Best Odds
Bookmakers with the highest odds and best payout rates — more value on every winning bet.
Finding the best betting odds is the single most reliable way to increase your long-term returns. The difference between a price of 1.85 and 1.95 on the same outcome might look tiny, but across a full season of bets it adds up to a significant chunk of profit — money you simply leave on the table if you don't shop around.
Our team reviews the leading sportsbooks and rates them on how competitive their odds really are, so you can quickly see which bookmakers consistently offer the best value across the markets you bet on most. On this page we explain exactly how odds work, why even small differences matter, and how to make sure you always get the highest available price on every bet you place.
10 bookmakers in this category
Bet365
Hillside (Sports) LP / Bet365 Group Ltd
Betano
Kaizen Gaming International Ltd
Unibet
Kindred Group plc
Betway
Super Group (SGHC) Ltd
William Hill
Evoke plc (formerly 888 Holdings)
Bwin
Entain plc (formerly bwin.party / GVC Holdings)
888sport
Evoke plc (formerly 888 Holdings)
Pinnacle
Pinnacle (Ragnarok Corporation N.V.)
1xBet
1X Corp N.V.
22bet
TechSolutions Group N.V.
Why Comparing Sports Betting Odds Matters
Every set of odds carries a built-in margin — the bookmaker's commission, often called the "overround", "vig" or "juice". The tighter that margin, the higher the odds you get and the more you keep when your bet wins. A sportsbook running a 102% margin pays out far more generously than one sitting at 108%, even though both are quoting prices on exactly the same match.
Here's the math that matters. Imagine you place 200 bets a year at an average stake of €20. If one bookmaker consistently offers odds that are just 3% higher than a rival, that edge is worth roughly €120 in extra winnings over the year — for doing nothing more than choosing the better price. Stretch that over five years and you are looking at €600 of extra profit from a single habit. For high-volume bettors staking more per bet, the numbers climb into the thousands.
This is exactly why serious bettors treat odds quality as the most important factor when choosing where to bet. A flashy welcome bonus is a one-time perk that runs out after a few weeks. Better odds, by contrast, work in your favour on every single wager you place, for as long as you keep your account. Over a betting lifetime, the bookmaker that pays the best prices will always outperform the one with the loudest marketing.
It is also worth understanding that no bookmaker can offer the best odds on everything. Pricing teams specialise: one site might shade its football prices to attract action, while another competes hardest on tennis or US sports. The bookmakers we rate highly for odds are those that stay competitive across a wide range of markets — but the real winning move is always to compare before you commit.
How Bookmakers Set Their Odds
Odds are not plucked from thin air. Bookmakers employ traders and increasingly sophisticated algorithms that calculate the true probability of every outcome, then add their margin on top. The published price is therefore always slightly worse than the "fair" price — that gap is how the bookmaker makes money.
Prices then move in response to two forces: new information and money. If a key striker is ruled out an hour before kick-off, traders adjust instantly. And if a large amount of money lands on one side of a market, the bookmaker shortens those odds to balance their liability and protect their margin. This constant movement is why the same selection can be priced differently at two bookmakers at the very same moment — and why the bettor who checks several sites consistently comes out ahead.
How to Find the Highest Odds for Different Sports
No bookmaker offers the best odds on everything. The smartest approach is to know which sportsbook is strongest for the sports and leagues you actually bet on.
Football & Soccer
For high-profile competitions like the Premier League, Champions League and major international tournaments, most top bookmakers price aggressively to compete. Margins are usually tightest on match-winner and over/under markets, so this is where comparing odds pays off most. On more obscure leagues, prices vary far more widely — and that is where a sharp bettor can find genuine value.
Tennis
Grand Slam and ATP/WTA tour matches often show noticeable price differences between bookmakers, especially in set betting and live in-play markets. Tennis is volatile, with momentum swinging fast, so a specialist tennis sportsbook with deep markets and quick live pricing can offer meaningfully better value than a generalist site.
US Sports (NBA, NFL, UFC)
American sports markets — point spreads, totals and player props — vary widely in price. Bookmakers with a strong US focus frequently beat European-centric sites on these markets, particularly on props and alternate lines. If you bet US sports regularly, it pays to hold an account with at least one US-specialist book.
Horse Racing
Racing is the one sport where the concept of a "starting price" and promotions like Best Odds Guaranteed come into play. Prices fluctuate heavily right up to the off, so timing your bet — and choosing a bookmaker with strong racing terms — makes a real difference to your returns.
Understanding Odds Formats: Decimal, Fractional and American
Odds are displayed differently depending on where you are, but they all express the same two things: how much you win and how likely an outcome is. Knowing how to read each format lets you compare prices across any bookmaker, wherever it is based.
Decimal odds (popular in Europe, Australia and Canada) show your total return per unit staked. Odds of 2.50 return €2.50 for every €1 bet, including your stake — so your profit is €1.50. They are the easiest format for comparing value, because the bigger the number, the bigger the payout, full stop.
Fractional odds (traditional in the UK and Ireland) show profit relative to stake. 6/4 means you win €6 for every €4 staked, plus your stake back. They take a little more mental arithmetic, which is why many UK bettors now switch their accounts to decimal for easier comparison.
American odds (used in North America) use a plus or minus sign. A positive number such as +150 shows the profit on a €100 stake (€150), while a negative number such as -200 shows how much you must stake to win €100. Favourites carry minus odds; underdogs carry plus odds.
The good news: almost every modern sportsbook lets you switch between formats in the settings. Pick the one you find easiest to read — it makes spotting the best price across multiple sites much faster, and reduces the chance of a costly misread.
Smart Strategies: Line Shopping and Value Betting
"Line shopping" simply means checking the price for the same bet at several bookmakers before you place it, then backing your selection at the highest available odds. It is the most basic — and most effective — habit a profitable bettor can build. Holding accounts at two or three trusted sportsbooks makes this effortless, and the few minutes it takes to compare will, over time, be the best-paid few minutes of your betting life.
"Value betting" goes a step further. It means backing outcomes where the odds offered are higher than the true probability of that outcome occurring. If you believe a team has a 50% chance of winning (fair odds of 2.00) and a bookmaker is offering 2.20, that is a value bet — even if it loses on the day. You won't win every value bet, but over hundreds of wagers, consistently taking value is the only mathematically sound way to come out ahead of the bookmaker.
A few practical habits separate winners from the crowd: keep a record of your bets so you can see which markets you actually beat; never increase your stakes to chase a loss; and resist the temptation of huge accumulators, where the bookmaker margin compounds with every leg you add. Discipline and the best available price will always beat luck and a big bonus.
Bet Responsibly
Better odds make betting more rewarding, but they should never change the golden rule: only ever bet what you can comfortably afford to lose. Betting is entertainment, not a way to make a living or to recover money you have already lost.
Every licensed bookmaker we recommend is required to provide responsible gambling tools — deposit limits, loss limits, time-outs, reality checks and self-exclusion. Use them proactively, not just when things go wrong. If betting ever stops being fun, or you feel it slipping out of your control, take a break and reach out to a support organisation such as GamCare, BeGambleAware or GamblersAnonymous. Help is free, confidential and always available.