The online sports betting market is competitive and finding the best sports betting site is extremely difficult, including which is trustworthy, safe, and reliable. Not to worry, we have done the hard work for you and provide a list of the best sports betting sites in the US after reviewing all legal sportsbooks available in the market.
Read on as we provide detailed information about the best online sports betting sites in the US.
How We Choose The Best US Sports Betting Site For You
The US online sports betting market is extremely competitive, and plenty of websites are vying to win your contribution. It could be extraordinarily tough to know which online betting sites are secure, trustworthy, and reliable, and which betting websites to avoid.
Our team analyzes each and every sports betting site in the US and review the legal top sports betting operators. Online betting sites available on our website are legal, safe, and rock solid. We present you with the best sports betting sites based on the user interface of the sportsbook, the value of sports betting bonuses & promotions, the quality of betting lines, banking options, and customer service.
Below we answer all frequently asked questions regarding US online sports betting such as – Which are the safest online betting sites? Which ones can you trust? Which one offers quicker payouts? And many more.
Betting Variety
This is the most important consideration for many sports bettors. There are thousands of games and sports tournaments that are available for people where they can bet on. However, not all are able to select the right sport to bet on.
All sportsbooks allow you to wager on top sports betting leagues like NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL where there is high traffic from bettors. Not every sportsbook offers you to bet on smaller market teams and sports which often have incredible value to wager. So, make sure to find a sports betting site that has the resources for you to bet on sports like cricket, darts, or other events that don’t broadcast on national television.
Major sports betting sites will cover all collegiate sports such as college football, college basketball, and many other major sports including soccer, tennis, basketball, football, baseball, hockey, boxing, UFC, motorsports, table tennis, rugby, cricket, and athletics. Leading betting sites will cover a lot of more niche sports too, including badminton, chess, darts, volleyball, winter sports, and others. Betting on horse racing and greyhound racing is also available.
With ESports growing popularity, top betting sites offer a dedicated section for online gaming sports events. The top sports betting sites cover all major ESports tournaments such as League of Legends, CS: GO, Dota 2, PUBG, Fortnite, Apex Legends, Hearthstone, Overwatch, Call of Duty, and other fighting games. Some of the sportsbooks also offer you to bet on Entertainment markets such as the Oscars, Emmy Awards, and Dancing with the Stars. Wagering on politics is also available including Presidential Elections and Electoral College Results.
Bonuses & Promotions
Sports betting operators can be extremely creative when it comes to providing a bonus. Once you create an account, the sports betting site should work hard to retain your business and stop you from visiting another sportsbook. Many betting sites, therefore, offer free bets, ongoing bonus deals, and loyalty programs to keep the sports bettor happy and loyal.
Often, sports betting sites will offer some form of an initial deposit match. In many cases, these sites will match your initial deposit dollar for dollar. One of the major bonuses that you should be on the lookout for is welcome bonuses. Also, Odds Boosts promotions are very common and can be claimed if you are a new or regular player on the online betting site. They can be offered daily, monthly, or when a new league season starts. Rollovers are fun bonuses that you would not be able to receive unless you fill certain rollover requirements.
Types Of Bets
There are plenty of wagering options available at most major sportsbooks, but the majority of active players divides into five categories – Moneyline, Point Spread, Totals, Parlay, and Futures. New members will want to get going with one of these options and to look for differences from book to book to choose the best. Whereas, expert bettors already know how to use them. The most popular betting types which almost all sports betting sites use are:
Money line
Bettors just choose a player or team to win. If the bettor chooses the winning side, the sportsbook will pay the amount due. It’s really that simple.
Point Spread
Also known as ‘handicap betting’ – is a sport betting market that means a team must win by a specific number of points/goals, or they must not lose by a specific number of points/goals.
Totals
The bettor simply chooses whether the total number of points scored by both teams will be over or under the listed total of points to be scored.
Parlay
A parlay is a wager type in which multiple bets are linked together to create a greater payout. It’s treated as one big bet, so every game within the parlay must-win for the bet to win.
Futures
A futures bet is a wager on an event, series, or award that will finish in the future. The result of a futures bet is for an event or season that is completed in the future.
In-play
Also known as the Live Betting market, which allows a sports bettor to place wagers as the game is in full swing. You can even track the latest statistics as they populate in real-time.
Props
Proposition bets are placed on occurrences in a game other than the Moneyline, Point Spread, or the Over/Under. Nowadays many top sports betting sites offer alternate lines and all manner of props, including player props, game props, and exotic props.
Strong Banking Options
One of the first things you have to look for is a banking method you’ll use to deposit money into your sports betting account. The different deposit methods available at online sports betting sites can be overwhelming. More options mean convenience, but we have considered only the strong among them. To consider which deposit option fits the best for you, you have to look at the Security and Anonymity, along with clarity to how much you’ll like to deposit and how quickly you’d like to access those funds.
A majority of gambling sites allow you to deposit money using major credit/debit cards – Visa, MasterCard, and AmEx or via e-wallet through the likes of PayPal, Skrill, and Neteller. US bettors can also use an e-check, wire transfers, cryptocurrency, bank drafts, and paper checks.
Another alternative is to deposit using a prepaid card. The best thing about prepaid cards is that they’ll protect your actual bank account and will work as a connection between the sportsbook and bank to help control your spendings.
Fast Payout Times
When you join an online sportsbook, your purpose is to have fun and also start winning on sports bets. Once you start earning cash, it only makes sense to want to receive your winnings within a reasonable timeframe. Though sports betting sites offer various withdrawal options, many bettors are specifically interested in the fastest sportsbook payouts.
Processing times vary wildly. It depends on the payout method and sportsbook. Once the sportsbooks send the funds, they usually go through a payment processor by a bank, e-wallet, or others. The fastest payout times with respect to the payment is as follows:
- Bitcoin – Instant
- Prepaid Debit Card – Instant
- E-Wallets (PayPal, Skrill, Neteller) – Instant to 3-4 days
User-friendly Mobile Interface
The best online sports betting sites will have mobile-optimized sites or high-quality apps that make the mobile betting experience as seamless and painless as possible. Since user interfaces will vary from site to site, you’ll want to shop around a bit and get a feel for how different sites operate and see which one has a user interface that you’re most comfortable with. So, to protect yourself from not only a bad experience but also from losing money, you should only bet with quality mobile betting sites that understand the end-user experience.
The mobile sites for all the top sportsbooks offer the full extent of the betting lines plus sports wager types, and these include full live wagering, as well. At the end of the day, you need a user interface that allows you to quickly search for the bets that you want to place and then allow you to place them instantly.
Some of the top sports betting sites and apps allow you to live stream the action while betting on the sports. If that is not possible, you should benefit at least from regularly updated stats. This feature does make the interface interactive and exciting to place wagers.
Quality Customer Service
A strong and quality customer service team is a fantastic asset to any online sports betting site. One important thing to take into consideration to check if the sports betting site has the best customer service is the fact that support must be accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Offering information such as sports betting tips, statistics, and predictive analysis are also ways to increase customer satisfaction.
The customer service team of the best sports betting sites are experienced, knowledgeable, and eager to help. Customer service representatives should be able to answer all manner of sports betting questions in a polite and friendly tone. The majority of the sports betting sites we recommend offer the best support via phone, email, and chat. In addition, an FAQ section is available which will answer the majority of the queries.
Safety
As online sports betting deals with real money, safety and security must be the first priority while choosing a sportsbook. One must select an online sportsbook that protects your personal information as closely as you do. So, we find the best gambling sites that won’t only provide you the finest, high-quality service but will provide you first and foremost with a sense of trust, reliability, and safety. We make sure that the sportsbook itself is safe and has a reputation for accepting and paying out betting lines. These betting sites ensure your data protection is in a reputable jurisdiction.
Legality
In May 2018, the US Supreme Court overturned a law that prohibited sports betting in all states except Nevada. This allowed each individual state to legalize sports betting on their own by making their own law and regulations. Nearly two years after the federal ban on legal sports betting, about 75% of US states have either legalized sports wagering or introduced legislation to do so.
Before selecting an online sportsbook to wager, one must check if online sports betting is legal in your state of residence. As the sports betting licenses are granted on a state-by-state basis, sportsbooks are geo-restricted and may not be available nationwide. Meaning, some online sportsbooks aren’t available even where online gambling is legal in the state.
Types Of Online Sportsbook Bonuses & Promotions
Online sportsbook offers different types of bonuses to attract new players. Some bonuses are available at the signup, some are exclusive to loyal customers and some on making larger deposits. The most common type of bonus offered by online sportsbooks is a free play or free bet, but there are many other types of promotions, which we will go over below.
Welcome Bonuses & Free Bets
The most common type of bonus at online betting sites is usually called a “Welcome Bonus”. In order to attract new players, sportsbooks offer this bonus which will be available on your first deposit. This will help the players try to deposit so that they can receive the maximum benefits.
Free bets or free play are the most common type of sportsbook bonus. About 80% of online sportsbooks offer bettors bonuses in the form of free play or free bets. There will be a certain wagering requirement, which forces customers to risk a multiple of the bonus before it can be withdrawn. For instance, if a $50 bonus has a betting requirement of 10x, then it can’t be withdrawn until the player risks $500. The bonus type and rollover, along with other terms and conditions, directly depends on the value of the bonus.
Enhanced Odds
The online sportsbook works in searching for a new and improved way to reward loyal customers. An odds boost promotion provides the perfect opportunity for you to receive a bigger potential profit on your wagers. This is something that goes hand-in-hand with an optimal betting strategy. When an odds boost is offered by an online sportsbook, it usually signifies a payout increase for a Moneyline, Totals, or a point spread wager on a specific sport or game.
Contests
Online sportsbooks and their betting contests have grown in popularity and in prize money. If you are a high roller, there are tons of huge money contests that the big players can compete and win in. Grand prizes can range into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Whereas, buy-ins can vary as well so you can pick the contest that works for you.
VIP & Loyalty Programs
Betting sites also work to retain existing customers by providing VIP loyalty programs. Loyalty programs give you cash bonuses, gifts, and other perks as a reward for your business. The more active you are, the more you can expect to receive from your loyalty program. At an online betting site, you earn points every time you place a wager or participate in a real money poker game. Your points build up the more you wager, and these points are worth real money. For example, you might earn 1 point for every $10 you wager.
Sports Betting Apps & Mobile Sportsbook
If you want to place bets quickly and on the go while you are traveling, then mobile sports betting is one of the things that you need to know. The advance in technology has made a lot of things simpler. The best part of betting on mobile phones is that they make the task of placing bets easy for the sports bettors and help them to place bets in no time.
As long as you have access to a smart device and the internet, you can place real money wagers. The best mobile betting apps offer comprehensive coverage across several different sports, and they also offer many other real money gambling options. You’ll get access to betting lines 24/7, you have the ability to shop your lines much more effectively. Within a few seconds, you can check if the line is the same or changed.
Choose the mobile betting app to wager on sports from the above list, and you’ll get the best of the best. Most of the top betting apps are compatible with iOS and Android devices. The sports betting apps for iPhones and Androids offer safe and secure banking options.
Live Betting & Other Unique Wagering Options
Today, the number of different wagering options available are triple that of the betting variety available a decade ago. Nowadays, along with the standard betting options like moneyline, point spread, or over/under you’ll find extremely unique betting types like Props, Futures, Live Betting.
Live Betting, also called In-Play betting, is one of the newest and popular features that you will find at our top sports betting providers. With Live Betting, you’ll have an extra betting opportunity such as Proposition bets which come up and last only seconds. For example, in Football live betting, you can bet on the passing yards, receiving yards, rushing yards, or Player Touchdowns. These events only last a few seconds, and then the bets are settled.
PointsBet sportsbook offers a unique wagering option called – Points Betting. It is a type of spread wager which allows a bettor to win or lose based on the outcome of the wager.
Picks & More For New Sports Bettors
Sports betting is simple and fun. Moreover, it provides an opportunity to make some money. However, new sports bettors shouldn’t rush off as it is not as easy as it looks to get everything right when you’re just starting out. We suggest you not to bet on your favorite team and to take a look at betting strategies, focus on a small area, start with small bets, and make straight and simple wagers.
New sports bettors can start placing bets on which the majority of the bets are placed. For these kinds of wages, you’ll find the picks by sports experts. New bettors can take advantage of the top picks of all major sports and leagues such as NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and Soccer Picks.
What Sports Do US Bettors Like To Bet On Most?
With the rising popularity of online sports betting, many sports fans are getting ready to enter the betting market. There are some sports and leagues in the US where the sports bettors spend millions of dollars every year placing bets at online sportsbooks. Football, Tennis, Soccer, Horse Racing, and Basketball are the top sports to bet on in terms of volume. According to the GlobalWebIndex research study, people in the United States have a major interest in betting on their favorite teams of NBA, NFL, and MLB leagues.
These are just the popular sports and leagues in the US. However, if you are new to sports betting, you should choose a sport you love. Also, continue to wager regularly as this experience will be invaluable in gaining further insight into the same and, naturally, increase your chances of winning.
How Do I Create A Sports Betting Account?
Creating an account with one of the best online sports betting sites is an easy process. In order to signup, you must be at least 21 years of age and present within the state borders where sports betting is legal. All you need to do is follow these steps:
Pick the Best Online Sports Betting Site
The first step to take is, of course, to find a good sports betting website. Pick a sportsbook from the list at the top, rest assured, those are the best legal sportsbooks available in the US right now. They are monitored daily and you can bet at any of them with confidence. We assure you that these betting sites are 100% safe and secure with meeting all of our criteria.
Register
No matter which sportsbook you choose, the basic steps will always be the same – that is, to enter personal information. Fill in the sign-up form on the sports betting site, the usual details like name, birthdate, phone number, email, billing address, and phone number. You must create a username & password and might need to provide your SSN.
Deposit Money
Once your account is registered, you must navigate to the cashier or banking section of the sportsbook. How much you’d like to deposit is entirely up to you as it depends on your personal financial situation. Choose one of the payment options. Usually, bookmakers accept credit/debit cards like Visa and MasterCard. They may also accept online money bank accounts, like PayPal, Skrill, or Neteller. Make sure to take advantage of the deposit bonus if there is any.
Place Your Bets
Once you’ve deposited funds, you’re free to place real money bets up to the value in your account. Select the sporting event, choose the type of bet, enter the amount, and submit your bet. If you win, you can withdraw the funds using the available withdrawal banking options.
Sports Betting Sites FAQs
What is the best online sports betting site?
There are a number of betting sites available across the US. As the industry continues to grow, it’s essential to know what qualities to look for when selecting a betting site that best fits your needs. We’ve come up with an extensive, and very credible list of the best sports betting sites in the US. It is difficult to pick the best among them. However, considering the markets in which they operate, bonuses, promotions, betting options, and banking options, our top 3 picks are BetMGM, PointsBet, and FanDuel.
Does where I live have a bearing when selecting the best betting site?
While sports betting is becoming more accessible, options may be limited depending on the state you live in. In the US, the legality of sports betting and the number of options to bet online vary from state to state. Legal sites are geo-restricted and may not be available nationwide. Sportsbook licenses are granted on a state-by-state basis, which means some online sportsbooks aren’t available even where online gambling is allowed.
So, even in the states where sports betting is legal, the sportsbook could only possess a retail license but not online. For instance, FanDuel is one of the best betting sites in the US market but it is legal and available only in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and West Virginia.
How often do the odds change at online betting sites?
One must keep an eye on shifting odds before the start of the sporting event. In fact, this is one of the most reliable ways to determine which side of the wager is more favorable by the betting public. The most common way for the odds to change is because of factors such as an unexpected injury or drastic change to the weather, or to attract more action on one side of the betting line. So, moneyline odds change more frequently than other wagering options.
The sports betting site with average odds movement on the Point Spread lines at 0.21 moves per game, Totals line at 0.14 moves per game, and moneyline at 0.55 moves per game.
How early are the lines released?
Considering the wide range of wagering types, the line release time may vary. In general, sportsbooks release Point Spread and Totals odds earlier than those for the moneyline. If you’re an experienced and confident bettor, you can put money down early and secure better odds. But if you’re new to betting, it’s probably best to wait until closer to game day to place your bets.
There isn’t an exact time frame but with some conservative rounding of the averages, sports betting sites release the lines at the following time frame prior to a major football game: moneyline – 8 days, Point Spread – 19 days, and Totals – 19 days. On the other hand, for sports like baseball, basketball, or hockey you’ll see much less variation in line release times.
What cut does the sportsbook take?
All sports betting sites charge a cut also called juice, vig, or vigorish for the privilege of placing a bet. Gambling sites collect the cut directly in the betting line and varies depending on the bet and where you’re placing it. In the long term, the difference in vig can be the difference between turning a profit or suffering a loss. In general, Odds of Point Spread and Totals are set at -110. Meaning, you must bet $110 to win $100. Odds that are better than -110 such as -105 are considered to be better valued.