watch the live stream service, you will likely need to place a bet of at least £1 on the event before being able to access it. Other than that, Betfair Video is currently free of charge for all content, except for certain horse racing and greyhound events.

Virtuals, iGaming & esports: BOYLE Sports dunks on the competition

BOYLE Sports is one of the best gambling sites that accept PayPal when it comes to virtual sports and esports too. In terms of virtually generated sports, you can wager on sprint racing, flat racing, national hunt, horse chase, greyhound races, greyhound derby, football, classic football, matchday, motor racing and speedway.

There is also a wealth of esports on offer at BOYLE Sports, all of which can be wagered on pre-match or live and in play. Some, but not all, of the games that you can expect to see being played include DOTA and COD.

Customer service and user hospitality: bet365 wins

When it comes to customer support, bet365 offers the most comprehensive amount of contact options. As well as a help centre, bet365 can be contacted by email, live chat 24h, social media on X.com around the clock and even by the old-fashioned postal method. The only method the site doesn’t support is phone, but most of the other sites on this list don’t support this option either.

User experience and website functionality: BetMGM wins

The BetMGM website is absolutely one of the most fluid I have played at. The site works near flawlessly and everything loads in good time. All of your betting options are clearly laid out, which is always a good thing from a user’s perspective, as it makes it easy to get your bets on in good time.

I also like the sleek design of black and gold, which ties in with the site’s marketing slogan of bringing in the golden era of sports betting. These are the reasons that BetMGM scores highly in this category. Not every one of our top PayPal sports betting sites offers such a good user experience.

The best mobile app: Betfred wins

The award for best sports betting mobile app goes to Betfred. There is no lag with this app, which makes the whole experience much more pleasing. The app can be downloaded for iOS and Android devices so anyone can get it.

It loads quickly, has a vibrant design and colour scheme, and a neat layout. It’s extremely easy to use, and everything from the website is available, including live streaming, full or partial cash-out bet builder and live betting.

Gambling awareness: Betfair provides the best support

For me, the best range of safer gambling tools is available at Betfair. Not only is it easy to find the safe gambling options provided, but there is a lot of ways to stay safe on offer. It was also very simple to set up all of the options, making it easy to stay safe when gambling online.

The responsible gambling options at Betfair include setting deposit and loss limits, assessing your profit and loss ratio, using a budget calculator, taking time out, a gaming reality check, and self-exclusion.

Qualities that define an industry-leading bookmaker

The UK online sports betting scene is incredibly competitive and, with more and more new bookies launching all of the time, it is only getting busier, showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

This means that it can be difficult to find the online bookmaker that best suits your preferences and meets your requirements. While there isn’t a definitive answer to why a particular bookmaker stands out as the best, there are important factors to consider when making your choice.

Here are some essential factors I use to assess bookmakers: sports and markets, bonuses, odds, products, banking methods, transaction processing times, mobile app, features, user interface, safety, responsible gambling tools, industry reputation and licences.

Which bookmaker is ideal for you?

Hopefully, by now, you have decided on your perfect sports betting match. These are only my opinions, and your experience might differ from mine. I have tried to be fair in my analysis of each of the betting sites that use PayPal and the categories I have rated them on.

At the end of the day, you need to select a bookmaker based on the factors that mean the most to you. If that means the best bonus, then you might want to choose Betfred. If you are a horse racing enthusiast, then I believe Coral is your best bet, but it’s bet365 that has the most extensive sportsbook. As I say, the choice is all yours.

Author’s picks: My favourite bookmaker and why

As you can see from my scoring, I think every one of the listed betting sites that accept PayPal has its merits, and all of them have topped at least one category. However, there are two that have come out on top more than the rest. Tied on four wins each are Betfred and Betfair.

It’s tough picking a winner out of these two, but I’m opting for Betfair due to the fact that it also has a betting exchange, so it has another function.

FAQs on PayPal for betting in the UK