We use 4 criteria in rating online sportsbooks:

1. Look - How well designed it is, not just "pretty" but useful and easy to navigate. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder when it comes to colour schemes and the style of buttons, but these things are supposed to add to the user experience - not hinder it. 

This is not to say that there are any hard and fast rules about what goes where, as it would be no fun if every website looked the same!

 
2. Speed - Time is of the essence when betting, particularly if you don't have broadband net access. You need to be able to look at the odds, log in (only if you want to) and get your bet on as quick as possible. 

Maybe it's the frustration of missing a winning bet, but some sites just seem slow - even though their programmers and engineers will show you pages of reports proving that they are running just fine. We have taken this factor into account in our reviews - bad marks in particular go to sites which make you wait for things you don't need anyway!

3. Choice - We believe that the best bookmakers offer the widest range of betting. After all, this web is world-wide! We realise that most people keep their betting to just a few sports, and we do include a few sportsbooks that concentrate solely on football or racing. 

Most of us see betting as fun and entertainment, a chance to add to your enjoyment of a live or TV event, so we make no apologies for giving high marks for those bookmakers with the biggest range of bets.

4. Features - Not everyone speaks English, and even at a betting site you want a bit more than the odds, so the more options and content the better. Foreign language options are a big plus (although looking at the English on some non-English sites, we dread to think what other weird and wonderful translations there are out there).

Other key features include results (with the odds if possible) and content such as form, statistics and news that add real value for the user.

Calculation: For each of the 4 criteria, the "raw scores" are adjusted so the average is 12.5 out of the possible 25. The criteria are given equal weighting in determining the overall scores.

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