Picking the Right Sportsbook
These days, there are a nearly unlimited number of online sportsbooks to pick from when choosing where to get your action. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the options available to you. To the untrained eye, it can appear like there’s very little difference between one sports betting site and the next, and you might be tempted to just pick one at random to play at.
In reality, there are plenty of differences between different sportsbooks. If you know what to look for, you’ll find that they vary in a number of regards, many of which may be important to you. Also, not every factor is important to every gambler, so it’s not as simple as just ranking the sportsbooks from best to worst; you need to find the sportsbooks that have the best features for you.
Here’s a rundown of just a few of the many things you should consider when choosing an online sportsbook:
Can I Play There?
This, of course, is a dealbreaker if the answer is no. Not every gambling website (including sportsbooks, casinos, poker rooms and others) takes action from players in every country. Gamblers from the United States have to pay special attention to this, as many sportsbooks have banned American players after the passage of the UIGEA legislation that affected how financial transactions to and from gambling sites could be made.
What Betting Options are Offered?
Almost any sportsbook will cover the major American sports, along with soccer (football), and likely at least major events in MMA, boxing, golf, auto racing and tennis. However, beyond that, sites can vary wildly in their offerings.
If you enjoy betting on some more obscure sports, you may not find them everywhere you look, and it’s important to check before you sign up for an account at a new site. Even in popular sports, the selection of bets offered might vary by sportsbook. For instance, if you want to bet on soccer, every site will offer lines on the World Cup, the English Premier League, and other elite competitions. But what if you want to bet on a more obscure league? You should make sure your site takes bets on that competition before you choose to play there.
Some sites only offer the bread and butter options like money lines, spreads and totals. If these are all you want to bet on, that’s fine, but if you’re looking for more exotic wagers, you’ll need to shop around. Some sites offer prop bets on entertainment and politics, while others have special features like halftime betting. If you have a certain kind of bet you want to be able to make while you’re gambling, you need to make sure your sportsbook spreads that before you sign up.
How are the Odds?
The kinds of lines you get from a sportsbook should be an important factor in where you choose to play. Do they only offer “even money” bets like spreads and totals at -110, or do they sometimes offer reduced juice? Are there special promotions that allow you to sometimes bet with better odds, or get free bets?
In addition, opening accounts at multiple sites is a good idea, since it allows you to shop for lines and find the best deals. However, this only works if the sites in question set their lines independently of each other. Finding sites that set their own independent lines can help in this regard, since it’s likely that they’ll often offer lines that differ from the majority of other sportsbooks.
Bonus Offers
Finally, make sure you take a close look at the bonuses and promotions offered by each sportsbook. At some sites, the amount you want to deposit might be less than the minimum (or more than the maximum) amount for a bonus offer, meaning that you’re really not getting the most for your money. Also, bonuses with lower playthrough requirements and/or higher matching percentages tend to be better deals, especially for casual gamblers who will rely on the bonus to give their bankroll a boost. Bonuses and promotions can add a lot of value to a sportsbook account, but only if you’ll be able to take advantage of them.
We took a poll of GamblingStrategy.net employees and contributors and found 5Dimes as they're favorite sportsbook.
