If you’re looking for an online betting site to place your bets on the NBA, MLB, NHL or NCAAF football games, then you’ve come to the right place. Here, we’ll discuss the best online betting sites for sports wagering, including the pros and cons of each option so you can make the right decision for your needs.
Overview Of The Best Online Betting Sites
To begin, let’s take a quick look at the different types of sports betting websites. There are two main types of online betting sites: centralized and decentralized. The first one is pretty self-explanatory; all the odds are set by the site and you just place your wagers against the team you deem most likely to win the game. These types of websites are extremely convenient as you don’t need to look for the best odds or analyze past performances to get the best matchup; all you need to do is enter the name of the game and you’re good to go.
Decentralized websites are a bit more complicated as you not only have to look for the best odds but you also need to verify that the site is trustworthy. With centralized sites, all the odds will always be set by the same company, whereas with decentralized sites, you’re responsible for searching for the best betting options and analyzing the past performance of the website. Once you find a trusted and reputable site, you can rest assured that the odds will be set fairly and that your wagers will be settled quickly. In case you’re wondering, trusted and reputable sites are also responsible for generating the majority of the money on the site, so in case there’s a problem, you can be sure that you’ll be among the first ones to find out.
Best Overall: Bovada
No discussion of the best online betting sites would be complete without mentioning Bovada. This Chinese-owned company is one of the biggest names in the entire industry, and for good reason. They offer some of the best odds and easy-to-use interfaces around. In case you’re wondering, Bovada is also one of the few sportsbooks that let you deposit and withdraw funds via bank transfer (they also have an option where you can pay by cash though).
Not only that but Bovada is one of the few sportsbooks that actually deliver on their promises to provide the best betting experience. For example, they were one of the first sites to introduce live betting alongside their existing online offerings. Additionally, Bovada’s customer service is among the best in the industry: they’ve been named Best Betting Online Company multiple times by the International Game Technology (IGT) award committee. One of the major differences between Bovada and the other top-rated sports betting sites is the look and feel of their platforms. While Bovada tries to stay true to the traditional sports betting experience by keeping the design relatively simple and uncluttered, other sites like DraftKings and Pixels place a heavy emphasis on their own flashy designs and hectic backgrounds that can become annoying when trying to place a bet. What’s more, while you might find the look of Bovada’s site soothing and inviting, other sites can come off as chaotic and unstructured, even when they are attempting to replicate the aesthetic of a traditional sports book.
Speaking of which, let’s move on to our next topic:
Most Predictable: Bet365
With so much talk of wagering on sports, you might be wondering: is it possible to bet on the outcome of a game and make money off it? The answer is yes, it’s possible, but it requires a bit of research and the use of odds-computers. The first step is to identify the most likely winner of a game and the appropriate odds. For example, if you’re betting on the Toronto Blue Jays vs. New York Yankees game and you’ve got James Paxton on the Blue Jays’ side and Aroldis Chapman on the Yankees’ side, then it’s safe to assume that Chapman will be the difference maker for the Yankees, and you’ll have to pay close attention to the betting odds as they’ll change quite a bit after the initial pitch.
To make things simpler, you can use the odds comparison tool on sites like OddsMonkey or prop bet calculator on sites like MyBookie to quickly see which is the best odds on any given matchup. Once you have that information, you can move to the next step which is deciding how much you want to bet. For the sake of this article, let’s say you choose to wager $100 on the game. The $100 will be placed on a credit card and the card will be charged $115 at the end of the day. This is called an online credit card betting or digital wallet betting because you’re essentially betting via a debit card. You can find more information about online wallet betting on Bovada’s site. This step can be a little tricky since you don’t want to put too much on any given sporting event since you’ll end up losing money if the game ends up being a tie.
Most User-friendly: BetVictor
We’re finally back to our regularly scheduled programming, and there’s no time like the present to finish discussing this year’s favorite destinations to bet on sports. BetVictor is the first name that comes to mind when it comes to user-friendly sportsbooks, and it’s been around since the turn of the century. This company prides itself in being simple to use and having a very high rate of customer satisfaction. Additionally, they offer some of the best odds around.
One of the major perks of using a site like BetVictor is that it will frequently offer you free bets or money-back offers. Essentially, these are promotions where the sportsbook will give you a free bet or money-back guarantee on your next wager. You’ll often find these offers in the form of a percentage rebate, and they can also come in the form of a bonus when signing up for an account. A great place to find free bets and sign up for alerts is at the end of each week when they release updated odds for the upcoming week’s games.
Speaking of signing up for alerts, let’s move on to our last topic:
Most Entertainment: BetOnESPN
Last but not least, we come to BetOnESPN. This site was founded in the U.S. but it mainly operates out of Ireland, and for good reason. Irish betting laws allow for some of the most interesting promotions and perks that you can find around. One of the things that make BetOnESPN stand out is how they incorporate not only sports betting but also casino games and live betting into their platform. This means that you’ll not only be able to place bets on the outcome of sporting events but you’ll also be able to gamble on the results of NBA, NHL, and MLB games as well as various college and pro football games.
What’s more is that if you have a feeling that one team is superior to the other, you can bet on the inferior team (or the opposite if you’re feeling lucky) and if they win, you’ll be able to claim some very generous profits. In case you’re wondering, this type of wagering is called reverse betting and it’s not allowed in most states, including Rhode Island where BetOnESPN is based. However, there’s also the option of entering a lottery where you can actually win real cash. Unfortunately, these wins are mostly for amusement purposes since odds are stacked against you, but it’s still fun to think about.
Which Is Best For Professional Betting?
Having a reliable source of betting odds, whether it be online or through a traditional bookmaker, is an indispensable part of any professional sports bettor’s toolbox. If you’re planning to bet on sports professionally, then Bovada and Bet365 are your best options since they provide the best overall experience for customers who want to place wagers professionally. If you’re looking for a more simplistic approach, then you can’t go wrong with either of the two sites previously mentioned.
What do you think? Is there a site that we’ve left out? If so, then let us know which one in the comments below!