William Hill vs Betway

At a glance: how the scores compare

Both brands are heavyweights. William Hill has been in the UK betting market since 1934, giving it a long-established retail and online presence, while Betway launched in 2006 as an online-first operator. Our category ratings put them close across the board, with the gaps concentrated in a few areas.

• Odds: Betway 7.9 vs William Hill 7.7
• Market coverage: William Hill 8.5 vs Betway 8.4
• Sports depth: William Hill 8.6 vs Betway 8.5
• Live capability: Betway 8.3 vs William Hill 8.2
• Bet Builder: William Hill 7.9 vs Betway 7.8
• Licence safety: William Hill 9.3 vs Betway 9.0
• Payments: Betway 8.6 vs William Hill 8.4
• Withdrawals: Betway 8.4 vs William Hill 8.2
• App: Betway 8.7 vs William Hill 8.5
• Features: William Hill 8.3 vs Betway 8.2
• Support: William Hill 8.2 vs Betway 8.1

The pattern is clear: Betway leads on odds value, payments, withdrawals and app, while William Hill leads on licence safety, market coverage, sports depth and features. Nothing here is a landslide — this is a genuine head-to-head between two similarly strong bookmakers.

Side-by-side comparison table

| Category | Betway | William Hill | |---|---|---| | Founded | 2006 | 1934 | | Regulator | Licensed | UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) | | Odds rating | 7.9 | 7.7 | | Avg margin (sampled) | 6.81% | 7.19% | | Best-price share | 12.8% | 14.7% | | Sample size | 257 | 266 | | Market coverage | 8.4 | 8.5 | | Sports depth | 8.5 | 8.6 | | Live capability | 8.3 | 8.2 | | Bet Builder | 7.8 | 7.9 | | Licence safety | 9.0 | 9.3 | | Payments | 8.6 | 8.4 | | Withdrawals | 8.4 | 8.2 | | App (iOS/Android) | Yes / Yes | Yes / Yes | | App rating | 8.7 | 8.5 | | Min deposit | £10 | £10 | | Withdrawal time | 0–24h | 0–24h | | Payment methods | Debit Card, PayPal, Apple Pay | Debit Card, PayPal, Apple Pay | | Key features | Live Betting, Cash Out, Bet Builder, Mobile Betting | Live Betting, Cash Out, Bet Builder, Live Streaming |

Odds and margins: who prices sharper?

This is where the numbers get interesting. Across our sampled markets, Betway ran an average margin of 6.81% versus William Hill's 7.19%. Lower margin means the bookmaker takes a smaller cut, so Betway's odds are, on average, marginally more generous to the punter. That aligns with Betway's slightly higher odds rating of 7.9 against William Hill's 7.7.

There's a twist, though. On best-price share — how often each operator posted the top price in the sampled comparison — William Hill came out ahead at 14.7% versus Betway's 12.8%. In plain terms: Betway tends to be more consistently competitive across the board, but William Hill more often lands the single best price on a given selection.

What this means for you: if you bet a broad spread of markets and want reliably tight pricing, Betway has the edge. If you're a line-shopper who checks several bookies and takes the best available price each time, William Hill topping the odds more frequently is worth having in your rotation. Neither margin figure is extreme by UK standards, and sample sizes (257 and 266) are close enough to treat the comparison as fair.

Licence and safety in the UK

William Hill is listed as regulated by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), which is why it holds our highest licence-safety rating in this comparison at 9.3. Betway is licensed and scores a strong 9.0. Both are firmly established operators serving the UK legally, and any UKGC-regulated bookmaker must follow the Commission's rules on fund protection, fair terms, age verification and responsible gambling tools.

The legal minimum age to bet in the United Kingdom is 18, and both operators enforce identity and age checks as required. On the safety metric there is no wrong choice here — William Hill's marginally higher score reflects its rating, not any flaw at Betway. If regulatory reassurance is your single biggest priority, William Hill's 9.3 is the top figure on this page.

We verify operator status against licence and register information only; we do not make first-hand testing claims about either brand.

Payments and withdrawals

The two bookmakers match closely on banking. Both accept Debit Card, PayPal and Apple Pay, both set a £10 minimum deposit, and both quote withdrawal times of 0–24 hours.

Where Betway edges ahead is on our ratings: payments 8.6 vs 8.4 and withdrawals 8.4 vs 8.2. Those gaps are small but consistent, suggesting a slightly smoother cashier experience overall with Betway. If PayPal or Apple Pay is your preferred method, both will suit you equally on availability.

Worth noting for wider context: across the UK market you'll also find Bank Transfer and Trustly at various bookmakers, though the supported methods listed here for both William Hill and Betway are Debit Card, PayPal and Apple Pay. Withdrawal speed in practice depends on your chosen method and verification status, so complete your account checks early to keep the 0–24h window realistic.

Apps and live betting

Betway holds the higher app rating at 8.7 versus William Hill's 8.5, and both offer native iOS and Android apps. If you bet primarily on mobile — which most UK punters now do — Betway's app is the stronger performer in our scoring, backed by its Mobile Betting focus as an online-first operator.

On in-play, Betway's live capability rating of 8.3 just shades William Hill's 8.2, and both include Live Betting and Cash Out. The clearest feature difference is Live Streaming: William Hill lists it, Betway does not. If watching matches inside your betting account matters — handy for horse racing and tennis where prices move fast — that pushes the decision towards William Hill. Both operators include a Bet Builder, so you can combine selections within a single match on either brand.

Sports and competitions coverage

William Hill leads narrowly on both sports depth (8.6 vs 8.5) and market coverage (8.5 vs 8.4), reflecting its broad book across football, horse racing, tennis, darts, cricket, rugby, golf and basketball. For high-volume UK markets — Premier League, the Championship, Champions League, ATP and WTA tennis, and domestic horse racing — both bookmakers offer deep coverage, so the practical gap for most bettors is small.

Horse racing punters may lean towards William Hill given its long racing heritage, and its Live Streaming support adds value for following races. Football-focused bettors chasing the sharpest average prices will find Betway's lower margin appealing across Premier League, Serie A, Ligue 1 and Champions League markets. Basketball fans covering the NBA and EuroLeague are well served by either.

For a wider view, you can compare specialist coverage on our Football betting sites and Horse Racing betting sites pages.

Verdict: which should you choose?

Choose Betway if you want the sharper average odds (6.81% margin), the higher-rated app (8.7) and the marginally better payments and withdrawals scores. It's the pick for mobile-first punters who bet a wide range of markets and want consistently competitive pricing.

Choose William Hill if licence safety is your priority (9.3, our top score here), you want in-play Live Streaming, or you value the slightly deeper sports and market coverage — particularly for horse racing. Its higher best-price share (14.7%) also makes it a strong bookmaker to keep for line-shopping the single best available price.

Many UK bettors hold accounts with both and simply use whichever posts the better price on the day. Given how closely matched they are, that's a reasonable approach. Read the full detail in our Betway review and William Hill review before deciding.