Our Look at the Best US Betting Sites in 2025

Betting on sports is a hugely popular pastime in the United States, driving significant revenue growth for the country's major professional sports leagues. But despite its widespread appeal, many Americans don't seem to have a firm grasp on the basic concepts of sports betting, let alone the legal landscape surrounding the activity.

This guide has been extensively written to answer any questions you may have about this worldwide favorite pastime. We not only provide you with the best betting sites in the US, but also information that can make you a winning bettor. We also explain the legal status of gambling in the various states. Finally, we explore both the history and the future of sports betting.

So, what are the best sports betting sites for US residents? Here they are:

What Makes These Sites the Best?

When we examine the specifics of sports betting in the United States or instruct you on the basics of placing a bet at a sportsbook, you will need to open an account at a legitimate US sportsbook. The options listed in our top recommendations weren't chosen at random. These operators have gone through our rigorous vetting process and come out unscathed. You may want to consider checking them out.

To recap, here are the best of the best US betting sites and why:

• Bovada - One of the most reliable and trusted names in the business when it comes to payouts. They are one of the better betting sites out there and offer a nice 50% up to $250 first deposit bonus
• MyBookie.ag - A relative newcomer, MyBookie has quickly built a solid reputation among US gamblers. They offer a wonderful user experience along with a deposit bonus that reaches up to $1,000.
• SportsBetting.ag - As the name suggests, SportsBetting.ag focuses on sports betting. They offer a wide range of choices and include a 50% up to $1,000 bonus offer;

If a website is shared on casino-guide.biz, you can rest assured it possesses the following qualities.

Legalities of Online Gambling in the US

Identifying the best US bookmakers is all well and good, but is it even legal to place sports bets on the internet? This can be a somewhat complicated and multifaceted question to pin down an answer to in the United States - especially at this moment when the industry is going through a significant upheaval.

The confusion that always surrounds the legality of online sports betting stems from the conflict between states' rights to have some autonomy over gambling and federal laws and statutes. However, the lines are becoming a little less blurred these days, thanks to a recent Supreme Court decision.

Striking Down PASPA and the Spread of US Sports Betting

In 1992, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee passed the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act. This law - often referred to by its acronym "PASPA" - not only made sports betting illegal at the federal level throughout the country, but also prohibited states from allowing legal sports betting at the state level. An important exception to this federal law was that Nevada, Delaware, Montana, and Oregon - four states that had already legalized some form of gambling by 1992 - were allowed to continue with their regulated gaming industries.

The **law** was supported by the **NCAA** and the **major U.S. professional sports leagues** and was intended to prevent gambling from corrupting the integrity of the games. However, between **sportsbooks** in legalized states, **tribal reservations**, and **online gambling**, the law did little to prevent controversies such as the **NBA's Tim Donaghy scandal**, where a referee fixed games on behalf of an organized crime syndicate.

In 2012, New Jersey passed a law allowing sports betting at state-licensed locations. The law was struck down as unconstitutional, but the NCAA and other professional sports leagues faced a similar uphill battle before those leagues were allowed to challenge an unconstitutional law in court.

The appellate court ruled that New Jersey could repeal its laws and still be in compliance with PASPA. It was an easy decision for the court, as New Jersey's law was clearly unconstitutional (as was the 2014 law banning sports betting). New Jersey was then free not only to pass a law authorizing sports betting, but also to make sports betting a part of its state economy.

New Jersey then appealed to the United States Supreme Court to rule on the constitutionality of PASPA. The Court agreed to hear the case in June 2017, with oral arguments scheduled for December of that year.

Ultimately, PASPA was found to be unconstitutional because it violated Tenth Amendment rights. If New Jersey can establish autonomy to pass certain types of laws, then the same autonomy must be granted to all 49 other states. Just like that, 46 other states (and D.C.) had to make a decision about the future of sports betting.

50 States. 50 Independent Gambling Jurisdictions

Currently, sports betting is strictly a state issue. Since the repeal of the federal law that once prohibited states from allowing sports betting, some states have moved quickly to enact legislation and set up the infrastructure for betting to take place. Some other states are obviously never going to allow it and are moving in the other direction.

One country, the United States, is made up of fifty different gaming jurisdictions. Each has its own regulatory body and unique licensing procedures. For a detailed overview of what betting activities are permitted in each state, see our guide to US gambling laws.

Possible Federal Oversight of US Sports Betting

One thing to keep an eye on in the future is the US Congress re-entering the sports betting arena. One of the senators who seems to be taking the lead in this area is Orrin Hatch. He is, to put it mildly, a very conservative figure. And yet, in a very progressive way, he has seemed to embrace the idea of federal sports betting legislation after Congress held hearings on the matter back in the 80's when it was a much more contentious issue.

To legalize sports betting, states would first seek approval from a federal licensing body. Pro and con groups have come out with different reactions. The NCAA and professional sports leagues have been pleasantly surprised by the recent turn of events. On the other hand, states like Nevada that have been doing the regulatory heavy lifting for so many years are claiming a rather elaborate story - government overreach, in this case, in the name of progress.

Similar to the 1992 PASPA bill, this new federal oversight bill was introduced by Senator Orrin Hatch. The government's intent is clear: it wants to get involved instead of leaving things up to the states. Counts as a legal battle. Could determine the future course of the online betting industry in the US.

Noteworthy Gambling Laws in the US:

Types of Sports Bets Common in the US

One of the greatest aspects of sports betting in the US is the variety of bets you can place. There are numerous ways to place a bet on a single game or event. You can bet on the outright winner of the contest or do it with a point spread involved, bet on the total points or goals scored, combine bets and make a parlay card, and so on.

You can place a futures bet by picking a team to win the championship before the season starts. You can also bet on props, which allow you to pick all sorts of different factors. For example, you can bet on which player will score the first touchdown in an NFL game.

In this section we will examine the main types of sports betting available to bettors in the United States. Also take a look at the examples - they will help you better visualize how these bets work. These are the most common bets in the US:

• Futures contracts are agreements to buy or sell an asset at a future date at a price agreed upon today. They are used to hedge or speculate on the price movement of an underlying asset, which can be anything from agricultural products to financial securities. Futures are standardized contracts, usually traded on exchanges, with terms that specify the quantities and qualities of the asset involved. betting on the performance of an individual athlete or statistical events. Example: If you bet on Phil Mickelson to make a hole-in-one on the 16th hole of the US Open, that would be a prop bet;

Moneyline

You may or may not be aware of it, but you have probably placed a Money Line bet at some point in your life. Money line bets are the most rudimentary form of sports betting found in and outside of the United States. They simply consist of picking a competitor or team to win a particular game. Unlike more complicated bets made with the help of a betting line, there is nothing else for the moneymaker to rely on to turn a win or loss into a payout for picking the right side.

However, this is unlikely to be the case in athletic contests. In any athletic event, there are always various subjective or objective pre-competitive values-such as talent, strength, or speed-that can be used to say that one side is more likely to win than the other. In fact, in any head-to-head competition, there are almost always identifiable, contestable reasons why one side is favored over the other.

The team expected to win is called the "favorite". Its odds are expressed as a negative number - for example, -225. To bet on the favorite, you would have to put down $225 to win only $100.

On the other hand, an entrant who is not expected to win is called an "underdog". Underdogs are the most profitable moneyline bets and can boost a bankroll even if you win a relatively small percentage of your picks. Positive number odds, such as +190, are displayed for these bets. This means that for every $100 wagered on a winning bet, the return would be $190.

To learn a great deal more about moneyline wagers, check out our article dedicated to the subject:

 

At LegitGamingSites.com we are committed to providing you with all the information you need to make an informed decision about your gaming. Here are some of our articles that cover money line betting in more detail.

Point Spreads/Handicap Betting

When two uneven opponents are facing each other, point spreads can be used to attract an equal number of bets on both sides of the line. By applying a handicap, oddsmakers can almost guarantee that a contest has a 50/50 chance of either team winning.

In high scoring sports such as football or basketball, the spread can grow to any size needed to balance the bet. For example, in an event where the best college football team plays the worst team, the favorite could be 50 points or more!

Whatever number the spread is set at, that's how many points the favorite must win by. Thus, a 51.5-point favorite must win by 52 points or more to "cover the spread" and win your bet. Meanwhile, underdogs win as long as the underdog team holds its opponent to 51 points or less.

Points are distributed differently in games with lower average point totals. They don't adjust for how much better one team is compared to the other. Instead, they simply give both teams a fixed 1.5-point handicap and go from there. The oddsmakers don't really bother to spread the odds to make them the same for both teams.

Even after laying 1.5 points, the Boston Red Sox can still be heavy favorites with their ace on the mound. The betting lines will move closer to the middle, but not as far as you can see with adjustable point spreads.

In low-scoring games, these bets are not always called "point spreads," even though they are. Each contest has its own nomenclature for 1.5-point spreads.

We give a more detailed look into point spread betting in the following sports betting guide:

As always, our goal is to ensure that you have all the information you need to make an informed decision about your betting. If you want to learn more about spread betting, check out some of our articles listed below.

Totals (Over/Unders)

If you're in the mood for some action on a game, but don't want the stress of picking a winning side, you may want to try a total bet. A total bet is a bet on the total number of points scored by both teams in a game. Oddsmakers set a line, and bettors then decide whether they think the final total will be "under" or "over" that line.

There are times when, due to certain conditions or matchups, oddsmakers have a prediction for the type of contest that will take place, but lack a sure-fire read on which side will win. For example, a game played in howling wind would almost certainly go "under" in the NFL, regardless of which two teams are playing.

You are essentially betting on which way the game will go with a money line that is always close to even money - typically -110. You may have seen a line move to -130 with a lot of action on one side, but it shouldn't move much more than that.

Much more detailed information and strategies for betting on totals or over/under can be found in the following article.

Understand the complex details of total and over/under betting and how they relate to the NFL, college football and March Madness.

Futures

An excellent way to get very favorable odds, even on top teams, is to make your championship picks exceptionally early. Betting on the future is a way of betting on outcomes that will not be decided for a long, long time - like which team will end up being the champion of a particular league, or which player will win an annual award like the Heisman Trophy or league MVP.

These betting lines are usually posted right after the end of the previous season. Although they are adjusted during the offseason as we see various talent acquisitions, trades, and other changes, for the most part, excellent odds can be found before the start of the next season.

Here are some examples of futures bets in various leagues and sports.

• NBA Basketball; NBA Championship; Western Conference Champion; Eastern Conference Champion; Most Valuable Player; Defensive Player of the Year; Sixth Man of the Year; Coach of the Year; Rookie of the Year; College Football;
• El Campeón Nacional de Fútbol Americano Universitario Entrantes en el Playoff del Campeón Nacional de Fútbol Americano Universitario Ganador del Trofeo Heisman Ganador de varios campeonatos de conferencias; también campeones del playoff del CFB.Major League Baseball; World Series Winner; AL Pennant Winner; NL Pennant Winner; Cy Young Winner; AL and NL MVP; World Series Winner; AL Pennant Winner; NL Pennant Winner; Cy Young Winner; AL and NL MVP; NFL Football; NFC Super Bowl Champion; NFC Championship; AFC Championship; Most Valuable Player; Offensive/Defensive Rookie of the Year; Super Bowl Champion; NFC Championship; AFC Championship; Most Valuable Player; Offensive/Defensive Rookie of the Year;

If you want to learn more about betting on futures and perhaps pick up some strategies to win more often, read the following article.

If you're looking for more information on the subject, you can find the specifics associated with NFL and MLB futures betting in several of our other articles. They delve deep into the subject matter.

Proposition Bets

Prop bets (short for proposition bets) give bettors almost unlimited flexibility in what they can bet on in a sporting event. Lines are offered on individual athletes based on how they will perform under certain conditions. For example, you can bet on whether Tom Brady will throw more than 2.5 touchdowns in a given game, or which player will take the first penalty.

You can bet on literally anything that happens in a contest, and you can do it in any number of ways. People who work for sportsbooks and those who set the odds have to be pretty creative to come up with all the different ways to bet. And they have to be really fun to offer these bets, especially when big events like the Super Bowl come around. When this playoff game for the National Football League teams culminates in a championship on a Sunday night, sportsbooks across the country go all out.

However, sportsbooks no longer reserve proposition bets for the big, marquee events. Most online sportsbooks you visit will offer them for most, if not all, contests you want to bet on. They may not be as fancy as betting on things like the total number of plays in a football game, but you can still bet on propositions for what happens between just two teams or two performers in any contest.

We have a more detailed guide discussing the ins and outs of proposition wagering at the following link:

Our goal is to provide you with as much information as possible so that you can make the best decisions when putting your money on the line. If you would like to learn more about the nature of prop bets, check out the additional articles listed below.

Live/In-Game Betting

One type of betting that has seen increased acceptance and use in recent years, especially with the advent of the Internet and mobile devices, is live or in-game betting. Betting lines are often pulled off the board as soon as a contest begins, but unlike most types of betting, this type of betting really gets going once the action begins.

During the game, bettors can risk money on all sorts of things, with real-time line and odds adjustments reflecting what's happening on the field or court. You can make the usual money line and point total bets, which can be made at better odds if you time your bets correctly, as well as a number of props specific to in-game betting.

For example, you may want to take action on "the next player to commit a shooting foul" during an NBA game or "the next player to score a rushing touchdown" in American football. In-game betting is a unique type of sports betting; it has its own systems and strategies that apply only to live action events. To learn more about this electrifying form of betting, read the article below.

Curious about the ins and outs of live in-game betting on the sports you love? Check out these special features for horse racing and the NFL.

US Betting Bonuses and Promotions

As we mentioned in the previous sections, giving players different bonuses and perks is fundamental to the online gambling market. Bonuses can be divided into two main types: the kind you get when you play for the first time, and the kind you get when you're a loyal player.

This section presents some pros and cons for each of the common bonuses offered by our favorite US gambling sites. These recommendations are based on a combined 35 years of experience in and around online gambling.

Sign-Up Bonus

Welcome bonuses are offered to potential customers who are on the verge of opening an account and are typically unfamiliar with the world of online gambling. In exchange for providing some necessary personal information and subsequently signing up for a new gaming account, these players are given risk-free wagering credits which they are then encouraged to use to get a feel for the site/software.

• Advantages:
• Customer-only areas of a betting site can be tried out without an initial deposit thanks to sign-up bonuses. You can also hazard a guess as to what a bet amounts to by going through the various betting processes. But remember, there's no risk associated with your not-so-secret testing once you've received your supposed bonus;

• Cons:
• The only downside to these advantages is that you don't get any money if you're successful. You'd have to deposit real money into an account first;

Deposit Bonus

The most common bonuses you will find are deposit bonuses, with the terms/deal usually included as part of our recommendation list. For example, you will see offers to "match up to 100% of your initial deposit"; if you were to deposit $200 into your account at the site, they would match that with a $200 credit of their own, thus doubling your starting bankroll.

• Advantages:
• Money that costs nothing to acquire is always a pleasure! This extra cash comes when early-stage gamblers are still in the process of reeling in their bets and trying to fathom the intimate circumstances of the large and small forms of chance on which they are most comfortable betting;

• Cons:
• The downside is that many cash prizes come with strings attached. It's understandable
• the US betting sites would be destroyed in a week if everyone could get their deposit bonus and then just withdraw it all.

Loyalty Rewards Programs

"Loyalty rewards" can mean much more than the introductory gifts. They are rewards given to long-time customers as a token of appreciation and a way to keep them coming back.

Rewards programs can be structured in a variety of ways, but they always exist to provide some form of compensation to a player. Depending on whom you ask, these gifts can range from annoying distractions that fill your mailbox to some of the coolest aspects of having a casino player card.

• Pros:
• Feeling valued is certainly a nice feeling, and when it comes to loyalty rewards, the prizes themselves can be quite valuable. Common rewards include cash back (no rollover), merchandise, and gift cards;

• Disadvantages:
• Potentially, these rewards programs can encourage players to bet irresponsibly in order to reach a higher tier or level;

Differences Between US and UK Bonuses

We have gained a clearer insight into the nature of bonuses and promotions in the US. Now we compare them to the UK, where online sports betting has been legal since 1963.

After some analysis between popular US and UK betting sites, we discovered the following:

• UK betting bonuses tend to be much less valuable than their larger US counterparts. In the US, the average betting bonus is around $250
• in the UK it's closer to £30. That's a ratio of over 8 to 1!
• Cash bonuses are more likely to be offered by US bookmakers
• Promotions offered by UK bookmakers are much more likely to be unique or conditional. For example, they might state "Get your bets paid out if the team you are backing wins by 2 goals"

Even though bonuses in the United States are usually tied to a number of conditions that limit the amount you can cash out, a savvy sharp bettor can and should use these big promotional offers as a vehicle to make a nice little profit. Here's how.

If you don't want to scour the internet to find the best bonuses offered by US betting sites, don't worry. We've already done it for you.

Below, you’ll find a list of our top recommended US sportsbooks with the best bonus offers available!

Favorite Sports Leagues and Events for US Bettors

Betting on sports is common in the United States, but since the repeal of PASPA, it has only become more widespread and socially acceptable with each passing year. The leagues and sports listed below are the ones most US citizens like to bet on, in order from most popular to least popular:

NFL/Football

Football is the biggest sport in the United States, and the NFL is the biggest league. Its championship game, the Super Bowl, is the only annual gathering of gamblers, and it takes in more money than any other sporting event throughout the year. The NFL season begins in early September and runs through the first Sunday in February.

NBA/Basketball

The United States has the second most sports betting concentrated on basketball. Although the pro game and the NBA get most of the attention throughout the year when it comes to taking bets, it is actually college basketball that has the most betting action on any single event. Each year, the NCAA Tournament is second only to the Super Bowl when it comes to the amount of money wagered.

Horse Racing

Betting on horse races is the third most popular betting pastime in the United States. Throughout the year, at many different tracks, the nation's bookmakers take action on the various runnings and reruns of the world's races. But when it comes to action, few, if any, betting events can compare to the Triple Crown races, which are the preeminent races on the U.S. horse racing calendar.

MLB/Baseball

Baseball ranks fourth. In terms of total wagering, MLB doesn't hold a candle to any of the top three leagues, but its 162-game season and the staggering amount of data available on every conceivable angle make it absolutely ripe for betting action. Gamblers love to bet on baseball because not only is there a game almost every day from April through October, with various playoff series in November, but the 162-game season and the nearly 300 games played in college baseball make every week a smorgasbord for the serious gambler.

 NHL/Hockey

The National Hockey League still trails the other major US professional sports in both attendance and betting. Among American sports leagues, the NHL ranks dead last on both counts. Its 0.2 rating in the key 18-49 demographic places it below Major League Soccer, the sport with the smallest following in the U.S.

Timeline of the Biggest Annual US Sports Betting Dates

• January
  • NFL Playoffs (January 5-January 20)
  • NHL All-Star Game (January 25-26)
  • NFL Pro Bowl (January 27)
• February
  • NFL Super Bowl (February 3)
  • NBA All-Star Weekend (February 15-February 17)
• March
  • March Madness Selection Sunday (March 17)
  • March Madness First Four (March 19-20)
  • Baseball – Start of the 2025 MLB Season (March 20-September 29)
  • March Madness Rounds 1 and 2 (March 21-24)
  • March Madness Sweet 16 and Elite 8 (March 28-31)
  • Horse Racing – Dubai World Cup (March 30)
• April
  • March Madness Final Four (April 6)
  • March Madness National Championship (April 8)
  • NBA Playoffs (April 13-May 30)
• May
  • Horse Racing – Kentucky Derby (May 3-5)
  • Horse Racing – Preakness Stakes (May 16-18)
  • Golf – PGA Championship (May 16-19)
  • Soccer – FA Cup Final (May 18)
  • NBA Finals Begin (May 30)
  • NHL Stanley Cup Finals Begin (Late May, Early June)
• June
  • Soccer – Champions League Final (June 1)
  • Horse Racing – Belmont Stakes (June 7-9)
  • Golf – U.S. Open (June 13-16)
• July
  • Tennis – Wimbledon (July 1-14)
  • Golf – British Open (July 18-21)
• August
  • Tennis – US Open (August 26-September 8)
• September
  • Football – Start of the NFL Season (September 5-December 29)
• October
  • Hockey – Start of the NHL Season (October 3-April 6)
  • Basketball – Start of the NBA Season (October 16-April 10)
  • MLB World Series Begins (October 22-October 30)
• November
  • Horse Racing – Breeders’ Cup World Championships (November 1-2)
• December

Fantasy Sports Betting in the US

Over the past 10 years or so, fantasy sports have rapidly grown into a massive interactive entertainment sector for fans to interact with the game. With the number of players and fans for games like football, basketball, and baseball, the industry continues to boom. There are now two primary forms of fantasy sports: season-long leagues and daily fantasy sites. Both interactive forms provide hours of entertainment for players and fans.

Season-Long Fantasy

The oldest form of fantasy sports is the season-long league. No matter what the sport, these leagues run in sync with the real sports seasons. Players (also called "owners") pick their teams at the beginning of the season. Then, for the next several months, each of those owners' players (along with any others they may have sneaked in via trade) effectively serves as a backup on that owner's fantasy team. At the end of the real sports season, there are fantasy playoffs, followed by a fantasy championship game to determine who was the best fantasy owner in the league.

Daily Fantasy Sites

Daily fantasy is very similar to traditional sports betting, where you place a wager on a single event rather than betting on an entire season. In fact, daily fantasy could almost be called sports betting by another name. In recent years, it has become an incredibly popular form of betting, especially in the National Football League. Fantasy team owners can now participate in a smorgasbord of different daily fantasy tournaments - some with a single winner who collects a sizable prize purse, and others where a much larger contingent of fantasy owners collects winnings in the top fifty percent.

Future of Sports Betting in the United States

The future of sports betting in the United States is very bright and somewhat fluid. The repeal of PASPA opened the door for nationwide legalized sports betting, but recent Congressional interest in bringing the industry under federal regulation is a bit concerning. Still, there have been some really great developments since the Supreme Court gave its okay.

In fact, the movement is so rapid that the United States is expected to be the world's largest sports betting market by 2025.

Collaboration Between Sportsbooks and Professional Leagues

A variety of partnerships are already forming between gaming operators and professional sports leagues. MGM Resorts, for example, has signed eight-figure deals with the MLB, NHL and NBA. These agreements allow the gaming titan to use official league statistics and data in its sportsbooks.

Many forms of in-game wagering will be developed to make it easy for fans to engage with their teams during contests. These will be similar to the "I Called It" wager that MGM recently created with the New York Jets. In the game, fans can bet on the outcome of the next play or the next performance-based bet for a "betting underclassman." How many first downs will the Jets get in the next half? Will they score a touchdown before the end of the third quarter?

Recently we have seen a major global gaming operator, William Hill, partner with two different NHL teams. As partnerships like this continue to form, it's a safe bet that even more exclusive games and special bets will emerge.

Increased Popularity for All Leagues

When considering the impact of sports betting on professional sports leagues, one need look no further than fantasy sports, which some have called a "gateway drug" to betting. By some estimates, fantasy sports are played by at least 40 million mostly young and mostly male participants. Like any other type of betting, fantasy sports require participants to have a certain level of knowledge and interest in the players and teams they are betting on. The same will undoubtedly be true of the relationship between sports betting and the coming Big Ten cash windfall.

With a strong push toward live in-game betting, consumers will be more incentivized to watch games live, allowing them to participate in gambling activities. The impact on professional leagues will grow as gaming operators continue to look for new and innovative ways to provide betting opportunities. Before long, they'll feel foolish for ever trying to stop the expansion of sports betting in this country.

Technology-Driven Betting

Another push into ever more innovative live betting is on the horizon for US customers. As legal sportsbooks struggle to compete with offshore alternatives, operators are hoping to harness the latest technology to create an even more entertaining gaming experience. There's been talk of virtual reality, the rise of e-sports and even cyborgs!

Read ESPN’s piece on the future of sports betting here.

Building a Foundation for Betting on Sports

Before making your first sports bet, it is wise to ensure that you are familiar with the relevant terminology and the basics of being a successful novice bettor. In this section, we provide links to important articles and guides that we feel are necessary to lay the groundwork for a sports betting career.

Glossary of Online Sports Betting Terms

Some of the terminology used in this guide may be unfamiliar to you. If you are wondering what the vig (or vigorish) means, or need a definition of what exactly a prop bet is, you can consult our glossary of common online sports betting terms.

Sports Betting Frequently Asked Questions

You may also want to visit our special page of frequently asked questions about sports betting. You may be surprised to find questions there that you hadn't even considered, and yet they will go a long way towards strengthening your basic understanding of gambling.

Finding Legitimate Betting Sites

Our main goal at casino-guide.biz is to connect novice online sports bettors with the best online sportsbooks. This fits perfectly with the overall mission of our site, which is to educate our visitors about casino and betting matters, especially in the US. We take this very seriously. We want to ensure that our readers are using gambling services that are trustworthy, reliable and reputable - in stark contrast to the many scam sites out there.

If you’re interested in how we determine a US betting website’s legitimacy, check out this article:

Understanding Betting Odds

Depending on the type of bet you choose to make online, you may see the betting odds in different formats. There are actually three styles in which betting lines are always expressed:

• The simple expressed probability of a point event occurring is shown with these three types of lines: Moneyline/American;
• Decimal;
• Partial;

Moneyline (or American) odds are displayed as a three-digit number that can be either positive or negative. If the number has a "+" in front of it, that team is the underdog. The three-digit number tells you how much money you will win for every $100 you wager. So if Team A is a +300 underdog, you will win $300 on a winning bet if you bet $100.

The negative three digit number side is the favorite. They have the higher probability of winning and have the "-" in front of the odds. This number indicates how many dollars you must wager to win $100. For example, Team B is heavily favored at -275 according to the odds. To win just $100, you would have to risk $275 on the outcome.

Decimal odds are more commonly used in sportsbooks in Europe, while the moneyline is more common in the US. Fractional odds express the probability in the form of a fraction, such as 20/1. This number is read as "twenty-to-one", meaning $20 in winnings for every $1 bet. They are most commonly used in sportsbooks for betting on horse races and other bets where there is not a clear winner, such as betting on golf or betting on the outcome of an event far in the future.

For more examples of the various odds formats and the easy conversions you can make from one style to another, please see the Odds Guide linked below.

Understanding Value

The biggest mistake inexperienced players make is thinking that betting on sports is simply a matter of picking the right team or player to win. Sure, sometimes it's that simple. But more often than not, what separates winning bettors from losing ones is the ability to find positive expected value (or plus EV bets) and the willingness to take intelligent, calculated risks.

Only make bets when the real chance of winning an outcome is better than the odds say it should be. This article explains implied probability, which is the conversion of any gambling odds into a percentage, and how to use a percentage comparison to determine whether a bet is a good or bad value.

We will go much deeper into the fundamental beliefs that make for successful sports betting. And we will look at how you should approach each individual bet if you want to walk away from this scene with some profits in poker at any of the betting exchanges.

Bankroll Management

We cannot stress enough how important it is that you gamble responsibly. By understanding and practicing good bankroll management, you can structure your sports betting in a way that 1) allows you to use systems and strategies that can produce real winnings, and 2) prevents you from betting more than you intend to or falling into the kinds of patterns that problem gamblers often do (e.g., chasing losses).

In the following article, we will take a closer look at this and offer some recommendations on how to build and maintain your bankroll, as well as how to create a staking plan:

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions