It was something of a surprise when The Pools decided to close their online casino and sportsbook in June 2026. The decision has allowed them to focus on what was their original product offering: their pool betting jackpots, which date back to 1923.
If you played your favourite casino games here, this article may be of interest. We’ve compiled a mini review of The Pools’ alternative sites.
As of September 2026, The Pools has no sister sites. However, there are still alternative casino sites that offer the same or even better products to UK players.
Our Pools review notes that the brand is owned by a parent company, The Football Pools. They’ve been around for more than a century, taking their paper-based pool betting games online to increase their appeal and customer base.
The Football Pools is licensed by the Gambling Commission (#48272). They have retained their casino and sports betting licences despite them not currently being in use.
Founded more than 100 years ago, The Pools – then known as the Littlewood Football Pool – created a game in which players predicted the outcome of selected football matches.
Their stake money was pooled, with the winner taking home the lot – bar a small commission charged by Littlewood for managing the game.
Other pool betting operators have come along, but Littlewood – today known as just The Pools – has stood the test of time, branching out into traditional sports betting and casino games before shuttering those divisions in June 2026.
So let’s take a look at a handful of brands similar to The Pools, owing to their platform and casino game offering.
Note: The above information was updated on 07/08/2026. The numbers are subject to change.
Tote is the nearest competitor, as they are famous for their pool bets like the Placepot. They also have a small selection of casino games to offer.
BetVickers and Bet St George can be described as sports betting operators with slots and table games added on top, while Coral is a true gambling giant operated by LC International; one of the most popular bookmakers in the UK, they even have more than 6,000 casino games to explore.
Of our imagined Pools sister sites, Coral really does stand out with that game library – nearly 6,000 slots, including exclusives, plus table games and live casino action in abundance.
| Sister Sites | Total Slots | Total Live Casino | Exclusive Games | Game Demo | Advanced Game Filters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | 747 | 79 |
No
|
No
|
No
|
| | 718 | 209 |
No
|
No
|
No
|
| | 5986 | 96 |
No
|
No
|
Yes
|
Bet St George, BetVickers and the Tote are what they are: sports betting sites, with some casino games added – less than 1,000 in all cases, with just 86 available at Bet St George at the time of writing.
With more than 200 live casino games, BetVickers has an interesting niche, while the Tote’s game search filter – name, popular, new – outperforms the rest in that regard.
The promotions at both Bet St George and BetVickers are designed specifically for sports bettors.
The Tote is much stronger in this department, with cashback on net losses on their Game of the Week, plus chances to unlock free spins and other loyalty-based promos.
Coral has their Coral Coin loyalty scheme and the free daily Rewards Shaker, which can deliver free spins, bonuses and even cash prizes. There are daily slots tournaments and Drops & Wins contests, too.
Coral is one of the leading alternatives to The Pools when it comes to withdrawal speeds. In our testing, they processed our Visa, Revolut and Apple Pay withdrawals instantly, with a wait of two hours for paysafecard.
Further positive results were experienced at BetVickers, who took a whole minute to complete our Visa payout.
However, we were left waiting nearly an hour-and-a-half for Bet St George to process our Visa cash out.
The Pools may have closed their online casino, but there’s still plenty of similar casinos able to fill the void.
Of our comparison brands, Coral is – arguably – the best option, with a huge range of games and genuinely helpful promotions.
We like the live casino environment at Bet Vickers, while the suite of promotions at the Tote is also an interesting addition to their repertoire.
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Craig has been writing about the online betting sector for more than a decade. He’s been having a flutter on the football, trying to master basic blackjack strategy and testing out the latest slots for even longer.