Best Online Sports Betting Sites Rated by Professionals

Making money from your sports knowledge and hot picks could hardly be easier than with online betting. If you're the kind of person who knows how to pick winners, you really should start cashing in on those picks. The good news is that you can do it all from the comfort of your own home, without ever setting foot in a sports book. Below, we've compiled a list of the best online betting sites you can use to turn your picks into cash.

These are just the tip of the iceberg. Sports betting sites. Options they are. And not the only ones. They are just a few of the nearly limitless options you have when it comes to sports betting online. And in this guide, we are going to extensively cover sports betting options as well as some critical information that pertains to your experiencing success when betting on sports. Below is a look at some of the information we will be covering in this guide. Feel free to click on any section that catches your eye, or just keep scrolling. Seems like a reasonable way to look at a "guide", right?

Online Betting Sites by Country

There are all kinds of sports betting platforms in the world, and they serve every corner of it. Some of the best online betting sites, however, focus only on the specific countries or regions they serve. They know their audience. And that, in turn, allows them to offer books on the most popular sports in those countries, bonuses that are tailored to the citizens of those nations, and - in general - a much more tailored, much more personalized experience for a group of bettors that's unique to each platform.

• US Betting Sites
• UK Betting Sites
• Canada Betting Sites
• Australia Betting Sites;

 

Best Betting Sites by Sport

Got a particular sport you're really good at? Do you want to find some niche sports to bet on? Has the season for your particular sport just come to an end and now it's time to look for some other sporting action to get involved in? Whatever the case, you may be part of the large contingent here looking for the best sports betting sites that are currently offering odds on a particular sporting event. Most of the trusted betting sites have your back and will give you lines on all the major sports. However, you may be more inclined to bet on a specific sport that one of these sites specializes in.

What does this specialization look like? It usually means that online betting sites will offer more types of bets on that sport, more games, more leagues, and better promotions focused on that sport. Basically, it's going to look like they're playing favorites with a particular sport, and we're okay with that. If you're really looking for the best sportsbooks broken down by the sport they do best, check out the links we've provided below.

 

Top Sports Betting Sites by League

Every popular sport has its own "best of the best" league, its main event, if you will. And in these leagues - sometimes in conjunction with another league that goes hand in hand with it - there are betting opportunities to make some sweet profit. Now, with that in mind, we have to qualify this a little bit more because not every bettor specializes in every sport. If you're a specialist in league "x" and your buddy is a specialist in league "y", you can both find invaluable information here, as we've gone through and provided a nice, neat summary of each league and why you might find it a good bet.

Similar to the sport-specific sites, these online betting platforms will offer a greater variety of bets, cover a greater number of games, and present more tailored bonuses related to the contests of these particular leagues. If you're interested in betting on sports, and in particular making the leap to real money betting on a specific league, check out the hyperlinks we've dug up for you and placed below.

 

Popular Sporting Events to Bet On

Whether it is a big title fight, the culmination of a competition or a historic occasion, the sports betting calendar is full of monumental days to look forward to and get excited about. Waking up on the eve of these occasions adds an extra layer of excitement, not only because of the obvious fanfare surrounding them, but also because you know these moments will provide plenty of betting opportunities. Here is a list of some of the biggest days on the sports betting calendar.

What does it mean when sportsbooks are busy? Well, aside from the lines at the physical locations, it means a lot of inexperienced bettors looking to place some bets. And more often than not, these folks aren't exactly sharp with their betting decisions. It's essentially a perfect storm for any sharp to make a profit, because these ill-informed bettors will push the lines in the direction of their bad decisions.

Different online betting sites seem to place different emphasis on different major sporting events. Some will hype a certain major event to death, while at the same time barely mentioning another major event. If you want to place some bets on some of the events listed above, it's pretty important to know which sites have them in their crosshairs. The links below will help you do just that.

• Best events to bet on
• The Super Bowl
• Rephrase this with the same meaning: March Madness
• The Kentucky Derby is an amazingly beautiful horse race that makes you very proud to be an American. The Derby is held every year on a Saturday in May. It is run at a distance of one and a quarter miles. It is the most important horse race in the United States and is held at Churchill Downs racetrack in Louisville, Kentucky, in perhaps the most famous horseshoe of any racetrack in the world. The event has an extraordinarily ceremonial atmosphere that is unmatched by any other racetrack in the United States. From the perspective of American pop culture, the event is both an exquisite fashion show and a sumptuous dining experience.
• FIFA World Cup is an international football competition contested by the men's national teams of the member associations of FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association). It has been held every four years since 1930, with the exception of 1942 and 1946. The tournament is one of the most watched sporting events in the world, with an estimated 3.5 billion people tuning in to watch the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany;

 

Best Online Sportsbooks By Type

Some of you out there may care more about the features of the sportsbooks you choose than the sports or events they specialize in. As long as it's a highly trustworthy betting site that covers the major sports, you'll be happy. That is, as long as they excel with the unique want or need that you have. Below we have broken down the categories of sites by their area of expertise. Most of the sites listed here beat the competition by a mile when it comes to the elements of their product that I'm about to list. The rest of their sportsbook is still good to great, but these are the areas where they shine.

• New betting sites
• Fast payout betting sites
• Safest betting sites;

• Live betting sites
• Mobile betting sites;

What Makes These the Best Online Betting Sites?

We don't just hand out recommendations for the best online betting sites. Just because they offer sports betting action and have some cool graphics does not automatically make them a viable candidate. We have a very intensive and thorough process that we use to review each site. There are numerous areas of criteria that we check and recheck to ensure that we're giving an honest view of what all of our recommended sites have to offer.

What we want to do now is give you a little insight into what that process looks like. Below are the seven most important criteria that help some betting sites stand out from the rest.

Diverse Action Offered on Many Different Sports

Different levels and varieties of sports appeal to most bettors who like to place bets on them. Whether you are a novice bettor or a more seasoned professional, you probably still have several favorite sports to bet on. Even if you're fixated on one sport and one sport alone, there are very few bettors we know who don't at least dabble, if only for the sake of it, in betting on big events - events where they supposedly have no dog in the fight, like the Super Bowl or the World Series.

For this reason, the best online sports betting sites must cover a wide variety of sports and a wide variety of betting types. We want to be able to wager on all the big, major sports, as well as the more niche, lesser known sports. We want to see betting coverage on many (if not all) of the games within those sports, not just the games people watch on TV.

Furthermore, we want to place various bets on these games, matches and contests. Sure, picking winners is highly profitable, but so many other types of bets lead us to our ultimate goal, which is to bet flawlessly. From a Cashervisor perspective, this is how the recommended online sportsbooks diversify and maximize user engagement.

Site Security, Trustworthiness, Industry Reputation, and Fast Payouts

Think about it: gambling sites on the Internet are a lot like banking sites. Both types of sites have a lot of our personal information and a lot of our money. So what does that mean? It means that both types of sites are potential targets for thieves and hackers. Banks have long been targets for these types of people, and online banks are even more so with all the money and personal information they hold. So how do you combat this threat? By being very secure.

Every sportsbook we've listed takes web security very seriously. They use technology, pay close attention to their systems and personnel, and use various other methods to ensure that you and your funds are safe and sound.

But security isn't the only factor that determines how the site operates. We also look for trustworthy bookmakers with a strong reputation in the industry. Consider these questions:

• Is customer service a priority?
• Is it fair?
• Do they play fair?
• What does the business say about them?
• Do they pay out winnings? If so, how quickly?

These are the questions we use to begin our investigation into the best online betting sites. Thanks to a sharpened process, we are now brimming with confidence that the sites residing on this page are the best in these three respects.

Competent and Accessible Customer Service Options

There will be times during your sports betting experience when you will need help. This could be something as simple as understanding a promotional offer or as complicated as getting funds into your account from one side of the world to the other. Whatever the reason, and however big or small your need for help may be, you want to be able to get it easily and not have it be a time-consuming affair. And, of course, you want it to work.

When we work to find the best sports betting sites, we take a close look at customer service. Is it easy to reach? Are they fast? Do they have multiple ways to contact them? And once you get in touch, does the first person you talk to actually have the ability to help you? If not, will the more complicated problem you're trying to solve be escalated properly and resolved in a timely manner, if at all?

We hope you never have to contact customer service, but let's face it, sometimes you just need help. The online sportsbooks we recommend have reliable customer service that you can access 24/7/365 from many different platforms. And if you ever do need to contact them, we are confident they will impress you.

Juicy Bonuses and Expansive VIP Rewards Programs

This is not the first thing we look at when deciding which sportsbooks to recommend, but it is not something we ignore either. Sportsbooks want your business and fight for it in outrageous ways. The most common method they use to woo you is bonuses, free stuff and VIP rewards. A good online sportsbook has so many ways to give you free incentives that you should have a list of them whenever you decide to bet.

The places we've recommended on this page understand the need to attract new players and show loyalty to those who have been around for a while. If you choose one of these places, you'll get a great bonus right off the bat, and there's an unspoken guarantee that if you continue to bet there, you'll be recognized as a valued customer.

You'll get a lot more rewards and bonuses when you bet online than you would at a land-based sports book, and the simple reason for that is that it's so much easier to keep track of your bets when you're doing it over the Internet. Of course, you won't have a waitress coming around to serve you free drinks, but I can assure you that the money they throw your way is worth a lot more than the free drinks you would get at a land-based operation.

Quality Mobile Betting Platforms

We recommend sportsbooks that offer great platforms for betting on mobile devices. But remember, there are many different types of online bets you can place. If you want to bet from home, the office, or anywhere in between, these online betting sites are your best option. All you need to bet for real money is a smartphone and an Internet connection.

Continuous Innovation and Forward-Looking Management Team

The betting sites we recommend here are not content to sit back and bask in the glory of what they do. They are run by management teams that don't seem to know the meaning of the term "cutting edge" and are instead looking for the "next best thing" in the online betting world. They are always looking for the new cover-your-bet technology, the innovative processes that will set them apart from the competition, and the ways in which they can make your online betting interface that much better.

How to Get Started Betting on Sports Online

Some people in the audience may have just started betting on sports online. If this is the case, welcome to our program! Online sports betting is a cash-oriented, rapidly expanding segment of the gambling industry, and unlike Las Vegas, you do not have to leave your home to place a bet. Betting on sports via the Internet is a very convenient way to bet and is now even more convenient than placing a bet in person. Although you could bet on the Super Bowl, the NFL or the NBA Finals, your chances of winning would be so-so and you wouldn't really be betting on sports as a lifestyle choice.

No problem. We all have to start somewhere. If you want to get started right away, dive into the resources we provide below. These guides were created with gamblers like you in mind. They will walk you through all of the important and minute details you need to know when placing an online bet. They also do so in a manner that is clear and free of any overwhelming or superfluous concepts that would only cloud the bettor's mind.

Placing Your First Bet Online

The premier destination for online betting novices is right here. We've put together a complete betting primer that will walk you through every step of the process to get you set up and ready to go. We cover finding the best online betting sites for you, selecting the game or event you want to bet on, choosing the type of bet you want to make, and then making it all happen. By the time you get to the end of this primer, you will be good to go and ready to make your first real money sports bet online.

Sports Betting FAQ and Terminology

"I'll take the under on the circle, as long as the line doesn't move due to the late morning movement of the sharp money. Yes, if that sounded Greek to you, that's okay. Much like other professions, sports books tend to speak in jargon. Once you learn the lingo, it makes things easier. But it can also seem like a foreign language to outsiders and new bettors. In the first guide, linked below, we'll walk you through all the important terminology you need to know in order to understand the experts (and sound like one yourself).

Do you have specific questions about betting on sporting events? Check out our guide to the most frequently asked questions. As the name suggests, it covers the most common questions we hear from punters who are new to sports betting. It is an excellent place to find good, reliable information about all the steps in the sports betting process, from start to finish.

• Sports Betting Glossary
• Sports Betting FAQ;

Understanding Sports Betting Odds

You focused on math and statistics in school, didn't you? Yeah, us too. Unfortunately for the "math lovers" that we are, calculating the odds for sports betting relies heavily on these subjects. Sure, you can try to pick winners at the top sportsbooks without taking the odds into account, but you'll be handicapping yourself and putting your chances of winning at a pretty big disadvantage. If you want a solid primer on how to understand what betting odds even are, let alone how to go about finding the best ones, check out the links below. They're sure to help.

• Calculate Betting Odds
• Betting Odds Calculator*;

Additional Online Sports Betting Resources

There is still much to discover about betting on sports over the Internet, despite the large number of topics we have already covered. One of the wonderful aspects of this form of gambling is that there is never a shortage of information that can be used to improve your odds. We have compiled the following additional resources for beginners. Reading them will take you from a state of ignorance to one of understanding when it comes to online sports betting. Then, with a little luck, you will be placing bets and collecting winning tickets in the very near future.

• Types of bets
• betting exchanges
• betting software*;

Sports Betting Strategy Guides, Articles, and Resources

This guide hasn't directly addressed the issue of winning. Of course, everything else we've covered will help you win. Choosing a trustworthy sportsbook will increase your chances of winning, as will understanding what the bets are and how to place them correctly. But the one thing we haven't discussed that will have a big impact on your winnings is strategy.

Below, in the linked guides, we will dive into the basics of sports betting strategies. If you want to do more than just watch the action, this is where you want to start spending your time. These guides also feed into our more advanced strategy guides.

• How to win as a sports bettor*
• Sports betting tips
• Sports betting strategy
• Handicapping;

Online Sports Betting Legality and Laws

The most common question we receive from sports bettors around the world is: "Which online sportsbooks are legal in my area?" The next most common question is whether online sports betting is legal in their particular state, country or region. In most places, online sports betting is completely legal. While some places do have restrictions, it's largely sportsbooks that are affected, leaving individual bettors in the clear.

If you would like a more thorough examination of the legality of sports gambling in your part of the world, check out the links we have provided below. We will take a deep dive into the law books and give you our take on what they mean and how they affect you. Most of you will have no problems at all (including those of you betting from the US). But for those of you who need to see it more clearly, the link below will help answer all of your questions to the best of our collective ability.

• Online gambling laws;

Tips for Picking out the Best Sports Betting Sites

1. Test the Mobile Interface If You’re Planning to Bet On the Go
2. Join Multiple Online Betting Sites to Shop Lines
3. Stick to the Sportsbooks We’ve Vetted
4. Test Out the Steps of Making a Bet
5. Make Sure They Have Banking Options You Like
6. Know That You’re Never Married to an Online Betting Site

Choosing a sportsbook is a serious decision. And why is that? Because a bad choice can lead you to an untrustworthy site that will use various tactics to ensure that you lose money! Better to choose wisely, my friend, and go with a safe and reputable sports betting site where you can enjoy betting on sports while also enjoying it as a vehicle that can bring you profits.

It's already a huge step in the right direction if you're here looking for advice on the top sports betting sites. It is possible that you have reached this point in the guide and still haven't made a choice. We want to give you a few quick tips to help you make your final decision.

Tip #1 – Test the Mobile Interface If You’re Planning to Bet On the Go

If you only bet from your desktop at home, this may not matter. But if you're like most sports bettors, you want the ability to bet from anywhere. You never know when the lines are going to move in your favor, or when you'll get a hot tip right before the game starts. So take a few minutes to check out the mobile platform of the site you are considering. Most sportsbooks these days have excellent mobile and desktop platforms that are seamlessly integrated. By 'seamlessly integrated' I mean that you can use both with full confidence and switch between them with no loss of functionality.

Tip #2 – Join Multiple Online Betting Sites to Shop Lines

Can't decide between two sportsbooks? Join them both! If you've read our strategy sections, you know that line shopping is an essential practice of serious sports bettors. Fortunately, line shopping has become much easier with the advent of online sports betting. If you're stuck between a couple of options, you should know that it's far more common than you'd think to join multiple sites. Just do it; you'll be in good company and have access to more lines and opportunities.

Tip #3 – Stick to the Sportsbooks We’ve Vetted

We're not the kind of people who would ever tell you what to do. You're all adults, and you're smart enough to make your own decisions. That said, we would like to give you some advice based on our experience in the online sports betting industry: Stick with the sportsbooks we have reviewed. We are not calling them the best sportsbooks for the sake of it. We do so because these sites are safe, secure and will give you the kind of experience you are looking for.

If you decide to go beyond our recommendations, you risk entering a realm of uncertainty. For the average person, and even for many experienced gamblers, separating the good sites from the bad is a nearly impossible task. Relying on our vetted recommendations - essentially referrals - keeps you at a safe distance from the bad guys.

Tip #4 – Test Out the Steps of Making a Bet

Something you may not know about online sportsbooks is that you have full access to the entire site even before you create a free account. This means that you can get an excellent feel for what it would be like to bet there as if you were an actual member. At almost every site you can browse the different types of bets, check the odds and even create betting tickets. The only thing you can't do without an account is place your bet. But you can do everything else up to that point.

Capitalize on this. Make sure you are comfortable with the betting process. Make sure you fully understand how all the components work together and that everything works well for you. When you are comfortable and everything is to your satisfaction, proceed to create your account and start placing real money bets.

Tip #5 – Make Sure They Have Banking Options You Like

One of the main advantages of choosing to bet with an online bookmaker is the wide range of excellent banking options that you can access. This ensures a much smoother process for both depositing and withdrawing your funds. However, it's important to note that not every site you consider will offer the same variety of banking options.

Make sure you take a moment to look at their options for depositing and withdrawing funds. You don't need a plethora of banking alternatives for either function, but you do need at least one excellent banking option that you're comfortable with.

Tip #6 – Know That You’re Never Married to an Online Betting Site

Once you have chosen a betting site, you are under no obligation to stay. Whether you have placed 1,000 bets or none at all, you can leave at any time. Just withdraw your money and you are free to go. This has everything to do with choosing the best betting sites. Don't overthink it. If you find something that seems decent, try it for a few weeks. If it fits and works, great! If not, you can move on to the next place. Unlike choosing a life partner or a place to live, you have a lot of freedom to move from site to site.

Recent Sports and Sports Betting Blogs

If you want to keep up with the latest happenings in the world of sports and sports betting, you need to do so to ensure your betting success. It only takes you so far to identify a reliable online sports betting site. After that, you need to stay on top of the latest developments so that you can make informed betting decisions with the trustworthy sites you have chosen. If you want to bet smart, you need to read the following sports blogs.