AI The stewards' room · Updated 15 Oct 2026
How we rate new betting sites, check by check
Every site on our shortlist is scored with the same five checks and the same formula. Here it is in full, with a worked example you can repeat yourself.
The formula
Score = 1 + 4 × average of five checks
Each check scores between 0 and 1. All five weigh the same, so no single number decides a rating.
- 01Offer valueFree bet value against the qualifying stake
- 02Offer termsMinimum odds and expiry
- 03Stated payoutThe operator's own withdrawal window
- 04PayPalListed for withdrawals or not
- 05RegisterDomain on the Gambling Commission register
The five checks
Every site on our shortlist of best new betting sites is scored on the same five checks. They are weighted equally, each produces a number between 0 and 1, and nothing else feeds into the result. We chose them because each one can be read from a record and checked by you, rather than from our impression of a website.
| Check | What we look at | How it scores (0 to 1) |
|---|---|---|
| Offer value | Free bet value divided by qualifying stake | The ratio divided by 4, capped at 1 (so 4x or more scores 1) |
| Offer terms | Minimum odds and expiry | 0.5 if minimum odds are 2.00 or lower, otherwise 0.2; plus 0.5 for expiry of 14 days or more, 0.3 for 7 to 13 days |
| Stated payout window | The upper end of the operator’s stated withdrawal window | 1 for 24 hours or less, 0.7 up to 72 hours, 0.4 up to 120 hours, 0.2 for longer, 0 if unknown |
| PayPal withdrawals | Whether PayPal is listed as a withdrawal method | 1 if listed, 0 if not |
| Register listing | Whether the site’s domain is listed on the UKGC register | 1 if listed, 0.6 if not |
Score = 1 + 4 x average of the five checks, rounded to one decimal place, shown out of 5.
Why these five
Offer value and offer terms belong together. A big free bet with a two-day expiry and odds-on restrictions can be worth less than a modest one you have a fortnight to use, so value alone would reward the wrong offers. Splitting them stops a headline number from carrying the score.
The payout check uses the top of the stated window, because that is the figure you should plan around. “1 - 3 days” counts as 72 hours, not 24. An operator that publishes no window gets 0 for this check, which is deliberate: if a bookmaker will not say how long withdrawals take, you are entitled to assume the worst.
PayPal is a blunt yes or no. We include it because it is the withdrawal method readers ask about most, and because an e-wallet keeps your bank details away from a brand you have only just met. Where our records hold no entry for PayPal, the site scores 0 on this check, the same as a confirmed no.
The register check is the gentlest. A licensed site whose domain is missing from the register still scores 0.6, because the Commission licenses companies and not every licence holder lists every domain promptly. We do not list sites without a GB licence at all, so this check only ever separates “licensed and domain listed” from “licensed, domain not yet listed”.
A worked example
Take BetMGM, from our established group, using the records checked on 15 October 2026.
- Offer value. Bet £10, get £40 in free bets: a ratio of 4, divided by 4, scores 1.
- Offer terms. Minimum odds of 2.00 score 0.5; free bets valid for 7 days add 0.3. Total 0.8.
- Stated payout window. 1 to 3 days, so 72 hours at the top end, scores 0.7.
- PayPal withdrawals. Listed, so 1.
- Register listing. betmgm.co.uk is on the register, so 1.
The average is 4.5 divided by 5, which is 0.9. Then 1 + 4 x 0.9 = 4.6. You can repeat the same sums for any site on the shortlist with the terms printed next to it.
One quirk worth knowing. If an offer’s expiry is recorded without a unit, as QuickBet’s is in our operator records at the moment, the expiry part of the terms check scores 0 until the record says how long the free bet lasts. We would rather under-score a missing detail than guess it.
Where the data comes from
Two sources, both dated.
Our operator records. Each operator record holds the welcome offer and its significant terms, minimum odds, expiry, minimum deposit, stated payout window, withdrawal methods, available apps, licence holder and the date the brand went online. The records behind the current scores were checked on 15 October 2026. The licence holder field is also how we spot sister sites, as explained in our guide to white label betting sites.
A Gambling Commission register snapshot. We take a copy of the public register and match each operator’s domain against it. The snapshot used now is dated 29 October 2026 and recorded 180 active remote betting licence holders. The same snapshot drives our new bookmakers licence tracker.
When either source is refreshed, the scores are recalculated from scratch and the dates on this page and on the shortlist change with them. If a record shows a problem, such as a GB status marked “Temporary Removed”, the site comes off the shortlist and the rest of the site until the record shows it active again.
What we do not measure
We do not time withdrawals. We do not test customer service, compare odds margins or judge app design. We do not open accounts to see how verification feels. All of those matter, and some of them would make the score more useful, but none of them can be measured the same way for every site with the data we have. A partial measurement presented as a full one would be worse than leaving it out, so we leave it out and tell you. Our guide on whether new betting sites are safe covers the checks you can run yourself for the things a score cannot see.
Order, groups and commission
The shortlist is one ranking, ordered by score, highest first. Debutants, brands online for roughly the last three years, are marked as new brands; established bookmakers stay in the same list as a benchmark, so you can see how a newcomer’s offer and terms compare with bookmakers that have been around longer.
We earn commission when some readers open an account through our links. That money pays for the site, and it has no route into the ranking. The formula above has no input for commission, no manual override and no paid placement. If two sites tie, they tie.
If you think a record is wrong, an offer has changed or a domain has appeared on the register since our snapshot, tell us through the contact page and we will check it against the source.
Need to talk to someone?
National Gambling Helpline. Free, confidential, 24 hours a day.
Tools every UK licensed bookmaker must offer:
- Deposit limits
- Time-outs
- Reality checks
- Self-exclusion and GamStop
How is the score out of 5 calculated?
Each of five checks is scored from 0 to 1. We take the average, multiply it by 4 and add 1, then round to one decimal place. So a site that scored zero on everything would still show 1.0, and a perfect site would show 5.0.
Does commission affect where a site appears?
No. The order comes from the score alone, highest first, and the score comes only from the formula on this page. A site cannot pay to move up, and we do not adjust scores by hand.
Why are some well-known bookmakers listed below newer ones?
Debutants, meaning brands online for roughly the last three years, are listed first because new sites are what this site covers. Established bookmakers follow as a benchmark group, so a high-scoring established brand can sit below a lower-scoring debutant.
Do you test withdrawals yourselves?
No. We use the payout window each operator states, taken from our operator records. We do not time withdrawals and we do not test customer service, and we would rather say so than imply otherwise.
Why would a licensed site lose points on the licence check?
The check looks for the site's exact domain on our Gambling Commission register snapshot. Not every licence holder lists every domain, so a licensed site whose domain is missing scores 0.6 rather than 1. It is a nudge, not a verdict on its legality.
Where does your data come from?
Operator details come from our operator records, last checked on 15 October 2026. Licence data comes from a snapshot of the Gambling Commission public register taken the same day, which also feeds our new bookmakers tracker.
Can a score change without the site changing?
Yes. If an operator changes its offer, its stated payout window or its payment methods, the next data check picks that up and the score moves. The formula itself stays the same.