Top 5 Online US Sportsbooks 2022: Top rated legal sports betting
What Sets the Top US Sportsbooks Apart
Plenty of factors can help a top betting site stand out from the rest of the pack, but let’s not discount sheer availability. Sites like DraftKings and FanDuel tend to get an edge over the competition by virtue of being in plenty of states.
A site like BallyBet may be more to your liking personally, but if they’re not licensed for your state, you’re out of luck. Apps like Caesars Sportsbook or BetMGM also carry brand names that have been associated with gambling for years.
That’s not to say the smaller players aren’t worth your time. If you find betting options, promos offering free bets, or more favorable lines with a smaller operator, it stands to reason that you’d rather play there.
Here are a few of the things we like to see in our favorite places to play:
⭐ Variety |
A sports betting site that allows users to bet on the options they want to see in the sports they enjoy is going to stand out in the US sports wagering market. Everyone has the major sports, and most of the heavy hitters have some kind of live betting feature. The operators who offer the most sports and the most options are the ones that lead the pack. |
⭐ Promos |
Are the apps providing enough incentives to sign up, and are they rewarding you for staying with them? If we’re not getting some kind of deposit bonus or free bets for choosing a sportsbook, we’d rather play somewhere else. And if the odds boosts, loyalty bonuses or other promos for regular players aren’t up to par, there are plenty of other places to play. |
⭐ Partnerships |
Several of the top sportsbook operators in the U.S. partner with teams to enhance the experience for fans. Some perks we’ve seen include free or discounted tickets and merch, and access to on-site sportsbook lounges during home games. So it’s worth looking up your favorite teams to see what incentives you’d get for wagering through their partners. |
⭐ Banking Options |
Sportsbook apps that limit your ways to deposit or withdraw your money aren’t going to get our seal of approval. The operators who allow the most options for adding to your bankroll, and quickest turnarounds on withdrawals are going to get the nod here. |
⭐ User Experience |
How easily can you do what you want to do? Does the software respond quickly enough when you’re trying to use the live betting function? Are the promotional offers explained well enough to know what they’re all about? A sportsbook with stable software is more likely to make our top 5 than a sportsbook with subpar technology. |
Best Online Sports Betting Sites 2022
How we Choose & Review Top US Sportsbooks
Which sportsbooks make for the best online betting sites? There’s a lot to take into account, and it always starts with “Can I even use this one where I am?” Here are some of the other things you’ll need to know before making your decisions.
Quality of Online Sports Betting Odds
Few factors are going to come into play more often in your mobile betting than what the betting odds in front of you work out to. Pay attention to your favorite sports markets and observe when the odds are first released. Depending on the market you may have a week or longer on some of the most popular options.
Shopping around can serve two purposes. If you check the lines on the same betting options at a couple of places, you’ll see who’s offering the most advantageous action. But you can also check trends in the markets you like to bet and in that way ensure you’re getting odds that are competitive with the other books.
You’ll also make sure that even if your favorite spot isn’t giving the best odds all the time, they’re fair as far as probabilities and payouts are concerned.
Variety of Sports & Markets Offered
Every sportsbook is going to let you wager on the NFL, the NBA, MLB, and the NHL. NASCAR, MLS, tennis, and PGA Golf should be easy to find. Depending on the state, you’ll have an array of options around college football, college basketball, and other collegiate sports. The moneylines spreads, and totals will be available in all the appropriate markets there.
But if you want to go further or deeper, you may need to shop around. Not every shop is going to offer the same prop bets around your favorite players and teams. Similarly, don’t expect to find every league of every sport represented just anywhere. If you’re a savant when it comes to predicting darts, but your favorite sportsbook doesn’t take action on darts- you’re about to find a new favorite sportsbook.
Bonuses and Promotions
Without an offer of free bets or some kind of deposit match, you’re better off going anywhere else, unless you’re in a state where there’s only one game in town. The introductory bonuses in competitive states are the best way to get your feet wet with a new book and are crucial to understanding how they stack up with their rivals.
After playing through an introductory bonus, keep close tabs on the other promotions that the operators offer to regular players. A little research can tell you if the odds boosts are worth the trouble, if the parlay insurance has any real value, and how much you have to play for the rewards programs to give you anything rewarding.
Safety and Security
The biggest advantage to using a regulated sportsbook, as opposed to one of those offshore operations, is that there’s legal recourse for the customer if something goes wrong. You can be sure that your dispute can be handled by the governing body that oversees sports gambling, whether that’s a lottery commission or other state officials.
Part of the agreements the operators make when they register with the state includes providing a secure connection through the sports apps and websites. This will prevent sensitive information from ending up in a place it shouldn’t.
Security is a two-way street though, and if you leave your password on a post-it note on your monitor, whatever happens after that is on you. That’s why wherever you choose to play, we recommend a strong password you don’t use anywhere else, and two-factor authentication if it’s offered.
User Interface
The interface refers to what you see on your screen, as well as how quickly you can get to the options you’re trying to use. If the software is strong and stable, and the interface is simple and clean, placing a bet is easy and you can have a seamless experience from start to finish.
A clunky interface that’s badly organized or cluttered with ads is only going to take away from the enjoyment of using the app or website. And when it comes to a sportsbook experience, it could be the difference between a successful live betting transaction and a missed opportunity when the lines move the wrong way.
Customer Support
There are a lot of ways things can go wrong, and the difference between the place that gets your business and the place that doesn’t can be as simple as their ability to handle a customer’s issues. There should be some kind of recourse listed in the terms and conditions so you know what to expect before you deposit any real money into your bankroll.
That said, the most effective systems of customer support we prefer are as follows: A live chat feature is great for getting your issues handled quickly, and the best books offer this feature on a 24-7 basis. If you’d rather have a paper trail so you can keep close track of your support journey, we recommend emailing support, which is something you can do at all of the recommended sportsbooks.
Online Sportsbooks Bonuses and Betting Site Promotions
✔️ No Deposit Sign-up Bonuses |
The no-deposit bonus is more common in online casinos, but you may see it pop up on the sports side, and you should grab it if you get the chance. It’s a small amount of bonus money deposited into your account. The easiest way to get a bonus like this is a referral code, where your friend signs up through your link and you get a bonus when they make a deposit. |
✔️ Deposit Match |
With the deposit match, the house kicks in a percentage of the deposit you make as a way to encourage you to maximize your bankroll. An example is the one commonly offered by DraftKings, which will match you 20% of your initial deposit, up to their $1,000 boost on $5,000. This is when you have to read the terms and conditions though, to see that each bonus dollar is released one by one as you bet $25. |
✔️ Risk-Free Bet Upon Deposit |
One of the most common welcome bonuses is the risk-free bet, which is frequently activated by your first deposit. Your first cash bet, as long as it fulfills the terms and conditions, is without risk – a win is a win, and a loss returns your stake as credits toward other wagers. FanDuel has a popular risk-free bet as a welcome bonus, and Caesars began offering one when it launched in the US. |
✔️ Parlay Insurance |
You’re not likely to see parlay insurance as a welcome, but depending on how you play, it can be a valuable promotion. Place a parlay that meets the terms and conditions of the parlay insurance offer, and opt-in. Even if your parlay misses one leg, it’s not a total loss. You’ll get a portion of your stake returned as a credit. If you miss two legs? You gotta get better at this, they’re not going to do everything for you. |
✔️ Odds Boosts |
When properly used, odds boost promos can be a great way to get a little something extra. It simply refers to the operator moving the betting odds in favor of the player, reducing or eliminating the juice and allowing for more player payout should the bet hit. There are books that offer a single odds boost every day, and at least one that lays out dozens of odds boost options. The trick is seeing if they were reasonable wagers to begin with. |
Bets Offered at Top US Sports Betting Sites
🔥 Moneyline |
As simple as it gets. Pick a side and if they win, so do you. |
🔥 Over/Under |
The over/under, or totals, line refers to what the oddsmakers believe the combined final score will be at the end of regular time. For instance, one book had the over/under for Super Bowl LVI at 48.5 at kickoff. The combined final score was 43, so taking the under would have paid off here. The half-point is there to prevent a push, which would result in all action being refunded. |
🔥 Against the Spread |
Betting against the spread refers simply to betting on your side to cover the point spread. A team favored by 7.5 points would need to win by at least 8 to cover the spread, whereas the underdog could lose by 7 and still cover their side. |
Online Sports Betting 2022 Legal Updates
- January 8 – Online sports gambling launched in New York with four NY sportsbook apps available on day one. The launch came just ahead of the NFL Playoffs and New Yorkers wagered $150 million in the first weekend.
- January 22 – Online betting in the state of Louisiana commenced, with 55 of its 62 parishes participating.
- February 13 – Super Bowl LVI, expected to be the largest single sporting event in the U.S. from a betting perspective. Final handle numbers should be available in April.
- February 14 – New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced nearly $2 billion dollars in wagers taken in the Empire State over the first 30 days.
- September 8 – Target date for Ohio to have online wagering ready up and running.
- Fall 2022 – General target for launch of online sports gambling in Maryland.
Key Online Sports Betting Events For US Sportsbooks
NFL Betting
NFL BettingWith Super Bowl LVI in the rear view mirror, the biggest gambling sport in the U.S. is on ice until September when the champion Rams host the Kickoff Game. The best NFL betting sites will be ready to take your action then, whether you stick to the spreads or build complicated parlays around player props.
NBA Betting
NBA BettingThe action in the top NBA sportsbooks will heat up the playoffs begin, slated to start in mid-April. The sportsbooks, however, will take action on your futures right now if you think the Suns or the Heat will stay hot. And if you haven’t tried an in-game live bet during an NBA game, you’re missing out on the only thing that makes the game more exciting.
MLB Betting
MLB BettingIs there an over/under on when Spring Training starts? The lockout has obviously thrown a wrench into plans, including the top MLB sportsbooks, who will still accept wagers in futures options at the moment. There’s too much money on the table to not work something out, so we suspect that when things eventually get underway, the Mets and the Yankees specifically will get a lot of the wagering action.
Soccer Betting
Is this the year that mainstream America finally embraces soccer? November brings the World Cup, the biggest sports gambling event on the planet, so that should help. You may find the top World Cup sportsbooks are the ones with years of experience taking action on soccer in other countries.
Super Bowl Betting
The NFL is one thing, The Big Game is something else entirely. The final numbers may not be in until April, but it’s clear that Super Bowl LVI is going to come in as the single biggest sports wagering event in America thus far.
March Madness Betting
March 13 is Selection Sunday and the Madness begins then. A couple of the top March Madness sportsbook apps will let you enter bracket pools, but don’t sleep on the action from game to game. Why not load up a first round parlay? You’re just going to skip work and go to a bar anyway, right?
Online Sports Betting Sites by State
States with Legal Online Sports Betting Sites
Check out our state-by-state rundown to see if online gambling on sports is legal in your area, and if there are any broad restrictions in place that could affect your ability to play.
Arizona Sports Betting
Betting on sports is fully legal in the state of Arizona, and has been since April of 2021. Mobile sportsbooks now have the ability to partner with tribal casinos and sports organizations to offer sports betting across the Grand Canyon State. In Arizona, online sports betting has been up and running since September of 2021, and retail sportsbooks quickly followed suit, first opening in November.
Sports bettors over the age of 21 are now free to place bets throughout the state, and in Arizona top betting sites are vying for a piece of that action. Cardinals fans in particular can look forward to the BetMGM Sportsbook at State Farm Stadium, which should open its doors in time for the 2022 NFL season.
Colorado Sports Betting
Colorado has quickly become one of the most bettor-friendly states in the nation. Officially launching in May 2020, sports betting in Colorado now extends to over 25 licensed operators. This adds up to an awesome number of options for the player.
Additionally, casinos in the cities of Black Hawk, Cripple Creek and Central City have been in business since the 1990s. These gambling destinations now offer retail sports betting on their premises. Largely due to partnerships with pro teams, BetMGM Colorado (Broncos), WynnBet Colorado (Rockies) and PointsBet (Nuggets and Avalanche) stand out as some of Colorado’s best sportsbooks.
Connecticut Sports Betting
In legislation recently enacted by Gov. Ned Lamont, the landscape in Connecticut sports betting consists of online and retail betting options. The state lottery board and two tribal gaming operators now enjoy legal online sports betting partnerships, so the best sports betting sites in Connecticut are the three that are out there.
The lottery has partnered with SugarHouse Connecticut, the Mohegan tribe with FanDuel and the Mashantucket Pequot tribe with DraftKings. These are the only three legal options for online sports betting in the Nutmeg State. The tribal operators also host retail sportsbook facilities at its casinos, and the lottery is in the process of opening 15 retail locations across the state.
Illinois Sports Betting
Fully mobile sports betting online is the order of the day for Illinois’ best sportsbooks, and the major hiccup around it is nearly over. The in-person registration requirement is set to expire in March of 2022, meaning players will be able to sign up for their preferred sportsbook from anywhere in the state.
Illinois currently sanctions a half-dozen sportsbooks, notable BetRivers Sportsbook Illinois, whose headquarters are based in the state. In-person wagering is also growing, with the tally of retail locations nearing double digits, through casinos and racetracks. The laws in Illinois also allow for sports arenas to open retail books near their facilities, so it shouldn’t be long before you can expect to place a few bills on da Bears on your way to the tailgate.
Indiana Sports Betting
In Indiana, sports betting became legal as of September 2019, and has been doing gangbusters business since then. There are over a dozen online sportsbooks in operation as well as 13 casinos that accept sports wagers. Among the Indiana top betting sites, DraftKings hooked up with the Pacers, while Caesars Sportsbook Indiana and the Colts teamed up. And in a canny move, WynnBET Indiana set up a partnership with the Cincinnati Reds, to both excite Hoosier State-based Reds fans and get a foothold into Ohio before the doors open there.
Iowa Sports Betting
Mobile and retail sports betting are fully legal in Iowa, and have been since Caesars Sportsbook Iowa opened in August of 2019. Iowans can choose from over 10 different online sportsbooks, and place in-person wagers through sportsbooks found in 19 casinos. In Iowa, top betting sites won’t allow player props on college games, but beyond that, the sky’s the limit.
Louisiana Sports Betting
In Louisiana, sports betting online launched in January of 2022 and a sixth joined them in February. On top of that, in-person sports betting in Louisiana has been legal since October of 2021.
The caveat is that legality is actually set at the parish level, but sports betting is legal in 55 of the 64 parishes. This includes all of the biggest cities, and if you’ve read this far, you’ve probably already worked out if it’s legal in your parish and where you’ll have to drive if it isn’t. With partnerships with the Saints, Pelicans, LSU and the Manning Family, Caesars Sportsbook Louisiana is pushing hard to add the Southern part of the state to its empire.
Michigan Sports Betting
Michigan quickly turned itself into one of the biggest sports gambling markets in the country after taking its first online bets in January 2021. 10 online sportsbook operations opened for business in Michigan that day, just in time for that year’s NFL Conference Championships. In-person sports betting in the state of Michigan is legal as well, with at least 20 casinos offering retail action, and most of those featuring a well-appointed sportsbook lounge.
Among the Michigan top betting apps, WynnBET was quick to partner with the Lions and the Pistons, which should give them a leg up on the competition there. Whether you’re in the mitten or the U.P., as long as you’re at least 21, you can bet on sports in person or online.
Mississippi Sports Betting
What should you do if you’re looking for the best Mississippi sports betting action? Head south on I-55 or I-59 and don’t stop until you hit New Orleans. Wagering through mobile apps is technically legal, but only while you’re on casino premises. And none of the proposed mobile sports betting bills advanced beyond the state legislature before the most recent deadline, so your best bet is to hit one of the casinos until the politicos can get their act together.
Montana Sports Betting
The Treasure State legalized sports betting in 2019 with the books operated by the state lottery. Sports Bet Montana offers an app through which sports bettors can place mobile wagers, but the app itself will only take your action in authorized Sports Bet Montana locations, which also feature kiosks that will take your bet.
Nevada Sports Betting
In Nevada, sports betting is legal throughout the state, and has been since the 1940s. Retail sportsbooks have been popular for generations, and their online counterparts are growing in use. The only catch is that sports bettors must register at a brick and mortar casino to open an account.
New Hampshire Sports Betting
There’s no sense discussing New Hampshire’s best sportsbooks, since DraftKings NH is currently the only mobile operator in the Granite State. They also get plenty of business from the time-honored tradition of people from Massachusetts crossing the border to do stuff they can’t at home.
This also includes the three retail sportsbook locations, in Seabrook, Manchester, and Dover. May as well place a few bets while you’re shopping without a sales tax or buying fireworks, right?
New Jersey Sports Betting
An early adopter of online sports betting, New Jersey took Governor Phil Murphy’s ceremonial first bets in 2018. Murphy bet $20 on the New Jersey Devils to win the Stanley Cup (they didn’t) and another $20 on Germany to win the World Cup (lost that one too). With over 20 licensed online sportsbooks and plenty of in-person action in Atlantic City, Monmouth Park and the Meadowlands, New Jersey is truly setting the standard when it comes to legalized sports betting.
Options abound when it comes to markets as well, including e-sports and award show futures. About the only action you can’t get in New Jersey is in the college scene. Sports bettors in New Jersey are forbidden from placing wagers on New Jersey-based college teams.
New York Sports Betting
The Empire State recently became the largest market in the United States by population to legalize sports betting, and from its first round of licenses for online sportsbooks, saw seven get up and running in time for Super Bowl LVI. Retail sports betting was already legal for a few years (and still is), but the locations are for the most part in the upstate casinos, leaving New York City residents to take their action to New Jersey until recently.
The huge tax rates on New York’s top betting sites don’t seem to affect the enthusiasm around the landscape, as online bets in NY took in $1.6 billion in their first month. Placing wagers in NY is reserved for people 21 and over who are physically in the state.
Oregon Sports Betting
When the United States Supreme Court ruling overturned the ban and made sports betting legal, Oregon was one of only four states that could plug and play. Their state lottery board was already set up to take bets without a separate act by the state legislature. Currently in Oregon sports betting is run through DraftKings OR, and retail sportsbooks are handled by a handful of tribal casinos. Be advised that only the retail books are set up to take wagers on in-state college teams.
Pennsylvania Sports Betting
It’s no surprise that the Keystone State quickly became one of the biggest markets in the online sports gambling space. With two major cities fielding pro teams with maniacal fan bases, and over a dozen online options to choose from, Pennsylvania is a sports bettors’ paradise.
The first of Pennsylvania’s top sportsbook apps arrived May of 2019 with SugarHouse PA, and the competition among operators has exploded since then. And unlike other states in the area, there’s no prohibition on in-state college team wagers. The only catch is that college player props aren’t allowed. On top of the online sportsbook scene, adults in Pennsylvania can also take advantage of the retail books in the state’s many casinos.
Tennessee Sports Betting
In Tennessee, sports betting presents a solid array of options. It’s a good thing, too, because in a state with no casinos, the action has to come from somewhere, and driving to Indiana isn’t feasible for everyone who wants to play. Players have their pick of five of Tennessee’s best betting sites as well as a handful of the smaller operators and even a local startup.
Online operators went live in the Volunteer State in November of 2020. Despite a 10% hold that leads to bettors paying more juice than offshore books, the legal sports betting shops at least give players recourse through customer service if something goes awry. Tennessee’s best sportsbook options are enhanced by team partnerships – WynnBET with the Grizzlies and BetMGM with the Titans. Bally’s is the partner of the Predators, but BallyBet has yet to open up shop in Tennessee.
Virginia Sports Betting
Mobile betting came to Virginia just in time for the 2021 NFL season, and FanDuel’s partnership with the Washington Football Team gave them the clear edge over the other six online sportsbooks that are licensed in the Commonwealth. The law that gave Virginia a path to legalize sports betting also provided for brick and mortar casinos, which are now in the works.
West Virginia Sports Betting
The third state to legalize sports gambling, West Virginia has hosted mobile betting on horse racing for years. The West Virginia sports betting scene features sportsbook action with five operators to choose from, each offering options for dozens of sports markets. Players in West Virginia who prefer the retail sportsbook experience can find it in any of the five casinos across the state.
Rhode Island Sports Betting
Sportsbook Rhode Island is your go-to in the Ocean State for mobile betting on sports, and now you can register and start playing online without having to sign up in person. It wasn’t so long ago that you’d have to register in one of the two casinos in Lincoln or Tiverton. Those places will still let you place your bet on a retail basis if you’d rather.
Washington D.C. Sports Betting
Washington D.C. isn’t considered a great place to place a bet, particularly through a mobile betting app. If you’re not in range of Nationals Park with BetMGM, or Capitol One Arena with Caesars, you’re going to be relegated to GambetDC. Since it has no no legal competitors beyond the aforementioned arena footprints, the betting odds there are, frankly, lousy.
Wyoming Sports Betting
In Wyoming, Mobile betting on sports has been legal in Wyoming since September of 2021, and is available to anyone in Wyoming aged 18 or older. Options are limited, with only two mobile apps operating (DraftKings WY and BetMGM Wyoming) and no provisions for retail books.
States with Legal Retail Sports Betting Only
Delaware Sports Betting
The first state to ratify the Constitution was also the first state to make sports betting legal (besides Nevada) in 2018. But they may be in danger of being left behind by other states, as there are no provisions for legal wagering through an online betting site or app. To bet on sports, players need to check in at one of three retail locations.
North Carolina Sports Betting
North Carolina is currently weighing their options regarding mobile betting. For now, the best bet in the state is at the retail sportsbooks found in the two Harrah’s casinos in the western part of the state.
New Mexico Sports Betting
New Mexico sports four casinos with retail sportsbooks, and the laws in place on the state level permit the tribal members to take bets on sports without the need for further legislature. Unfortunately, placing wagers in the state of New Mexico is limited to these in-person locations.
South Dakota Sports Betting
A total of 25 casinos across South Dakota are eligible to apply for retail sportsbook licenses since sports bets were made legal in November of 2020. This includes the 11 tribal casinos across the state as well as the gaming establishments in Deadwood.
Washington Sports Betting
Tribal casinos are the only way to go to bet on sports in Washington. There are currently seven casinos taking bets across the state, and no concrete plans to implement statewide mobile sports gambling in the near future.
States with Legal Online Sports Betting Coming Soon
Florida Sports Betting
A federal court ruling overturned an agreement between the Seminole Tribe and Gov. Ron DeSantis, stating that it violated federal law. As such, there are currently no legal online sportsbook options in the state of Florida. The Seminole Tribe’s Hard Rock Sportsbook got off the ground for a brief period but has since been cut off in Florida pending a new agreement.
Maryland Sports Betting
Last April, Maryland passed laws to legalize sports betting, and a handful of retail sportsbooks have since opened their doors. The online betting rules and regulations are still in the process of being hammered out. For now, bettors in Maryland are limited to the options at the retail books. An online betting experience and Maryland sportsbooks promo codes are coming, but shouldn’t be expected before Fall of 2022 at the earliest.
Nebraska Sports Betting
In November of 2021, voters in Nebraska approved the legalization of “games of chance” at horse racing tracks across the state. This includes placing bets on sports. In-person sports gambling at retail sportsbooks should be in place later this year.
Be advised that Nebraska is one of several states where in-state college team wagers are prohibited, at least when it comes to home games. Meaning college football fans will have to wait until the road games before they can bet on the Huskers. And although the legalization went through last year, there were no approved provisions for online betting.
Ohio Sports Betting
Ohio is slated to become one of the bigger markets in the United States. Gov. Mike DeWine just signed the bill into law in December, which wasn’t in time for the Bengals playoff run. The law allows for both retail and mobile betting platforms, so there will be plenty of options for residents of the Buckeye State. Operators and state officials alike are hoping for a launch date of mid-2022. The law DeWine signed guarantees a launch by January 1, 2023.
States with Ongoing Sports Betting Legislation
There are a handful of states out there without any concrete plans to legalize real money bets on sports. And other where the plans are getting bogged down in legislative sessions at the state level. Here’s what that boils down to: Several states could see mobile betting options as soon as this year, but the actual timelines are hard to predict. Stay tuned for updates here, since wheels are in motion, albeit pretty slowly. Residents of Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, and Vermont, watch this space.
Banking at Top US Sports Betting Sites
Getting your money in and out of sportsbooks is as important to the process as any other piece of the game. An operator with plenty of ways to replenish a bankroll, and one that allows the user to access winning quickly is the ideal here. Any barrier between the user and the money in the account only detracts from the experience.
You’ll find the most popular deposit options broadly represented across the slate sportsbook operators. These places want your money, or at least want to hold it for you, so it’s in their interest to make it easy as possible to get it to them.
Obviously, getting it out is as important, and in our experience, any place that will pay out inside of 24 hours is pretty decent. PointsBet gives one of the fastest turnarounds in the game, as little as an hour. Inside of a day is also fairly common with Bet365 and SugarHouse/BetRivers.
Make sure you read up on the waiting times for withdrawals before you lay any money down, just so you’re aware of what you’re getting, and that you can live with it.
Deposits & Withdrawals
The most popular ways to bankroll your accounts are through online banking or Visa or Mastercard. The hitch there is that your preferred bank may not want to do business with gambling operators. Most of the biggest banks in the country have come around, now that they’re not being asked to do business with shady offshore establishments.
PayPal and Play+ Prepaid accounts are also recommended for ease of use and speed for both depositing and withdrawing money from your accounts. Play+ especially speeds up the withdrawal process from some of the bigger names in sportsbook gambling.
Daily Fantasy Sports: Sports Betting Alternative
There’s another way to play if you don’t have access to sportsbook gambling in your area, or if you don’t like the options available to you. Daily Fantasy Sports has grown quickly since the launch of FanDuel in 2009 and exploded in the mainstream around 2015, thanks to smartphone apps, and did over $3 billion in business worldwide in 2019 and is still growing.
You may have noticed that two of the biggest names in the sportsbook game started in the Daily Fantasy Sports realm. If you’re using one of those sportsbooks, you may want to try their Daily Fantasy product too, especially since the operators frequently offer bonuses for using both concurrently.
But playing Daily Fantasy Sports for real money is legal even in many states that don’t allow for sportsbook gaming. Check out PrizePicks and MonkeyKnifeFight in addition to the names you’re no doubt familiar with by now, you’re sure to find something fun and exciting to play among those options.
Things you Cannot Wager on at Top Sportsbooks
There are a handful of options you won’t find when you search beyond the popular sports to bet on through your favorite mobile sportsbook. High school sports are out of the question, and it’s unlikely to find action on sports where the athletes are under 18, though some states have special rules around that. You also won’t be able to bet on weather events or any elections that take place in America.
The college sports question varies from state to state. Plenty of states have no particular rules around putting money on college games. But a lot of markets prohibit placing a bet on a team that plays in that state. Others allow some wagers on in-state teams, but no prop bets. The point is, you’ll need to make sure of where your state lands here for your own edification.