Best Sports Betting Sites for Beginners

When it comes to the best sports betting sites for beginners, our top three choices are DraftKings Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook, and Caesars Sportsbook.

We understand that it’s easy to lose time scanning the web for sports betting sites, especially when there are so many for us American bettors to choose from. Time which could be better spent winning a few bucks on tonight’s game, right?

To help you quickly find the betting site best suited to your needs, we're going to show you the best sports betting sites for beginners in the US, ranked with consideration of certain factors that are crucial to choosing the best betting site. We've also broken down these factors in great detail further down the page, so you can understand just why we've ranked this list the way we have.

Best Sports Betting Sites for Beginners

1. DraftKings Sportsbook
2. FanDuel Sportsbook
   
3. Caesars Sportsbook
4. PointsBet
5. BetMGM
6. Bet365
7. Unibet
8. BetRivers
9. Betway
10. SI Sportsbook
11. WynnBET

Updated: May 22, 2023

There's no right or wrong way of choosing a betting site - what's most important is you find the one that meets your needs the best.

To help you with this, we suggest you think about the following factors when comparing online gambling sites.

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Betting Site

• Availability
• Betting features
• Betting markets
• Coverage of sports
• Welcome bonus
• Live betting
• Payment options
• Mobile betting
• Odds
• Promos
• User experience
• Customer support

Save yourself time by checking which betting sites you can use (legally). Because each state varies in how it has rolled out legal sports betting, you can’t take it for granted that you can every betting site is available. So it's best to check.

There are many reasons that impact the availability of a betting site such as the number of betting site licenses allowed, the cost of a license and the tax rate for operators, and the suitability of a certain state to a particular operator. Or the state simply not having legal sports betting.

Betting sites with the most availability between states include DraftKings Sportsbook, BetMGM, and FanDuel Sportsbook. These are the three most accessible sports betting sites currently, which can be useful if you happen to be traveling a lot between states for example. If you want to see know more about how they stack up to each other when compared side by side, check out our BetMGM vs DraftKing article as well as our FanDuel vs DraftKings article.

Further into the chapter, we'll discuss how live streaming can enhance your betting experience. But there are other features worth looking out for that can also make betting more enjoyable.

Bet Builders/Parlays

Some of these important features to look for include Bet Builders (commonly known as parlays) where you get to create your own, personalized bet. Parlays are when you combine multiple single-bets from different games to multiply your odds, or Same Game Parlays, which is just like a normal parlay except all the bets that you combine are from the same game, hence the name. Parlays are high-risk, high-reward wagers that are super fun to play and growing in popularity. It's common nowadays to see many sportsbooks offer odds boosted parlays, forms of parlay insurance, and other parlay-related promos. Just be careful, if just one leg loses in a parlay, the whole bet loses! (Something I know all too well as a parlay aficionado 😅.)

If you'd like to learn more about how parlay bets work and how to place a parlay bet, check out our article on how to place a parlay bet!

Cash Out

Cash Out is a function that allows you to settle a wager early for its "live value" before an event ends. Cashing out a bet early is great for securing a profit if you don't want to sweat out the whole game. I've had plenty of bets that I cashed out early and avoided some painful last-minute bad beats. You can also cut your losses by cashing out if your bet isn't looking like it's going to win. Some bettors are strictly 'ride or die' and refuse to cash out their bets, but smart bettors know when to take a profit and walk away, as well as when you just have to cut your losses.

Stat Hubs

Stat Hubs give you a comprehensive overview of player and team stats, they essentially act as in-app/site guides on which to base your bet. They can offer important insight that can help you decide what to bet on, as well as offering suggested bets. An informed bettor is (typically) a successful bettor.

You’ll find every betting site offers standard betting markets (Moneyline, Point Spread, Totals). But not all betting sites offer the same variety in terms of bet types.

We recommend checking the site for how extensive it covers each sport, especially the sports you know you'll be betting on. How deep does the betting site go in offering above the standard?

We’re talking about game props, team props, player props, 60 minutes props, team futures, player awards - the list of possible betting markets is seemingly endless!

Nowadays, you can wager on pretty much anything (with reason) so don’t settle for anything less than the best selection of betting markets.

While we can safely assume one of the big four major leagues is likely to be the main focus of your betting, having the opportunity to bet on a range of different sports, both at home and overseas, is something you should think about.

Firstly because it’s a good indicator of a well-rounded sports betting site. But, also, variety is the spice of life, and betting on another sport from time to time may just open your eyes to a new sport you’d never considered before. Plus, what happens when your favorite sport is in its off-season and you don’t have a sport to bet on?

Finding a betting site with a wide selection of sports not only adds more excitement to the equation but will make you a better all-around bettor in terms of understanding odds and getting to know different types of betting markets.

Betting sites give new customers welcome bonuses and bonus bets - also referred to as welcome promotions - to encourage them to sign-up. They are a great way to maximize the value of any first deposits and/or bets, so make sure you claim a welcome bonus when singing up with a betting site!

You can use a welcome bonus or sign-up offer to properly try out a betting site without putting too much of your own money at stake, although most sign-up bonuses require you to still make a minimum deposit.

We suggest using your bonus to measure the betting site across the key areas we've already discussed. Here are our favorite sports betting welcome bonus offers available for you to claim right now.

The ability to place a bet as the action unfolds is such a popular way to bet nowadays - it makes you wonder how we ever lived without it!

Live betting, or in-play betting as it's also called, gives you the opportunity to bet on the game even if it has already started. Odds fluctuate based on the events happening in the game, giving you the opportunity to call the game as you see it and quickly identify a winning bet.

Given its popularity, industry experts predict that betting companies will win and lose business in the future based on the strength of their live betting product.

Being able to put money in your betting account is important. But even more crucial is withdrawing your winnings - you don’t want to be waiting days on end for money you’ve won!

A betting site that allows many banking methods - ideally the most common options such as credit/debit card, PayPal, PayNearMe, prepaid cards - and also a good mix of online and offline methods, should be a priority.

Having many different ways to fund your account not only means you’re more likely to find the most convenient option for you, but demonstrates a high level of dependability on behalf of the betting site.

Popular Online Betting Banking Methods

• MasterCard/VISA
• PayPal
• Venmo
• ACH e-check
• Skrill
• Neteller
• Play+ Pre-Paid Card
• PayNearMe
• Online Banking Transfer
• Bank Wire Transfer
• Paper Check
• In-person

The best thing about sports betting today is how accessible it is. You can literally be anywhere in the world and place a bet at any time, day or night.

Betting apps in particular have helped transform the sports betting industry and allow us to walk about with mini-sportsbooks in our pockets.

You’ll find most US betting sites have launched a mobile betting app alongside the website. But even though the vast majority are of a very high quality, not all betting apps are up to scratch. Additionally, not all betting sites are mobile friendly if you decide to just use the site on your browser.

Looking at the odds and shopping for the best lines is worthwhile when looking at which online betting site to pick. You want the best price for your money at the end of the day and the odds determine how much you can win or lose.

You want the best bang for your buck, right?

Sports betting is known for its fine margins so any way you can find an edge is worth trying to find. There are plenty of odds comparison websites that can help you with this, though we’d suggest choosing a couple of betting sites you like the look of and comparing odds on one event.

It’s also worth noting that you won’t find any difference whatsoever between some US betting sites. The reason for this is the fact many betting sites are run by the same sports betting tech provider.

Daily promos and reward programs are aimed at existing customers, more so than beginners. But even so, knowing what’s on offer once you sign up should be something you think about.

Whether it’s an Early Payout Offer, Parlay Insurance, specific sport bonuses or offers based on certain competitions, the level of promos and offers for your favorite sports and competitions is a good indicator of what else is in store for you as a customer. There’s also an opportunity for you to get an insight into how the operator rewards loyalty.

This said, some of the top betting sites tend not to place high emphasis on promos and reward programs, choosing instead to let their product do the talking. In other words, don’t make the mistake of choosing an average betting site with a long list of promos over a more well-rounded betting site.

Usability is paramount when it comes to choosing a sports betting site. A betting site can have all the bells and whistles but if a lack of attention is paid to the complete user journey, then the site is ultimately doomed from the outset.

That’s because bettors want to find exactly what they want in the matter of seconds. Instantly if betting in-play where every second is crucial in trying to get an edge and making sure your bet is a winning one.

Top betting sites focus on making the entire customer journey - from signing up to placing a bet, as seamless as possible. We recommend try this out for yourself and assessing how easy it is to navigate the site from start to finish.

The best betting sites provide customer support around the clock. They also respond promptly to queries through a range of contact methods, including social media.

It’s early days in your life as a bettor so it’s fine if you haven’t given this much thought. But there will come a time in your betting career where you need to call upon some level of customer support. And if the service is lacking, chances are you’re going to quickly grow frustrated and take your custom elsewhere.

Customer support is a key part of a betting site and should be a factor you pay attention to.

It’s a great feeling when you find what you’ve been looking for. But we also know it can be tricky and very time-consuming.

In that respect, we hope this chapter has helped set out the kind of things you should think about and will serve as a reference when picking the best sports betting site for your betting needs.

In the meantime, here are three top tips to remember when choosing a sports betting website.

1. Know what you want from a betting site
2. Consider the whole site, not just the welcome bonus
3. You can always choose another betting site

Tips for Choosing a Sports Betting Site

Know what you want from a betting site

Okay, admittedly this sounds very simple. But before you start choosing between betting sites, have a clear idea of the kind of things you want a betting site to have. Write them down for clarity so you can refer to them if you need to.

Is it that you want a betting site that enables you to use PayPal to deposit and withdraw. Do you want a betting site that offers live streaming? Is it essential for you to find a betting site that focuses on international sports?

The upside of having a wide choice of options to choose from is you will find the right option. But you need to know what you want in the first place. In following this first piece of advice, you’ll be able to narrow down your options fairly quickly.

Don’t be blinded by bonuses!

We’ve been in your shoes before. We too have convinced ourselves that surely ‘the bigger the bonus, the better the betting site’. However, this isn’t the case.

It’s about finding the betting site that ticks many of the boxes discussed on this page. Choosing a betting site is about the long game and how it can benefit you over time and not just for five minutes. It’s about choosing the right sports betting site, not the one with the brightest lights!

You can always choose another betting site

While we take choosing a betting site seriously, we appreciate that you're not committing to a house or a car. If you decide that actually, the betting site you picked initially isn’t your cup of tea, you can go and find another site that may be more suited to your taste (of betting site, not tea!) There’s no rule that says you can’t sign up with more than one betting site!