Online Bookmakers in the US: How we review them
Whether you’re new or have been in the sports betting industry for longer, it’s important to know what makes good bookmakers and how we review the best online bookies. This is essential because it will help you decide whether a specific bookmaker is a good fit. Here at SportsBettingGuide.com, this is what we will provide you on this page!
Online bookmakers are companies accepting bets from bettors or gamblers online. Usually, bookies offer bettors a variety of betting options that you can bet on before or during the game. Depending on the outcome of your bet, you’ll either lose your money or get it back with the bonus won.
So what makes for a good online bookie? What are some of their characteristics, and what should you check out for when choosing the best online bookmakers? Let’s dig deep to find out, shall we?
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What Makes a Good Online Bookmaker
We are one of the world’s best sports guide websites, providing you with in-depth reviews of online bookmakers. We have reviewed a ton of bookies and we are confident enough to point out a few characteristics that distinguish the good from the bad.
When choosing a betting platform, check out if they feature some less popular sports, such as horse racing, rugby, etc. This is important because you want to make sure that your favorite sport is available, whether or not it’s generally considered popular. We have realized that most bettors always want to choose from a variety.
In sports like football, the best online bookie features various leagues to allow users to decide which leagues and tournaments you want to put money on. It gives gamblers the flexibility of choosing what options they want to play their bets.
These are just a few elements we use to review the best bookmakers, but what are the other features we look at when reviewing online bookies?
As most of our readers say they are most concerned about whether the bookmaker includes a wide variety of features, like excellent customer service, high betting odds, easy deposit options, etc. We want to make sure we consider your interests when reviewing the best betting sites, so we go by the following 11 steps to find top sportsbooks for you to check out.
Table of Contents
- The Best Betting Sites USA for Sports 2024
1. Mobile Betting
There are 3 billion mobile users globally, according to Oberlo. And 62 percent of people use their mobile phones to access the internet. Eighty-one percent of Americans now have smartphones, according to Pew Research Center. This is enough reason any bookie should include mobile betting apps for their users. We, therefore, consider mobile users as one criterion when reviewing the top bookmakers.
There should both be an app and a functional mobile website to use, so whichever way of your preferred betting is possible.
2. Reputation, Security, and Reliability
Reputation matters a lot, especially in the online industry, because of lots of emerging scams. We want to make sure that our reviewed betting sites have a strong reputation. This includes being certified by gambling regulatory bodies and having zero cases of issues. Besides reputation, we want to ensure that gamblers’ personal information is secure and free from hackers. Finally, we look at the reliability of an online bookie. How long does it take to complete the withdrawal of your winnings, how convenient it is to withdraw or deposit funds, etc.
3. Sports Betting Markets
As we previously stated, most bettors want to choose from a variety of different sports and bet types, so an online bookmaker must have different markets to accommodate gamblers’ interests. Most bettors will not settle with an online bookmaker that deals in the single market, such as match odds - they want to choose from various markets, such as double chance, draw, or no bet, among others. So we always check and verify if a bookmaker provides various markets from which our readers can choose.
4. Type of Sport
The fourth criteria we use when reviewing our top betting sites is the type of sport featured by the bookmaker in question. We know how important this is to our readers and we always want to make sure that some of the most popular sports are featured by the online bookmaker. However, they are sports we prefer bookies to include. Football, basketball, soccer, boxing, baseball, rugby, ice hockey, tennis, golf, wrestling, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), etc., are some sports we strongly recommend.
5. Eligible States
Different states have different legal requirements, and that is why we want to ensure that our readers are free from any legal suits resulting from gambling. We ensure that every bookmaker we review is fully licensed and regulated by the relevant gambling regulatory bodies. We ensure that all online bookies we review comply with US gambling laws.
6. Higher Odds
Are higher odds better? Yes, the higher the odds, the better. This is because higher odds translate to huge winnings. At SBG, we value and rate bookies that provide good and high odds. However, you need to be very careful when wagering your money. Make sure you are placing your bets when in a good state of mind.
7. Live Streaming and In-Play
Live streaming and in-play have become very important for punters over the years. Some gamblers want to place their bets as they watch specific matches while others don't. Our partners have the best betting options that you can choose from. We ensure that the online bookies we review have the best feature that will work for you.
8. Sportsbook Features
Most reputable bookmakers always go the extra mile to offer punters additional features to give them the best betting experience. While there are no specific additional features we are looking for, we recommend that bookies go the extra mile. The more an online bookmaker offers in terms of additional features, the more we rate them. However, we ensure that these additional features are helpful to bettors or can improve their gambling experience.
9. Customer Support
Whether you are a newbie in the world of gambling or an experienced gambler who has learned the ropes, you’ll need support from your preferred online bookie. We want to ensure that getting connected to the customer support team is painless and fast. We want to ensure that getting connected to the customer support team is painless and fast. We want to ensure that every problem you have with your bookmaker is resolved as soon as possible. Therefore, this is one of the key features we look for when reviewing our top online bookies.
10. Banking
While we have banking options as separate criteria, we closely associate banking options with reliability, stability, and reputation. We consider an online bookie with many popular payment methods: reliable, stable, and reputable. We are looking for certain payment methods when reviewing online bookmakers, including E-Checks, bank transfers, ACH payments, and Cash at Cage. We also want to make sure that gamblers can deposit and withdraw funds easily without hitches.
11. Welcome Offer
This has become a trend and we will rate any bookie without a welcome promo bonus for their new customers. Whether it’s topping up your first deposit or allowing you to bet for free on your first bet, we take these seriously. We are strict because we know some gamblers, especially those starting, are skeptical, so they may need something to start them off. That said, welcome promo bonuses are critical to our reviews. We know our readers are only looking for online betting sites with welcome promos because it's a great way to try out a site in review. Our partners are known for providing good, encouraging, and inviting welcome bonuses to new bettors.
The Best US Sportsbooks FAQ
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Do you update your reviews?
We update our reviews all the time. We want to make sure our information doesn’t get old. So we update them with the new bonuses and promotions that may come up. We also add any new featured sportsbooks to our reviews -
Are all the sportsbooks available in the US?
We will only review sportsbooks that are available here in the US. There are 100s of different sportsbooks in the world and some of the best ones can be found in the US and here through SBG. -
Why do online sportsbooks need licenses?
The sportsbooks need to be fully regulated. They need to be authorized by a gambling commission within the country or state. It brings added security because the gambling commission won’t award websites with licenses if they aren’t legitimate. -
Do online sportsbooks change their odds during the games?
If the sportsbook offers in-play betting, they will change the odds during games depending on how the game is going.
References:
- 10 mobile usage statistics every marketer should know in 2021, , Ying Lin, 22 Apr, 2020 , https://www.oberlo.com/blog/mobile-usage-statistics
- 101 Mobile Marketing Statistics And Trends For 2020, Asad Butt https://quoracreative.com/
- Mobile Fact Sheet, Surveys of U.S. adults conducted 2002-2021, Pew Research Center, https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/mobile/
