How To Choose The Right US Online Sportsbook Site For You?

The online sportsbook industry has been on the rise for the last few years and shows no indication of slowing down. With more states legalizing online betting, more operators than ever before want a piece of the action. But choosing which online sportsbook operator is right for you can be a challenge, especially if you are brand new to the online sports betting industry. For example, as of this review, there are 25 legal, regulated, and licensed sportsbooks in New Jersey alone. Or maybe you’ve been placing wagers at a physical sportsbook, but your state just got legalized sports betting. Wherever you fall on the sports betting spectrum, our guide will show you how to choose the best online sportsbook for you so you can start making your first online wagers as early as today. 

Sports Covered

The first thing you’ll want to know about an online sportsbook is what sports they offer. Most sportsbooks offer coverage of the main four leagues: NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL. However, when it comes to the sports you like to bet on, you should find out what they offer in terms of action. Moreover, you should check how many different games they offer per sport. For instance, most online sportsbooks offer college football betting. Some sites, however, do not offer every game. For example, some online sportsbooks only offer action on their marquee games. However, other sites offer every single game every single weekend. Consider these things when reviewing a potential site or testing it out independently.

First Time Deposit Bonuses & Promotions

Most if not all online sportsbooks offer some sort of first-time deposit offer. Make sure you have a chance to shop around and see which one will be the most beneficial for you. Once you find an offer you like, make sure you look at the play-through requirement for any bonus money that you can earn. For example, some sportsbooks offer a 1x playthrough for bonus dollars. Meaning that if you have a $100 bonus, you only have to wager $100 one through for it to be used as cash. However, some sportsbooks have playthroughs as high as 30x. Meaning $100 in bonus would have to be played through 30x ($3,000) before becoming withdrawable cash. 

Additionally, many sportsbooks offer promotions during the week for certain games or events that are taking place. Again, make sure you read all the terms and conditions for these bonuses so that you know if you have any chance of actually withdrawing them. 

Sports Betting On Mobile Devices

While online sportsbooks have a desktop version you can access from your home computer, one of the perks of online sports betting is that it can be done from anywhere. Meaning that a good sportsbook should have some sort of mobile betting option, whether that means betting on a mobile browser or downloading an app. However, not all sportsbooks offer mobile betting. A good online sportsbook will set its product up to work on a computer, a tablet, or a mobile device without the need to download anything. A good site should detect your device and change to the version that fits it best. While you would think this should be industry standard for any online sportsbook, some sites are still behind the times. Everything you can do on the desktop should be available from your phone or tablet just as easily.

Variety Of Betting Options

Despite the fact that all games that you can wager on are the same, how you can wager on them differs by each online sportsbook you go to. Therefore, you need to make sure that you explore all the different betting options available and that you want to bet on. Live betting is a very popular betting option nowadays, with constantly changing odds and making online bettors feel like they’re right in the action. However, not all online sportsbooks have live betting or may be limited in the type of bets that are available for live betting. 

One of the largest online wagers that vary by sportsbook is prop betting. If you look at the same game for ten different online sportsbooks, chances are that you’ll find ten different prop betting options for the same game. Some sportsbooks play it safe and only offer prop bets based on team performances while others dive a lot deeper into individual player performances. Others have many bets relating to what will happen in the future and what kind of prop bets can be made out of those wagers.

Access To Banking Options

This section is what can really make or break what sportsbook you choose. The first thing you should look into when choosing a sportsbook from a deposit and withdrawal perspective is the site’s speed and fees. After that, you need to see if your preferred method of payment is accepted at all and if not, if there’s another way to deposit. You should also be seeing what the minimum and maximum deposits and withdrawals are. Make sure that if you are using a credit or debit card, it is accepted at the online sportsbook you’re looking into. If using a credit card, your banking provider will more than likely consider this as a cash advance. You can also use our guide to see which options for depositing and withdrawing your money at online sportsbooks is best for you. 

Trustworthiness & Reputation

Avoid books with a bad reputation in their industry or among their customers. However, always look at customer reviews of online sportsbooks with a grain of salt. Customers often blame the online sportsbook in reviews when their bets fall short. When you see the same complaint repeatedly, it’s important to pay attention. You might also want to weigh the quality of the review based on the smell test. Usually, if a reviewer talks about how they hope the site dies and that it cheats, you assume they’re a hothead who just lost a bet. You’ll take the review seriously, though, if it’s calm, collected, and presents the evidence well. With so many great options, you don’t need to settle for a site that the experts and the customers hate within the industry. There are excellent online sportsbooks with great reputations that have earned their customers. Using an operator you already know/trust or an established sportsbook is recommended if you are just starting out.

Protection

It’s important to know how seriously Sports Betting sites take security. Is your money protected? Does the site use encryption? What about their banking practices? Are they regularly updating the site to patch vulnerabilities? Do they have a security department? Three things are critical to look for. One, how often do they update their technology and software to keep your money safe? Two, are their practices and procedures appropriate to protect you? Three, do they take security seriously, or is it an afterthought? These three questions can tell you if an online sportsbook is worth your time and money. This is somewhere that you should have no wiggle room. If there’s any sort of security issue, it’s a no-go. You shouldn’t need to worry about your money when you’re not betting.

Customer Service

While not part of the gaming experience, customer service is always an afterthought when it comes to the online sportsbook world but is so crucial when needed. The easiest sportsbooks to remove from the equation are those that only provide email customer service. If something goes wrong during your sports betting experience, you want help and assistance as soon as possible, which does not happen over email. Make sure, at the very least, the sportsbook you choose has phone support but hopefully also has chat support. Chat support is usually the fastest way to go to resolve an issue and is a much easier channel for many bettors. 

You’re Ready To Choose

With our guide to choosing which online sportsbook is right for you, you’re now ready to choose your sportsbook to start betting with today—one final piece of advice before starting your online sports betting career. Even if you find a sportsbook you love and choose as your primary, make sure you from time to time, shop around at other online sportsbooks. Other operators in the online sportsbook industry are always trying to one-up each other with first-time deposit offers, new promotions, and different odds. So while you can definitely stick with your favorite online sportsbook, don’t forget to see what other value may be out there.