Established in 2002 Betway has grown itself into one of the biggest European gaming portals with a slick website and a good choice of languages and currencies using microgaming software. The odds here are not the sharpest but that is to be expected from an online bookmaker that caters for the general betting enthusiast and they make up for it with the vast array of betting markets and options to choose from which makes it a good choice for the general punter. Betway cover all of the main sports and they also cover some of the more niche sports that you don't find at many mainstream bookmakers - floorball anyone?

Boylesports has over 175 Retail Outlets all based in ireland and the chain was founded by John Boyle in 1989. It's not one of the most technically advanced online bookmakers but it's functional and efficient. Boylesports is strong in the horse racing markets so if you like the nags then you should probably open an account here

Known for it's fun approach to betting Paddy Power offers odds on many markets not found elsewhere. Founded in 1988 by the merger of three Irish bookmakers Paddy Power has gone from strength to strength and now operates over 190 High street outlets throughout the UK.

By covering more than 5,000 live events each month, 10bet.com users can make more than 100 types of bets, some of which unique in the industry. 10Bet is a leading industry player providing the most competitive and flexible odds for the ultimate gaming sensation.

The largest UK Bookmaker processing over 1 Million betslips a day - that's a lot of bets! After a failed attempt to start a bookmakers in 1925 the young William Hill moved to London in 1929 and began an illicit career of taking gambling bets on greyhounds. At this time betting was illegal however he managed to exploit a loophole in the law that allowed postal or credit betting even though you were not allowed to bet with pure cash. This was a very clever guy and in 1944 he produced the first football fixed odds coupon and in 1954 he took over a shell company and gained a listing on the London Stock Exchange. In 1966 he opened his first retail outlet – a few years after Ladbrokes but his death in 1970 meant he was...

Interesting fact: The company name for tax purposes is Petfre limited. The first three letters of the two brothers names. Although its name would have you believe there is a single founder – Betfred was actually founded by two brothers Peter and Fred Done. The ownership is shared although these days Peter runs his own Consulting business in Salford and Fred concentrates on running the bookmaker. Both are the sons of a Bookmaker and they became managers in their fathers business until in 1969 they had an opportunity to buy a bookies on Cromwell Road in Salford. At the time Peter was 21 and Fred 26.

Another long established Bookmaker transitioning to online gaming via the purchase of Eurobet. Solid and financially sound. Established in 1926 Coral has gone through a series of mergers, acquisitions and management buyouts and has a colourful history in the fabric of British betting culture. Where Bet365 is associated with the online betting revolution and Ladbrokes with dragging horse racing into the new millennia, so Coral's is quintessentially linked with the dogs – greyhound racing.

Bet365 is undoubtedly one of Britains'' biggest success stories. From its origins in a portakabin in Stoke on Trent, Bet365 has since grown to become the 16th largest private company in the UK. There is very little published about Denise Coates but she is the one credited with developing a sports betting platform and trading team. It would be interesting to find out what technology skills she has but she seems to be publicity shy and there is not much detail. Her father Peter Coates is the chairman of Stoke City so he could do with some in play action to raise some money for a few players! Just kidding. He was also one of fourteen children so he could probably put out a family football team on the pitch!

Sky Bet was brought into life with BSkyB's acquisition of Sports Internet Group in July 2000 which amalgamated the small bookmaker Surrey Sports with two other companies; Planet Football and Opta Index. Surrey Sports was rebranded in July 2002 to create Sky Bet. In December 2006 sky purchased online betting companies totalbet and ukbetting and these were consolidated into Sky Bet after BSkyB's purchase of 365 Media Group. Sky Bet is featured prominently on the 365 media group websites (sites like football365.com) as well as skysports.com thanks to their common ownership and proximity (they are based in nearby Leeds).