Why use a site like Betting Dude?
If you are looking for a convenient and easy way to peruse all of your options when it comes to finding sports betting sites, well, you have come to the right place. Betting Dude is the world’s first comprehensive list of every single one of the world’s best sports betting sites. Not only have I neatly and meticulously organized every gambling site into convenient and easy to browse lists by category, but I also have thoroughly, objectively, and thoughtfully reviewed every site. Never before has it been easier to discover new betting sites and quickly figure out whether a certain site is going to be right for you.
I don’t know about you, but I used to find myself beyond frustrated and stressed out by how difficult it could be to learn more about most sports betting sites. My only option, aside from simply rolling the dice and signing up for a site myself, was to scour the internet, jumping from site to site to site in order to read customer reviews or, if I was lucky, I might find a mediocre, decently written review by an online gambling expert. However, these were too few and far between for my liking. Which is precisely why I decided to make Betting Dude.
This site is what I wish I had when I was familiarizing myself with all of my options in the wide world of online sportsbooks and gambling sites. I was sick and tired of spending countless wasted hours doing research — or, worse, wasting my hard-earned money, making a deposit on lackluster sports betting sites — and I figured that I probably was not alone in my annoyance. There are, after all, millions of people who enjoy online betting around the world.
So, I got an idea. Since I was spending so much of my time looking into various online betting sites anyway, why not make note of all of my findings, write useful reviews, and chronicle every site that I come across in my quest to find the best sports betting site? It seemed, to me, like a win-win. Eventually, I would find the best sports betting site for myself, plus countless other online sports bettors could have a useful resource to turn to when looking for the perfect sites to bet on sports. It was a no brainer!
As I began searching high and low, though, looking for every sport betting site that I could find, I began to notice that my interests expanded beyond just online sports betting sites. As I discovered more and more alternative (for lack of a better word) betting sites, additional ways for me to gamble and bet online, my interest in gambling sites, more generally, began to take root as well.
No doubt, my primary interest will always be online sports betting, but it surprised me how much fun I was having spending many hours (and a lot of money … but I don’t want to talk about that part) gaming in some of the many great online casinos that exist. Conveniently, as it turns out, most sports betting sites come equipped with their own online casino platforms. I began to better understand that when it comes to sports betting sites, the online sportsbook is not the only thing that matters … sometimes what separates a great sports betting site from a mediocre one is the range and quality of its features.
What is the best site for betting on sports?
Although I definitely have my preferences, I am not positive that I can answer this question so easily. Are there some sports betting sites that are just empirically better than others in certain ways? Sure. Is it possible, though, that the sports betting sites that I cannot stand are the very ones that you cannot get enough of? Absolutely. I think, if I am being completely honest, that this is a sort of misguided question to ask. Maybe instead of asking ‘what is the best site for betting on sports?’ a more productive question would be, ‘what are the best sports betting sites for me?’
Naturally, though, there are a few basic features to look for in online sports betting sites. Maybe it goes without saying, but when looking for the best sports betting site, the quality of online sportsbooks are going to be the primary concern. When you are betting on sports, you need a site that makes betting on sports as easy, expansive, and convenient as can be. You want to be able to bet on all manner of sports. You want to be able to bet on major sports, of course, like baseball, basketball, soccer, and football. But you also may want a sports betting site that offers more obscure markets as well, such as Asian handicaps, professional darts, or surfing.
Maybe you want a betting site that offers markets beyond major sports and obscure athletics. Maybe you, like me, are a fan of the novelty categories. If that is the case, you are going to want to make sure that you find a sports betting site that also lets you bet on things like entertainment, politics, or religion. These are always fun. They also offer a great way to mix things up and keep your betting mind sharp. Plus, let’s face it, our favorite sports to bet on simply just are not in season all year round. In the meantime, why not place a bet on who will win the presidential election or whether Leonardo Dicaprio will take home an Oscar this year?
So, in addition to offering a sizeable and versatile online sportsbook (with plenty of major sports to bet on and niche markets as well), the best betting sites will also have a decent online casino with plenty of slots, card games, and table games for you to play between sports betting online. What else do I look for when I am evaluating a site for online sports betting? Well, personally, I love me a good live betting platform. The best betting sites, then, in my opinion, should have plenty of live betting options.
Whether we are talking about a live casino, on which I can play poker and blackjack against real dealers, or in-play sports betting … if your website does not offer a live betting component, I’m afraid you’ll find it awfully hard to compete in this fast-paced day and age. Do most sports betting sites have live betting capabilities? Sure, they do. Does that mean that they are all equally equipped to make in-play betting as fastpaced, exciting, and easy as it could be? Absolutely not.
The best sports betting sites offer in-play sports betting that comes complete with live-streamed sports events. Think about it … when you are betting live on sports in-play, do you want to have to rely on some dated, graphical representation of where the ball is on the field, or would you rather be able to watch the game in realtime, right next to your bet slip? I am willing to bet that you would take a betting site that offered live streaming over one that didn’t any day. I like my odds on that one.
Speaking of odds, this is yet another factor that goes into choosing the best sports betting sites. Competitive odds are everything. Do I even need to elaborate on why? Nobody wants to stake money on a betting site with terrible odds. At that point, you might as well just go play the lottery. Most sports bettors tend to prefer fixed odds betting, as it provides a bit of a buffer. However, this is not the only way to bet.
I was surprised by the number of different ways there are to bet on sports. Another one that is experiencing a bit of a resurgence in popularity in the 21st century is mutual betting. Essentially, this just amounts to everyone’s bets being put into a pool. The betting site then takes a predetermined cut of the winnings and what is left is split amongst the winners. It’s an interesting idea, for sure, but it is not for everyone and I totally understand why. Depending on the flat rate charged by the sport betting site in question, the risk may not be worth the reward.
Nevertheless, this is one of the things that you will have to figure out before being able to land on the best sports betting sites for you. Remember, the best online betting sites are less a matter of which sites are objectively good and more a matter of which sports betting sites are going to be the best for you. I think that reading a few of my betting site reviews will quickly help you to understand what features, betting styles, etc. are going to be right for you.
Where can I make sports bets?
Given the sometimes complex nature of international laws when it comes to gambling sites, where you can make sports bets is a pretty complicated thing to figure out. There are a lot of factors, in other words. There are also a few ways that we can define the term “where.” If you are trying to find sports betting sites in the United States, for instance, you can try to Google things like “betting US,” “bets US, or “sports betting sites US” all you want, but you will still likely have a difficult time finding decent sports betting sites that allow US players.
One of the biggest challenges that I had, actually, when taking stock of all of these sports betting sites was to find an online sportsbook that accepted players from every country in the world. It all depends on where the sport betting site in question obtained its gambling license, what the internet gambling laws are of your country (or sometimes state if in the US), and sometimes the whims of the company in question.
Depending on target demographics and level of business development or capabilities, some sports betting sites simply have not yet been able to extend their reach to your country for one reason or another. Like I said, there are tons of potential reasons as to why some sports betting sites may not be available where you are — more often than not, though, that reason is legal. Why wouldn’t an online sportsbook want to reach as many sports bettors as possible, right?
There is a way that a few more forward-thinking sports betting sites have found to get around the usual restrictions by country. One of the cleverest ways to sidestep legal concerns when it comes to sports betting online is to find sports betting sites that accept cryptocurrencies like bitcoin. This is an increasingly expanding market in the world of online sports betting.
In fact, in my opinion, the marriage between cryptocurrency and online betting sites makes a lot of sense. At the very core of the spirit of bitcoin is a sense of security, encryption, anonymity, and decentralization. Every single one of these traits is invaluable to sports betting sites. Obviously, you want to make sure that you find an online betting site that provides top-notch security — nobody wants their money or personal information to end up missing or in the wrong hands.
Bitcoin, being the monetary equivalent of encryption itself, is far and away the safest and most secure way to deposit and withdraw funds on the internet. Honestly, if I had to make a prediction, I would put money on Bitcoin becoming the most common currency used to bet on sports online within the next 10 to 15 years. Most of the top sports betting sites already offer Bitcoin as an accepted currency. There are some betting sites, too, that only allow players to place bets online with various cryptocurrencies.
In addition to safety, anonymity, encryption, and opening the doors for players to bet online regardless of where they live, there are some more practical benefits to betting with crypto as well. For one thing, crypto offers faster deposit and withdrawal speeds. Bitcoin, due to its decentralized nature, doesn’t have to be processed through a bank. Therefore, there is much less (if any) red tape. Make a Bitcoin deposit in seconds. Receive your withdrawals in a matter of minutes.
Oh, and did I mention the lack of fees? Again, seeing as there are no banks involved with Bitcoin (and other forms of crypto), you are able to make the most of your deposit. Why should you lose any of what you earn when online sports betting? Find online sports betting sites that accept Bitcoin and you won’t have to.
If you are more of a traditionalist when it comes to your sports betting sites, you may find that your options are relatively limited, especially if you live in the United States, but there are some US-friendly sites out there that let you partake in online sports betting (at your own risk) with your hard-earned dollar as well. This is, granted, much less common, but it is possible.
If this is the case, you’ll just have to browse through my list of reviews of sports betting sites in order to figure out which online sportsbooks accept bets from the US. If you live in either Nevada or New Jersey, though, you are in luck. Most sites that offer online sports betting services to the United States at all only allow players from these 2 states (thanks to their relatively lax laws on gambling, of course).
What is the best betting site in the world?
Once again, I’m afraid this is a matter of what it is that you value in a betting site. Us bettors, we are all unique. We are all looking for a slightly different brand of action. Some of us want betting sites that put all of their effort towards providing the best online sportsbook you can imagine. Others of us don’t care about the online sportsbooks so much and just want a great place to play some live poker with real dealers. Others of us still only care about betting exchanges or mutual bettong online.
So, with that in mind, you see how it might be difficult for me to pick just one! I do, however, have a list of what I have deemed to be the best 50-ish online betting sites. These sites are mostly geared towards those of us who are interested in online sports betting, but the majority of them do tend to go above and beyond merely just providing online sports wagers.
The best betting websites all do share a few things in common. They all provide a fine blend of quality and quantity when it comes to their features. Whether you are looking to make a sports bet or play slot machines until the morning light, these sites have plenty of features, all of which are delivered on a site that is impeccably designed, user-friendly, and great for mobile and desktop experiences alike. I cannot stress enough how important it is to me to find online betting sites that care about sleek, modern, professional, and immersive site design. I don’t care how competitive or versatile your sportsbook is; if it is not presented in a way that makes it enjoyable and easy to use, what does it matter?
Another aspect that is shared by all online betting sites, one that is, I think, too frequently overlooked, is excellent customer service. I mean, let’s face facts for a moment, shall we? Online gambling outfits, generally speaking, do not have the most stellar, spotless reputations as far as customer service is concerned. This is, of course, one reason why a site like Betting Dude is so useful.
Maybe you, too, have heard horror stories of players being denied their earnings or online gambling sites that randomly shut down players’ accounts without warning, making it impossible for them to retrieve their (sometimes sizeable) deposit money. Or, even worse yet, online betting sites that are nothing more than flimsy scams to collect bank account information.
This is why making sure that your online betting service of choice is A.) vetted and B.) provides top-notch customer service. What does excellent customer service look like? Well, the best online betting site in the world will offer live customer support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. One never knows when he or she is going to encounter an issue.
Maybe it is 3:00 in the morning and you are, for some reason, unable to make a withdraw. Maybe it’s a couple of days before Christmas and your payout still has not made its way into your bank account — your kids’ gifts depend on that money! Perhaps it is Sunday morning, hours before the big game and the site is not letting you make a deposit. Of course, if you don’t make a deposit on time, you won’t be able to bet on the game. With a 24/7 customer support line (or live chat function), your online betting site of choice can ensure that you will never be left helpless — when it comes to being able to access one’s money, of course, this is infinitely important.
What of bonuses and promotions? Whether you are looking to bet on sports or try your hand at online casino games, chances are that you want a site that makes you feel welcome. There are a few ways for a site to do this … some sports betting websites have some incredible sign-up bonuses. If you know what you are looking for, you can play a variety of different sites strategically, taking advantage of the sometimes rather generous bonus deals.
These can include no risk guarantees on your first sports bet, a deposit match (up to a certain dollar amount), X number of free spins or free plays on the slots machines. Finding out which sites have the best bonus promotions going on and then signing up at just the right moment can be a way to triple or quadruple your potential earnings if you really know what you are doing.
I know what you are thinking … that sounds like a lot of work, and aren’t there sites that let me bet on sports online or play casino games that just have decent ongoing promotions that I can take advantage of when they come up? Well, absolutely there are. This is just another factor that players can take into account when it comes time to pick the best online casino or sportsbook for them. Some sites, naturally, tend to have better bonus offerings and evergreen promos — this is just another thing to look for as you go through and read my reviews.
Is there anything else I should know before I begin betting on sports online?
Don’t forget to have fun! That is why we do this, is it not? At the core, anyway, of why we like to bet on sports … isn’t it because it gives us a rush? Whether you bet on sports or you play poker or you enjoy the video slot machines, you probably do it because you like how it makes you feel. Maybe you like the risk of chance-taking. Maybe you feel on top of the world when you play a strategically impressive hand in poker. Maybe you pride yourself on your sports knowledge and, thus, making a high-wager bet on your favorite sports gives you the ultimate high.
Or maybe you are thinking, ‘What in God’s name are you talking about? I do it because I like money, idiot.” That is certainly a valid reason as well. Placing a bet on our favorite sports would be much less exciting if there weren’t any stakes, if there was nothing to be gained or lost by the outcome, I’ll grant you that. And along those lines, I will also leave you with this: bet wisely.
It can be shockingly easy to lose money on these sites if you do not know how to bet strategically. You don’t want to just bet the house on a gut feeling. Sure, you could earn a new house that’s twice as nice, if you are lucky, but the reality remains: if you are not betting intelligently, there is a good chance that you will just end up without a house at all. There are plenty of resources out there, whether you want to place sports bets or play poker online. Take advantage of them.
This is also why I have included a list of sites here specifically for betting tips and odds. Whether you are just venturing on your first sports betting experience or you are looking to place your 500th bet, I strongly urge you to take a look at these sites as well. The best sports bettor, after all, is the most knowledgeable sports bettor. In addition to arming yourself with general betting tips, stay up to date with sports news, live scores, and player stats. You can find resources for all of these matters on Betting Dude as well.
With that, the ball’s in your court now. I sincerely wish you the best of luck, and I truly hope that you find this site to be a helpful resource that you return to often. I have made Betting Dude 100% free to use, as well as 100% ad-free because I believe that everybody deserves to be able to access information like this. I see this not only as a way to help my fellow bettors figure out which sites will be best for them but also as a way to hold betting sites accountable, to raise the bar as it were.
In response, all I ask is that you come back and visit every time you are curious about a betting site or need to find sports betting resources of any kind. Oh, and if you want to share my site with your friends and/or family … that would be awesome as well!
Either way, I hope that you are able to find the best sports online betting site for you. Now, let’s go win some money!