Did you know you can watch sports for free? That’s right! There are bookies who offer live streaming to customers for free!
Those of us who are from a generation gone by will remember when if you wanted to catch a specific horse race or football match, you would need to stroll down to the local betting shop or pub to take in the action. However, as with everything, time and technology move on, and loads of betting apps now stream live sports events meaning you can watch and bet on the go, all from your mobile device.
Best Live Streaming Apps
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18+ New UK+IRE customers. Paypal and certain deposit types and bet types excluded. Min £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 = 4 x £5 free bets. Free bets valid for 4 days on sports, stake not returned, restrictions apply. T&Cs apply
Best bookmaker apps to offer live streaming:
It means punters get the chance to follow their bet at their leisure, without rushing somewhere to watch the start of a race of the first delivery of a cricket match. In this article, we will delve into what live streaming is, what you need to have to stream an event, and the best betting apps that provide it. Want to know what are the best betting apps for live streaming the big game? Then read on………….
Coral App
Coral make sure their live streaming service is in front of you as soon as you log in, with the streaming window very noticeable on the homepage. The sheer number of events available through Coral is impressive. Coral stream up to around 100,000 live events a year, or 2,000 a week, most are free as long as you have funds in your account. You can live stream horse racing as long as you have bet a minimum of £1 on the race.
Coral also provides an extensive guide to live streaming, and it is straightforward to use on the app, with constant helpful tips and how-to messages available. Coral’s brilliant multi-view feature lets you watch several events at once, which is great for those more stop-start sports.
Coral Watch Requirements
A £1 bet on horse or greyhound races. As long as you are logged in to your account, you can access all other streams.
Unibet App
It may come as a surprise to many that this relatively understated bookie stream over 40,000 events a year. This app is fantastic for those who take an interest in global sports, as Unibet stream events that other bookies who take a more UK focused approach don’t. Unibet TV is the streaming section of the site, and you can plan around what events you want to watch with their calendar, it is a superb feature. Like all the others here, you can watch on mobile, pop out the window or leave it integrated and even watch horse racing with a £1 minimum bet.
Unibet Watch Requirements
Must place a £1 bet to watch a horse race live. A funded account with a bet placed in the previous 24 hours can watch any live-streamed sport or event.
Betfair App
Betfair offers a comprehensive live streaming service, which can be located on the ‘live video tab’ on the sports page. Again, we can marvel at the number of different sports and events that it offers. Loads of horse races, cricket matches, international football matches, and more from around the globe are all available with the tap of a button. Betfair has a list of upcoming events, so you don’t miss any.
Betfair Watch Requirements
Horse racing and greyhounds, customers must have placed a sportsbook bet worth at least 50p or an exchange bet worth at least £5 on the race. Everything else available.
William Hill App
William Hill provides a slick, integrated streaming system which makes watching live events on your mobile easy. They stream over 60,000 events each year all free, except horse racing, which as with most other bookies, requires £1 per race to watch. All the best sports and leagues are available for free such as La Liga and Championship football, tennis majors, Darts, Snooker, Basketball, ice hockey, baseball, badminton, netball, handball, cricket, and tons of other sports.
We must say the video quality on the app is fantastic, with no fuzzy screens or missing anything in our experience. William Hill also has a brilliant live schedule feature that allows you to plan your live streaming up to a week in advance.
William Hill Watch Requirements
A minimum of £1 bet on horse races. A funded account with a bet placed in the previous 24 hours can watch any live-streamed sport or event.
Ladbrokes App
Ladbrokes are certainly not found wanting when it comes to the number of weekly events you can stream live to your Mobile. We found that the streaming service with Ladbrokes was speedy, so even if your connection isn’t the best, that shouldn’t be a problem. To find out what events are shown, just access the in-play section of the app and look out for the TV icon listed next to any market. If you see that, then a live stream is available.
Ladbrokes Watch Requirements
A minimum of £1 bet on horse races. A funded account with a chance placed in the previous 24 hours can watch any live-streamed sport or event.
So there you have it, the best five apps for live streaming. You can check out more of our helpful guides, like which are the best cash-out apps. Other bookies that offer live streaming (online and mobile) include bet365 (review) and Betfred (review).
What do I need to Stream Live Events on my Mobile?
Once you have downloaded your app of choice, you can then stream immediately. The app comes with all the software you need to stream, and with the latest devices, you can go big and even cast your stream onto other devices such as your TV. If your device can support it, you may also have the option to stream through the mobile site.
You will need a broadband or 3G / 4G internet connection to stream effectively without interruption. The minimum bandwidth required is around 512kb/s. Some operators have low-resolution streams that can run as low as 128kb/s, but this won’t be great as the picture will be fuzzy, and you don’t want a race about to finish when suddenly your screen freezes!
What Sports can you watch with Live Streaming?
As we have touched on above, there is a vast number of different sports available across online bookmakers. Of course, football fans will know things like the Premier League are not available, as the massive cost of getting the rights for these would never be an option for betting companies, so for now, BT and Sky (not forgetting Amazon) have a monopoly on this. But there are several sports, competitions, and events we can legally watch live on our mobile, here are a few below:
Horse & Greyhound Racing
One of the most common sporting events that will be available with a range of different bookies. Some, of course, specialise in horse racing alone. Usually, you will need to bet a minimum of £1 to watch the race.
Football
The most popular sport in the UK is always going to have loads of games available for you to watch. Top European leagues from Serie A in Italy to La Liga in Spain are there for you to stream on the go. Football or ‘Soccer’ in America and Australia is also available. Closer to home, especially this season, the FA cup and some lower league football has been made available for punters to stream. Read more on our football betting apps guide.
Cricket
Good luck if you want to stream a five-day test match! However, T20 and shorter formats of the game lend themselves well to live streaming.
Tennis
Tennis is one of the most popular sports with punters who want to watch and bet on live events on the go. Tennis has a higher proportion of in-play bets compared with any other sport You can watch a master’s series or a major championship; you won’t struggle to find a live tennis match you can watch and place a bet on.
Boxing/UFC
The fighting world is dominated by PPV (Pay Per View), so the big events are very unlikely to be available via a stream. That is unless a bookie charges you the same amount you would pay to watch the event through PPV, and you bet a certain amount on a particular fight.
Other Sports
There are some very popular sports that don’t shine on a live streaming format. Golf and Rugby, for example, don’t work particularly well. You will find most major Golf events are available for you to watch live on your TV, the same with Rugby, so there is perhaps less pressure on bookies to make these sports excel in a live streaming format. Darts and Snooker, however, and now widely streamed with lots of bookies. If you are a fan of the Darts, you will notice bookmakers sponsor loads of the events so that you can take it as a given a live stream will be available.
On a global scale, it is becoming more common to see sports from across the pond becoming available to watch via a stream. With American football, select NFL and college football are streamed, and you can also stream the Superbowl. There is a considerable amount of Basketball, and Ice Hockey matches available through various streaming bookies, Ice Hockey in particular works very well for live betting.
Is There a Streaming Time Delay?
The general rule of thumb is that online streaming is usually delayed up to around 30 seconds. It is commonly accepted that this is in place for shrewd punters cannot try and outsmart or get ahead of the bookie. When you try to place any wager through in-play betting, there is also an additional time delay, usually ten or so seconds. This means if you want to place a bet on what you are watching, the total delay can be up to around 45 seconds; however, this does vary slightly among some bookies.
What does ‘Geo Restrictions Apply’ Mean?
As well as the requirements imposed by the bookmakers themselves, there are also other rules which dictate which events may be streamed live online for punters. Generally, these rules revolve around broadcasting rights and will differ depending on what country you are streaming from.
Whichever country you are in, however, the elite sports within the nation itself will almost always be broadcast by one TV network or another. When that is the case, the networks in question will likely have near-exclusive rights over the broadcasting of that sport, and as such live streams from bookmakers will not be available. This is why you cannot find any legal streams of the Premier League.
What is Integrated Streaming?
The best streaming betting apps will give you the option to watch the stream either embedded in the main window (integrated) or as a pop-out window. So, you can watch things simultaneously and even have the window open with the live event, and another pop-out window which you are using actually to place the bet. Integrated windows tend to be smaller (simply to fit it on the page). When live betting, it is highly recommended to use integrated.
Getting the most from Live Streaming
Those of you out there who like the idea of live streaming events, there are things you can do to maximise any potential winnings. Firstly, the beauty of watching a live stream is that you can just sit back and enjoy the action. Also, if you open multiple accounts with several sites, then you can have a choice of what to watch too.
Another significant factor of live streaming is you can alter what your bet might be depending on how the match or event is going. If you are watching a tennis match, for example, and someone is clearly on top, perhaps two sets up, this may be an excellent time to get your bet on. You maybe even might place a small wager on a comeback as the odds will be good. Whatever way you go, you will get a feel for it by watching it unfold live.
Please remember not to leave it too late to place your bet, as you may miss out. Your streaming is delayed, and on top of this during a dangerous attack or play, markets will be suspended. The cash-out feature is excellent to use in conjunction with live streaming. To use the same Tennis example above, you have bet on a player to win a match; he is two sets up, but suddenly in the third set, he looks injured, and it is now 2-1. It might be time to consider cashing out. You get a feel and become more invested when watching things take place live.
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