Best Online Sportsbooks in the US – Compare the Best Sports Betting Sites

Comparing the Best Online Sportsbooks

We have listed the key bonuses, features and attributes of the 10 best online sportsbooks below. Some offer an alternative sign-up bonus with different rollover requirements, so visit the site’s promotions page for all the details. You can also learn more about each operator by reading the more detailed reviews above.

Our Criteria for Choosing a Top Online Sportsbook

We took six important categories into account when reviewing each US sportsbook. The best online sportsbooks performed well in each area. These are the main criteria that our experts considered:

Choice of Sports

The best sportsbook online sites take bets on at least 20 different sports. The main focus will be on football, basketball, baseball and hockey, but they will cover smaller leagues alongside the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, NCAAF and NCAAB. You should also be able to bet on UFC/MMA, soccer, tennis, golf, motorsports, boxing and various additional sports, plus politics, entertainment, novelty markets, horse racing and potentially virtual sports.

Betting Markets

You can find 200-plus bet types on an NFL game at the best online sportsbook sites. They offer lots of alternative lines, same game parlays, game props, player props, futures and multiple bets such as parlays, teasers, pleasers, round robins, progressive parlays, reverse bets, if bets and Grand Salamis. We also look out for sportsbooks that offer appealing odds with a low house edge, which is known as the juice or the vigorish.

Bonuses & Promotions

Bonuses and promotions can be very appealing, but it is important to understand the value they provide and the wagering requirements they tie you down too. Bear in mind that a cash bonus is more appealing than a free play bonus, as your stake (bet amount) is included in the payout on a cash bonus. Look out for promos with low rollover requirements and remember that you can opt out of a promo if you do not wish to contend with wagering requirements.

Safety & Security

We only recommend legit, secure online sportsbooks with powerful firewalls, advanced authentication and strong encryption tools. The best online sportsbook operators featured in this guide have excellent track records when it comes to player protection. They are all reliable sports betting sites that provide secure payouts.

Payment Methods

We assess the breadth of payment methods available at each online sportsbook. The best sportsbook online for US players will offer a range of traditional methods, eWallets and cryptocurrencies, with broad limits and quick withdrawals. We have broken down the various payment methods in detail further down this guide to the best online sportsbook sites.

Customer Support

We test out the customer support department when reviewing the best online sportsbook sites. Our reviewers monitor how long it takes the representatives to answer requests, and we also grade the helpfulness, professionalism and friendliness of the agents. The best sportsbooks provide quick support on a 24/7 basis via phone, email and live chat, and they provide clear, useful advice.

Is Sports Betting Legal in the US?

Yes, sports betting is legal in the United States. Many states now have locally regulated markets, from Arizona and Arkansas to West Virginia and Wyoming. However, they all have different laws and restrictions. For instance, many cannot accept bets on college games. Locally regulated sportsbooks in those states cannot take bets on politics either, while most states prevent them from taking bets on entertainment and esports.

For that reason, many bettors prefer offshore sportsbooks. Sites like BetOnline, MyBookie and Everygame are based overseas. That means they can offer betting on professional and college, sports, politics, esports, entertainment, horse racing, poker and bitcoin casino games, as they are all legal in their jurisdictions.

It also means they can accept players from anywhere in the United States. That includes bettors in states that do not have locally regulated markets, such as California, Florida and Texas. There are no federal or state laws in place that would prevent you from using offshore sportsbooks. Just ensure you use reputable, trusted sites, which have been thoroughly vetted by our experts.

Discover the laws around sports betting in Canada.

How to Sign Up for an Online Sports Betting Account

Step 1: Create an Online Sports Betting Account

Click here to create an account with BetOnline, the best online sports betting site in the business. When you arrive at the site, click “JOIN” at the top of the page to open the sign-up form. Fill in your personal details.

Step 2: Make Your First Payment

If you click the green “DEPOSIT” option at the top of the homepage, you will see a list of banking options. Choose one, type in a deposit amount, provide your details and complete the deposit.

Step 3: Claim Your Online Sports Betting Bonus

BetOnline will immediately give you a 50% deposit match bonus of up to $1,000 if you use a fiat-based method for your first payment. If you opt for crypto, you will get a 100% deposit match bonus of up to $1,000.

Step 4: Find a Game of Sports Event to Bet On

Click the “SPORTS” option on the main homepage menu and select one of the sports. You can then choose a league and a game or a futures market. Find a bet that you would like to place and then click on it. That will add your selection to the online betslip.

Step 5: Place the Bet

You can then type in your bet amount. The slip will explain the possible winnings on offer should you win, and you can click again to place the wager. You’ll get paid out after the game if you guessed correctly.

Main Sports to Bet on at our Recommended Online Sportsbooks

Sportsbooks such as BetOnline and Bovada take bets on more than 25 sports throughout the year. These are the main leagues and sports that bettors focus on:

NFL

The best online sportsbook sites make the NFL their priority during the fall and winter months. It always takes pride of place on their sites, and you can find more than 250 betting options on each game at the leading sportsbooks. They tend to release a spread, total and moneyline at the start of the week, followed by a huge slate of props as the game approaches.

NBA

Sportsbooks generally take more bets on the NBA than any other league. That is largely down to the sheer volume of games throughout the season, but it also highlights the NBA’s soaring popularity. There are loads of pre-game and live betting options available, along with futures on the NBA Championship, each conference and division, regular season wins and player markets such as the NBA MVP award.

MLB

Baseball is a great sport for sharp bettors seeking to earn a profit from their endeavors. Many sportsbooks earn a lower margin on baseball than other sports, as savvy bettors can routinely identify interesting underdogs that upset the odds. Moneyline betting is the most popular option – especially with a listed pitchers stipulation – but there is also value on the first five innings, total runs, run lines and some player and game props.

NHL

The best sites for sportsbook betting online cover each NHL game in a thorough fashion, with 100-plus betting options on the action. We highly recommend checking out BetOnline for NHL betting, as it offers reduced juice lines on this leading pro hockey league.

NCAA Football / Basketball

Offshore online sportsbooks take bets on thousands of college football and college basketball games each year. They have no restrictions on prop betting, and they allow you to place bets on teams based within your state, which often sets them apart from locally regulated operators. March Madness is always a major event at the best online sportsbook sites, so look out for exciting promos and bracket challenges.

Golf

Golf betting is available on every major and PGA Tour event at the best online sportsbook operators. Many take bets on the DP World Tour and LIV Golf too, plus smaller events and international tournaments such as the Ryder Cup. You will find a wide range of bet types at sportsbooks like Bovada, so you are not simply restricted to betting on the winner of a tournament.

Horse Racing

The 10 best online sportsbook sites we have featured all take bets on horse racing. Most have dedicated racebook sections, offering pari-mutuel wagering on dozens of races from across the US and lots more from around the world each day. You can also often place fixed-odds bets on major upcoming races – such as the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes – within a site’s sportsbook section.

DFS

DFS contests are available in most states, although some – such as Washington State – do not permit DFS. The overseas sports betting sites featured on this page do not offer DFS, so you will need to find a local operator such as FanDuel or DraftKings.

Other

UFC/MMA, soccer, tennis, boxing and motorsports are the other main sports featured at online betting sites aimed at US players. The best online sportsbook sites take wagers on several additional sports too, along with politics, financials, esports, entertainment and novelty bets. Some even allow you to bet on virtual sports events powered by Random Number Generators.

Popular Bets at the Best Online Sportsbooks

The best online sportsbooks cover a wide array of bet types, including slightly niche bets such as pleasers, teasers, reverse bets, if bets and progressive parlays. However, these are six main betting options you will be offered:

Moneyline

This is the simplest betting option. You just need to pick which team will win a game, which player will win a tennis match, which boxer will win a fight and so on. The best online sportsbook sites issue moneyline odds on each potential outcome based on the perceived chances of it landing. For example, you might find -150 on the Celtics to beat the Pelicans and +130 on the Pelicans to win the game.

Spread

This is the No. 1 betting option for football and basketball. The online sportsbooks create a point spread on each game by giving the team they perceive to be the strongest (the moneyline favorite) a handicap. Staying with the example used above, you might find -110 on the Celtics -2.5 and -110 on the Pelicans +2.5. A bet on the Celtics to cover would pay off if they won by 3 points or more.

Total

Totals betting is also very popular. Sportsbooks set a series of total lines – total points, total goals, total runs, total rounds, total games, total yards, total sacks, total assists and so on – and you just bet on over or under. For example, you might find -105 on over 6.5 goals in an NHL game and -115 on under 6.5 goals.

Props

Some sportsbooks offer dozens of prop bets – short for proposition bets – on a game. They allow bettors to speculate on whether an event will occur. For example, you can bet on whether there will be a 2-point conversion in an NFL game or a red card in a soccer game. You can also bet on player props, such as hits, runs, home runs, RBIs, stolen bases, strikeouts, and so on within an MLB game.

Futures

The best sites for sportsbook betting online offer an array of long-term futures bets. They focus on a team or player’s performance over an entire season or tournament, rather than a single game. Examples include a team to win the Super Bowl, a player to win the Heisman Trophy or a team to reach the playoffs. The odds will change on each market as the season develops. For more details please read our article on the top 10 super bowl Bitcoin betting sites in 2023.

Parlays

Parlays require a bettor to make two or more picks and combine them into a single wager. Each pick needs to be correct for the parlay to pay off. All it takes is one leg to lose for the bet to fail. However, parlays can produce large payouts, as your profit multiplies within the bet when each leg succeeds.

Live Betting at the Best Online Sportsbooks

The best online sportsbook sites take live bets on hundreds of different games and events each day. Some offer live streaming, and you can also check out scores and updates to follow the action. In-game betting allows you to react to the game you are watching and wager on markets like the moneyline, spread, total and props from a stronger position. BetOnline has a great live betting section.

Bonuses Available at Online Sports Betting Sites

Online sportsbooks offer welcome bonuses to encourage new players to sign up for accounts. They also offer various recurrent promotions to reward you for topping up your account and placing regular bets. These are some of the leading offers from the best online sportsbook sites:

Match Deposit Bonuses

This is the most widely available welcome bonus at the best online sports betting sites. The sportsbook will offer to match a certain percentage of your initial deposit with site credits. For example, BetOnline offers crypto depositors a 100% deposit match up to $1,000, so you can deposit $1,000 and get $1,000 in bonus funds.

The bonus funds will need to be rolled over before you can cash out. Look out for the rollover requirement, which will inform you of how many times you need to play the funds through. For example, if you have $500 in site credit and it has a 5x rollover, you need to wager $2,500 before withdrawing.

No Deposit Bonuses

This is a rare sports betting bonus, which provides a customer with site credit and does not require you to hand over any of your own cash. You will be awarded the bonus funds, and you need to satisfy a rollover requirement before you request a withdrawal. That provides you with an opportunity to see if you like the site, and you could earn a cash profit.

Free Bets

Some of the best sportsbook bonuses online simply award players free bets. BetOnline will give you a series of free bets after signing up. Others require you to place a bet to earn the free bet, such as bet $25 on a parlay to get a $10 free bet.

Payment Methods available at the Best Online Sportsbooks

Players will be presented with a long list of payment methods at the best online sportsbook sites. They fall into three main payment categories:

Crypto Betting Options

Crypto is an ideal way to fund the best sportsbook online sites. It allows you to send funds across the world in a quick, secure fashion. Sportsbooks like to receive crypto, as it cuts out the middleman and saves everyone money. They often incentivize players to use it by offering larger bonuses on crypto deposits than fiat-based deposits.

Bitcoin and Ether are often the most popular cryptocurrencies when it comes to crypto sports betting. However, they can have high network fees, so it is worth considering smaller altcoins. For example, Stellar, ADA, Litecoin and Dash often have miniscule fees. Your funds will convert to USD when they arrive, so you do not need to concern yourself with exchange rate fluctuations, and you can then get paid out in crypto at a later date.

eWallet Betting Options

eWallets are also quick and secure, so many bettors favor them. Skrill and Neteller are the most common at online sportsbooks, but you may find MuchBetter, PayPal or ecoPayz offered. Some people have abused bonuses via eWallets in the past, so you may find that you cannot claim a sign-up bonus if you use an eWallet for your first deposit. It is worth checking this or asking the customer service team.

Traditional Payment Methods

Visa and MasterCard are the most commonly accepted traditional payment methods at the best online sportsbook sites. Discover, American Express, ACH, online banking, a wire transfer, a money order, a P2P transfer and a paper check are some of the other methods you may find available. Check to see if there are fees imposed on those methods before you make a deposit or request a withdrawal.

Mobile Sportsbook Apps & Mobile Sites

Mobile sportsbooks allow you to place wagers with ease. You do not need to find a computer, as you can just pick up your mobile device and make your plays within seconds. The sportsbooks we have listed on this page do not have native mobile sports betting apps, so you will not find them on the App Store or Google Play.

However, they do offer mobile sites, which are optimized for smartphone play. These mobile sites are just like mobile apps in terms of the user experience, but they do not eat into your storage space and there is no need to upgrade them. Players can also create shortcuts for easy access, turning them into web-based apps for added convenience.

The Best Online Sportsbook in the US

We rate BetOnline as the No. 1 online sports betting site in the US. It is available nationwide, and it offers broad enough betting limits to suit all budgets. The odds are competitive, there are loads of betting options and the software is excellent. This is also a very well-established, reputable, and trusted online sports betting site, with a casino, poker room, and racebook available too.

If you create an account with BetOnline today, you can redeem up to $1,000 in bonus credits. New users will also receive various free bets, odds boosts, rebates, and other bonuses. Click the button below to visit BetOnline and start wagering on your favorite sports.

  This article was written for Business 2 Community by Lucas Wallman.
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Author: Lucas Wallman

Lucas Wallman is a gambling analyst for Business 2 Community who covers the latest legal movements and industry news. Lucas has a great reputation for his unbiased coverage of the gambling industry. Lucas currently lives in Alicante, Spain where he spends his free time catching waves. What makes Lucas tick …

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