When it comes to online betting, the very last thing you want to worry about is how safe the site you’re betting with is. Let’s be honest, winning is hard enough as it is without the added worry of your personal safety. To help you with this, we’re going to take that worry off the table and put your mind at ease. We have put together a list of the safest online sportsbooks for you to play on with the knowledge that your money and personal information are secure and protected. Now all that’s up to you is to win!
The Safest Online Sportsbooks
If you’re looking for the safest betting sites available, look no further. We’ve put together a comprehensive list that will be the only resource you will need to make sure you’re playing on a safe site. Your safety and security are of the utmost importance to us, and we want to reassure you that our information is not biased in any way. These sites can’t pay us to be on this list and we never take incentives to promote a specific site. The only way for a site to get on one of our lists is to earn it by offering a safe product for their customers. That means that you can rest assured that our information is trustworthy and based on merit.
| Rank | VA Gambling Site | Sign Up Bonus | Get Started |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 |
 BetUS
|
125% up to $2,500 | Visit Site |
| #2 |
 BetOnline
|
50% up to $1,000 | Visit Site |
| #3 |
 Bovada
|
50% bonus up to $250 | Visit Site |
| #4 |
 Sportsbetting.ag
|
50% up to $1,000 | Visit Site |
| #5 |
 MyBookie
|
50% up to $1,000 | Visit Site |
Criteria That Makes an Online Betting Site Safe
Now that you’ve seen our list of the safest sites, you might be wondering what criteria we used to determine that those sites are safe. And you’re in luck; we’re going to let you in on our secrets, so you can use them to come up with your own conclusions too. And it won’t hurt our feelings at all if you double-check our findings. We are secure enough to appreciate a second opinion. And we are confident enough to know that you will come to the same conclusions we did when researching our list of the safest sites.
Licensing and Regulating Bodies
When it comes to safe betting sites, it’s absolutely essential that they are regulated or licensed by a respectable body. This should be clearly posted on the website for all to see. It should never be unclear about whether they are licensed and regulated, or who they are licensed and regulated by.
Some of the biggest and most popular licensing and gaming authorities are Malta, Curacao, Antigua and Barbuda, and the UK. These are by no means the only licensing authorities out there, simply the largest and most popular. Should a site be licensed by a different regulating body, it should not be discriminated against for it.
As long as a site has a trusted regulating authority, it benefits the player.
There is then an organization to take any disputes to, and also someone to hold a site accountable. This is definitely one of the first things we look at when determining the safety of an online gaming site.
Proper Encryption and Web Safety
It is absolutely imperative that a site that you are making banking transactions on is safe and secure. To do this, you have to ensure they are using the right equipment and encryption to keep your information and banking data safe. But what are you looking for, you might ask? Good question!
For starters, you want the site to use SSL encryption (which stands for Secure Socket Layer). SSL encryption is the process of hiding your banking information and keeping it from being seen by others online. It encrypts all the data transmitting between the browser and the server on your particular computer, so you can rest assured that your data is being kept private between just you and the gaming site.
Another important feature to look for on a safe gaming site is the “https:” at the beginning of the website. The “s” at the end might seem like a small inconsequential letter, but it is actually the most important letter in the entire website address. The “s” stands for “secure”, and that’s exactly how we want our gaming site of choice to be: secure!
Finally, along with the “https:” in the website, your web browser will also indicate that the website is secure by a little lock icon on the toolbar beside the website address. This is a great indicator that you are using a secure website and not an imposter site.
Use of Best Business Practices
When it comes to online gaming best practices, you want to make sure your site of choice takes fairness seriously. You also want to make sure they don’t sell your personal information to a third-party company. And you definitely want your personal information to be protected from identity theft. These are all real life concerns you should be considering when researching an online betting site. Finding a site that takes all these concerns as seriously as you do is the goal.
Legit online gaming sites should address all these concerns in their “about us” page, and if you have any questions or concerns not covered, ask questions of their customer support team before registering for an account. If you don’t feel satisfied by the answers provided, it’s always the best idea to move on and try one of the sites we recommend above. We are confident that these sites take our concerns seriously and will gladly provide detailed information on each of them. Don’t risk your money on sites that don’t take your safety and security seriously.
Red Flags of an Unsafe Betting Site
Along with our safe site criteria, there are also a couple big, bright, scary red flags that we keep an eye out for. Even if a site has some of the safe site criteria listed above, if they have any of these red flags, we definitely recommend staying far, far away from them. It’s not worth the risk to turn a blind eye to any of these indicators of an unsafe betting site.
Unclear Information About How They Do Business
Online betting sites should be crystal clear about their business practices. They should be spelled out in black and white on their site for everyone to read. There should never (and we mean never ever) be any question about how they conduct their business and how they keep you, your money, and your personal information safe. If there is any grey area when it comes to their standards and guidelines, look elsewhere.
A Troublesome Track Record
When it comes to this one, Google is your best friend. Before committing to a site and providing them with your personal and banking information, Google them. Check out what people are saying online about the site. Look them up on reputable sites such as Ask Gamblers and read their reviews.
If a site has a bad reputation, it’s a big indicator that they aren’t the stand-up site you want them to be. Check for particularly troublesome red flags such as complaints about delays with withdrawals or a track record of providing misinformation to their customers. These are the kinds of red flags that should never be ignored.
Management with a Shady Past
Another area where you’ll need your best friend Google. Research the management company’s reputation to determine how they conduct their business. Check into how they deal with disputes and what their reputation is online.
If the management company has a shady past, it’s more than likely that it will continue into the present. And there’s definitely no reason to trust a shady business with your banking and personal information when there are so many other secure and trustworthy sites out there.
Choosing a Safe Online Betting Site
We know that we have thrown a lot of detailed information at you all at once. And we know that it can seem overwhelming. Now that you know that there are so many factors to consider when choosing an online betting site, you might even be more confused than ever, especially with all the choices out there.
And we understand that it really is a very confusing and overwhelming process. That’s why we have done all the hard work for you and put together this list. You can rest assured that we have done our due diligence in putting together this list of the safest online gaming sites.
So, without tooting our own horn too much (toot toot), we really think that the best course of action in selecting a safe gaming site is to use our recommendations because of the extensive research resources we have. By all means, we encourage you to do your own research and come to your own conclusions. But please, if you do decide to go rogue and go at it alone, make sure to consider all the criteria we have listed above and do as much homework as possible. It really does come down to research, research, research.
Conclusion
When it comes to choosing a safe online betting site, there are a number of important factors to consider. Not only should an online site be properly licensed and regulated by an authorized gaming authority, but it should also utilize safe web security and encryption practices. And any sites with a shady past or a bad reputation for withdrawal delays need to be avoided at all costs. Online gaming can be an entertaining and lucrative pastime, but in order to do so safely, we encourage playing on one of the sites we recommend above. Everything is more fun when it’s safe and secure!