Best Betting Sites Reviews
- Best Sports Betting Sites Reviews
- Which Betting Website Is The Best
- Best Online Sports Betting Sites Reviews
- Which Betting Site Is The Best
- Which Betting Tips Site Is The Best
Find the best 10 online sports betting sites for 2021, Covers trusted since 1995 reviews feature ratings, their bonuses, free bets, and more. This BetOnline review is personal and results from my own experience. You should always do your own research and make your own experience. I started betting on sports and playing blackjack over 10 years ago at a local casino not far from Portland, Oregon.
For sports betting fans around the world, finding a reliable online sportsbook can either be very easy or very costly or sometimes both! Making the wrong decision on which online sportsbook to invest your money with can not only cost you a ton of money, it can cause you major headaches! I think we can […]For sports betting fans around the world, finding a reliable online sportsbook can either be very easy or very costly or sometimes both! Making the wrong decision on which online sportsbook to invest your money with can not only cost you a ton of money, it can cause you major headaches! I think we can all agree that winning large bets and never getting paid, is neither fun or exciting!
This is why we have made this article to explain to you what to look for, online sportsbooks that we feel are reliable and those that have their issues.
Sportsbook Review List
Best Sports Betting Sites Reviews
Choose the Right Online Sportsbook
Before you sign up for an online sportsbook, you need to ask yourself a few simple questions. What will you be wagering on and does the sportsbook I am considering, have this type of wager. If you are a football player in the fall/winter and enjoy playing the prop plays, find out if your online sportsbook has that type of wagers.
Don’t just assume that the sportsbook will have those types of wagers because the reality is that not all sportsbooks hold that type of wager. Therefore you want to make certain that you do your due diligence and find those sportsbook that take the type of wagers that fit your betting style.
How Long Has the Online Sportsbook Been in Business?
One of the first questions you should want answered when picking an online sportsbook is “How long has the online sportsbook been in business”? Mostly all online sportsbooks will list their information in the ‘About’ section of their website. Some will say it in the ‘About’ section and other websites will say it on the front page footer of the website.
Now, one thing to watch for is online sportsbooks that stretch the truth. Many online sportsbooks will want to embellish the date to make it appear that they have been around longer than they truly have. Some terms to look for are, “We’ve been in the business”, “Our staff has been in the business since” and “we have over 20 years of experience in the business”.
When companies say these type of statements, that doesn’t mean that the actual company has been in business, it simply means that some people that work for that company have been in the business for that amount of time. Use caution with those types of companies and don’t get suckered into believing they are more experienced than they truly are.
What Is Their Reputation in the Online Sportsbook Industry?
All though you shouldn’t rest your head on this, finding out an online sportsbooks reputation in the industry is fairly important. The old saying, “Where there’s smoke, there’s usually fire” is true somewhat in online sports betting. If you do a easy Google search on a company and see complaint after complaint and a majority of the complaints are on the same topic, you should walk the other way…scratch that, you should run the other way!
If you are seeing article after article and they all say the same thing, then chances are the company has issues and should not be trusted. There are a ton of options out there, why risk it with a company that has constant complaints?
Does Your Online Sportsbook Have a Mobile Platform?
This was not as important in year’s past but nowadays, we all like to wager on our mobile devices. Therefore, you want to make certain that your online sportsbook has a mobile platform that will allow you to wager anywhere, at anytime!
Does Your Online Sportsbook Have a Live Betting Option?
Once again, this is something that is rather new as Live betting hasn’t been around very long but it is a great option to have in your betting toolbox. If your online sportsbook doesn’t have a Live Betting option, chances are they are behind the times and I would suggest you avoid them.
Which Betting Website Is The Best
Are You Able to Contact Customer Service?
Any reliable company will have the ability to contact Customer Service. It doesn’t matter if it is a simple email or a telephone number, you want to look for companies that make their Customer Service available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week so that when those difficult issues arise, you can get on the phone or a chat window or email and have someone readily respond to your concerns.
What Deposit Options Are Available?
Best Online Sports Betting Sites Reviews
When you are looking for an online sportsbook to sign up with, one of the most important items to consider is how you will make a deposit? You want to make sure you check to make sure that you are able to make a deposit.
First off, if you do not already have Bitcoin, you should seriously consider starting to purchase Bitcoin. Bitcoin is truly the future of sports wagering as it is a digital currency that is accepted around the world and many of the online sportsbooks. Bitcoin affords you the opportunity to make deposits, as well as get paid from, various online sportsbooks in a complete anonymous manner that is safe, secure and discreet.
Now, if you choose that you don’t want to use Bitcoin, and want to use a major credit card, there are a few things to consider. First, many local banks will not allow international charges as a safety measure on your bank account. That means you will not be able to use those debit card Visa and Mastercards.
That does not mean you can’t use a credit card, it simply means you need to double check with the bank to determine if they will allow international and charges that are not native to the United States. If you find that you can’t use any of your credit cards, one other option that you can use is by purchasing a prepaid credit card at your local grocery store like Walmart, Target, etc. Using a prepaid credit card will be a little more expensive and is truly not recommended but it is a last ditch option if all else fails. Please keep in mind that if you do choose this route, you will need to keep that credit card because if you win, most online sportsbooks will prefer to refund the initial amount onto the original credit card that was used.
There are also other options that should be available to you such as person-to-person money transfers, checks, and money order deposits.
Do You Get a Bonus for Signing Up?
No matter if you’ve been in the sports betting industry for a month, a year or 10 years, we all like getting free money so when you are signing up for a new online sportsbook, you should definitely look for the best options available for bonuses.
A majority of online sportsbooks will offer you some sort of bonus structure as they are trying to earn your business! They all know that they are in a tough, competitive market that relies heavily on giving out bonus money to build their clientele. Don’t leave that extra money on the table. Look around and find what is best for your pocket and get your best bonus.
How Long Does It Take to Get a Withdraw?
One of the best feelings in the world is cashing that big play and double or tripling your money. But with that being said, one of the worst feelings in the world is finding out that it can take you 3 weeks to get your money that you have just won!
Before you join with any online sportsbook, find out exactly how long it will take to get your money! If you have to wait several weeks to get your money, look elsewhere. It shouldn’t take you a month of Sunday’s to get you winnings.
It’s crucially important to stay safe when betting online. In fact, it should be priority number one when assessing a site to bet on.
We’ve done most of the hard work for you by searching the web, reviewing hundreds of potential betting sites, and separating the worthy sites from those you should avoid.
Check out the sites listed in the table above. All of these passed our security checks with flying colors.
Betting Site | Bonus | Bet Now | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | up to €30 Free Bet | Go to Site | |
2 | 22Bet | 100% up to €122 | Go to Site |
3 | 100% up to €200 | Go to Site | |
4 | 10Bet | 100% up to €50 | Go to Site |
5 | 100% up to €50 | Go to Site |
Of course, we don’t just expect you to take our word on it. That’s why we’ve outlined how we made the decision to include these below if you’re interested.
The safest gambling sites are inevitably found in the countries where it is legal and regulated. These sites have to pass quality checks and comply with strict regulations to get a license from the authorities in these countries. This is one of the factors we consider when assessing a site.
How We Decide if a Betting Site is Safe
There are literally tens of thousands of potential betting sites to choose from. We’ve visited, bet on, and reviewed thousands of them. Over time, we have developed criteria for assessing betting sites.
Each site listed in the table above passed the following tests:
It Must Have a Valid Gaming License
If a site doesn’t have a license issued by a credible authority, that’s a warning sign that it might not be safe. It’s even worse if it once had one but lost it. That means it violated the issuing authority’s rules.
There are lots of gaming authorities in the world, but the following are the ones we rate highest.
This is widely considered the gold standard of casino gaming licenses. The UK is a highly regulated market and there’s a zero tolerance policy towards cheating and scheming. If a betting site has a UK license, it’s almost guaranteed to be safe.
Malta is a Mediterranean island nation and an iGaming mecca. Lots of online casinos and software firms operate out of Malta. The Gaming Authority, therefore, takes licensing issues incredibly seriously and is quick to clamp down on anything considered unfair.
Geographically, Gibraltar lies off the tip of Spain. It’s actually a British overseas territory, though. While it governs its own affairs, gambling regulations stem from the UK Gambling Act (2005), making a Gibraltar license just as worthy as a UK one.
This small island nation in the Caribbean is home to thousands of remote eGaming operations. A Curacao license is generally held in high regard, and although the regulations are a little more flexible than the UKGC’s, for example, a betting site with a Curacao license is still considered pretty safe.
So, that’s a quick look at some of the top gambling regulators. Our recommended sites always have a valid license. You can double check these directly on the websites listed above.
It Must Offer Fast, Reliable Payouts
There’s more than one way for a site to be unsafe, but without a doubt, the most common sort of betting site scam is when you deposit and don’t get your money back.
Some sites also put up major obstacles to allowing you to withdraw, such as by asking for unreasonable verification documents or by putting in minimum withdrawal clauses which far exceed the deposits you have made.
We check the terms and conditions of each site we recommend and avoid recommending those with anything we think is ‘funny business.’
Ideally, we want to see same day payout for e-wallet withdrawals, and we want to see a maximum 3-5 business day wait for credit and debit card withdrawals.
Despite how some players feel, we actually like it when a casino asks you to verify your identity. As long as the process isn’t too complex or time-consuming, this means the site cares about fraud prevention and identity theft. When it comes to looking for safe betting sites, that’s a big plus.
Which Betting Site Is The Best
It Must Run on a Secure, Encrypted Connection
Does the idea of advanced encryption make your head spin? Don’t worry, we feel you on that.
There’s no need to have a deep understanding of this issue to make use of it. That’s why they pay IT professionals the big bucks. All you need to know, as an online bettor, is that you want to bet at sites with https:// at the beginning of the web address.
That means the site runs on an SSL encrypted connection. Without getting into boring details, this makes it virtually impossible for hackers and criminals to steal financial and/or personal data on the connection.
If you take a look at any of the sites listed above, you’ll see that they run on secure connections. We don’t take risks with your data safety, and you should avoid any sites which aren’t encrypted.
On most browsers, a little notification will appear beside the address bar telling you if a site is not secure. Pay attention when this happens. It could be a costly mistake to ignore this.
It Must Offer Games from Reputable Software Providers
Whether it’s a sports betting site, a casino site, a poker site, or a combination of things, we want to see software from established, reliable firms.
When it comes to online casino betting sites, for example, we really like to see games from NetEnt, Microgaming, IGT, and Playtech. These companies have a long history and are guaranteed fair.
If we see betting software we don’t recognize, that’s not an automatic write-off. We know this industry is highly innovative and are always willing to give upstarts a chance. However, we need to dig deeper and find out if these companies are reputable, and ideally want to see third-party verification of payouts.
Safe betting sites will have no problem publishing payout rates and explaining how the software works. If they aren’t willing to be transparent, we aren’t willing to recommend them.
It Must Have an Established History & Solid Base of Players/Bettors
The longer a betting site has been around the better, in our view. If a site has been servicing thousands of players since 1998, it’s highly unlikely to be unsafe. If it has survived for decades, it’s a safe bet (pun fully intended).
We’re also aware, of course, that there are lots of new betting sites coming online on a daily basis, and plenty of them are safe. In those cases, we look at the management team and company running them. If they are experienced and run multiple safe betting sites, we are happy to recommend them.
If a site is totally new, run by a startup with no industry reputation or experience, it’s highly unlikely you’ll find that site on our recommended list. They will only make it if they’ve done something exceptional to win our trust.
There are some new betting sites which make the cut, but it’s rare, and as you’ll see from the table above, most of our preferred betting sites have been around for a while.
Some of the Risks Associated with Online Betting
Part of the key to staying safe when betting online is education. We don’t mean to be patronizing, but if you’re new to this, you’re more likely to fall into the hands of predatory sites and scammers.
We want to prevent that, if possible. Other than sticking to the sites which have already been reviewed in-depth by our team of experts, it helps to know what some of the common safety concerns are.
Here’s a quick rundown of some of the risks associated with betting sites:
- Outright Theft – This is simply a site stealing your money or making it impossible to get it back. It happens all too often but can easily be avoided. Stick to sites with a reputation for fair, fast payouts. Also, take some time to at least skim the terms and conditions, especially the ‘withdrawals’ section.
- Identity Theft – This is the one that really seems to freak people out these days. It’s always slightly unnerving when a betting site asks you to send a copy of your ID and a recent utility bill to verify your account. Again, it won’t be such a worry if you stick to the best-known operators who have licenses requiring them to take data protection seriously.
- Fee Gouging – Those terms and conditions are a treasure trove of information, as we’ve said before. Still, virtually nobody takes the time to read them. This is where dishonest operators can confiscate your winnings for no reason or take back a hefty slice in the form of fees.
- Viruses & Malware – Lots of mobile bettors, in particular, like to download an app from their favorite betting site. However, too many less scrupulous operators install malware, adware, and spyware along with the app. Get a good antivirus program which detects malware, adware, and spyware, and you should be safe.
- Rigged Games & Odds – The crooked bookie or casino run in a smoke-filled room parlor by the mob is long gone. These days, they’ve migrated online. Some unsafe betting sites create their own odds software or casino games, which are designed to rip you off, plain and simple.
Which Betting Tips Site Is The Best
Summary
It’s always worth it to take the time to research before deciding on a betting site. You can start by reading some of our in-depth reviews.
We cover each of the points listed above in detail and leave no stone unturned. We’re not saying every site we review will turn out to be right for you, but we are saying you’ll be in a much better position to make a decision after reading one.
You can find our safest betting sites and their full reviews on the table at the top of this page. We wish you the best of luck!