If you’re a sports fan who enjoys placing wagers on professional sporting events, you’re in luck because there are a number of betting sites that welcome and embrace your favorite teams and leagues. The convenience of being able to place wagers on your favorite sports team is compelling, but it can also be problematic if you’re not aware of the legal repercussions that may arise from the practice.
Know Your Legal Rights And Responsibilities
It’s vital to know the legal rights and responsibilities that come with betting on sports. To start, sports wagering is illegal in Canada and many other countries throughout the world. Placing bets on sporting events is also against the law in some US states. Though the legality of sports betting varies from state-to-state, it’s generally considered to be a crime.
Regardless of where you live, it’s imperative to be aware of your legal rights and responsibilities when participating in online sports gambling. The site you’re visiting might be based in another country, so you’d need to be sure that your legal rights and responsibilities are being respected there as well. You wouldn’t want to find yourself in a situation where you violated a country’s sports betting laws because you didn’t know any better.
Checking The T’s And C’s
Before signing up with any given site, it’s vital to ensure that you’re aware of the legal and financial ramifications that come with betting. Many sites require you to read and accept the terms and conditions before you can register an account with them. When you register, you’ll be asked to submit your personal and financial information. Make sure you’re aware of the risks that come with betting, and that you understand where your money is going and what will happen to it when you make a wager.
Look For Sportsbooks That Are Members Of Responsible Gaming Organizations
It’s vital to look for sportsbooks that are members of responsible gaming organizations (RGGOs). Sportsbooks that are members of these entities must adhere to a set of guidelines that help protect your interests as a sports bettor. For more information about responsible gaming, visit the RGGO website.
While many reputable organizations exist to promote responsible gaming, here’s a shortlist of sportsbooks that currently are members of responsible gaming organizations:
- Betfair
- Bovada
- BetonSports
- CenturyLink
- DoubleBet
- Intertops
- Pinnacle
- bet365
- betVictor
Use A Safe And Secure Method To Deposit Money
It’s essential to use a safe and secure method to deposit money onto your sports betting account. Luckily, the majority of sports betting sites allow you to make deposits and withdrawals through either ACH or electronic bank transfers. Using ACH to transfer money is safe and secure because the system generates a PDF document that you must sign and send to the bank to process your payment. With electronic transfers, the system will email you a receipt containing your tracking information as soon as the transaction has been processed.
The downside to electronic transfers is that some sites require you to have a credit card on file in order to make a deposit. In these cases, you might want to look for a site that accepts bank transfers or ACH payments without requiring a credit card. Remember: Safety and security are two of the main reasons why you might want to avoid using cash to place bets.
Consider Allowing Others To Bet On Your Account
You have the legal right to allow other people to bet on your account. Many sites make this option available to you when you register. When you’re the depositing account holder, all of the money that is deposited into your account will be eligible to be wagered by you or others who have permissions to do so. If you’re not aware of this right, you could find yourself in a situation where you incur legal liability because you thought someone was helping you out when they were actually betting on your account without your permission.
Monitor Your Budgets And Expenditures
Budgeting and monitoring your expenditures are necessary if you want to enjoy fair odds while betting on sports. When you register with a given sportsbook, you’ll be given an account budget that you must adhere to. Most sportsbooks will also provide you with an online tool that makes it easy to keep track of your spending so you can stay within your budget limits. If you go over your budget, you’ll be charged a penalty. In this case, you might want to consider making a budget plan and sticking to it. This will help you avoid wasting money on things that you cannot control (e.g. losing streaks).
In terms of the types of bets you can make, nearly all of the big-name sportsbooks allow you to make standard wagers (e.g. win/loss predictions for individual athletes or teams). You can also do so for the popular over/under bets (e.g. betting on whether a team will score more points than the number posted on the board). Additionally, many sportsbooks allow you to bet on whether a pitch will be a ball or a strike. There are also many exotic bet options that can be made, such as betting on whether a home run will be hit or not by a given player.
Useful Resources For New Sports Bettors
If you’re new to sports betting and aren’t sure where to start, here are some helpful resources that might just save you tons of money in the long run:
- Sporting Chances
- HorseTrader
- Bovada Sports
- Pinnacle Sports
- bet365
- betVictor
To sum up, being a sports bettor is a lot of fun, but it can also be dangerous if you’re not careful. Luckily, you can enjoy all the perks of betting on sports while knowing your legal rights and responsibilities. With careful planning and research, you can ensure that you’re doing the right thing and that you’re not putting yourself in any kind of danger. Good luck out there.