Our family has taken bets in Carmarthenshire since 1963, and Ken Howells is now run by the third generation from the same betting shop. Online, you can bet on horse racing, football and more than 30 other sports, play slots and table games, or place a bet by phone and WhatsApp. All customers must be 18 or over, and we ask everyone to gamble responsibly.
Ken Howells at a Glance
In short, we are a family bookmaker licensed in Great Britain, and one KenHowells account covers both products: the sportsbook and the casino.
| Feature | Details |
| Founded | 1963 |
| Format | Family-run bookmaker, third generation |
| Betting shop | Carmarthenshire, Wales |
| Products | Sports betting and online casino |
| Phone and WhatsApp betting | Yes, through our shop team |
| Minimum deposit | £10 |
| Licence | UK Gambling Commission, account number 422 |
| Age limit | 18+ |
Behind the brand stands Targetlocal Ltd, company number 02662814, which operates Ken Howells. We accept debit card payments only and take no credit cards, so every bet is placed with money you already have.
Welcome Offers for New Customers
New customers can claim two separate welcome offers, one for sports and one for the casino. Each comes with its own terms, and you can take one of them or both.
Both offers pay back 50% of losses instead of matching a deposit, so what you receive from your first Ken Howells betting session depends on the result. A winning first day simply means there is no refund to collect.
Sports Welcome Offer
Our sports offer refunds part of your losses on your first bets, which suits customers trying Ken Howells sports betting for the first time. It reduces the cost of a losing start rather than giving you extra stake money.
- Eligibility: new customers aged 18 or over opening their first account with us.
- Refund rate: 50% of your losses on qualifying bets comes back to you.
- Maximum refund: £25 per customer.
- Minimum deposit: £10 to qualify.
- Deposit methods: Visa or Mastercard debit card or Instant Bank Transfer, as we take no credit cards.
- Wagering: none, the refund carries no turnover.
- Expiry: the offer must be used within 7 days.
- Verification: your name, address and age must be checked before your first bet, as UK rules require.
- Sportsbook only: casino losses do not count here and are covered by the separate casino offer instead.
With no turnover attached, the refund needs no extra bets before you can use it, unlike a typical free bet with playthrough rules. As an example, £30 of losses on your first bets returns £15, and any loss of £50 or more returns the maximum. Bet only what you planned to spend anyway, as the refund covers half of a loss, not all of it.
Casino Welcome Offer
For slots and table games, our offer at Ken Howells Casino looks only at your first day of play, so the timing of your first deposit matters.
- Code: WELCOME2, entered under My Bonuses before your first deposit.
- First day: begins with your first deposit after entering the code and runs until 23:59.
- Refund: 50% of first-day losses as bonus money, up to £50, credited within 24 hours.
- Minimum losses: £10 on settled casino games to qualify.
- Wagering: 10x the bonus money, used in full within 7 days.
- Winnings cap: the most you can win from the bonus money is £500.
- Restrictions: casino games only, one claim per person and household.
As an example, £60 of first-day losses brings £30 in bonus money, and clearing it takes £300 wagered on casino games. A smaller loss of £20 returns £10, which needs £100 in bets before any winnings from it can be withdrawn. Any first-day loss of £100 or more reaches the maximum bonus.
Ken Howells Sports Betting Markets
Horse racing, football and rugby make up the main part of our sportsbook, with over 30 other sports listed alongside them. Racing runs almost every day of the year, while football and rugby follow their league and tournament calendars. The busiest markets therefore shift with the season, from winter football weekends to the summer festivals on the Flat.
Each sport has its own page, and on KenHowells betting pages you can combine selections from different events into an accumulator on one bet slip. The same slip also takes singles and smaller multiples such as doubles and trebles. Live markets appear in the in-play section once an event is under way.
Horse Racing with Best Odds Guaranteed
UK and Irish horse racing comes with Best Odds Guaranteed on win and each-way markets: if the starting price is bigger than the price you took, we settle your bet at the higher one. Back a horse at 1/2 on the morning of the race, see it go off at 6/5, and a winning bet is paid at 6/5. Live streams are offered for the meetings we cover.
Racing coverage goes well beyond Britain and Ireland, with meetings from Malaysia, Germany, Uruguay and South Korea on the card. Ken Howells bookmaker customers can also back horses for the major festivals ahead of time through our Futures section, which lists ante-post markets.
Football and Rugby Betting
Football betting covers competitions from close to 100 countries, plus international tournaments and continental club cups. A Premier League match carries around 280 markets several days out, and some fixtures exceed 900 markets near kick-off. That depth feeds our bet builder, and in-play markets run once the match is live.
Rugby has a firm place in Ken Howells betting because of our Welsh roots, with both Union and League on the card. Six Nations matches, club rugby and international fixtures are priced alongside the football.
Greyhounds Darts Snooker and More
Outside our three main sports, Ken Howells sports betting also covers the six sports listed here, each with its own page in the sportsbook menu. Several of them suit short betting sessions, as a greyhound race or a darts leg is decided within minutes.
- Greyhounds: daily cards from UK tracks, with win and forecast bets.
- Darts: PDC tournaments from the Premier League to the World Championship, including 180s markets.
- Snooker: ranking events and the World Championship, with match and frame markets.
- Tennis: Grand Slams and the ATP and WTA tours, including set betting.
- Golf: the four majors and weekly tour events, with outright and each-way markets.
- Boxing: title fights with method-of-victory and round betting.
Coverage of these sports follows their calendars, so the number of markets grows around the big events, such as the World Championships in darts and snooker. The darts final takes place over the Christmas period and the snooker one in spring, which makes those the busiest weeks for both. Golf and tennis peak around the majors and Grand Slams, while greyhound cards stay steady all year.
Ken Howells Betting Features
Six tools shape how Ken Howells betting works, from live prices to protection on accumulators. In-play, cash out and bet builder come with every account, while acca insurance and enhanced odds depend on the promotions running at the time.
- In-play: bet on events after they have got under way, with prices updated during play.
- Cash out: settle a bet early, in full or in part, before the event ends.
- Bet builder: combine several markets from one match into a single bet.
- Acca insurance: a refund on qualifying accumulators that lose by one selection, under the current promotion terms.
- Enhanced odds: higher prices on selected markets, shown on the event page.
- Sub On Play On: on selected player markets, your bet moves to the replacement if your player is substituted.
Most of these tools are used on football first, and some, such as Sub On Play On, only work on player markets. A cash out value follows the live price, so the amount on screen can rise or fall within seconds during a match. Check the figure again right before you accept it.
Ken Howells Online Casino
Our online casino has slots and table games, and the Hot Favs section alone lists 186 titles. Recent additions at casino Ken Howells include Big Bass Halloween Splash 1000, Kingfisher Bubbles Frame Frenzy and House of the Dragon, from studios such as Pragmatic Play, Games Global and Blueprint Gaming.
Table games cover roulette, blackjack and solitaire, including Gold Roulette, Turbo Roulette, Blackjack Vegas and First Person Blackjack from Evolution. Regular players at KenHowells Casino also receive weekly free spins based on their slot stakes.
Bet by Phone or WhatsApp
You can place a bet by calling 01269 597844 or messaging our shop team on WhatsApp, the same people who serve customers across the counter in Carmarthenshire. This suits anyone used to personal service rather than an app, and the WhatsApp contact is listed on the Ken Howells contact page.
Ken Howells Deposits and Withdrawals
You pay in and cash out through the same three methods, and the main difference lies in how fast each withdrawal reaches you. All transactions run in pounds sterling, so UK cards and bank accounts face no currency conversion. If speed matters to you, compare the withdrawal column in the table before choosing a method for your first deposit.
| Method | Deposit | Withdrawal |
| Visa debit card | Instant | Usually instant |
| Mastercard debit card | Instant | 0-3 business days |
| Instant Bank Transfer | Instant | Within 24 hours |
| Minimum amount | £10 | £10 |
| Maximum amount | £5,000 | £25,000 |
| Fees | None | None |
Under UK Gambling Commission rules, Ken Howells checks your name, address and age before you can place a bet. Keep your payment details up to date, as a withdrawal can only go to an account in your own name.
Ken Howells Customer Support
Our support team answers by email from 10:00 to 20:00 and by phone on 01269 597844 from 12:00 to 20:00, seven days a week. Write to [email protected] with questions about bonuses, withdrawals or account limits, and include your Ken Howells username so we can find your account faster. There is no live chat, so email is the best route for anything that needs a written record.
Safer Gambling at Ken Howells
We give every customer tools to control time and spending, and gambling with us is for adults aged 18 and over only. Most of these tools can be set from your account at any time. If our team sees signs of gambling harm, we may also step in ourselves, for example by applying a deposit limit, asking for proof of affordability or contacting you by email or phone.
- Deposit limits: set them daily, weekly or monthly; decreases apply at once, while increases take effect only after the current period ends and a further 24-hour wait.
- Time-out: a break from 24 hours up to six months, which cannot be reversed once it begins.
- Self-exclusion: closes your account for 6 months to 5 years, any balance is returned to you, and a 24-hour cooling-off period applies before you can bet again once it ends.
- Account closure: if you want to stop for reasons other than gambling harm, our support team can close your account on request.
- GAMSTOP: a free scheme to self-exclude from all online gambling companies licensed in Great Britain.
- Blocking software: third-party apps such as GamBlock, Net Nanny and CyberSitter restrict access to gambling sites on your devices.
If gambling stops feeling like entertainment you pay for, talk to someone: GamCare and BeGambleAware offer free, confidential advice, and the National Gambling Helpline is on 0808 8020 133. Ken Howells can also set limits or an exclusion for you on request at [email protected]. Please gamble responsibly.