The problem some bettors run into at online sports betting sites is cashing out their winnings. In fact, trouble cashing out is the #1 source of disputes in this business. Bovada Is Probably the Best Option for the Recreational Sports Bettor in the United States. While talking about the best betting sites, we can’t ignore the feature that has gained lots of interest in recent years; in-play/live betting. If a rugby game is 70 minutes in and you want to choose a winner, this is possible with in-play betting.
This is the most definitive list of good gambling sites on the internet.
The best thing about this page?
The list is organized by which activities you want to bet on.
If you want to find a place to gamble in 2020, you’ll love this guide.
Here’s what you’ll find:
- Good Casino Gambling Sites
- Live Dealer Gambling Sites
- Poker Sites
- Information Sites
- Bonus #1: Advanced Gambling Tips and Tricks
- Bonus #2: Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
- Conclusion
Here’s How to Use This List of Good Gambling Sites
My name is Randy Ray.
I’ve been involved in the online gambling industry as a writer and webmaster for over 15 years.
I’ve played at and written about just about any gambling activity you can think of, including casino games, poker, and sports betting.
I don’t claim to be the biggest expert in the industry. Plenty of smarter folks than I am also write about and review these kinds of sites.
Here’s what I suggest you do with everything they’ve written and everything I’ve written too:
Take it with a grain of salt. Do some of your own research. Think for yourself.
This list is just a starting point, but I hope it’s a good one.
Good Gambling Sites: The Basics
The first thing I’d like to write about are the basics of good gambling sites. What makes a company or website in this industry better than another one?
1. Read some reviews of these gambling sites before depositing money at one.
Start by reading some reviews.
You’ll find varying levels of review quality, but you can hit the back button anytime.
When you do find a website which offers legitimate-seeming reviews, you’ve struck gold. Bookmark it.
I’m proud of the gambling site reviews on my site, by the way. I hope you’ll find them legitimate and useful, too.
2. Read some forum threads about the sites you’re thinking about gambling at.
Forums for gamblers (like this one) are a great place to get ideas about where to gamble online.
You can find hundreds or thousands of sites purporting to offer gambling site reviews, but many of them are nothing more than portals built solely for the purpose of advertising these businesses.
That’s why I suggest getting multiple opinions before setting up a real money account with any gambling site:
- Opinions vary.
- Standards are different from one reviewer to another.
- Some writers haven’t even gambled at the site they’re reviewing.
- Forums might have some shills in them, but it’s possible that at least some of their members are sharing real experiences.
- Many gambling sites really are shady.
Opinions vary, but you’ll find a good selection of reputable casinos that accept US players here on my site. My team of writers and researchers has played online games for many years and is experienced and knowledgeable in the online gambling industry.
You’ll also find that I can provide you with more information about online casinos that accept USA players than most other websites. That’s because I care enough to do the research. In fact, you might be surprised at just how many online casinos want to do business with US players.
Here on Good Gambling Sites, I’ve divided my list of USA friendly casinos into 4 groups:
To be honest, you’ll see some overlap between these lists; I like to recommend full-service casinos whenever possible.
2. Sports Betting Sites
According to my friend “prop,” if you’re from the United States, the best sports betting site for players wanting to deposit with a Visa or MasterCard is Bovada. He also suggest using Western Union if your credit card or debit card won’t go through.
His other big recommendation is Bookmaker.eu. If you want a 2nd choice, consider that site. No one knows more about good sports betting sites than prop.
One of your biggest concerns when shopping for a place to bet online is the honesty and reputation of the site where you’re placing bets. Dishonest bookies are easy to find on the internet, but honest ones–less so.
I try to only recommend the honest ones, of course.
The problem some bettors run into at online sports betting sites is cashing out their winnings. In fact, trouble cashing out is the #1 source of disputes in this business.
Bovada Is Probably the Best Option for the Recreational Sports Bettor in the United States
For most sports bettors in the United States, Bovada is your best option. I’ve already discussed their relatively high acceptance rate for credit cards.
But they also have the best live betting platform in the business. You can bet on almost anything someone in the United States would be interested in betting on, too–including and especially NFL and college football games. I’ve bet on several boxing and UFC or MMA events there, too.
If you’re one of the rare Americans who likes to bet on soccer, that’s available there, too. You can also bet on horse races there.
I love their selection of casino games.
But there’s another area where they stand out:
They have online poker for real money, and the competition at Bovada is softer than anywhere else on the internet.
They’ve been serving U.S. players for 10+ years and have a solid track record for fast payouts and resolving bettor disputes quickly and professionally.
Bookmaker.eu Is a Great Option for U.S. Players, Too
This is the U.S. facing site for BetCRIS. They have a longer history with online betting than almost any other company. Their history with players in the United States dates back to 1985, when they were taking bets via a toll-free phone number.
They launched their website in 2000 with the taglin “Where the Line Originates.” They’re still known for offering some of the earliest and most accurate lines in the business.
They serve customers on both ends of the spectrum–low rollers and high rollers. Their minimum bet is $1 for most events, but they also have a massive $40,000 maximum bet. Their maximum bet on live betting is $2500.
Also, they’re one of the only bookmakers on the internet who don’t have a habit of barring players.
If you’re married to the idea of using a credit card or debit card for deposit purposes, try Bovada first.
Otherwise, you can try a credit card with Bookmaker.eu. You might have better luck with Western Union or Moneygram, though.
Some Interesting Facts about Sports Betting Website Recommendations
Some of this holds true for all gambling sites, but it seems like it’s worse with sports betting sites:
Since the industry is so lucrative, it’s common for sports betting sites to pay big money for promotion on information sites like this one. Of course, we get advertising money, too, but we’re not willing to promote scammers for any amount of money. There’s plenty of money to be made dealing with honest sports betting sites.
For one thing, I value my reputation and the reputation of this website.
Sports Bettors in Other Countries
Not all of the visitors to this site are from the United States. If you’re from another country, you have many more options for sports betting sites. You need to consider multiple factors when deciding among them:
- How friendly is this site to people from my country?
- Do they operate in my native language?
- Do they offer the kinds of limits (low or high) that I’m interested in betting?
- Do they offer the kinds of bets I like to make?
- Do they offer action on the sports I’m interested in?
My intention is, as the site grows, to offer specific recommendations for specific customers in specific countries. Look for future pages to cover (in detail) recommendations for people living in the following areas:
- Asia
- Australia
- Canada
- Finland
- India
- The United Kingdom
A Final Warning about Sports Betting Information Sites
I touched on this earlier, but there’s a certain amount of financial incentive in the industry as it pertains to recommending sportsbooks. If you’re not interested in the recommendation I make here, please do visit the ratings page on my friend prop’s website. He’s the most trustworthy webmaster I know of in the sports betting niche.
What to Look for in Good Gambling Sites
What makes a “good gambling site”?
I look for several factors to measure the quality of a gambling website:
- I want the site to be easy to use. That means it has to have good navigation, its directions must be clear and precise, and it should be easy to find all the important pages–including the Cashier page, the Terms and Conditions, the Promotions, and the Games. Games are always the most important factor on a gambling site, but you must be able to get to the information pages, too.
- I look for adaptable designs. Specifically, I want to work with casino websites that are both mobile-friendly and easy to use on the desktop. Although players are still comfortable with having to download casino software, I feel like the best casino sites offer total flexibility: mobile apps, desktop experience, and downloadable software.
- I want good gambling sites to offer great bonus programs. This goes well beyond the usual signup bonus. A really good gambling site promotes itself on a regular basis, even every week, with new or cyclical promotional offers that make playing at the casino a great experience.
- The casino must have a good reputation. From the licensing authority and testing service it uses down to how it handles player disputes and complaints, everything about how the online casino operates its business affects its reputation. With over 2000 online casinos to choose from, I just want to work with the elite of the online gambling industry.
- The selection of available games is important, too. Good gambling sites offer a lot of variety to their players and I feel that GoodGamblingSites.Com should offer plenty of variety to its visitors in terms of the sites we recommend. That’s why you see so many “good” gambling sites on this page. Yes, they really are good gambling sites (in my opinion) and they deserve to be listed here.
Do Good Gambling Sites Offer Better Chances of Winning?
The short answer to this question is “it depends on how you look at it”.
A bad gambling site may be one that offers the lowest possible return to players on its games without actually cheating them. “Return to Player” is one of those fuzzy concepts you run into in the gambling world where everyone talks about it and no one really knows what it is. When used as a measure of game quality, return to player is an estimate of the percentage of bets placed by players (over a period of months or years) that will be paid back to those players as they play the games.
But each player will probably realize a different personal return. Some players will lose all their money, thus experiencing a 0% return, while other players might win many multiples of their gambling stakes before cashing out.
Still, if a casino offers a lot of games with high return to player estimates, players feel better about playing those games. In 2018 and beyond, the better gambling websites feature at least a few games that offer better than a 96% theoretical return to player.
Return to player is only one factor to pay attention to, though. Some games have what is called “high volatility”. This means they can pay big prizes to their players, but to afford to do so, they have to not pay any prizes (or only sub-par prizes) to a lot of players. That’s the only way to cover those big payoffs. It’s possible–but unlikely–that a high volatility game will pay 2 jackpots close together.
But the games are designed to make this happen less often.
A good gambling site offers a mix of high volatility (pays large prizes infrequently) and low volatility (pays lower prizes more often) games. Good gambling sites also cater to both conservative budget players who prefer to make small wagers and aggressive high roller players who prefer to make large wagers.
How do you know you’re playing a high roller game?
You may get a feeling of anxiety when making your first bet. High roller games may have minimum wagers of $50 to $100, and they might accept wagers as large as $1000. In games of skill–like poker–the wagers can run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars if people bring enough money to the game.
The Best Gambling Sites Give You Some Leeway
There’s a difference between an online casino that gives you a $25 no deposit bonus and a casino that offers $4000 in welcome deposit bonuses. That $25 no deposit bonus represents a real risk on the casino’s part. They know you might roll that money up by playing conservatively, even though there’s no style of play that guarantees you will win at a gambling game. The larger welcome bonus usually comes with more stringent demands from the casino.
Players expect a fair chance to win money when they gamble–even though many realize they are paying for excitement. A great gambling experience entails some risk, some reward, and a few hours of pleasant interaction with people at the casino. In the online gambling industry, it’s harder to interact with people. Online casinos have begun to compensate for this social isolation by launching live dealer rooms and allowing players to chat (such as in bingo and poker rooms).
The gambling site you choose to play with may not have all these perks, but if you enjoy playing there, that should be good enough.
How to Improve Your Gambling Experience
If you enjoy gambling but don’t have much money, you’re taking a greater risk than someone who does have money. Everyone loses eventually. That’s just the way casino games work. So you need to practice responsible gambling and be prepared to step back from time to time. Give yourself a chance to cover your losses with a more reliable income.
Don’t expect to always win.
That doesn’t help.
And it certainly doesn’t work.
You can enjoy playing the free casino games on websites that offer them, but if that doesn’t provide enough excitement for you, consider practicing on gambling websites that offer no deposit bonuses. These sites literally give you free money to play with, albeit not much. If you apply patience and practice conservative gambling (low bets on low volatility games), you should be able to extend your play.
You also increase your chances of winning money you can take elsewhere.
By avoiding expensive high roller games, moderating your betting style, and working with the bonus promotions that casinos offer, you can make a reasonable effort to stay in the game much longer.
The best reason to play the free casino games is to learn how they work and what their limitations are. You’ll find as you go along that good casinos allow you to play free games so you can get an honest feel for how much you enjoy playing those games.
The casino wants you to keep playing its games.
It also wants you to lose a little bit of your money.
But casinos are happy when players win money when they gamble–those winnings inspire other people to gamble.
Questions and Answers about Gambling Sites
Here are some of the most common questions about gambling sites, along with answers to each of them:
Is Online Gambling Illegal?
Online gambling is illegal in some jurisdictions.
But it’s legal in a lot of other jurisdictions, too.
Most of the traffic to this site is from the United States, so I’ll include some brief commentary on the legality of online gambling sites in the USA:
No specific federal law outlaws online gambling per se. No one in the United States has even been arrested for gambling on the internet. There is a 2006 law–UIGEA–which made it illegal to process money transfers for the purpose of illegal online gambling, but that didn’t outlaw betting on the web.
Sports betting online is illegal because of The Wire Act, but not for the bettor–it’s illegal for the site taking the bets. In other words, if you want to bet on a football game on the internet, you’re not breaking a federal law. The company taking your wager is, but that’s for them to worry about.
All of that being said, the United States is made up of multiple smaller jurisdictions–the states. Different states have different laws related to gambling. Some of these explicitly make gambling online illegal, while others can be interpreted as such, and others have no laws that apply at all.
I’ll probably write an entire page with more specific answers to this question for people in the United States, but for now, this short answer ought to cover it (we hope).
Do Online Gambling Sites Cheat?
Most online gambling sites are operated on foreign soil, but that doesn’t mean they’re not regulated by government entities.
Some jurisdictions offer more oversight than others.
But for the most part, online gambling sites don’t cheat because they don’t need to.
Regardless of the kind of wagering activity you prefer, the house has a way of making money from it.
If you’re playing casino games, for example, the payouts for your bets pay off at lower odds than the odds of winning.
Best Online Sports Gambling Sites Reddit Websites
If you’re playing poker, the house takes a small percentage of each pot (the rake).
If you’re betting on sports, the book makes you risk $120 or $110 to win $100; the difference is the vig.
That’s not cheating. That’s just how the companies stay in business.
You will sometimes see reports of sites that are slow to pay off your winnings. You’re more likely to have trouble getting your money back out of a site than you are to see that site cheat. There’s just no reason for them to rig their games.
Best Online Sports Gambling Sites Reddit Sites
I do screen the sites recommended here for reputation, but I can’t make any guarantees or take any responsibility for their business practices. My best advice is to do some research on your own about a site’s reputation before risking money there.
How Long Do Cashouts Take?
Legitimate gambling sites should be able to get you your funds within a week or two.
Some are even faster than that.
If it takes longer to get your money than that, you should consider complaining on one of the gambler advocate sites. Potential bad press can act as an effective motivator for an online casino that’s procrastinating on your cashout.
Before complaining in public, though, try to work it out directly with the site’s customer service team.
What’s Up with All this Documentation these Sites Ask For?
Most internet casinos, poker sites, and sports books require documentation either when you create the account or when you try to make your first cashout.
This is to confirm your identity and to confirm that you’re legally old enough to play games for money on the web.
Yes, you should be comfortable with a site you’re doing business with.
But, for the most part, your information is probably reasonably safe with a reputable site. I’ve seen no stories about players who have had their identity stolen just because they played a few hands of online blackjack.
Is Bitcoin Gambling Worth Trying?
Bitcoin has become a popular way to deposit and withdraw funds from online casinos, but it’s a volatile financial instrument at best. Not only are you gambling at the website in question, but you’re also gambling that Bitcoin will be worth at least what it was worth when you made your deposit at the website.
Yes, it’s worth trying, especially if you’re having trouble getting a gambling transaction to go through on your credit card.
But it’s not without unique risks.
I’ll do some more research and publish detailed coverage of the topic soon.
What’s the Best Way to Win Money Gambling Online?
The best way to win money gambling online is to play poker at a high level of skill.
Casino games have an unassailable mathematical edge.
Most sports betting sites charge a high enough vig that it’s almost impossible to profit.
But I don’t recommend trying to make a living as an online gambler. There are easier and more profitable ways to spend your time. If you really love online poker, then maybe it’s worth trying on a lark.
But please don’t rely on internet gambling to make a living.
How Do You Categorize these Kinds of Sites?
One of the fun parts of designing and managing a website like this is categorizing the pages and listings. When it comes to any of these kinds of websites, you can start off with 2 broad categories:
- Good gambling sites
- Bad gambling sites
I haven’t launched a page with a list of places to watch out for yet, but that’s in the works.
And that’s not the only way to divide things up into categories, either.
Another useful means for categorizing sites is by which activities are available. In the lists of recommendations earlier on this page, you saw that I had listings for bingo halls, casinos, poker rooms, and sports books.
Another helpful way to categorize these businesses is by which countries they serve. I’m working on detailed pages where I’ll recommend good United States gambling sites, good United Kingdom gambling sites, and good Canadian gambling sites, for example.
Finally, you can also broadly categorize sites that simply offer information (portals) with sites that actually offer the chance to wager. This is obviously an informational site, but I recommend multiple sites which take wagers.
Future Pages You Can Expect on GoodGamblingSites.com
You’ve probably noticed that this website is still new. I’m still in the process of deciding where I’m going next with the content here, but I have some specific plans that I think will be useful to my readers.
Here’s some of what you can look forward to:
- My Gambling Blog – I’ve already launched this, but I have more consistent posts coming soon. I eventually hope to offer the most comprehensive and useful set of tips and info nuggets on the web as they relate to all kinds of games of chance.
- Interesting Feature Content – When possible, I’ll provide detailed, comprehensive feature content on subjects of interest to my readers. I have pages planned about gambling laws, gambling movies, and gambling books, for example. I’m also a big fan of the math behind this hobby, so I’ll have multiple pages addressing that.
- Comprehensive Guides to Gambling Activities – Regardless of which kind of betting you prefer to do, I plan to offer a comprehensive guide to it. I’ll start with comprehensive guides for bingo, casino games, poker, and sports betting. As I complete those broader guides, I’ll start to dig into more specific guides for specific games, like blackjack, slot machines, or Texas holdem, for example.
- Detailed Reviews of Gambling Sites – You can find thousands of reviews of gambling sites on the internet, but so many of them are just hot air. Since the industry is so lucrative for these companies, it’s easy for them to pay information sites to publish puff pieces masquerading as reviews. My reviews will be detailed and even-handed.
Responsible Gambling Is Your Responsibility, Too
I’m obviously in favor of gambling, both as a business and as a hobby. Like drinking alcohol, I think it should be legal but regulated. That being said, some people (alcoholics) shouldn’t drink, and some people (gambling addicts) shouldn’t gamble.
Online gambling is meant to be a form of recreation.
The surest sign that you’re beginning to have a problem is when you’re not having fun anymore.
I’ll probably include a lengthy guide to responsible gambling on a future page of this site.
But for now, let me just advise you that when you’re not having fun anymore, it’s time to quit. It’s not much more complicated than that.
Some common sense doesn’t hurt, either.
Don’t play with money you can’t afford to lose.
This means if you’re behind on the rent, the utilities, or your child support, you shouldn’t be playing casino games on the internet (or in brick and mortar casinos, either.)
Most of the better gambling websites have safeguards in place to encourage responsible gambling. At the end of the day, though, your behavior is your choice. Please make responsible decisions about your choice of entertainment.
Online betting is an extremely convenient way to make money with your sports knowledge and hot tips. If you’re someone who knows how to pick winners, it’s time to start making some real money for those picks. Thankfully, you can start turning that profit without ever leaving the house. Below, we have a list of the best betting sites available in your area that offer the most trusted, reputable, safe, and complete online betting experience possible.
| Rank | DE Gambling Site | Sign Up Bonus | Get Started |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Betway Sports | 100% up to €150 | |
| #2 | 22bet Sports | 100% up to €122 | |
| #3 | Spin Sports | 100% up to €200 | |
| #4 | 10Bet Sports | 100% up to €50 | |
| #5 | Guts Sports | 100% up to €50 |
These sports betting sites are just the tip of the iceberg. In the remainder of this guide, we’re going to cover a ton of different online sportsbook options as well as some crucial information to your success. Here’s a quick look at some of the information we’re going to cover. Feel free to click and jump ahead to the section that most interests you or scroll down and check things out in order.
Online Betting Sites by Country
Not every sports betting site in the world offers their services to every corner of the globe. In fact, some of the best online betting sites like to laser-focus their service to specific countries or regions. This allows them to offer bets on the most popular sports for that country, bonuses that fit that country’s tendencies, and ultimately, just a better all-around experience for a unique bettor base. If you’re looking for the top online betting sites that offer services to your country, check out the links we’ve provided for you below.
Best Betting Sites by Sport
Got a particular sport that you’re an expert at? Looking for specific sports to bet on? Did your sport’s season just end and is it time to find action and value elsewhere? Whatever the reason may be, many of you here are probably looking for the best sports betting sites offering action on a particular sport. While most of the reputable betting sites offer action on all major sports, many of them specialize in particular sports.
What does this specialization look like? It typically means that online betting sites are offering more bet types on that sport, more games, more leagues, and better promotions targeted at that sport. Basically, it’s going to seem like they’re playing favorites with a particular sport, and we are okay with that. If you are really looking for the best sports betting sites broken down by the sport they do best, check out the links we’ve provided for you below.
Top Sports Betting Sites by League
Each popular sport out there has it’s “top of the line” league, its main event. In every sport, there is one (sometimes two) leagues that stand out above the rest as the best places for bettors to make money. If you’re a highly-specialized sports bettor who has come here looking for the best action on a particular league, you’re in luck. The links below will take you to a sports betting site broken down by the league they offer the best action in.
Much like the sport-specific sites, these online betting sites will offer more bets, cover more games, and have more specialized bonuses for the games within these leagues. If you bet on sports and you’re ready to get into the real money betting action on a particular league, check out the links we’ve provided for you below.
Popular Sporting Events to Bet On
Whether it’s a major championship, the culmination of a tournament, or an iconic event, there are many special dates on the sports betting calendar to get excited about. The air just seems a little more refreshing when you wake up and it’s Super Bowl Sunday, or any day in March (March Madness), or even the morning of the Daytona 500. These are just a few examples of some of the busiest times for sportsbooks, both in person and online.
What does it mean when sportsbooks are busy? Well, besides lines at the brick and mortar spots, it means a ton of amateurs looking to place some bets will be pushing the lines in silly directions. This means incredible opportunities for you to make a killing. But you can only turn that serious profit if you’re wagering with a trusted sportsbook.
Different online betting sites seem to take major sporting events at different levels of seriousness. Some go nuts for certain major events while those same sites might ignore another major event. If you’re looking to bet on some of these events, you need to know which sites cater to them. The links below will tell you just that.
Best Online Sportsbooks By Type
Some of you out there might care more about the features of the sportsbooks you choose than the sports or events it specializes in. As long as they are a highly trusted betting site that covers major sports, you’re happy. That is, as long as they excel with the unique want or need that you have. Below, we have the site categories broken down by their area of expertise. These are the sites that absolutely blow away the competition when it comes to these elements of their product. The rest of their sportsbook is still great, but these are the areas they absolutely shine in.
What Makes These the Best Online Betting Sites?
We don’t just hand out our best online betting site recommendations loosely. Just because you offer sports betting action and have some cool graphics does not automatically make you a viable candidate. We have a very intensive and thoroughly mapped out process that we use to review every site. There are numerous areas of criteria that we check and recheck to ensure that we’re giving an honest view of what all our recommended sites have to offer.
What we would like to do now is give you a small glimpse into what that process looks like. Below, we have the top seven criteria that help some betting sites stand out above the rest.
Diverse Action Offered on Many Different Sports
Most bettors love to bet on sports of different levels and varieties. Whether you are a recreational bettor or a seasoned professional, you most likely have several different sports you like to bet on. Even if you’re glued to one sport, there are very few bettors we know that don’t throw at least a little action on major events like the Super Bowl or the World Series.
Because of this fact, it’s important that the best sports betting sites online cover a diverse range of sports and offer a diverse range of bet types. We want to be able to bet on all of the major sports out there as well as the less popular sports. We want to see coverage of a lot (if not all) of the games within those sports, not just the TV games.
Additionally, we want to be able to make a lot of different wagers on those games, matches, and races. Sure, picking winners can be a profitable way to approach betting, but there are so many other ways that you can turn predictions into cash. The best online betting sites that we’ve recommended are at the top of their game when it comes to diverse action.
Site Security, Trustworthiness, Industry Reputation, and Fast Payouts
If you think about it, online gambling sites are a lot like banks. They hold people’s personal information and large sums of their money. What does this mean? It means that they can potentially become targets of thieves and hackers much like banks always are. In order to combat this threat, they need to be on the attack when it comes to site security.
All of the sportsbooks that have made our lists are on the cutting edge of web security. They utilize technology, dedicated teams, and several other methods to keep you and your money safe and sound.
But security is not the whole equation when it comes to how the site is run. We’re additionally looking for bookmakers that can be trusted and have a positive industry reputation. Ask yourself:
- Do they take care of their customers?
- Are they fair?
- Are their games fair?
- What does the industry have to say about them?
- Do they payout winnings? If so, how quickly?
All of these questions are where we begin our research when we are looking to determine the best online betting sites available. Thanks to a refined process, we’re confident that the sites you see on this page are the best in all three of these categories.
Competent and Accessible Customer Service Options
There will be times during your sports betting experience where you are going to need help. This might be something as simple as having a promotion explained to you or as complex as helping you move money across the world into your account. Whatever the issue is and no matter how big or small, you want to be able to get effective help quickly.
When we are working to determine the best sports betting sites, we take a deep look at the availability and efficiency of the site’s customer service. Can you get ahold of someone quickly? Do you have several different options to reach them? Is the person you first speak to able to help you with your problem? If not, does your more complex problem get escalated properly and fixed?
We would hope you never need customer service help, but that is just not realistic. The online sports betting sites we’ve recommended here have high-quality customer service teams that you can reach 24/7/365 from many effective mediums.
Juicy Bonuses and Expansive VIP Rewards Programs
This is definitely not the first thing we look at when picking out sports betting sites to recommend, but it is something that we certainly do not ignore. Sportsbooks compete for your business aggressively. The most common way that they do this is through bonuses, free stuff, and VIP rewards programs. A quality online sportsbook will have bonuses to help get you in the door and promotions to help keep you loyal. Basically, you should be getting free stuff and kickbacks at all times with whomever you decide to bet with.
The sites we’ve recommended on this page understand the importance of enticing new bettors and rewarding loyalty. When you choose one of these sportsbooks, you can be confident that you’re going to get a great bonus right out of the gate. Additionally, you can be confident that if you continue to bet with the sportsbook, you will be rewarded appropriately.
Because it is much easier to track your play online, you will get much more rewards and bonuses at the online betting sites than you would at a land-based sportsbook. Sure, they won’t have a waitress coming around bringing you free drinks, but you can take the free cash they throw your way and buy a lot of drinks for yourself if you want to.
Quality Mobile Betting Platforms
Our recommendations contain sportsbooks that offer incredible mobile betting platforms. Don’t forget that there are many ways to bet online. If you are looking for somewhere that you can bet at home, in the office, on the bus, or anywhere else on the go, these are the online betting sites you’ve been looking for. You can make all of your real money bets as long as you have a smartphone and a connection to the internet.
Continuous Innovation and Forward-Looking Management Team
The best betting sites we’ve recommended here are not resting on their laurels. They are run by management teams who strive to be on the cutting edge of the industry. They are constantly looking for the newest technology, the most innovated processes, and ways they can improve your online betting experience. This means new sports covered, creative, and always changing bonuses, growing VIP programs, and a user experience that is constantly getting more and more convenient.
How to Get Started Betting on Sports Online
Some of you here might be brand new to betting on sports online. If that’s you, welcome! Online sports betting is an incredibly convenient way to make your real money wagers without having to drive all the way to the sportsbook or casino. While this way of betting is extremely convenient, it may seem a little overwhelming at first. You may not know where to start, what certain terminology means, how to read the odds, or even what strategies to employ.
That’s okay. Everyone has to start somewhere. If you’re ready to get started right way, check out the resources we have for you below. These guides have all been created with bettors like you in mind. We’ll walk you through all the details you need to know about how to bet online. And we’ll make sure to do it in a way that isn’t confusing or overloaded with complex and unnecessary concepts.
Placing Your First Bet Online
The first place you should stop if you’re absolutely brand new to betting online is right here. We’ve put together a comprehensive betting guide to walk you through all the steps to get started. We’ll discuss picking out the best online betting sites for you, deciding what game or event to bet on, choosing the type of bet you want to make, and how to make all of that happen. By the time you get to the end of this guide, you will be fully equipped to make your first real money sports bet online.
Sports Betting FAQ and Terminology
“I’ll take the under on the circle game as long as the line doesn’t shift thanks to the late morning action from the sharps.” Yeah, if that sounded like Greek to you, that’s okay. Much like other professions, sports bettors have a tendency to talk in jargon. Once you learn the lingo, it makes things easier. But it can also seem like a foreign language to new bettors. In the first guide linked below, we’re going to walk you through all the important terminology that you need to know. If you want to be able to understand the experts (and sound like one yourself), this is the guide for you.
Got some specific questions about sports betting? Check out our frequently asked questions guide. As the name says, we cover the most frequently asked questions we hear from new sports bettors. This is a great spot to get some valuable information about the entire sports betting process from start to finish.
Understanding Sports Betting Odds
You paid attention in statistics and your other math classes in school, right? Yeah, we didn’t either. Unfortunately for us “math lovers,” sports betting revolves heavily around math, stats, and calculations. Sure, you can try and pick winners while ignoring the odds at the best sports betting sites, but you’re going to leave yourself at a pretty big disadvantage. If you’d like to get a good introduction into how to understand sports betting odds, check out the links provided below now.
Additional Online Sports Betting Resources
We’ve already covered a lot about betting on sports online, but there is still so much more to learn! One of the great things about online sports betting is that there is endless information you can use to increase your chances of winning. Below, we’ve collected all of our additional resources for beginners. These guides will help you get from where you are right now, into the sports betting action, then hopefully cashing out big winners sometime soon.
Sports Betting Strategy Guides, Articles, and Resources
The one thing we haven’t directly addressed yet in this guide is how to win. Sure, everything else we’ve covered will help you win. Choosing a reliable sports betting website helps increase your chances of winning, and so does knowing how the bets work and how to bet properly. But the one thing that will have a big impact on your profit level that we haven’t discussed yet is strategy.
In the guides linked below, we will dive into the foundation of sports betting strategies. If you want to do more than just be in the action, this is where you want to start spending your time. These beginner strategy guides will also feed into our more advanced strategy guides as well.
Online Sports Betting Legality and Laws
One of the most popular questions that we get from sports bettors all over the world is: “what online betting sites are legal in my area”? The follow-up question to that is also whether or not online sports betting is legal in their state, country, or region. In most areas of the world, online sports betting is completely legal. There are some areas where you do see some restrictions, but for the most part, these restrictions are not on the individual sports bettor, but the sportsbook themselves.
If you’d like a more in-depth look on the legality of sports betting in your area, check out the links we have provided for you below. We’ll take a deep dive into the law books and give you our opinion of what they mean and how they affect you. Most of you will have no issues whatsoever (including those of you playing from the US). But for those of you that need to see it clearer, the link below will help answer all of your questions to the best of our ability.
Tips for Picking out the Best Sports Betting Sites
- Test the Mobile Interface If You’re Planning to Bet On the Go
- Join Multiple Online Betting Sites to Shop Lines
- Stick to the Sportsbooks We’ve Vetted
- Test Out the Steps of Making a Bet
- Make Sure They Have Banking Options You Like
- Know That You’re Never Married to an Online Betting Site
Picking out a sports betting site is a big deal. Why? Well, making the wrong choice can set you up for failure and potentially put a big dent in your bottom line. On the flip side of that coin, making the right choice about your betting site can set you up for success and give you the best opportunities to make the most money.
The fact that you are here looking for advice on the best sports betting sites is already a huge step in the right direction. But maybe you’ve gotten this far in the guide, and you haven’t made a decision yet. What we’d like to do is give you a few quick tips to try and help you make that final decision.
Tip #1 – Test the Mobile Interface If You’re Planning to Bet On the Go
If you’re only going to bet from your desktop at home, this will not be important. But if you’re like most sports bettors, then you will want the ability to bet from anywhere. You never know when the lines are going to change in your favor or when you’re going to get a hot tip minutes before the start of a game. Make sure that you take a few minutes to check out the mobile platform of the site you are going to use. Most sports betting sites in this day and age have incredible mobile and desktop platforms that are seamlessly integrated (meaning you can jump back and forth between the two when it’s convenient).
Tip #2 – Join Multiple Online Betting Sites to Shop Lines
Having trouble deciding between two betting sites? You can join both of them. If you’ve read the strategy sections linked from this guide, you know that shopping your betting lines is a must-do practice if you are serious about making money from sports betting. Thankfully, online sports betting makes this practice much easier logistically. So, if you are stuck between a few options, you’re actually probably in a much better spot than you think. Just join both! It does not cost anything extra to join multiple sites.
Tip #3 – Stick to the Sportsbooks We’ve Vetted
We’re not the kind of people to ever tell you what to do. You’re all adults, and you are certainly smart enough to make your own decisions. That being said, we would like to advise you of something based on our experience in the online sports betting industry: Stick to the sportsbooks that we’ve vetted. We do not call these the best sports betting sites for the heck of it. We do that because these sites are safe, secure, and will offer you the type of experience you are looking for.
If you choose to go outside of the recommendations we’ve laid out here, you open yourself up to some danger. It’s very hard for the untrained eye to spot betting sites that are not looking out for your interests. By sticking with our recommendations that have already been fully vetted, you guarantee that you’ll have a safe and secure sports betting experience.
Tip #4 – Test Out the Steps of Making a Bet
Something that you may not know about online sportsbooks is that you will have full access to the entire site even prior to making a free account. This means that you can get the ultimate feel for what betting there would be like if you were an actual member. At most sites, you can search through the different bets, check out the odds, and you can even build betting tickets. The only thing that you’re not going to be able to do without an account is actually submit the bet. But you will be able to do everything up until then.
Take advantage of this. Make sure you are comfortable with the betting process. Make sure you fully understand how things work and ensure it all works for you. If everything is to your liking, then you can go ahead and make your account and get to making some real money bets!
Tip #5 – Make Sure They Have Banking Options You Like
One of the big perks of choosing to wager with an online betting site is that you’re going to have access to a lot of great banking options. This will make the deposit and withdrawal process much smoother. That being said, not every site is going to have the same banking options.
Make sure you take a minute and see what options they have for deposits and what options they have for withdrawals. You don’t need multiple banking options for both options, but you need at least one good one that you are a fan of.
Tip #6 – Know That You’re Never Married to an Online Betting Site
When choosing a site to join, you are not obligated to stay there. No matter if you have made 1,000 bets or 0 bets, you can leave whenever you want. All you have to do is withdraw your money and you are gone. What does this have to do with picking out the best betting sites for you? Well, don’t overthink the process. If you find something you like, give it a try for a few weeks. If it’s a good fit, awesome! If it turns out not to be the best fit, no big deal. You can always pick up and go somewhere else. It’s not like buying a car or a house where you are stuck with your purchase. You have a lot of freedom that you can exercise at any point in time.
Recent Sports and Sports Betting Blogs
Want to stay up to speed with all the latest happenings in sports and the sports betting industry? This is a key to success with your bets. Picking out a trustworthy online sports betting site can only take you so far. You will need to stay up to date with the latest news so that you can use those sites to make your masterful picks. Check out the latest sports blogs below!