Sports Betting Sites
"Sports Betting" - For as long as there have been sports, people have wagered on those sports. Despite its quasi-legal status in much of the world, sports betting online is a multi billion dollar a year industry. People from all around the world bet real money on sports such as football, soccer, baseball, hockey and many more at their favorite online sports betting sites.
Sports betting sites are growing in popularity amongst the recreational and professional punter alike. Whether its just a friendly wager between friends or a serious investment made with a bookmaker, online sports betting can add real money excitement to watching live sporting events.
Best Sports Betting Sites Online
The best sports betting sites give bettors the opportunity to wager on a wide selection of sporting events and have multiple bets available for each event. Top rated online sports betting sites also offer innovative features like mobile sports betting and live in game sports bets.
If you’re like most fans of sports betting onlne, you probably have a few sports that you specialize in and place the majority of your bets on. In that case, it’s important to choose sports betting sites that offer a good selection of the sports you like to watch. You won’t have any problems finding betting sites that offer wagering on football and basketball, but it still helps to find out which websites have the most options for those sports.
Sports Betting Site Top Lists - Every Sport Covered
On each of the pages listed here, you will find the best sports betting sites for that sport. We have ranked these sites in order of security, the availability of bets for that sport and the generosity of the odds and sports betting lines offered on various events. If there’s a certain sport you plan on betting on, check out any of the pages listed here.
Security is always the most important factor when ranking places for betting on sports and online sportsbook sites. Before we even worry about which sports to bet on, the first thing we want to know is if it’s a secure, trustworthy sports betting site. The betting websites that we recommend here are all established sportsbooks with solid reputations.
We also rank the best online sports betting websites according to how well the site covers that sport. Some sites do much, much better than others at providing varied sports betting options. Any site can say it offers rugby betting, but that doesn’t mean anything if they only offer a couple bets a year on major events.
The generosity of the wagering odds and sports betting lines offered by each sports site is a commonly overlooked factor in choosing top sports betting sites. Most of the major online sports betting sites are fairly competitive with their betting lines, but some of the smaller websites can hit you with some major juice. We also know of a few sports betting sites that consistently beat the competition in certain sports.
Those three factors are the main things we look at when ranking the best betting sites for each specific sport. So whether you want to do a little football betting or are into something a little more off the beaten path, you’ll find the top online sports betting sites right here. Just visit any of the sport-specific pages here to find which sites we recommend first.
You may also want to consider opening an account and keeping a little money at several different sports betting sites. Sportsbooks are different than casinos or poker sites in that it makes sense to keep more than one account funded at a time. Two separate online sports betting sites may offer different odds on the same matchup and it makes sense to bet at sites that offer the best lines. Over the long run, this will improve your win rate.
No matter which top real money sports betting websites you choose out of our recommendations, you will have a good experience. Some of these online betting web sites rank higher than others, but none of these sites are unsafe or expensive to use.
Best Online Sports Betting Sites
The best sports betting sites really vary by country and sport, below is a general guide and safe betting sites to deposit and bet real money as we hand picked each sports betting site based on ease of deposits, fast payouts, quality of support, and real money promotions.
US residents check out our list of top rated US sports betting sites.
1. Bovada.lv is the best sports betting site for real money online sports betting in the US and Canada - please read my detailed Bodog sports betting site review for more detailed information on specific types of sports betting, bonuses and promotions, and accepted deposit and payment methods.
2. Bet365.com is the best overall sports betting site for most other countries, great lines and easy deposits, top notch customer support - live streaming coverage of most major sporting events and live "in-play" betting along side the best VIP program in the businesss. Check out my Bet365 sports betting site review for more information on betting at Bet365, including how to deposit and the best bonus.
About Sports Betting Sites In General
Most professional sports organizations are opposed to sports betting because it can lead bettors to attempt to “fix” matches. With millions of dollars riding on the outcome of any particular match, the temptation to fix those matches is a very real one. Over the years, professional sports have experienced dozens of scandals in which referees, players and coaches have been caught wagering on the outcomes of their own matches.
As much trouble as sports bettors have caused over the years, the onlne sports betting industry as a whole is good for sports. When people bet on their favorite teams and players, they stay interested in the matches and are more likely to purchase tickets or tune in on TV.
That alone is good for any industry but its absolutely vital for sports. Without interest in the game, there is no money. This is why sports betting websites remain so popular around the world.
Making Bets On Sports At Online Betting Websites
If you want to place a sports bet on an upcoming game, you first need to find a sportsbook or betting site to deposit at. A sports betting site is an organization of some sort that accepts sports bets and wagers online.
Many people today prefer to do their sports betting with online sportsbooks and online betting sites instead of in person. In the United States, this is especially true because sports betting is illegal in most areas and local sportsbooks can be pretty shady. Even in places where sports betting is legal, many people prefer betting at online sports betting sites because it’s so convenient and fast.
There are many online sports betting sites to choose from but if you want help narrowing down your choices, take a look at our online sportsbook reviews. We’ve been around the block a few times and know all about the best and worst online sites to bet on sports.
Once you find a sportsbook betting site that looks good, go to its website and create an account. You’ll see big buttons all over the place asking you to sign up or “get started now.” Just click on one of those buttons and follow the instructions. It should only take a couple minutes to get your account set up.
After that, you will want to fund the account by making your first deposit at a sports web site. You can do that by signing in to your account and visiting the cashier section. From there, you can choose your betting deposit method and amount. Most people use credit cards to deposit at betting sites but there are several other options as well.
Understanding Sports Betting Site Odds
Sports betting sites, bookmakers, and online sportsbooks use odds to determine the payoffs you receive for placing bets on upcoming matches. Because some teams are more likely to win than others, the payoffs for betting on certain teams are different than for others. A team that is highly likely to lose, for example, always offers higher payouts than for a team that is highly likely to win.
Sportsbook sites offer different payouts like this because they want to attract an equal amount of betting action on both sides of every match. If it’s well known that one team is much better than another team, many people will naturally want to bet on the stronger team. By offering higher payouts for the underdogs, sports betting sites are able to attract an equal amount of betting action on both sides of the match.
In doing so, sports betting web sites minimize their own risk because they can just use all the losing bets to pay off all the winning bets. Sportsbook sites can lose a lot of money if all the betting action goes on one side of the match and then those people win their bets. In that case, the sportsbook would have to pay off the winning bets with money from its own pockets.
Terms And Types Of Sports Betting
The odds at online sports betting websites are listed in one of three formats:
- US / Moneyline
- Decimal
- Fractional
Each type of betting odds format is explained in a basic introduction below.
US Standard / Moneyline Odds At Sports Betting Sites
The US or moneyline format is the most common format at online sports betting web sites for listing the odds. In the US format, online betting sites use numbers such as +200 and -200 to represent how much money you must wager to win $100. For even money bets, the number +100 is used because you must wager $100 to win $100.
Let’s use an upcoming game as an example:
- Team A -250
- Team B +200
In this game, Team A the favorite to win the game. In order to make betting on Team A less attractive (and therefore get an equal amount of action on both teams), the sports betting site has listed Team A at -250. This means that for every $250 you bet, you will win $100. The Team B are listed at +200, which means that for every $100 you bet, you will win $200.
Sports Betting Site Decimal Odds Sports Bets
Decimal odds are the second-most common format for listing the odds. In the decimal odds system, the number 2.00 is used to represent even money bets. Any team with a number less than 2.00 is the favorite and any team with a number greater than 2.00 is considered the underdog.
The same game as above would look like this in decimal format:
- Team A 1.40
- Team B 3.00
An easy way to figure out how much you can win with decimal odds is to simply multiply your wager by the decimal odds. The resulting number will tell you how much money will be returned to you after a successful bet.
For example, if you bet $250 on the Team A, you would take 250 times 1.40 which would equal $350. Your total profit would be $100 – the same as in our moneyline example above.
Fractional Odds Bet At Sportsbook Sites
Fractional odds are mostly used for sports events in the UK. For even money bets, the number 1/1 is used. Here is the same game once again in fractional odds format:
- Team A 2/5
- Team B 2/1
How We Rate Online Sports Betting Sites
When looking into sports betting sites, there are a few attributes to look for that will ensure you always sign with the best betting sites. The top online sports betting sites will have many events to choose from and plenty of wagers to make on each event - along with a reputation for easy deposits and fast payouts to winners.
Premier sports betting websites offer live game betting options and mobile betting for bettors on the go. The best sports betting sites also feature the best security systems, top rate customer service and safe deposit options to make bettors feel comfortable and safe.
The best sports betting sites will offer valuable bonuses, special offers and VIP membership deals to keep bettors satisfied with their choice in sports betting site.
At the best sports betting site you can place wagers on a variety of upcoming or live sporting events. The wagers made at the best sports betting can be simple bets on who will win, or you may choose from more advanced options. The best sports betting sites have the biggest bonuses, safest banking options, friendliest customer service, tightest security and most convenient sports wagering options.
Real Money Sports Betting Guide
Coming soon! Rolling out for the new year BettingSites.org is beefing up our guide to the best places to make sports bets online by education our readers in finding the best sports betting sites on the internet. This online sports betting guide focuses on all aspects of wagering on sports, check out our list below - we'll link up new articles as they become ready.
Sports Betting How To Guide:
- How To Shop For The Best Sports Betting Odds
- How To Choose A Sports Bet
- How To Win At Sports Betting Sites
- How To Avoid Making Sucker Bets Online
- How To Avoid Trap Bets
- How To Avoid Sports Betting Tilt
Basics Of Sports Betting:
- Basics Of Moneyline Betting
- Basics Of Point Spread Betting
- Basics Of Totals Betting
- Basics Of Over/Under Betting
- Basics Of Run Line Betting
Sports Betting Frequently Asked Questions:
- What Is Sharp Money Sports Betting?
- What Is The Juice In Online Sports Betting?
- What Is Buying Points At Sports Betting Sites?
- What Is Chasing Bets?
- What Are Sports Betting Line Movements?
- What Is Teaser Betting?
- When Is The Best Time To Make Sports Bets?
- What Are Odds?
- What Are Props?
- What Are Futures?
- What Are Parlays?