Online Sports Betting Guide in 2024. Find the Best Sportsbooks for You!
Most online casinos can also offer a sports verticle on their platforms but sometimes finding the best sportsbooks can be a pretty difficult task, but don't worry. We’ve done comprehensive research to provide this detailed guide with vital tips and information to consider when selecting the best online bookmaker to place your bets.
- Choosing the Best Sportsbooks
- +Our Review Factors
- Top 3 Online Sportsbooks
- Top 3 New Online Sportsbooks
How Do We Choose the Best Sportsbook?
Our betting experts have thoroughly analyzed hundreds of online sportsbooks to find the paramount things that you need to consider in looking for the right site to place your wagers. With hundreds of online operators available, identifying the ideal site is not that simple. However, reading our in-depth review is surely a great starting point. That's why we’ve done the cumbersome work to provide you with this valuable guidance.
What Factors Do We Look at When Reviewing Sportsbooks?
We based our review on four salient factors. Thanks to the absolute dedication and ample time that went into the study done by our industry experts, we've no doubts these are the key features that the best sportsbooks should have. Rest assured, you’ll find this guide helpful and informative.
Here are the four main factors we based our review on:
Licenses and Gambling Legality
The best sportsbooks have the necessary license to conduct their business. Before we recommend a sportsbook, we check to make sure it has been authorized by the respective gambling or gaming commissions of the jurisdictions in which the said sportsbook operates.
The top or the footer of a sportsbook's homepage normally contains its licensing details. Seeing this information can be a strong indication that you are visiting a legal betting site. If no licensing information is provided on a sportsbook, it may raise doubts about the legality of the bookmaker in question and you need to think twice before you decide to open your account with that site.
Take a look at some of the reputable gambling commissions in the world below:
- Malta Gambling Authority (MGA): It was established in 2021 to regulate the gaming industry that falls under the jurisdiction of the MGA in Malta. The MGA’s website has all the names of the gaming companies they have issued what type of license. For example, LeoVegas, with license number MGA/CRP/237/2013 issued on 1st August 2018, is one of the top sportsbooks regulated by the MGA. Betiton also states on their website's footer that they have license number MGA/CRP/148/2007 issued by the MGA on 17th August 2009.
- UK Gambling Commission (UKGC): Formed on 1st September 2007, the UKGC is an executive body that regulates the gambling industry in Great Britain and issues licenses to gambling firms. For example, Ladbrokes is one of our recommended sites which has a license from the UKGC.
- Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC): This is the body that regulates and supervises the eGambling industry in the States of Alderney. It was established in May 2000. As of December 2023, over 40 gambling companies have eGambling licenses granted by the AGCC.
Ensuring Safety, Security, and Fairness
Secondly, we also pay great attention to security measures put in place by a bookmaker to secure their website. You are required to provide your private information when you sign up for an online sportsbook, so you must bet on a protected sportsbook, especially in this age of heightened cyber theft. To make sure the personal data and banking details you enter on a bookmaker’s website are secure, you can check to see whether or not the website has 128-bit SSL or 256-bit SSL encryption. This is a vigorous technique for the protection of online privacy and security.
How can one know if a site is SSL-encrypted or not?
There are a few signs to look out for. Firstly, some bookmakers normally state that their site is SSL-encrypted, but it is always good to check and verify it yourself. When you visit a betting website, make sure the URL has "https://", but not "http://". An SSL-encrypted website has a URL with "https://" where the “s” stands for secure. A website with “https” is far more secure than one with an “http” without an "s". Again, you'll see a padlock image on the URL bar to show that the website has SSL encryption. You can click on the padlock sign to read more information.
Another way to know your connection to an operator's site is safe is to check the validity of the website certificate. On most websites, this can be done by clicking the padlock symbol on the URL bar. This will display details about the site's certificate and make sure it is indicated as valid. These are all good signs that indicate your connection to a site is secure. Moreover, we like to endorse sportsbooks that provide enough information and explanations about the betting markets they offer. This helps even first-time players to easily know exactly what they are placing their bets on.
Number of Betting Markets Offered
Another key factor in our criterion is the size of the betting markets offered by an online sportsbook. Even though some types of bets such as money lines, outright winner, double chance bets, and future bets are more popular, other players may want to occasionally wager on things like half-time score, correct score, highest scoring half or period, the first player to score a goal in a match. This is the reason why we highly rate bookmakers that offer a variety of different sports and plenty of betting markets to satisfy the different preferences of bettors. The best sportsbooks always offer a large size of betting markets for their customers to select what they like.
Convenient Payment Methods to Deposit and Withdraw Funds
All bettors want to make their deposits and withdrawals of potential winnings without any hassle. Therefore, we score more points for the online sportsbooks that have a wide range of convenient payment methods available for players to select what best suits them. Below is a list of some common payment methods offered by reputable bookmakers including some new sportsbooks.
- Debit Card
- Visa Card
- Master Cards
- Instadebit
- Ecopayz
Top 3 Online Sportsbooks
| Rank | Sportsbook | Pros |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ladbrokes |
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| 2 | Kwiff |
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| 3 | LeoVegas |
|
Top 3 New Online Sportsbooks
| Rank | Sportsbook | Pros |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Betiton |
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| 2 | Luckster |
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| 3 | LegendPlay |
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Follow some other tips on some of our pages:
