In the world of sports betting, nothing matters more than the punters. 

Between 2023 and 2024, UK punters have placed over £3.3 billion in bets, so the industry is booming (and that’s an understatement). 

And when it comes to what punters really want in a bookie, you’ll be surprised to learn that the demands aren’t that complex. In fact, they’re extremely simple, which is why the most successful bookies have been able to adapt and offer the exact things that punters are looking for. 

What Punters Want in a Bookie: Overview

1. Diverse Betting Markets

Having a huge range of betting markets to choose from is incredibly important in the eyes of the punter. Not only do diverse betting markets make everything more fun, but they also provide punters with the opportunity to find genuine value in different areas. Right now, some of the most popular betting markets include final score, first goalscorer, number of cards in a match, full time result and first team to score, and total corners, which are all extremely popular amongst football fans. What’s great about these betting markets is that they appeal to casual fans, too — even those with minimal betting experience. For example, anyone can watch a game of football and place a bet on what they think the final score will be, which is ultimately why bookies are experiencing higher levels of engagement than ever before.

2. Low Minimum Deposits

Low minimum deposits are on every punter’s Christmas list. No matter who you speak to, punters all around the world – not just in the UK – absolutely love low minimum deposits. And really, why wouldn’t they? With low minimum deposits, you don’t have to worry about depositing a ton of cash just to get started. For example, there are many UK bookies with a minimum deposit of £5, you can see the best rated ones on minimumdepositbettingsites.com. These operators provide budget-conscious gamblers with a place to play. Of course, some bookies still require you to deposit anywhere from £15 to £50 in order to activate your account, which is extremely off-putting to today’s punters, who are mainly focused on budget gambling and value. 

3. Fast Withdrawals

Next up, fast withdrawals. When punters gamble and win money back, they normally want to withdraw that money as fast as possible, whether they’ve won it betting on the football or horse racing. Unfortunately, in the past, lots of bookies have gained bad reputations for making customers go through slow withdrawal processes that would sometimes take weeks to complete. This is why things have started to change over recent years, with most of the leading bookies, including bet365, now offer fast withdrawals that only take between 24 and 48 hours to complete. As a bookie, in addition to fast withdrawals, it’s also important to offer a variety of different withdrawal methods, too, such as credit card, debit card, PayPal and Apple Pay. 

4. Cash Bonuses 

Cash bonuses are a big deal to most punters. This is true in today’s economy, too, where players are less willing to bet their own money. Instead, they want some free cash to gamble with, which is why punters are constantly looking out for cash bonuses made available by bookies. And if you’re not sure how cash bonuses work, it generally goes like this: you create an account with a bookie, make a deposit, and then receive a cash bonus in return. For example, William Hill currently has a ‘deposit £10 and get £30 cash bonus’. An offer like this highlights why cash bonuses have become so popular, so if you’re a fan of sports betting as well, you should definitely look out for new cash bonus offers made available throughout the year. 

5. Live Streaming Options

Lastly, modern punters really want live streaming options from the bookies that they use. This trend was first started by Bet365 back in 2006, who allowed their customers to watch live streams of football games and other popular sports through their website. Since then, some – but not all – of the industry’s biggest bookies have also incorporated live streaming into their betting sites and apps. This has been great for customers, as they get to place bets and watch their favourite sports games for free at the same time. And in terms of which betting sites have live streaming, some of the most reliable options include Bet365, talkSPORT BET, and Betfred, although you’ll have to create an account and place a bet to gain access to the live streaming services. 

Conclusion 

To wrap things up, you now know that some of the key factors that punters want from bookies are diverse betting markets, low minimum deposits, fast withdrawals, cash bonuses, and live streaming options. When bookies tick all of these boxes (as many of them already do), it leads to them receiving thousands of sign-ups and referrals, helping them to stay dominant in a highly competitive industry.