A whole new world of sports betting

No longer do sports bettors need to ‘chance it’ using offshore and illegal betting sites.

Depending on the status of sports betting in your state, it is now possible to wager legally within a regulated market, safe in the knowledge licensed betting operators will play a fair game!

Before you read on, it's important to highlight we only compare and review fully licensed operators at United Gamblers.

You can expect all sports betting sites featured to be:

• authorized to operate in legalized state
• reputable companies
• transparent regarding payments

"How does one decide on a betting site?"

The thing is, it all comes down to personal choice. As much as we can suggest one as the best, it all depends on what you like and what you're looking for.

Bonuses? Odds? Sport? What's important to you?

Once you know, you should be able to narrow down your options and able to identify exactly what you're after. Faster too.

In order to point you in the right direction, here's some factors to think about.

Betting bonuses

They come in many shapes and sizes. And choosing the right betting bonus can provide a significant boost to a betting career in its infancy.

While this is the number one factor for most bettors, it's important to not become blinded with the size of the bonus and how much ‘free money’ you can make.

In the long run, other factors such as user experience and availability of specific lines will become more important.

Mobile app

Does the app accommodate your device? How does it perform?

In time, mobile sports betting will be par for the course in the majority of states - it may even be live already where you reside.

If this is the case, opportunities to wager are literally infinite - daily commute, on the sofa, in bed - you’ll want to take advantage of such a luxury whenever you can.

You want an app that fully caters to your needs

But you want an app that fully caters to your needs, otherwise what’s the point?

For instance, it needs to be able to run on your mobile’s operating system, while you need to have the necessary storage space for it to run smoothly - nobody has time for an app constantly lagging.

Functionality and how user-friendly an app is should also play a part in your decision process, especially if you’re new to sports betting.

The best app will be uncomplicated in its design and language used, guaranteeing you find the wagers you want with minimum fuss.

Functions & features

Can you cashout, bet in-play, live stream games?

Comparing a betting site in 2019 compared to one on the market ten years ago is like chalk and cheese. They couldn’t be more different.

Sports betting operators have embraced the technology boom of the last decade by rolling out numerous features to enhance the overall experience of a bettor.

Take Live-In Game betting for instance. Being able to bet on a game whilst its ongoing has revolutionised the industry.

At the same time, it’s possible to live stream events you have a vested interest in, as well as cashout of a bet before the final whistle should you decide to quit while ahead or cut your losses.

It’s standard practice for all (good) sportsbooks to offer such functions and features. But some sites will excel in certain areas and vice versa.

Competitive lines/odds

Have you shopped around?

The motive behind wanting to wager can vary from bettor to bettor.

For some, the pure adrenaline of wagering is enough. For the majority though, sports betting is a nice side hustle we can dip in and out of.

In any case, you’ll want to find a sportsbook offering the best bang for your buck.

You may not think that searching for that extra half point matters, at least not initially. However, in the long run, it can add up and seriously impact your bottom line.

Set aside some time to go over the lines on offer across the board. Not only will this help maximise potential profits, it may well prove the difference between a winning wager and one that falls by the wayside.

Variety of sports & betting markets

Does your favorite sport feature?

Looking beyond the big four major leagues is something to consider when choosing the sportsbook for you.

What happens when your favorite sport is in the off season and there’s not much to bet on? You want a good range of sports to maintain interest and keep that bank balance ticking over.

A range of sports and a healthy number of betting markets

At the same time, you’ll want this complemented with a healthy number of betting markets beyond the traditional ones such as money line, point spreads, totals etc.

Bettors crave variety. The type of markets available nowadays can border on comical, e.g. The Super Bowl coin toss, but, equally, can also be an interesting alternative to dip into and have fun with.

You never know betting on the player to score the most points or a team to have a certain number of corners, as in soccer, could be your new favorite market to wager on.

Payment methods

Is your preferred payment method available?

The majority of US sportsbooks provide bettors with several ways to pay; the major methods, i.e. Credit/Debit card and e-wallets are pretty much a given across all sites, while the availability of prepaid cards and bank transfers vary from sportsbook to sportsbook.

Ultimately, the method you select should be convenient for you and allow for deposits and withdrawals to be made efficiently and hassle free.

The aim of each state to legalise sports betting is to then go on and launch an industry whereby residents can wager from a mobile device without restrictions.

As it stands, this is possible in the following states:

• New Jersey
• Pennsylvania
• West Virginia
• Indiana

The Garden State currently leads the way with the number of online sportsbooks launched. Among the names: Daily Fantasy Sports giants: DraftKings, FanDuel; established U.S casinos: playMGM, Caesars, SugarHouse; sports betting mainstays: William Hill, 888 Sport and America’s fastest growing online bookmaker with its roots Down Under, PointsBet.

Pennsylvanians have a choice of three online sportsbooks with, SugarHouse, BetRivers (sister company of SH) and Parx Casino up and running. FanDuel are also due to join the ranks in the not too distant future, further increasing competition in The Keystone State.

Meanwhile, bettors in Indiana are set to have a host of options to choose from. DraftKings and BetRivers were first in following the early October launch.

Finding the best online sportsbook for you

It’s still early days for the US sports betting industry but competition between betting sites is already vigorous. For you, as a sports bettor, this is great news.

As in any industry, companies challenging one another to be the best, allows customers to find the product they like most.

By having a range of sportsbooks to choose from, all with strengths and weaknesses and unique way of doing things, bettors are able to find a site in line with their own needs and taste.

As we’ve discussed, this can extend across a number of areas. One could base their decision to sign-up on sport, promos, pricing of odds, range of sports, depth of betting markets, payment methods, functionality of site/app, user interface - the list is almost endless.

The majority of sportsbooks have honed in on specific areas to find their niche in the market and guarantee a share of users.

Football is by far the nation’s favorite sport to watch. The appeal of NFL and it’s showpiece event, The SuperBowl, has seen its popularity extend out of the states too - even England.

If you hadn’t once considered adopting an NFL team, it’s likely you’ve done so now, not least for conversation sake or social occasions where its against house rules to sit on the fence!

It’s no surprise then to see Football a primary feature of every sportsbook on the market; in the list of sports offered by a betting site, the NFL will always top the sports betting menu.

But what are the main qualities of a good sportsbook for NFL betting? What you should be looking for exactly? We have identified the following to be the most important:

• Range of markets
• Ability to bet in-play
• Good amount of in-play markets
• Cash-out function
• Live streaming

It’s hard to look past DraftKings and FanDuel in terms of offering the best variety of markets and wagers.

DraftKings leave rivals for dead with their NFL offering

Football fans are able to bet on ‘mini events’ within a game to ensure there’s money riding on every phase of play, say, whether Aaron Rodgers next pass will reach a teammate for instance. Or when then the next penalty will be called - most likely ‘soon’ if Morgan Moses has anything to do with it!

Betting on the Super Bowl

First weekend of February. Folks are round. Buds are chilling. Food is grilling. Weird and wonderful halftime shows. It can mean only one thing: The Super Bowl Final.

The season finale is simply a do not miss! And the sportsbooks will make sure you don’t either with heaps of promos around the game to cash in on.

You can expect your sportsbook to hand out more bonus offers than normal given the significance of the game, making it the ideal time to sign up with a new sports betting site.

Now you have the opportunity to wager safely and securely within a regulated industry, there’s little concern regarding if you’re going to be paid out. That is now a given, thankfully.

Now the focus is on how quickly you receive your money. Once the funds have hit your betting purse, you can then proceed to withdraw to your bank account.

Withdrawal times vary for every sportsbook

What constitutes a reasonable time frame to process a can depend on how patient one is. Understandably though, sports bettors want their money as soon as possible.

Processing and withdrawal times will vary at every sportsbook and is dependent on the payment method used.

Below, we’ve outlined some of the typical minimum/maximum payout times:

• DraftKings: 48 hours/7 days
• FanDuel: 24 hours/7 days
• SugarHouse: Instant/5 days
• 888 Sports: 48 hours/5 days
• BetStars: 2 hours/10 hours
• William Hill: 24 hours/28 days

And the fastest is…

Use the SugarHouse Play+ Card and you’ll receive winnings instantly - hard to argue with that service.

Withdrawals at William Hill made via Skrill, PayPal, Neteller take 24 hours to complete with the same time frame applicable to FanDuel when using the FanDuel Prepaid card or PayPal.

888 Sport and DraftKings rank among the slowest with customers paid winnings no quicker than 48 hours.

Major League Soccer (MLS) may barely make the daily sports bulletins in the states. But interest in a sport referred to as ‘the beautiful game’ in mainland Europe, is certainly picking up.

You’ll find each of the sportsbooks launched will cover soccer in some capacity given its global appeal. But only a select few cover soccer in depth.

888 Sport is the standout soccer betting site in the US

Its extensive coverage spans numerous countries and leagues. Alongside the bigger and more recognised competitions - FIFA World Cup, UEFA Champions League, English Premier League and, of course, the MLS, wagers can be placed on the some of the smaller and more obscure national leagues in Czech Republic, Denmark and Poland for example.

On any given day, 888 Sport can have in excess of 33,000 individual wagers active - a joy to behold for any soccer fanatic.

As you read above, there are various components that go into the making of a betting site.

And, there’s a lot to consider when choosing the right one.

With that in mind, just what is a good betting site? We recommend using the following as a yardstick:

User experience

First impressions last. Even more so with a limited window of time to impress, the case for betting sites in the thick of some stiff competition.

Is the site easy to navigate? How does it look aesthetically? Does the page respond quickly? How does the site shape up having asked these questions?

We all invest a lot of time and money in betting sites. In return, we expect a product that delivers, at least on the basics. You can have all the betting features and pretty pictures in the world but if a site fails with the fundamental stuff, what does it say about the rest?

Betting features

Certain features have revolutionised how we bet - it’s hard to imagine what life was like before we could bet in-play or cashout for example.

We’ve already alluded to some of the best features you should be on the lookout for: in-play betting, cashout, live streaming.

Given the technology avilable today, the majority of sportsbooks should be able to accomodate such features.

Deposit/Withdrawal methods

A diverse set of banking options is a healthy sign and points towards a good betting site.

As a bettor, you want to be able to choose the way you intend to deposit and withdraw, not have the decision made for you by a lack of options.

This is a vital ingredient for betting sites in attracting and retaining customers. The subject of money is always a sensitive subject. Issues with not being able to move money how you like can be seriously off-putting.

Final thoughts

To conclude, there is no one-size-fits-all betting site.

Each are unique in their own way. Some you will like, others you won’t.

United Gamblers will be on hand with pointers and advice but ultimately it’s up to you to decide which sports betting site is best.