- They are usually safe and above board, assuming you sign with top-rated horse racing betting sites such as the ones we recommend. Regulation Is Key for Offshore Bookmakers When choosing a US-friendly horse betting sites to join, one of the most important things you want to look for is whether it is regulated or unregulated.
- The best thing is that BetOnline’s betting offer is made up mostly of sports popular in the United States, including football, baseball, basketball, and so on. Still, none of that would probably matter much to bettors if the betting odds weren’t attractive.
- Best USA Betting Sites DraftKings. DraftKings has gone from daily fantasy powerhouse to one of the best options for legal US sports betting. FanDuel has built on their daily fantasy success with a flawless betting app and excellent online sportsbook. BetMGM brings the famed casino.
It’s crucially important to stay safe when betting online. In fact, it should be priority number one when assessing a site to bet on.
1 Top Legal Sports Betting Sites; 2 BetOnline; 3 SportsBetting.ag; 4 BetUS; 5 Latest News; 6 BetOnline’s Unmissable Super Bowl Treat; 7 UFC Fight Night Overeem vs. Rozenstriuk Preview, Odds, Pick; 8 EPL: Liverpool vs Manchester City Preview, Odds & Pick (Feb 7) 9 Finding the Best Legal Online Sports Betting Sites. 9.1 List of U.S. States Allowing Sports Betting.
We’ve done most of the hard work for you by searching the web, reviewing hundreds of potential betting sites, and separating the worthy sites from those you should avoid.
Check out the sites listed in the table above. All of these passed our security checks with flying colors.
Betting Site | Bonus | Bet Now | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | up to €30 Free Bet | Go to Site | |
| 2 | 22Bet | 100% up to €122 | Go to Site |
| 3 | 100% up to €200 | Go to Site | |
| 4 | 10Bet | 100% up to €50 | Go to Site |
| 5 | 100% up to €50 | Go to Site |
Of course, we don’t just expect you to take our word on it. That’s why we’ve outlined how we made the decision to include these below if you’re interested.
The safest gambling sites are inevitably found in the countries where it is legal and regulated. These sites have to pass quality checks and comply with strict regulations to get a license from the authorities in these countries. This is one of the factors we consider when assessing a site.
How We Decide if a Betting Site is Safe
There are literally tens of thousands of potential betting sites to choose from. We’ve visited, bet on, and reviewed thousands of them. Over time, we have developed criteria for assessing betting sites.
Each site listed in the table above passed the following tests:
It Must Have a Valid Gaming License
If a site doesn’t have a license issued by a credible authority, that’s a warning sign that it might not be safe. It’s even worse if it once had one but lost it. That means it violated the issuing authority’s rules.
There are lots of gaming authorities in the world, but the following are the ones we rate highest.
This is widely considered the gold standard of casino gaming licenses. The UK is a highly regulated market and there’s a zero tolerance policy towards cheating and scheming. If a betting site has a UK license, it’s almost guaranteed to be safe.
Malta is a Mediterranean island nation and an iGaming mecca. Lots of online casinos and software firms operate out of Malta. The Gaming Authority, therefore, takes licensing issues incredibly seriously and is quick to clamp down on anything considered unfair.
Geographically, Gibraltar lies off the tip of Spain. It’s actually a British overseas territory, though. While it governs its own affairs, gambling regulations stem from the UK Gambling Act (2005), making a Gibraltar license just as worthy as a UK one.
This small island nation in the Caribbean is home to thousands of remote eGaming operations. A Curacao license is generally held in high regard, and although the regulations are a little more flexible than the UKGC’s, for example, a betting site with a Curacao license is still considered pretty safe.
So, that’s a quick look at some of the top gambling regulators. Our recommended sites always have a valid license. You can double check these directly on the websites listed above.
It Must Offer Fast, Reliable Payouts
There’s more than one way for a site to be unsafe, but without a doubt, the most common sort of betting site scam is when you deposit and don’t get your money back.
Some sites also put up major obstacles to allowing you to withdraw, such as by asking for unreasonable verification documents or by putting in minimum withdrawal clauses which far exceed the deposits you have made.
We check the terms and conditions of each site we recommend and avoid recommending those with anything we think is ‘funny business.’
Ideally, we want to see same day payout for e-wallet withdrawals, and we want to see a maximum 3-5 business day wait for credit and debit card withdrawals.
Despite how some players feel, we actually like it when a casino asks you to verify your identity. As long as the process isn’t too complex or time-consuming, this means the site cares about fraud prevention and identity theft. When it comes to looking for safe betting sites, that’s a big plus.
It Must Run on a Secure, Encrypted Connection
Does the idea of advanced encryption make your head spin? Don’t worry, we feel you on that.
There’s no need to have a deep understanding of this issue to make use of it. That’s why they pay IT professionals the big bucks. All you need to know, as an online bettor, is that you want to bet at sites with https:// at the beginning of the web address.
That means the site runs on an SSL encrypted connection. Without getting into boring details, this makes it virtually impossible for hackers and criminals to steal financial and/or personal data on the connection.
If you take a look at any of the sites listed above, you’ll see that they run on secure connections. We don’t take risks with your data safety, and you should avoid any sites which aren’t encrypted.
On most browsers, a little notification will appear beside the address bar telling you if a site is not secure. Pay attention when this happens. It could be a costly mistake to ignore this.
It Must Offer Games from Reputable Software Providers
Whether it’s a sports betting site, a casino site, a poker site, or a combination of things, we want to see software from established, reliable firms.
When it comes to online casino betting sites, for example, we really like to see games from NetEnt, Microgaming, IGT, and Playtech. These companies have a long history and are guaranteed fair.
If we see betting software we don’t recognize, that’s not an automatic write-off. We know this industry is highly innovative and are always willing to give upstarts a chance. However, we need to dig deeper and find out if these companies are reputable, and ideally want to see third-party verification of payouts.
Safe betting sites will have no problem publishing payout rates and explaining how the software works. If they aren’t willing to be transparent, we aren’t willing to recommend them.
It Must Have an Established History & Solid Base of Players/Bettors
The longer a betting site has been around the better, in our view. If a site has been servicing thousands of players since 1998, it’s highly unlikely to be unsafe. If it has survived for decades, it’s a safe bet (pun fully intended).
We’re also aware, of course, that there are lots of new betting sites coming online on a daily basis, and plenty of them are safe. In those cases, we look at the management team and company running them. If they are experienced and run multiple safe betting sites, we are happy to recommend them.
If a site is totally new, run by a startup with no industry reputation or experience, it’s highly unlikely you’ll find that site on our recommended list. They will only make it if they’ve done something exceptional to win our trust.
There are some new betting sites which make the cut, but it’s rare, and as you’ll see from the table above, most of our preferred betting sites have been around for a while.
Some of the Risks Associated with Online Betting
Part of the key to staying safe when betting online is education. We don’t mean to be patronizing, but if you’re new to this, you’re more likely to fall into the hands of predatory sites and scammers.
We want to prevent that, if possible. Other than sticking to the sites which have already been reviewed in-depth by our team of experts, it helps to know what some of the common safety concerns are.
Here’s a quick rundown of some of the risks associated with betting sites:
- Outright Theft – This is simply a site stealing your money or making it impossible to get it back. It happens all too often but can easily be avoided. Stick to sites with a reputation for fair, fast payouts. Also, take some time to at least skim the terms and conditions, especially the ‘withdrawals’ section.
- Identity Theft – This is the one that really seems to freak people out these days. It’s always slightly unnerving when a betting site asks you to send a copy of your ID and a recent utility bill to verify your account. Again, it won’t be such a worry if you stick to the best-known operators who have licenses requiring them to take data protection seriously.
- Fee Gouging – Those terms and conditions are a treasure trove of information, as we’ve said before. Still, virtually nobody takes the time to read them. This is where dishonest operators can confiscate your winnings for no reason or take back a hefty slice in the form of fees.
- Viruses & Malware – Lots of mobile bettors, in particular, like to download an app from their favorite betting site. However, too many less scrupulous operators install malware, adware, and spyware along with the app. Get a good antivirus program which detects malware, adware, and spyware, and you should be safe.
- Rigged Games & Odds – The crooked bookie or casino run in a smoke-filled room parlor by the mob is long gone. These days, they’ve migrated online. Some unsafe betting sites create their own odds software or casino games, which are designed to rip you off, plain and simple.
Summary
It’s always worth it to take the time to research before deciding on a betting site. You can start by reading some of our in-depth reviews.
We cover each of the points listed above in detail and leave no stone unturned. We’re not saying every site we review will turn out to be right for you, but we are saying you’ll be in a much better position to make a decision after reading one.
You can find our safest betting sites and their full reviews on the table at the top of this page. We wish you the best of luck!
Are you looking for the best sites for betting on sports and horse racing? Well, stick around, because this is all about showing you the best online betting sites.
Here are the 3 Best Online Betting Sites / Sportsbooks
Bovada
Bovada has changed the face of Sports betting online. They have a great sportsbook, racebook and one of the largest online poker rooms for players in the US. Their racebook is only open to North American thoroughbred and harness races.
Bonuses
Bovada offers a 50% signup bonus up to $250 and a bitcoin sports bonus of 50% up to $500 with a promo code. There is also a 100% match bonus eligible up to $1,000 and a bitcoin casino signup bonus of 150% match up to $1,500, both of which are redeemable up to three times. You starting bonus requires you to bet 5 times the amount of your initial deposit and bonus.
Deposits and Payouts
They only offer two ways to make a deposit and that is with credit cards and bitcoin.
Their payout system has improved massively over the years. In the past, this was the main complaint about Bovada, but now that they fixed it by speeding up the process and being one of the first online sports betting sites to offer bitcoin withdrawals.
The minimum deposit amount is only $20.
Customer service
They offer 24/7 toll-free customer service via telephone. They can help you in English, Spanish or Portuguese, and they don’t offer live chat, the wait time is about 1 minute on phone calls and a few minutes for emails. Bovada covers all the major sports. They offering straight bets, teasers, if bets parlays, futures, and props on just about any sport. This makes Bovada one of the best Online sports betting sites.
BetOnline
BetOnline is great for sports gambling online in many ways, but especially with baseball. They constantly work to improve the online experience with their bonuses and other elements such as betting types.
Bonuses
BetOnline has a 50% signup bonus up to $1,000. There is also a 25% reload bonus eligible up to $1,000 and a $100 bonus for every friend who signs up and makes a deposit.BetOnline also has free play reload bonuses.
Deposit and Payment Options
You can make a deposit with Visa, Mastercard, Discover Card, Diners Club cards or American Express. They also accept Moneygram or Western Union transfers, bank wire transfers, Bitcoin and Etherum deposits, checks, or you can send money from your Skrill account. Offering so many options makes them one of the Best Sports betting sites.
The minimum deposit amount is only $10, which is the lowest you’ll find.
Customer Service
They have great, round the clock customer service. BetOnline has live chat, a toll-free phone number both can be reached 24/7 in English or Spanish.
Having separate email addresses for the casino, racebook and sportsbook is a huge plus in terms of getting results when you have a problem.
BetOnline is a great gambling site because they put lots of effort into their Racebook. They have a well-run blog that offers advice for gamblers of all skill levels and they really know how to keep novice bettors interested and coming back.
MyBookie
MyBookie is another place which offers Sports betting online. They are newer than the others but already have a great reputation online.
Bonuses
They 50% signup bonus up to $1,000, a 100% casino signup bonus up to $300. While the refer-a-friend bonus is only 10%, that can be offset if you refer high ticket customers to them. They also have a 3- tier loyalty program that offers free payouts, birthday gift cards, game seats, and more bonuses.
Deposit and Payment Options
They accept Visa, Mastercard, Bank Wire, Check, and Person-to-Person Transfer for deposits. The minimum deposit amount is $50. You are allowed one free payout, then you’ll be subjected to a fee for each withdrawal.
Best Online Betting Site Reviews
Payouts are completed within 48 hours. This makes them a top sites out there.
Customer Service
Best Online Betting Sites
They offer a live chat customer service or you can call them 24/7, but they only support English. They are one of the newest betting websites, but they’re one of the top sites for Sports gambling.
Good Betting Site
These websites are Best Sports betting sites because they value their customers and constantly work to make improvements.