Sports betting, probably the most popular form of gambling around the world, could be a challenging hobby but for thousands of sports fans, it is also very rewarding. In order to be successful, however, they need to have basic knowledge of the sport they are interested in and of how sportsbooks work. This is especially important when betting online as there are dozens of things to consider from online security to betting options and payment options.
And this is where 100BettingSites can provide assistance and advice to all those who want to transform their passion for sports into an entertaining and profitable hobby. This website offers honest reviews of some of the largest online sports betting sites and looks at their reliability, attitude towards their customers, and their bonus policy. It also focuses on providing sports fans with detailed information about the types of bets on offer, the special features of every online sportsbook and the best ways to make deposits and collect their winnings.
Online Sports Betting
A favourite pastime for thousands of people around the world, sports betting is widely enjoyed for combining our love for athletic achievements with the chance of winning on the outcome of the game. The origins of this form of gambling are deeply hidden in the distant past but some of the first written records are from Ancient Greece when people loved to bet on the Olympic games.
Betting on sporting events and games have apparently remained extremely popular even today when it has evolved into a billion-dollar business. In fact, thanks to technology, various inventions and, of course, the Internet, in the past 20 years, sports betting has experienced more changes than in the past two millennia. Today, sports fans invest not only passion and love in their favourite games and teams. Nowadays, they invest in the success of the teams they support and the results of major games and leagues.
There is no longer need to attend the sporting events in order to bet on them and there is certainly no need to visit a local sportsbook to place your wagers. With online sports betting, sports fans can choose from a wide variety of reliable sportsbooks that offer wagering on live events and live streaming, betting on multiple events at once, as well as the best odds available. Moreover, with mobile betting, punters can keep track of their favourite sports and place their wagers from anywhere and on any device.
How to Wager on Sports Online
In order to start placing wagers online, sports betting fans first need to make their own research and find an online sportsbook that is safe and reliable. Once they pick the right sports betting site for them, they need to register an account with that operator, which usually includes entering personal information such as name, address, email and telephone number. All reputable sportsbooks will first verify your user account before allowing you to make a deposit and place your bet.
After the verification process is complete, you need to choose your preferred payment methods such as credit cards or digital wallets and make a deposit. Now that your account has money in it, the most exciting part can begin – picking games, matches and competitions, and betting on them. Another important aspect to pay attention to is the withdrawals offered by online sportsbooks since this is how you can collect your winnings. Good, reliable sportsbooks will pay you out within a few days, depending on the payment option you have chosen. You can find more details about the banking in the following sections.
Popular Sports to Bet on
Sports betting sites allow you to wager on virtually any sport and major event around the world, which until 15 years ago was unthinkable. Today, many online sportsbooks offer bets on the most popular championships and leagues such as NBA, FIFA and UEFA’s cups, MLB (Major League Baseball), NFL, and even the Olympic Games. In addition, all sites offer betting on events traditionally popular with punters – horse racing, boxing, Formula 1, cricket, golf, and tennis.
For many sports fans, however, one of the best aspects of betting online is the fact that they can even bet on less popular or even obscure sports such as baseball, NHL, UFC, rugby, NASCAR, darts, greyhounds, snooker, cycling, motorsports, volleyball, handball, table tennis, and hurling. While many of these sports are, in fact, quite popular in some regions of the world, they are currently not getting a lot of betting attention. The main reason for this is that some of them are widely spread in countries and regions where sports betting has been illegal for years. This is about to change very soon, however, due to the latest developments around the legality of sports wagering in the United States.
Sports Betting Legislation around the World
The legal status of sports wagering in the country they reside in is the first thing punters need to be aware of before they can start betting safely and without risk of being persecuted. Each country has its own legislation when it comes to this type of gambling – some countries have extremely liberal laws that govern sports wagers and bookies, whereas others place various restrictions in order to control and regulate better this business. Other nations, on the other hand, do not permit placing bets on sports and have a complete ban on gambling.
United Kingdom
Just like most forms of gambling, sports betting is legal in the United Kingdom and it is available in thousands of betting shops and online. The industry is very well regulated under the Gambling Act of 2005, while the main governmental instrument for overseeing and enforcing the legislation is the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). All sports betting operators, online or not, are required to obtain a licence from the UKGC and to fully comply with the Gambling Act of 2005.
Failing to do so results in harsh penalties and even their licences being revoked. Although the UKGC regulates the business of sportsbooks, it rarely focuses on controlling gambling on the individual level. However, the authorities and governmental agencies, including the UKGC, persecute people who are involved in illegal gambling activities. There are not many restrictions targeting punters who use the services of perfectly legal and licensed sports betting sites – the only requirement is that they are not under the age of 18.
United States
Until recently, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) placed a federal ban on state-authorized gambling in every state. According to this piece of legislation, only four states were exempt from the ban, namely Nevada, Oregon, Delaware and Montana. However, Nevada was the only state that offered single-game wagering, whereas the others only had limited types of parlay bets, which means wagering on multiple events at once.
But May 14, 2018, became a historic date for the gambling and sports betting industry in the United States when the Supreme Court decided that PASPA infringes states’ constitutional right to control and regulate sports betting. In other words, the Supreme Court of the United States lifted the state-wide ban on sports wagering and several states have already stepped up to take advantage of the improved circumstances. These are Delaware, New Jersey and Mississippi, but more than ten other states are expected to pass sports betting legislation. Of course, Nevada continues to be a leader in this industry, offering punters betting both in venues and online.
Canada
Canada has one of the most complicated sports betting laws and the Criminal Code makes it illegal to gamble or provide gambling and sports betting services within the country. There are several exceptions, however, and Canadian punters are actually permitted to bet on the outcome of multiple matches or athletic contests such as the National Hockey League (NHL), which is incredibly popular in the country. These types of bets are called parlay bets while betting on single sports events is actually against the law.
Another thing punters in Canada should remember is that sports betting, just like other forms of gambling, is regulated at a provincial level. Moreover, online sports betting services are offered only by provincially owned corporations (known as Crown corporations) such as the Western Canada Lottery Corporation which conducts such operations on the territory of Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan, as well as in the Yukon Territory, Northwest Territories and Nunavut. The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation and the British Columbia Lottery Corporation are authorized to offer sports betting within their territories, but of course, only parlay bets (at least double) are permitted.
Australia
The laws governing sports betting in Australia are just as unique as in Canada. Generally, online sports betting is legal in the country where various state-licensed sportsbooks offer their services to Australian punters. The government, however, has introduced some restrictions on the industry, most notably with the Interactive Gambling Act of 2001, which prohibits gambling operators from offering “interactive” gaming and betting services to Australian residents.
Punters in the country can place bets on their favourite sports online as long as these are not live events. Wagering on live matches, also known as in-play betting, falls under the definition of “interactive” gambling, which makes it illegal. However, the Interactive Gambling Act of 2001 targets only operators and not customers, so sports betting enthusiasts across Australia can still place bets on live events on offshore websites.
Germany
The situation in Germany is similar – sports betting is regulated on the state level and each of the 16 German states has their own rules regarding gambling and wagering on sports. For years, gambling has been a controversial topic in the country because it is extremely popular (around all sports bettors around the world are estimated to be German), while at the same time, the government focuses on the risks associated with it such as gambling addiction. As a result, plenty of restrictions and requirements for licensing have been introduced, especially under the Interstate Treaty, which was amended several times.
Currently, German punters can place wagers on sports events with parlay and single-event betting available. When it comes to in-play or live betting, things are a bit unclear, as the Interstate Treaty forbids some types of betting on live events without providing a clear definition of what is illegal. Wagering on fantasy sports is permitted, while other types of betting often found in online sportsbooks are prohibited – social and financial betting, and others.
How to Choose a Sports Betting Site
There are dozens of licensed and fully regulated sports betting sites that provide a large variety of sports to bet on, plenty of bet types, and a safe, fair environment. The first factor to take into account when choosing an online sportsbook is your country of residence as many websites would not accept customers from restricted countries. Depending on whether you live in Europe and the UK, the United States or in Australia, for instance, you should look for a sportsbook that is licensed to offer betting services where you reside.
But there are many other sportsbook features and characteristics punters should take a look at before opening an account and betting away their money.
Sportsbook Features
Many well-established online sportsbooks have a dedicated section for news and statistics about different sports, championships and even athletes. Punters can also find detailed information about teams, scores and fixtures. Another feature that can be quite useful is the live streaming of certain sporting events so that fans can watch the matches they are interested in directly on the website they place their wagers. Most good, reputable online sportsbooks also offer dynamic odds the change throughout the game. This is especially important when you bet on live events.
Many sports betting sites can show you the odds in the format you prefer – decimal, fractional, or American. It is also important whether the sportsbook offers single, combination, or system betting, or all of them. In fact, there are many types of bets that shall be reviewed in separate articles. In addition, betting on horse and greyhound races in some online sportsbooks are often placed in separate sections so they can get the attention they deserve.
When speaking of sports betting sites, we should also focus on the navigation and convenience of the website. Some sites have really innovative, user-friendly designs where the bet slip can open in a separate window or can be pinned so that even if you browse through the website, you can easily access it and place an additional bet, remove or change bets.
Banking
One of the most important features of every sports betting website is the banking options it offers its customers. Once again, these would depend on the country the site operates in as many payment services are only regional. However, most of the large, reputable sportsbooks offer multiple options and some universally accepted services such as credit and debit cards, e-wallets, bank transfer, cheques and electronic prepaid vouchers.
Usually, deposits are free of charge and instantaneous so they show up immediately into your betting account. Withdrawals, however, are often in a “pending” status for 24 to 48 hours and customers have the option to cancel them within this period. It is also important to know that websites will also want to verify your account before processing a payout. You will need to provide a copy of your ID, credit card (both sides), and a document that shows your physical address.
Once the verification process is complete, the sportsbook can transfer your winnings to your bank account, debit card, or e-wallet. Depending on the banking method you choose, you would be able to cash out within a few hours or within a week. If you collect your winnings via a courier cheque, you may need to wait for up to 4 weeks until it reaches you. Note that withdrawals often come with a fee (a fixed fee or a percentage of the funds withdrawn). There may also be exchange fees charged by the website if you use a currency that is different from the main operational currency of the sportsbook.
Bonuses and Promotions
When choosing a good online sportsbook, punters should also compare sites’ different bonus offers in order to receive the best value for their money. Look for the welcome bonuses – sometimes, gaming and betting sites match your first deposit 100%, which means the money you can bet with will automatically double. Other websites offer risk-free first bets where they return the funds you wagered if your first bet lost. There are also plenty of cashback offers, regular promotions for seasonal events, extra winnings on certain championships, and many more.
Before claiming any bonus, however, punters need to review all promotional terms and conditions and see whether there are any wagering requirements that need to be fulfilled. Most websites require you to place wagers equal to several times the amount of the bonus before you can request a withdrawal. Some sportsbooks would also allow you to use your bonus on other forms of gambling such as casino games.
Regulation and Security
As we already mentioned, the legality and transparency of sports betting sites is very important since you are betting with real money. Punters should trust only online sportsbooks that are licensed and regulated by a reputable government or state agency such as the UK Gambling Commission. There are also regulators that grant international licenses for digital and online gambling operations. For instance, sports betting sites that are licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority have been reviewed, checked and proved to be safe, fair and reliable.
There are also several independent testing agencies and their certificate on a website guarantees fairness, trustworthiness and compliance with applicable law. One of these agencies is eCOGRA (eCommerce Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance), which oversees sites’ policies and practices regarding customer protection and their adherence to industry standards. All good online sportsbooks also have certificates from organizations that promote responsible gambling.
In addition, online safety is essential so punters should only register and bet on sportsbooks which domains start with HTTPS. This means that the communication protocol is encrypted using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) or the newer Transport Layer Security (TLS). This is basic encryption which guarantees that any user information is kept private and secure over the Internet. This includes both the personal information shared with the website and the financial transfers processed by the sportsbook’s cashier system.
Mobile Sports Betting
There are various ways to access an online sportsbook but in recent years, mobile betting emerged as a preferred choice over traditional methods such as going online via desktop or laptop computers. With the popularity of mobile devices, software developers have focused on perfecting the user experience and providing customers with as many features as possible. Nowadays, all good sportsbooks are fully mobile compatible and allow punters to keep track of various events and scores, place bets, deposit and withdraw their winnings.
Of course, live streaming of different events is also available on the go even in HD quality in many cases. Many sports betting sites can be opened directly in the browser of your mobile device, be it an iOS or Android-powered one. Modern sites built in HTML5 guarantee smartphone users smooth, effortless betting experience, user-friendly and convenient design. Usually, the only thing you need to bet from your mobile device is a reliable Internet connection, whether that would be Wi-Fi, 3G or 4G.
Some sports betting sites also have native iOS and Android apps, which need to be downloaded and installed on the device. While there are many applications available for free at Apple’s App Store, Android users will need to download the app, if available, from the sportsbook site.