The Best Pool Betting Sites in the UK (2024)
Interested in pool betting? Learn how to place pool bets, which bookies accept pool betting and how it all works.
Top UK Pool Betting Sites (2024)
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What Is Pool Betting & How Does it Work?
Pool betting was first introduced in 1923 by Littlewoods Pools and it was immediately a big hit, but almost a century on it remains very popular among a section of sports fans.
Usually focused on horse racing, with most of the top sites offering this option, pool betting involves selecting a horse with the stake selected going into a central pool. If that horse wins, the stakes are divided up among the winners.
This is different to most sports betting. When placing a bet on a race on a traditional sportsbook, users can see the price offered and will be told how much they are in line with their stake. But in pool betting, users have no idea how much money they are going to win.This is because it depends on how many other people entered the pool by making the same selection on a bet.
What this means in practice is that the more people who back the winner in a race in pool betting, the lower the winning dividend will be that is then paid out. In contrast, though, the fewer people who make the right selection, the higher the payout will be to that pool of racing fans.
Some pool betting involves players having to pick a horse in several different races, with the racecard usually made up of six races. Landing wins on this type of pool betting is regarded as extremely difficult, but the prizes that are up for grabs tempt many people to test it out.
When it comes to the winnings that are available from pool betting, the betting sites first take a cut that is known as the deductions. What is leftover is then divided among the winners.
Although most pool betting is on horse racing, there are some football pool betting options available as well on various sites.
Select betting sites enable people to take part in pool betting in what are known as private syndicates. By forming this type of pool betting group, users can bet with and against their family members and friends, with the management of the pool handled by the site itself.
UK Betting Sites with Pool Betting Options
An increasing number of bookmakers now have pool betting options available, including these:
Quinnbet
Irish betting brand QuinnBet has made a strong play to be one of the best pools betting options. Unlike most rivals in the online betting industry, pool betting is also available for football fans here.
QuinnBet provides a match predictor game and a 1x2 option, with the prize pots standing at £2,000 and £7,500 when we checked them out. Results are also shown on their own page so it is easy to see how close QuinnBet users have come to landing top prizes in the last few days.
Racing pool betting at QuinnBet covers various meetings, usually in the UK, with to win and place options both available to pick from at the site. Jackpots were not that high when we took a look at the pool betting page, but due to a rollover there was the chance to win over £10,000.
There is the option to create - or to join - a syndicate at QuinnBet as well. This is something different from the competition and adds an extra layer of flexibility and creativity to pool betting. Each syndicate has a captain and the top captains of the past week's pool betting at QuinnBet are shown in a special section.
Some captains have hundreds of followers on the site, showing that pool betting with QuinnBet is starting to become very popular with UK-based racing fans.
Pros
- Football pool betting available at QuinnBet.
- Massive choice of racing betting bonuses.
- Syndicates option adds a unique selling point.
Cons
- Prize pots for football pool betting can be a little low.
Get 50% back up to £50 Free Bet & 50 Free Spins
| Min. Deposit | £10 |
|---|---|
| Max. Amount | £50 |
| Turnover | No wagering |
| Expiration | 7 days |
| Bonus Code | 5050 |
The Pools
ThePools has something a bit different in terms of pool betting compared to the other picks on our list. Here, sports fans can play "the original football pools", which has a prize of £3 million.
At £1 per play or £10 per month, this pool betting via ThePools has the chance to make players millionaires, while there are regular buy one get one free offers available on the site as well.
Those who subscribe at The Pools get a free turn on a mega spins game every day too, with another similar promotion described as coming soon on the site, rewarding its regular players.
Naturally, the UK football season is where the majority of the action with pool betting is here. Therefore, it can be a lot quieter during the summer months when the UK football season is taking a deserved break for a couple of months.
But with lotto games including the Minted 4 Life offer which pays out £1 million a year for a decade, or the chance to take a £9 million lump sum.
Pros
- Huge £3 million prize up for grabs.
- Variety of pools and lotto games to try out.
- Traditional sports betting also provided at The Pools.
Cons
- Tote-style pool betting is not available.
- Only offered on football so not possible during the off-season.
Betfred
Tote has its own tab on the main Betfred site, which makes it clear pool betting is a high priority for this British bookie, rather than it being hidden away in a sub-menu of the horse racing area.
Indeed, Betfred actually bought the Tote for £265m back in 2011, though the company made a significant loss when it decided to sell up the pool betting operation to a consortium in 2019.
Pool betting with Betfred could hardly be easier, with a great layout making it quick to find the options available, add selections to the betslip and place this type of wager. Just like at William Hill, the amount available to win in the pool is clearly displayed when users access Betfred.
Benefits of choosing Betfred for pool betting in the UK include the fact that there is a minimum guaranteed pool of £10,000 each day for both horse racing and for greyhounds - a major plus. With exacta and trifecta options included, there are plenty of choices to pick from at Betfred too.
Pros
- Pool betting available for greyhounds as well as horse racing.
- Exacta and trifecta options available within the pool betting area.
- Many other horse racing promotions up for grabs at Betfred.
- UK and Irish horse racing meetings streamed live.
- Former owner of the Tote.
Cons
- Layout of the Betfred desktop site is very basic.
Bet £10 Get £50 in Free Bets
| Min. Deposit | £10 |
|---|---|
| Max. Amount | £50 |
| Turnover | No wagering |
| Expiration | 7 Days |
| Bonus Code | BETFRED50 |
William Hill
William Hill is a solid online betting site for most major sports and its pool betting offering is very good, making an account with William Hill is a must for anyone who wants to give it a go.
Pool betting at William Hill can be found by navigating to the horse racing section of the betting site then clicking or tapping on the 'Tote' button to bring up the WH pool betting department.
Hills provides access to three options when it comes to pool betting: Tote Placepot, Tote Quadpot and Tote Scoop6. One of the best things about pool betting with William Hill is how clear and easy the site is to use, whichever device is accessing its service. It is simple to switch between the trio of pool betting options and clearly detailed how much money is in the pot.
As a result, William Hill is the ideal choice for newcomers to pool betting in the UK. Along with being able to make the most of its pool betting section, fans of the sport of kings will also enjoy a William Hill account as the bookie offers enhanced odds and extra place races, as well as live streaming of UK and Irish meetings, with virtual horse racing even available to bet on here too.
Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets
| Min. Deposit | £10 |
|---|---|
| Max. Amount | £30 |
| Turnover | No wagering |
| Expiration | 30 days |
| Bonus Code | R30 |
Bet365
Bet365 almost always ranks among the top betting sites in the UK for most sports and betting options, so it comes as no surprise to see it makes our list for the best pool betting sites too. At Bet365, there are the usual Placepot and Quadpot options to go for, as well as the ITV7 Jackpot and a Pick 4 Jackpot, spreading out the number of opportunities there are to win money here.
At Bet365, fans of the sport of kings can also keep up with all the racing action via live streams - or rewatch old races as well - while best odds guaranteed is in place on the site too.
Bet365 has some of the best mobile betting apps in the business, so whether users are on iOS or Android they are sure to enjoy being able to browse the pool betting options and make their selections on a phone or tablet.
Pros
- Good range of pool betting options to go for.
- Fantastic range of other sports and markets.
- Top quality mobile betting apps for iOS and Android.
Cons
- Only horse racing available for pool betting.
Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets
| Min. Deposit | £5 |
|---|---|
| Max. Amount | £30 |
| Turnover | No wagering |
| Expiration | 30 days |
Different Types of Pool Betting Options
Those who are new to pool betting may be confused about the range of options available. Here, we break down some of the most common types of pool betting that many people like to use.
Totepool: Different types of wagers - like win bets, place bets, mixed each-way bets, forecasts and so on - are offered on the Totepool. This pool betting option allows players to stake on as many different lines as they want, which gives them more chances to get winning wagers. You can read our full guide on Totepool here.
ToteJackpot: This is a very popular type of pool betting option among horse racing fans. In the ToteJackpot, six races are selected from the cards on offer and players have to pick the winning horse in each of them. The amount of cash up for grabs in the ToteJackpot has been known to climb to over £1 million and the stake required to be in with a shot is very low.
Totequadpot: The Totequadpot is usually only offered for UK race meetings that have at least six races on the card. It runs from the third race of the day to the sixth, with four races involved, hence the name Totequadpot. The Totequadpot is widely seen as being easier to win than the ToteJackpot due to the fact there are two fewer races, but the prize pool drops as a result.
Scoop 6: In the Scoop 6 type of pool betting, players pick selections from six races on a Saturday. Typically, winners bank thousands of pounds each in Scoop 6 pool betting. One of the best things about Scoop 6 pool betting is that the winners have the chance to improve their profits even more by picking the winner in a bonus race that is run at a later date.
Exacta: An exacta bet in pool betting is usually described as being equivalent to a straight forecast in horse racing. Players, therefore, have to pick two horses to finish first and second. The horses must finish in that exact order, so if the horses selected come second and first instead of first and second, then this pool bet is unfortunately not going to be a winner.
Swinger: In the swinger type of pool betting, players have to pick two horses that they think will finish in the top three of a race. If this happens, they earn a share of the prize pot as a result. The swinger option can therefore be a good pool betting option for horse racing fans who cannot decide which of two horses they fancy in a race to back. Users can actually add more than two horses to a swinger bet, but of course, this means the total stake for the wager will increase.
Trifecta: The trifecta is one of the hardest bets to land in the world of horse racing gambling. This is because players have to pick the horses that finish in the top three - and they have to be in the right order. So if a player picks the winner but gets second and third in the wrong order, then the trifecta pool wager will not win. Due to the fact, the trifecta is such a challenge to get right, the amounts of money that are up for grabs can get very large indeed. The trifecta can be compared to the tricast betting option that is offered by traditional bookmakers.
Private syndicates: Arguably the most fun type of pool betting is private syndicates. This allows players to ensure that they are only competing with and against people they know, for example, friends or members of their family. Some pool betting sites allow private syndicates to be formed and there might even be rewards up for grabs for those who opt to take this pool betting option.
Pool Betting FAQs
What is pool betting?
How to make a football betting pool?
How to set up a betting pool?
Steven is an experienced iGaming content writer who has been working in the industry since 2018. He is passionate about sports betting and enjoys writing about all aspects of the industry, including bookmaker reviews, betting tips and strategies, and news and analysis. If you have any questions about online gambling in the UK, please don't hesitate to contact him.