Choosing the right bookmaker is as vital as choosing the right odds and bets.
This means that you should always give some thought to the online bookie before signing up. In 2022, there are so many online sports betting sites to choose from, which at times makes the process a tad overwhelming.
If you are not sure about how to pick the right online bookmaker for your unique needs, you have come to the right place. This guide highlights everything you need to know about finding the most reputable online bookie operators.
First Understand What You Want
You should at least have a general idea of what you want your online sports betting experience to feel like. This includes knowing what to expect from an online sportsbook beforehand.
Do you want to bet on a single game/event or is it a long-term thing? Do you want to wager on different sports or just one? Do you want to make sports betting a revenue stream?
Answering these questions will help with forming clarity of thought, which is much needed when picking a bookmaker. By having an understanding of precisely what you would wish to accomplish with the online bookmaker, the process of choosing the right fit for you becomes easier.
Prepare A Short List of Candidates
There are thousands of betting sites on the market, and you cannot go through each one of them even if you wanted to. Therefore, preparing a short list of viable candidates will help save you time and energy.
For a great starting point, you might want to consider Odds Shark’s top rated sportsbooks. This is a wise approach because most reputable review websites conduct due diligence to make sure that they are only listing the top brands on the market.
Read Customer Reviews
One way of getting to know how good an online sportsbook is by reading what other customers have written about it. It is common for customers to leave both positive and negative reviews after their experiences with different betting sites.
Reviews serve as a great filter when choosing the best sportsbook. If the site has a track record of receiving positive reviews, then that means that it’s trustworthy. Sites with negative reviews, on the other hand, are to be shunned.
Available Bet Options
You will want to make sure that the online sportsbook is offering the type of bets that you are interested in. if you are a big fan of the NFL props market, for example, confirm that the bookie offers odds on the same.
You should understand that different bookmakers offer different betting markets on different sports. Get yourself one that specializes in your field of interest for the best sports betting experience.
There are many sports betting markets and some punters love to try their luck in several markets. From money lines to totals, spreads, live bets, props, futures, and parlays, you will have multiple options after registering with a reputable sportsbook.
User Friendliness
How easy is it to use the online bookmaker in question? What’s the ease of creating an account, making a deposit, selecting bets, and making withdrawals? If it’s taking you too much time and effort to navigate through the site, then that’s a red flag.
One of the greatest advantages that online sportsbooks have against land-based betting houses is convenience. However, this convenience can get lost whenever it turns out that using a betting site is a painful process.
It is therefore important that you pay attention to the site’s user-friendliness before signing up.
Availability of Mobile Betting
To add to the convenience of online sports betting, bookie operators have been working hard towards the adoption of mobile betting. This is achievable via different approaches.
The first approach is by making the website mobile-friendly through the adoption of mobile technologies such as HTML5.
The other way of achieving mobile-friendliness is by developing a mobile sports betting app. Whichever approach a sportsbook operator decides to take, the end goal is the same – to allow punters a chance to place bets using their mobile devices.
While most online sportsbooks are desktop compatible, you cannot carry your PC with you everywhere you go. But do you ever leave your phone behind? Mobile betting allows you an opportunity to make sports wagers on the go.
Live Betting Options
One of the most thrilling ways to make sports wagers is through live betting, all thanks to technological advancements. Also known as in-game betting, live betting is when the sportsbook allows you to make wagers as the game progresses in real-time.
At times you will have betting options for every single play, while at others the options are periodical depending on the bookmaker. Live betting odds change really fast, which essentially means that you need to be quick and sharp to pounce on value whenever you see it.
While live betting is not a good fit for beginners, it’s quite lucrative for experienced punters. The quality of your live betting experience is greatly dependent on the quality of the bookmaker you are using.
You must therefore make a point to assess the sportsbook’s in-game betting offer beforehand.
The Quality of Banking Options
For a seamless online sports betting experience, you should pay some attention to the bookmaker’s banking options.
How will you fund your account and withdraw your winnings? Are there transaction charges? How long does it take to deposit and withdraw money into and from the sportsbook?
Assessing the quality of the sportsbook’s payment options will help prevent frustrations that punters experience upon finding out that they can’t withdraw their winning or that the process is too long.
You will also want to sign up with a bookmaker that supports a wide variety of payment methods, including your most preferred option.
Bonuses and Offers
Bonuses and promotional offers have become an integral part of online sportsbooks. To land the best operator, you might want to consider checking out the bonuses offered and their accompanying terms and conditions.
The best sportsbooks are those that offer profitable bonuses with fair terms and conditions. Take time to read through these T&Cs before claiming any bonus.