Bookmaker review

SBK review: the best odds in British betting?

By the Bets & Horses racing desk · Updated 18 October 2026

SBK makes a bold promise for a bookmaker: that its odds are better than its rivals’. It is a claim most bookmakers would never dare to measure. We measured it anyway.

On 17 October 2026 we compared the prices of 12 UK bookmakers on every priced UK runner. SBK had the top price on 55.5% of them — nearly twice as often as bet365, the next best, on 30%. Where SBK wasn’t top, the gap was small: on average its odds returned just 9% less profit than the best available, the narrowest margin of any bookmaker we track.

For a punter who cares about price above everything else, that is the whole review. The rest is detail.

Our rating: 4.6/5


Welcome offer	Bet £10 Get £40 in Free Bets
Promo Code	None needed
Minimum first deposit	£10
Top price on UK runners	55.5% (17 Oct 2026)
Format	Mobile-first app (iOS and Android), plus web at BetSBK.com
Operator	Smarkets (Malta) Limited
Licence	UK Gambling Commission
Launched	2019

The SBK welcome offer

Bet £10 Get £40 in Free Bets

New UK customers. Min £10 first deposit. Place a bet of £10 at min odds of 3.0 and get £40 in Free Bets within 48 hours. Restrictions apply. Full T&Cs apply. 18+. GambleAware.org

How the SBK offer works

Deposit at least £10 by debit card or bank transfer, then place a £10 bet at odds of 2/1 (3.0) or bigger. Once it settles, SBK releases £40 in free bet tokens over the next 48 hours.

The catch is in how they are paid. The tokens arrive in stages and are tied to bet types — Bet Builders, football Bet Builders and Horse Racing Multiples — and the multiple tokens need at least four legs. It is a good offer for a punter who enjoys multiples, and a fiddly one for anyone who only backs singles.

What to check before you claim the SBK sign up offer

The SBK new customer offer needs no Promo Code: it applies when you open an account and meet the terms. Two things trip people up. First, the 2/1 minimum odds rule out using a short-priced favourite to qualify, so pick a horse at 2/1 or bigger if you want to qualify on racing. Second, the free bets aren’t one £40 token; plan to use them on multiples and Bet Builders rather than on single horses.

SBK doesn't need a promo code. The welcome offer — Bet £10 Get £40 in Free Bets — is applied when you open an account through the link below and meet the qualifying terms.

New SBK customers can claim £40 in free bets with the Bet £10 Get £40 in Free Bets sign up offer. To qualify: £10 at odds of 2/1 (3.0) or bigger, from a £10+ first deposit. When it lands: Free bets within 48 hours. Expiry: Restrictions apply. Every detail of the bonus is set out in the table, with the full terms.

SBK promo code and welcome offer details
SBK promo code	None needed
Welcome offer	Bet £10 Get £40 in Free Bets
Minimum bet	£10 at odds of 2/1 (3.0) or bigger, from a £10+ first deposit
Free bets credited	Free bets within 48 hours
Expiry	Restrictions apply
Terms	New UK customers. Min £10 first deposit. Place a bet of £10 at min odds of 3.0 and get £40 in Free Bets within 48 hours. Restrictions apply. Full T&Cs apply. 18+. GambleAware.org
Official site	www.betsbk.com
Verified	✓ Bonus and free bet verified by Bets & Horses on 18 October 2026

How to use the SBK welcome offer

Go to the official SBK site using the official site link above.
Open a new account. You must be 18 or over and live in the UK.
Deposit with an eligible payment method — debit cards are accepted for every welcome offer.
Place your qualifying bet: £10 at odds of 2/1 (3.0) or bigger, from a £10+ first deposit.
Collect your free bets — free bets within 48 hours — and use them before they expire (restrictions apply).

18+. New customers only. T&Cs apply. Gamble responsibly — GambleAware.org · National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.

Who is behind SBK?

SBK is the sportsbook arm of Smarkets, the betting exchange founded in London in 2008. It launched to the UK public in August 2019 with a simple pitch: exchange-quality prices in a conventional bookmaker app. SBK is operated by Smarkets (Malta) Limited and licensed by the UK Gambling Commission.

Why SBK’s odds are better

SBK takes its prices from the Smarkets exchange, where punters bet against each other rather than against a bookmaker’s margin. Exchange prices tend to be tighter, and SBK passes that on.

It also shows its working. Its Price+ feature compares SBK’s odds with other leading bookmakers in the app, so you can see when you are getting the best price — and, unusually for a bookmaker, when you aren’t.

Bookmaker, not exchange

SBK borrows its prices from an exchange, but it works like any other bookmaker: you take a fixed price, and your winnings are paid at that price. You are betting with SBK, not against other punters.

SBK odds: how they compare

We compare every partner bookmaker’s price on every UK runner, every day. Here’s how SBK prices today’s remaining UK favourites against the best price from 12 bookmakers:

SBK odds on today's favourites, against the best price from 12 bookmakers.
Race	Favourite	SBK	Best price
2:20 Sedgefield	Stay Hopeful	8/5	8/5 (SmarketsSBK)
2:50 Sedgefield	Can't Resist It	13/5	13/5 (SmarketsSBK)
3:20 Sedgefield	Dexperts Opinion	6/4	6/4 (Bet365)
3:50 Sedgefield	Zamond	10/3	10/3 (SmarketsSBK)
4:20 Sedgefield	Double Digits	11/4	11/4 (Bet365)
4:50 Sedgefield	Going On	8/5	13/8 (10 Bet)

Live prices, refreshed every few minutes. 18+. GambleAware.org.

Is SBK good for horse racing betting?

SBK is a price-first bookmaker rather than a racing specialist. It gives you sharp odds on every UK and Irish race, each-way terms clearly labelled per race, cash out, and racing multiples. What it doesn’t do is lean on the racing extras that bet365 and Betfred are built around — the streaming, the Lucky 15 bonuses and the extra-place races.

Best Odds Guaranteed and streaming at SBK

SBK doesn’t advertise Best Odds Guaranteed or live racing streams. Its answer is to offer a bigger price from the start: in our comparison it had the top price more often than any bookmaker that does offer BOG. Check the current terms in the app before you rely on any racing concession.

Horse racing multiples

The welcome tokens include Horse Racing Multiples, and SBK’s prices make it a strong place for doubles, trebles and bigger racing accumulators, where a slightly bigger price on each leg compounds into a much bigger return.

That makes SBK the ideal second account. Take the price at SBK on the day; use bet365 or Betfred when you want the extras.

Promotions for existing SBK customers

SBK doesn’t run the regular racing promotions — extra places, money back specials, Lucky 15 bonuses — that the high-street bookmakers use to keep customers. Its offer to existing customers is the price itself. For racing promotions, pair it with Betfred or bet365; our horse racing free bets guide compares what each one offers.

The SBK app

SBK was built as an app first, and the app is still the heart of the product; SBK also lists a website, BetSBK.com. The app is clean and quick, with a 4.6/5 rating from around 4,800 reviews on Apple’s UK App Store and 4.3 on Google Play. Users praise its prices and quick live chat; the most common complaint is stability on busy Saturday afternoons.

Cash out at SBK

Cash out, including partial cash out, is available on most bets.

SBK deposits

The minimum deposit is £10 by debit card or bank transfer. The welcome offer requires a debit card or bank transfer deposit.

Can SBK be trusted?

Yes. SBK is operated by Smarkets (Malta) Limited, part of the Smarkets group that has run a betting exchange since 2008, and it is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission. Its prices are openly compared with its rivals’ through Price+ — something few bookmakers are willing to do.

Safer gambling tools at SBK

SBK offers deposit and loss limits, time-outs and self-exclusion, and takes part in GAMSTOP.

SBK review: our verdict

If price is what you care about, SBK is the best bookmaker in Britain, and we have the numbers to prove it. It lacks the racing extras of bet365 or Betfred, so it shouldn’t be your only account — but it should be one of them. Rating: 4.6/5.

SBK pros and cons

For
– Top price on 55.5% of UK runners when we measured — the best of any bookmaker we track
– Smallest average shortfall to the best price: 9%
– Price+ shows when its odds are beaten
– Exchange-powered prices

Against
– Built for mobile first; the web experience is secondary
– Welcome tokens tied to multiples and Bet Builders
– 2/1 minimum odds to qualify for the offer
– Fewer racing promotions than the high-street bookmakers

SBK FAQs: free bets, odds and the app

Is SBK legit?

Yes. SBK is run by Smarkets (Malta) Limited and licensed by the UK Gambling Commission.

Is SBK a safe betting site?

Yes. It is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission and offers deposit and loss limits, time-outs, self-exclusion and GAMSTOP.

Who owns SBK?

Smarkets, the London-founded betting exchange, which launched SBK in 2019.

Do I need an SBK Promo Code?

No. The welcome offer applies when you sign up and meet the terms.

Does SBK have the best odds?

On 17 October 2026 it had the top price on 55.5% of priced UK runners among the 12 bookmakers we compare — more than any other.

Why does SBK claim to have the best odds?

Because its prices come from the Smarkets exchange, where margins are tighter. Its Price+ feature shows SBK’s odds next to other bookmakers’.

Do you pay commission on SBK?

No. SBK is a bookmaker: you bet at a fixed price, and winnings are paid at that price.

Can you cash out on SBK?

Yes, including partial cash out, on most bets.

Is SBK only an app?

SBK was built as an app and that is where it puts most of its effort, on iOS and Android. It also lists a website at BetSBK.com.

18+. Gambling can be addictive — please play responsibly. National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133 · GambleAware.org · GAMSTOP.co.uk