How we rate bookmakers
Exactly how our ratings work: the five criteria, their weights, what we measure ourselves and what we cannot yet test.
Every rating on OddsUpfront is a weighted score across five criteria. Each review shows the score for each one, so you can see why a bookmaker landed where it did, and ignore the criteria you do not care about.
The five criteria
| Criterion | Weight | What we look at |
|---|---|---|
| Prices | 30% | Measured from our own stored prices: how the bookmaker's payout compares with the other sportsbooks on the same markets. |
| Trust and safety | 20% | Licence status, regulator action in recent years, safer gambling tools and how clear the terms are. |
| Markets and coverage | 20% | Breadth of sports and bet types, and how many of the markets we track it actually prices. |
| Payments | 15% | Deposit and withdrawal methods, published withdrawal times, fees and minimums. |
| App and tools | 15% | App store ratings and documented features such as cash out, bet builders and live streaming. |
What the scores mean
Scores are out of 5, and every bookmaker on this site holds a licence in the market it is listed for. The scale is set against that field.
| Score | What it means |
|---|---|
| 5.0 | The best we have measured or checked in that area. |
| 4.0 | The standard: the average of the licensed bookmakers we review. |
| 3.0 | The lowest a listed bookmaker can score. It is clearly behind the others. |
| Below 3 | Not used here. That range is for operators we would not list, such as unlicensed ones. |
So a 4 does not mean outstanding. It means a licensed bookmaker doing a normal job. The word beside each score says the same thing: Excellent from 4.8, Very good from 4.5, Good from 4.3, Average from 4.0 and Below average under that.
Each criterion is scored on this scale. The overall rating is the weighted average, to one decimal place. If we cannot score trust, markets, payments or app quality, we leave that criterion out and scale up the others. If we cannot measure prices, we count them as 4.0, the sportsbook average, and the review says so. That way missing price data never counts in a bookmaker's favour. When two ratings are equal, the one with the better price score is listed first.
We moved to this scale on 7 November 2026. Before that the average was shown as 3.0 and the scale ran from 1 to 5. The evidence behind each score and the weights did not change, only where the numbers sit, so two bookmakers that were close before can now show the same rating.
How we score prices
Prices are the one criterion we measure directly. For every market we store, we take the bookmaker's payout and compare it with the average of the other sportsbooks on that same market, event and line. Comparing like for like stops a bookmaker from looking better just because it only prices the tightest leagues.
- A market counts only if at least three sportsbooks price every outcome.
- We need at least 20 compared markets before we quote any figure for a bookmaker.
- A bookmaker exactly at the sportsbook average scores 4.0. Each point of payout above or below it moves the score by half a point, so two points above the average scores 5.0 and two points below scores 3.0.
- Exchanges list prices before commission, so we score them after standard commission, and we leave out markets with no real liquidity.
The figures on each review update as new prices come in. The price score inside the rating is set when the review is last checked, and that date is shown on the review, so the two can differ for a while.
What these numbers cannot tell you
Our price data is a sample, not a full record. It covers the leagues and markets we track, at the moments we refreshed them, and it is young: our sample is still small, so differences of a few tenths of a point may not last. Promotions, price boosts and account-specific offers are not included.
What we have and have not tested
Our reviews are desk research. We check operators' published terms, regulator records, app store listings and our own price data, and we list sources on each review.
We have not opened accounts or tested deposits, withdrawals or customer service in person for these reviews. Withdrawal times are what the bookmaker publishes, not times we measured. If we add hands-on testing, reviews will say so clearly.
Keeping ratings independent
Commission plays no part in a score. Rankings follow the rating, and no bookmaker can pay for a better position. If that ever changed, for example with a sponsored placement, it would be clearly labelled as advertising.
Spotted a mistake?
Terms change often. If something in a review is out of date, email hello@oddsupfront.com and we will re-check it.
