Best tennis betting sites UK: Top 10 tennis bookies for June 2024
IN betting terms, tennis is one of the most popular sports on planet, and with two of the biggest tournaments of the year – the French Open and Wimbledon – just around the corner, I've taken a look at some of the best betting sites.
My ace guide looks at some of the best tennis betting sites out there, how to bet, and discusses some of the different tennis markets available. Join me, and let's dive in!
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How I picked the Best UK tennis betting sites
So, how did I select the best UK tennis betting sites? Well, I looked at several key areas:
Tennis event coverage
So the first thing I looked at what the amount of coverage offered. Is betting offered at a wide range of tournaments, from ATP and WTA main level, down to the ITF World Tour? And what markets are offered, just the basics or a wide variety of sub-markets, including props?
In-play betting & live streaming
With in-play now responsible for a huge percentage of tennis betting turnover, each site’s offering in terms of in-running markets, live streaming and in-play stats is crucial.
Welcome bonuses and other promos
I'm not the only person who enjoys a good bonus offer, promotion or boosted price now and again, right? Always be wary of wagering requirements though!
Site security and licencing
A particularly important factor for punters is how safe their money is. The UK Gambling Commission has three levels of customers’ funds protection, and all the sites on our list have its licensing, so customers can rest assured their deposits are well-kept.
Tennis betting sites: In-depth look at our partners
1. Coral
In my experience, Coral is one of the first firms to price up tennis events, especially outright markets. They offer a good range of streamed matches and, importantly for me, offer the Gambling Commission’s ‘high’ level of customer funds protection. At Coral punters can also create their own bets, using the #YourCall option, although pricing up remains at the traders’ discretion and isn’t an instant process.
2. bet365
As you’d expect from one of the biggest betting firms, bet365 have an impressive range of match markets, regularly offering options such as ‘will there be a tie-break in the match?’ and the odds are usually very competitive. There’s also a good streaming and stats service, while the Bet Builder tool allows customers to create their own specific bet immediately. That's a priceless feature in my book. A bet £10, get £30 (in bet credits) bonus sign-up offer is also strong.
3. Unibet
One of the best sites for streaming with any number of tennis matches at the lower levels available to watch. Unibet has a wide range of markets – with good-value prices - is also on offer. In-play punters may well find the point-by-point match history of use but unfortunately the stats provision comes from an external provider and is therefore on a different webpage. It's not happened to me, but the firm also has a reputation for placing stake restrictions on accounts.
4. Betway
The Betway site provides one of the best in-play stats offerings, going into greater detail than most rivals, although that is largely to help cancel out a lack of live streaming. The firm does, however, offer betting on virtually all professional tennis matches, at least in singles. Another firm recently moved to a ‘high’ level of customer funds protection.
5. William Hill
Plenty of tennis matches to bet on, all the way down to the lower echelons of the tennis tours. They are also one firm prepared to offer ‘point’ betting among their in-play options. Another tennis rarity is the ability to have your own bet priced up (via Twitter) using #YourOdds. On the downside, there’s a lack of streaming, while William Hill are regularly one of the last firms up with outright tennis markets.
How to bet on tennis: A guide
- Visit the website of the bookmaker you want to bet with. Hit the log-in button or, if you don’t already have an account with the firm, there will be one which says ‘join’ or ‘register’, or something of that ilk.
- To open an account, you’ll need to fill in your details, such as name and address, and add a method of making a deposit, such as credit card or bank account details. The bookmaker may well want to see proof of ID (ie driving licence or passport) and proof of funds such as a bank statement or payslip. This has become increasingly common as part of bookmakers’ customer protection policies, especially when it comes to card payments.
- Logged in and got money in your account? Then next you’ll need to find the market you want to bet on. Most betting sites have a sport-by-sport list down the left-hand side so find tennis and then you’ll be offered various forms of tennis betting – matches, outrights etc. Find the match or tournament you want to bet on and click on it.
- You should then see all the markets offered on that particular match or tournament with the odds for each selection shown. Once you’ve decided what to bet on, click on the odds in question. The selection will now show in the betslip, usually found towards the right and/or bottom of the website.
- Once the betslip has been populated, you can choose your stake – the amount you are betting. Once that choice has been made, the betslip will then show your potential returns were the bet to win.
- You should now be ready to place your bet. Always double-check everything – did you click ‘over’ instead of ‘under’ when choosing your selection? Have you accidentally written 100 instead of 10 as the stake? Once you are happy, hit the button which reads ‘place bet’ (or something similar). Some sites have a confirmation page, basically prompting you to check your bet.
- Find The Sun's betting publishing principles here
What type of bets are popular on UK tennis betting sites?
We all know you can bet on who will win a tennis match but what other elements can you look to profit from? Let’s take a look at some of the other markets on offer at the bookies:
1st-set winner
You bet on the winner of the first set, not the match. A good market if you want to side with someone who has question marks about their fitness and may fade as the match wears on.
Next game
A popular in-play market features the next game. Look out for in-running clues – has the server struggled to hold in recent games? Or has the ongoing game been a long, physical one which could have left one player fatigued for the one to follow?
Set betting
A popular pre-match bet is to predict the score in terms of sets won. So, in a best-of-three-sets match you can have 2-0 or 2-1 to either player.
Set scorecasts
Here you are predicting the set winner and the set scoreline in a double. Particularly useful if you fancy serve to dominate and there to be a tie-break or if you believe a player will waltz their way through a set.
Handicap betting
A good market for betting on a match with a heavy favourite. The underdog is given a ‘head start’ of say 7.5 games. When the final match result is known, the games for each player are added up with 7.5 being added to the underdog’s total to discover the handicap winner. Can also be applied to sub-markets such as ‘who will serve the most aces?’
Lose first set but win the match
Self-explanatory, really. You are betting on a player to lose the first set but then fight back to win the match. A good market if you feel a player might struggle with fatigue or if you believe the ‘lesser’ player may cause their opponent problems but ultimately lose.
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What is the best strategy for betting on tennis?
I think you really have to know the players. On which surfaces and in which conditions do they perform best? Where have they won in the past? Study their form, including head-to-head records. Importantly, use the knowledge you gain to judge whether the prices being offered represent any value. Don’t consistently back selections you believe are priced too short – even if you do believe they will win.
What are the most popular tennis tournaments?
Anyone who’s ever heard of tennis has heard of the Grand Slams, the four biggest competitions in both men’s and women’s side of the sport.
Australian Open
One of the four biggest tournaments on the annual calendar, which together make up the Grand Slam. Winning all four in the same year is considered the Holy Grail of tennis. The Australian Open takes place in Melbourne each January.
Roland Garros
Otherwise known as the French Open, it is the second of the Grand Slam events and the only one to be played on the slow clay surface. The tournament is staged in Paris in late May and early June.
Wimbledon
Considered by many to be the most prestigious tournament in the sport, Wimbledon is the third of the Grand Slams. It is the only one of the four to be contested on grass courts, the event taking place in the first two weeks of July at the All England Club in southwest London.
US Open
The final Grand Slam tournament of the season takes place at Flushing Meadows in New York in late August and early September each year. Usually hot and humid with a raucous crowd.
Tennis tours
Aside from the Grand Slams, there are also the Tours, sets of competitions that happen during the rest of the season in between the biggest events. They are:
ATP Tour
Essentially this is the tour the men play on, week in, week out. Run by the Association of Tennis Professionals, it holds tournaments across the globe throughout the year, the biggest of which are nine ‘Masters 1000’ events (they offer 1,000 ranking points to the winner) and the season-ending ATP Finals which feature the best eight players - and doubles teams - of the season.
WTA Tour
Basically, this is the female equivalent of the ATP Tour. The Women’s Tennis Association also has events around the world – usually in different venues to the men, although the tours are increasingly coming together for certain big tournaments. Like the ATP, the end-of-year WTA Finals are a prestigious event to which only the best players earn entry.
ATP Challenger Tour
The best way of describing this is to call it the ‘second division’ of men’s tennis. Another worldwide tour but this is for lower-ranked players – generally those outside the top 100 – bidding to climb on the main tour.
ITF World Tennis Tour
Essentially the ‘third division’ of men’s tennis and the ‘second division’ of the women’s game. Tournaments on this tour are organized by the ITF – the International Tennis Federation. You may hear these events described as ‘Futures’ events, their former name.
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How is betting on tennis different from other sports?
In-play betting has grown immensely over the last 15 years and perhaps its rise is best reflected in tennis where a huge percentage of bets are placed by bettors during matches. Like football, the sport offers itself to a wide range of in-play markets and the potential for rapid momentum shifts makes this type of betting particularly attractive to customers.
Who has the best odds on tennis?
A recent study by OLBG showed that Betway offered the best tennis odds most often during May 2024. bet365 also tend to be prepared to lay competitive odds regularly in both the win and sub markets. In the outright betting, Unibet – and the other firms who use the Kambi sportsbook – are often prepared to dangle big prices to attract business.
Can I win real money betting on tennis?
Yes, of course, but like any form of betting, you’ll need to be one step ahead of the bookmakers – or your exchange rivals - to do so. I often use bet calculators to estimate my winnings and the risk for placing your bet.
Who has the best mobile app for betting on tennis?
As ever, it’s a case of ‘each to their own’ when it comes to what people like in their betting app but I find it difficult to look beyond bet365 with its user-friendly interface and strong streaming options.
What other sports can I bet on besides tennis?
Take your pick! Users can bet on most sports these days, although my favourites remain football and horse racing. In terms of bookmaker turnover, golf and tennis are also towards the top of the list.
Which betting sites offer live tennis streaming?
Live tennis streaming is now pretty common, although which tournaments are available often differs from site to site.
bet365, Coral and Unibet are among the sites which I find offer a wide streaming coverage and the associated in-play markets.
I should mention that streaming of lower-level tournaments is more common than those at the top-end of the sport. This is due to rights protection for broadcast partners etc.
Top 5 tips for betting on tennis
- Look for value – don’t bet when the price is too short.
- Follow the action – watch and find out who’s playing well.
- Do your research – there’s plenty of data out there to look at.
- Shop around – get the best odds by having multiple bookie accounts.
- Be patient – wait for the right bets, don’t back something ‘for the sake of it’.
- Find The Sun's betting publishing principles here
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chase their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry, or depressed
- Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
- Gamble Aware – www.gambleaware.org
Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.
For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk
