The Pools Sportsbook Review 2026: Our Full Overview of Markets, Odds & Features

If you live in the UK, you’ve probably heard of The Pools. Steeped in history, my The Pools review will tell you all about this exciting sportsbook that has been enjoyed by UK punters for over 100 years!

But what exactly is The Pools? What distinguishes it from the countless other sports betting sites available across the country? And what kinds of bonuses and benefits can you enjoy when you sign up? If you want to know the answer to these questions, and many more, join me now for my The Pools review for UK players.

What is The Pools UK?

If you’ve read our Betfred review, you’ll know we love an old-school betting institution! Synonymous with UK betting culture, ‘pools’ have been around for over a century and present a unique and simple way to speculate on sports.

Started in Liverpool in 1923, the original football pools were created when three friends put £50 in each to print 4,000 coupons and then distributed them outside Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium. Instead of predicting an outright winner or the correct score of the football match, players were given a selection of matches to make predictions on using the coupons.

Fast forward a few years, and The Pools became one of the most popular ways to bet on football in the UK, with up to 14 million playing every single week. These days, you can now use the original pools format to bet on a wide range of sports via the desktop site or mobile version.

Similar to making our Lottoland review, researching The Pools was an interesting process that uncovered a unique approach to gambling that is steeped in history.

How does The Pools sports work?

So, how does The Pools actually work? As I said, it’s very simple, but let me break it down for you.

The classic pool selection is all about picking ‘score draws’. That means games where both teams score, and it ends in a draw.

You choose 10, 11, or 12 score draws from a list of 49 fixtures. The more you pick, the more it costs to play: £1 for 10, £2.75 for 11, or £7.50 for 12.

Once you've made your picks, you’ll get:

• 3 points for each correct score draw
• 2 points for a goalless draw
• 1 point for a home or away win

Only your best eight results count, so the highest score you can get is 24 points. After each round, the prize money is shared between the top-scoring punters. That’s it. See? Simple!

The Pools sportsbook memberships explained

While compiling my The Pools review, I discovered that there are three different types of membership that you can get at The Pools: the Classic Pools, Lucky Clover and Goal Rush. Membership costs £10, £15 and £20, respectively, and each comes with its own range of perks and benefits, including exclusive offers, bonus bets and access to jackpot prizes.

It's important to note that you do not need to buy a membership in order to play at The Pools. You can simply open an account and get involved, making your selections on a more ad hoc basis.

To open an account, you must be over the age of 18 and a resident of the UK. Signing up takes just a couple of minutes, and you'll need to give out some personal information such as your full name, date of birth, telephone number and address before verifying your account via email.

Sports Promo Code

3.8/5

Bet £10, get £20 in Bonus bets

Welcome Bonus

Go to The Pools

Bet now

The Pools Highlights

• Frequent bonuses including weekly bonus bets
• No wagering on sports bonuses
• Unique way to bet on sports

What bonuses can you get at The Pools UK?

So now that you know all about how The Pools works, it's time to get into the good stuff - what kind of bonuses you can get. The good news is, there's plenty up for grabs for sports bettors at The Pools.

You currently don't need any type of The Pools bonus code to access these offers, and these deals are open to all players, not just those with The Pools memberships. Bear in mind that these are subject to change, so I recommend you check out the promotions page regularly to make sure you never miss a deal.

Bet £10 Get £20 Welcome offer

The Pool sports welcome bonus for new UK bettors, you’ll enjoy an exciting reward. Simply deposit and place a £10 bet at single or accumulated odds of at least 1/2 (1.5) to get £20 in Bonus bets. There is no need to enter a Pools betting promo code in the UK. Simply sign up, place your qualifying bet on an available sports market, and you’re on your way to claiming the bonus.

Bonus bets

The Pools sportsbook gives out plenty of bonus bets throughout the year. If you decide to become a member, depending on which membership you choose, you'll get a bonus bet as part of your welcome offer. But don't worry, there are lots of other ways to get bonus bets without becoming a member.

At present, you can get a bonus £5 bet when you place two £5 bet builders on any sport. You can also get another £5 bonus bet when you place £20 on any French Open match.

Again, these offers are subject to change, so visit the website regularly or come and check in with us here at Dimers for the latest offers from The Pools.

Acca boosts

A very popular type of promo, The Pools offers you up to a 60% boost on your winnings when you make an acca bet. You must make a minimum of three selections, with a minimum odds of 1.2 per selection.

The greater the number of selections you make, the bigger the potential boost. Starting at 3 selections, you can get a boost of 5%, but you must make 15 or more selections to get up to that 60% max boost amount.

Sports Welcome Bonus

Bet £10, get £20 in Bonus bets

T&Cs apply, 18+

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18+, UK only, Full T&Cs apply

The Pools sportsbook offers a simple, uncluttered platform that’s easy to use

One thing I really like about The Pools is that it is super easy to use. As soon as you launch the site, you'll see it's divided up into various categories, and the sportsbook is clean, crisp and very intuitive. If you’ve read our BetMGM review, you’ll know that here at Dimers, we appreciate a well-organised site and app, and The Pools comes up trumps in this category.

You'll find all your favourite UK sports, including football, horse racing and rugby, as well as some more niche sports, such as Aussie rules football, Alpine skiing and squash. There's also lots of information about the various memberships and how the pools system works.

As mentioned, opening up a new account is as easy as 1, 2, 3. Just locate the ‘sign up’ button in the top right-hand corner of the homepage and enter your personal details to get up and running in a couple of minutes.

Get The Pools on your mobile for an on-the-go experience

The Pools offers a fantastic mobile gaming experience on your smartphone or tablet. Although there isn't a native The Pools app to download, The Pools has been perfectly optimised to work on your mobile device, so it doesn't matter if you've got an Android or Apple phone, you'll get the same great experience regardless.

Download The Pools app today!

Make the most of The Pools' weekly bet builder offer

Enjoy a solid range of secure payment options

The Pools offers a convenient range of payment options that include debit cards, Visa and MasterCard and the eWallet, PayPal. It would have been nice to see a few more options on offer, but most residents in the UK will have access to one of these three payment providers.

The minimum deposit is just £5, whereas the minimum withdrawal is £10. As a nice touch, you can get in touch with the team at The Pools if you want to withdraw less, but be aware that you might come up with some fees if you want to withdraw less than £10.

Withdrawals are generally processed in 2 to 5 working days, but the site itself says to allow up to 7 full working days for your funds to clear.

My The Pools review found great customer service available

Along with a very helpful FAQ page found in the ‘Help’ tab, there are many ways to get in touch with a member of The Pools if you need some help.

You can email the team at support@thepools.com if you're query isn’t urgent, and you can even write to them at:

• Customer Support
• The Pools
• Walton House
• 55 Charnock Road
• Liverpool
• L67 1AA

Of course, the most convenient way to get in touch is by the live chat option. You have to enter some personal details and give the reason for your query, but you should be put through to a representative in no time at all.

Live chat opening hours run from 8am to 10 pm, Monday to Saturday, and 12 pm to 10 pm on Sundays, UK time.

Customer Service
Available Languages:	English
Email:	support@thepools.com

Is The Pools safe? You bet it is!

One question we get here a lot is if The Pools is legit, and I can tell you that you have nothing to worry about with this safe and secure site. Not only does The Pools employ strict AML and KYC policies, but it also holds a licence with the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC).

The UKGC is one of the strictest gambling authorities in the world. As such, you can rely on player and data protection that will keep your personal and financial details safe online.

No loyalty program, but still many chances to get rewarded

Technically, there isn't a dedicated loyalty program in place at The Pools. That said, the various memberships come with their own sets of perks and benefits that could very much be seen as a type of loyalty system.

For example, the Classic Pools membership offers you a £10 welcome bonus, as well as the chance for bonus bets, sports-specific promos and exclusive offers. The Goal Rush membership offers a £20 welcome bonus, as well as access to even more bespoke offers and perks.

So, although The Pools doesn't have a loyalty program for you to join per se, the membership packages are in themselves their own type of reward program.

The Pools - leading the pack since 1923

I had a thoroughly enjoyable time compiling my The Pools review. As part of British gambling history, many people across the country are already aware of how The Pools operates. But if you're new to the world of pools, this is an incredible place to get started.

The website will tell you everything you need to know about how The Pools works, and you can bet on a huge range of all the most popular sports, both in the UK and abroad.

When it comes to bonuses, you'll find it hard to find a site more generous than The Pools sportsbook. I didn't find any wagering requirements attached to the welcome bonuses or bonus bets, and the fact that there are three or more sports promos on at any given time shows this operator's dedication to player satisfaction.

So if you're looking for a unique way to bet on sports on any device, I can't recommend The Pools enough.

Sports Promo Code

3.8/5

Bet £10, get £20 in Bonus bets

Welcome Bonus

Go to The Pools

Get Bonus

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