How to Choose an Online Betting Site
The online sports betting market is not different from other markets. Here, you are a demanding customer and must find the best platform for you among the many attractive options. Therefore, a pretty effective way to improve your betting site selection time is to know your needs well.
You can be sure of what you're looking for by answering at least the following fundamental questions. They are essential aspects in defining the quality of a betting site and whether it matches your expectations.
What Type of Sports Betting Sites Do You Want to Choose?
We classify each sportsbok due to its revenue, player based and its operation years and make them into 4 major groups, namely Big Betting Sites, Top Betting Sites, New Betting Sites, and All Betting Sites. Therefore, before figuring out which operator offers you the most, you need first to familiarize yourself with the four important betting site categories:
Big Betting Sites: Our website presents some of the biggest betting sites with a large number of users and biggest annual revenue with an estimation up to 50 millions generated per year.
Top Betting Sites: Right when you navigate to our online betting site page, these filters such as accepting players from your location and high rating will automatically set which lead you to the list of recommended betting accepting players from your countries with high ratings. Choosing a betting site from this list can bring you a great gambling experience.
New Betting Sites: If you are interested in our new betting site list, you can see the full list of betting sites which have just been published less than 36 months ago and accept players from your country. Since it is newly established , we are unable to unequivocally verify their reputation based on scant data on their activities since their inception. As such, these platforms might carry certain risks, and we do not recommend choosing one of these fledgling operators.
All Betting site: This category features all betting sites existing in the gambling industry including all types of ratings, not accepting players from your countries which will be filtered orderly from the top downwards. Therefore, if you want to see how big our database is, this list will be ideal for you.
Fully Accepts Players from Your Country
First, make sure the betting site accepts players from your country. The list of restricted regions varies by operator, and having your country on the list will negatively affect your gambling.
For example: Even though you can register and win a bet, the operator will use arguments from the platform's terms and conditions to refuse to pay you. Plus, some of the betting sites won't even process your deposit if you're not in the geographic area it provides services to.
To find out if your country belongs to the group of countries the betting site provides services to, you can refer to its T&Cs directory. However, a quicker way to check this is to read a review of the platform on our home page, where we always make sure all the information listed is accurate.
Note: Although our site applies automatic navigation according to the country IP the player has registered with us, like the problem we mentioned earlier in the bonus section, you still may experience some issues related to incorrect country navigation. Therefore, if you encounter this situation, you should deal with it in the two simultaneous ways that we have suggested. They are about manually changing your country preferences at the top of the home page, and contacting our support team to report the issue.
Offering Sports That You Want to Play
Not every platform offers the same sports for players to bet on. Therefore, it is crucial for you to understand what sport you will be looking for to profit from, then find a betting site that suits your interests.
Be aware that each operator has their own forte. For example, sites targeting players from Asia may offer more betting options related to sports like cricket or futsal, while platforms serving players from North America will offer more competitive odds when it comes to basketball or rugby. So depending on your taste of which sport you want to play, choosing the right betting site is an important factor to consider.
What Type of Bets Do You Want to Play?
Sports betting is much more complicated than you might imagine. In fact, there are dozens of different types of bets, so bettors can make their predictions on sporting events in order to profit most feasibly. These types of bets also vary by sportsbooks. Therefore, you must make sure that you choose a betting site that offers the services, precisely the kind of bets you desire.
If you are a new player and are looking to learn about the most popular types of betting, we have listed and explained them simply below so you can clearly know what you are aiming for in this competitive market.
What Sort of Bonuses Are You After?
Besides, online betting bonuses are also something that players are very interested in before registering at online betting sites. There are different types of bonuses for newcomers on the market today, and each of them has its customer segment. So, depending on the promotion package you prefer, you can shortlist several platforms that offer similar services.
As for no deposit bonuses, for example, they are suitable for cautious bettors as they allow them to try out real money bets without any deposits but the values are often not real and small. Meanwhile, deposit bonuses offer a large amount of money in the bonus funds of customers who deposit in large amounts, giving them the freedom to bet on any match they are interested in.
Note: To quickly find betting sites that offer the specific type of promotion you want, such as a no deposit bonus, you can use the filters we have prepared. As soon as you visit our website, you can navigate to the 'Online betting bonuses' tab. You can then use the filters on the right-hand side to select exactly the right kind of bonuses for you. After finishing your search, you will quickly have a list of the best operators that offer the bonuses you are aiming for, instead of manually searching.
The purpose of these promotions is to motivate players to place bets. However, to prevent some customers from abusing bonuses, sportsbooks have applied specific terms and conditions to their offers. Therefore, pay attention to the following important factors to take the most advantage of your promotion.
Wagering Requirement
Of course, you cannot just sign up at one platform and withdraw the bonuses the operator gives you without having to wager them. Wagering requirements are designed to prevent this and ensure the fairness of an incentive. You can only withdraw your bonus from your deposit bonus if you have played through your entire deposit a certain number of times, and that multiplier is the wagering requirement.
For example, if you have a $1,000 bonus and your WR is 20x, you need to bet a total of $20,000 on sports matches to be able to cash out that $1,000 for real money.
Max Cashout
Usually, this is equivalent to the maximum value of an offer. Specifically, suppose a platform's welcome offer stipulates that you will receive 100% of your deposit value, up to $1,000. In that case, even if you have a deposit of $2,000, you will only receive a maximum of $1,000. Therefore, pay close attention to this factor to maximize your betting account balance with the lowest deposit amount.
Max Bet When Using Bonus Fund
The essence of bonuses is the amount of money that the operator gives you for free to experience the services at the sports betting site. As a result, the operator will sometimes impose rules regarding how you use these funds. Usually, they won't let you use the entire bonus fund to bet in one go. Instead, you are forced to split that amount into several bets, with a limit on the maximum amount you can use to bet when playing with the bonus fund.
For example: you can only place $5 per bet when you use the bonus fund to play. If you violate this rule, the operator has the right to confiscate your winnings.
Bonus Expiration
Not all bonuses are valid forever. Some of them will disappear if you do not request them within the time allowed by the operator. So it's better to check the expiry times of the offers at a platform to make sure you can take advantage of them before submitting your claim to the operator.
Bonus Eligibility
Finally, you also need to pay attention to whether you are eligible for the bonus or not. The reality is promotions don't treat all players the same.
For example, some offers are exclusive to new customers only, while others will favor a website's loyal customers. Some bonuses are only available for players using some certain types of payments.
Bonus Accepts Players from a Certain Country
Our website will filter out bonus available to players from a particular country based on the IPs of those players. However, there are cases where our system mistakenly verified your location and caused you to be referred to bonuses that are not intended for and could not be claimed by players from your country.
Therefore, if you are visiting our site and feel that your country’s IP is incorrect, please let us know by contacting our support team. Also, you can correct this confusion immediately via the change country option next to the search button, located at the top of the homepage.
Has a Good Rating Score from Our System
A scam platform will never make you a profit, and you have little protection if any disputes arise. Therefore, you should ensure that the operator you intend to work with is transparent to keep your deposit and your sports betting process safe.
You can quickly gauge this by examining a few elements of the platform. Reputable websites often have the following characteristics.
Has Clear Owner Info and Licensing Authority
The first way to know if a website is transparent is by its license. If the operator shows proof of a valid permit issued by a reputable organization like UKGC or MGA, you can play with peace of mind. On the other hand, if no license is found, you should stay away from that site because it is very likely that it is trying to trap you.
Besides, operator information also significantly affects the reputation of a betting site. If an operator has ever engaged in questionable financial reporting practices or has been accused of cheating player winnings, you should never choose one of his platforms to place your bets on.
Has an Offline Betting Shop
If a sportsbook operates entirely online, it will be challenging to find a place to report and get help if you have a dispute over a large amount of money with the operator. Therefore, we appreciate the transparency of websites that operate land-based facilities.
The presence of these facilities shows that the operator fully intends to help troubled customers, and you can meet the betting site's agents directly to get more effective responses. If the online support methods cannot solve your problem.
Receiving Yearly Rewards
Each year, prestigious governing bodies worldwide award the platforms that perform the most professionally and make the most positive contributions to the sports betting market. So if your bookmakers own one of these prizes, you can rest assured that you are not only playing at a safe and reputable site but are also playing at one of the best in the world.
You can check the information regarding this in the About Us category of the sports betting site.
Actively Being a Sponsor for a Sports Team
Of course, there is nothing better to affirm the credibility of a betting site if it is the official sponsor of a professional sports team. These teams regularly appear on television with millions of viewers watching, and they cannot promote a fraudulent platform so openly. Therefore, if you find out that the operator is sponsoring a sports team, you can be sure of his honesty.
TIPS: Many different factors can affect the rating score of a betting site. Therefore, you should take a holistic look at what's going on around a platform to most objectively assess its safety, rather than focusing on just a few aspects.
If you ever wonder how you rate online betting sites in detail, please read our article on how we review online betting sites.
For example, if you put too much importance on the size of user complaints, you may misjudge the level of transparency of that platform. The fact is that most players are not in the habit of leaving positive reviews on sportsbooks they are happy with, which inadvertently negatively affects its ratings. On the other hand, non-transparent platforms don't confiscate players' winnings too often, making it very rare for you to come across comments that might make you refuse to opt for it.
Has a Fair Term and Conditions
Like all other services you request, you must always agree to the sportsbook's terms and conditions before betting with real money. Therefore, if you do not double-check or omit this category, you will be at a disadvantage if it includes unfair sections. We have compiled a few of the most common situations you may encounter during your bets.
Transactions and Account Management Fees
When you deposit and withdraw money at a betting site, you expect the entire transaction amount to be credited to your account. However, some operators may charge you a fee for every transaction you make, which we think will cause you to be mistreated, even if the fee amount is negligible.
Besides, if you intend to leave your account idle and inactive for a long time, you should check to see if the site applies account management fees. For example, suppose you are unlucky and play on a scam platform. In that case, the operator will gradually confiscate the entire remaining balance in your account based on this regulatory argument, and he will never tell you. However, this never happens at legitimate betting sites, where you are always notified before any balance reduction is applied to your account.
High Minimum Deposit Limits / Low Maximum Withdrawal Limits
Besides imposing different fees, some websites also try to increase their profits surreptitiously from users by applying high minimum deposit limits or low maximum withdrawal limits. High minimum deposit limits imply that the betting site wants players to deposit more than they intended which can lead to gambling-related issues.
Low withdrawal limits is also a headache issue. Just imagine, some betting sites set limit weekly withdrawals, it will take you almost 7 years to withdraw €250,000 by receiving €3,000 monthly. It's unlikely that the sport betting site you play at can last that many years, so be careful with the withdrawal limit in the terms.
However, not every platform that applies these rules has malicious intent. In fact, these provisions may be related to the laws of the jurisdiction in which the website operates and are not affected by the operator. Therefore, if a transparent operator does not intend to trap when applying these terms, he will let you know.
Prohibit Certain Betting Strategies When Playing With Bonuses
The rule about max bet when using the bonus fund mentioned above is the most typical example of this unfair clause. Although platform bonuses are money that the operator gives you for free, he does not have the right to decide how you use them. Therefore, you have the right to refuse to receive offers with such provisions.
Reasonably High Revenues
Your research on operator revenue is also helpful in assessing its safety. Basically, if your platform of choice has high annual sales and steady growth, you can expect your winnings to be paid easily since it shouldn't be a big deal for you. While smaller revenue-wise platforms do not show positives. That often leaves high-rollers unsettled as the sportsbook's tight budgets can keep them from paying out their winnings. In fact, we have seen many cases of players complaining about the website refusing to withdraw their winnings, so this is also a factor worth considering.
For example: If you win big, like $500,000 or more with a bet of only $50, at a small turnover online betting platform, you will break the operator's cash flow structure. Then the problem is not whether the operator is transparent, but the website's budget cannot accommodate your payment.
Therefore, before starting to play, estimate the financial strength of a betting site. For those betting sites which do not publicize their financial statistics. Don’t worry, you can easily find the estimated revenue of each sportsbook from our review page for each betting site.
Support Your Local Language
Of course, the language factor significantly impacts your experience at a sportsbook. You cannot request any service if you do not understand what is presented on the website's homepage. Therefore, check the available languages of the platform to make sure it matches the language you use most often.
A translated website and terms & conditions or function buttons will make it easier for you to understand how a bookie works or rules. You won't need to use a confusing google translation service to understand any terms during your bets.
TIPS: To make sure you can choose the betting site that supports your local language, do notforget to use our advanced filter located right at your left hand side when you access our top online betting site page.
High-quality Customer Support
Players at any bookmaker cannot be sure that their gambling process will always go smoothly every time. In the event of an issue, the quality of the platform's player support determines whether your issue is resolved quickly.
Usually, sportsbooks that do this well will offer a variety of communication methods that you can use in emergencies. For example, a Live Chat system, email, phone number, or FAQs list if you have some questions to answer. Depending on the number of contact forms available, you can judge that a betting site's players can get the best possible support.
Nice Interface and Easy to Navigate
The quality of the look and feel of the homepage and its navigability greatly affects your experience at a platform. With top sites, this shouldn't be an issue as they are usually supported by a dedicated IT team. However, inferior sites in this respect will sometimes make you uncomfortable and entirely remove your excitement in placing bets.
Therefore, as a customer, you have the right to choose the most modern websites with quick and easy navigation, to provide the smoothest possible experience.
Support Live streaming features
On some platforms that are considered to possess good service quality, you can follow the live events of the match you bet on through live streaming features. It makes it easy to see what's going on right at the betting site instead of looking for other independent methods to watch the match. Therefore, we highly recommend the operators who provide this service, as it optimizes the user experience.
Visit the Betting Site and Check It Out
After you have found the betting site that works best for you, your task is to visit it and check a few things to ensure your decision is correct. Your search and selection efforts will never be as valuable as your actual experiences. Therefore, it is better to try out the sportsbook services for yourself before signing up and making a deposit. Once you have reached the platform, you should try the following tasks.
Learn the Homepage and Navigation Operations
First, you should be familiar with the main interface of the platform. Click the menu, view the registration form, try some navigation to the important categories, and you'll see if the site is running as smoothly as you'd expect it to.
Try Betting on Sports Matches
This is where promotions like no deposit bonuses or free bets come in handy. With them risk-free, you can take advantage of this bonus fund to experience betting on sports matches, just like you would if you were playing for real money.
Check Out the Promotional Packages
You can easily find the Promotions category or something similar on the homepage of the betting site. Then check the active offers to see if it lives up to the information from the reviews and if it's suitable for you.
If you are at this step, don't forget to check its terms and conditions, as we have explained the importance of this above.
Rate the Quality of Customer Support
Once you have access to a bookmaker, you no longer need to rely on reviews to judge the quality of its player support service. Instead, you can test this element yourself using the available methods to contact the agency team and ask some questions. You can then have your first impressions of whether or not you're being treated fairly based on the quality and response time of responses from the site.
Finally, if you are satisfied with all the criteria in your self-assessment, you can proceed with registration and create an account where you can place bets immediately.
Conclusion
This article summarizes our detailed guide for customers who are new to the online sports betting market. We hope that it will be helpful to you in every possible way so that you can find the safest and most suitable betting site. However, it would help if you always kept in mind that gambling is only for entertainment, and bet responsibly.