Betting info for new and existing players

Navigating the complex world of sports betting online can at times be very problematic. Depending on what your specific requirements are will determine on which bookmaker will suit you best. There are many distinct differences between the vast number of operators we have reviewed; but with objective and detailed reviews covering every aspect of the sportsbook, we will guide you in making the right choices. We will delve deeper into topics including bonuses, security at the sportsbook, depositing/withdrawing, payout rates, in-play arenas and much, much more.

Who we are

Contents

We are passionate about sports betting online, and more specifically, we are a team of enthusiasts that enjoy the pleasure of helping people realise the enjoyment of this fantastic pastime. Our team is comprised of multi-national experts who have industry experience and collectively possess an expert knowledge on all aspects of global sports gambling. We envisioned to create a central hub for sportsbook enthusiasts and people that need quality information. Being particularly dissatisfied with the current information available to new players at sportsbooks and feeling like this was something we could drastically improve, we set ourselves the task of making the most comprehensive guide for online betting on the internet.

Using stringent testing methods, and judging sites objectively based on a series of important KPI’s, we can categorise the bad sites from the good, and make detailed observations for our readers that cut through all the marketing and unorganised promoting that this industry is plagued with. With us, the information is always going to be the most up to date, and the most real.

Our approach to online betting analysis

Our approach to evaluating the industry is always thinking through the eyes of a new player. We look for beauty in the simplicity of a product and always pay attention to micro-functionalities of a platform, as the devil is in the detail. We want to make reviews that will be easy to understand and offer a deeper insight into a platform than any other review services on the internet. The only way this is possible is by investing time into researching the product and then utilising our intense topical knowledge to make justifiable assessments.

We have a very firm idea of what we consider to be perfection, and when you delve deeper into this site, you will see that very few of the services out there meet this stringent standard of evaluation. But being so heavily critical on bookmaker services allows us to make realistic and helpful recommendations to our readers, our ‘Check Sheet’ system allows us to examine and compare every aspect of a product against the market. We then use the resulting data to corroborate the quality of any product under our review.

Independence and objectivity

Due to the expertise of our cross-functional team, we can bring you the most well-researched and highest quality reviews. We possess no hidden agenda or bias towards a certain product, we are solely an independent organisation, and will always provide you with the most objective and realistic criticisms and/or praises of a product. Due to our industry experience and passion for sports betting, the process of reviewing is unique, some might say that we set the bar too high, but as this industry is becoming increasingly overpopulated by false pioneers and imposters, somebody must clean it up. We have taken that responsibility gladly. We invite you to support this cause by following our recommendations, that are all based on research, data and experience.

Science and passion for betting online

Analysing the differences between products is something we have refined down to a science. With the use of data, self-developed analytical tools and an instinct for sports, we are able to give well-structured and relevant points of comparison across an abundance of performance criteria at any product related to online betting. It is no coincidence that this team is filled with people who possess a burning passion for sportsbooks and are self-confessed data nerds! It is this that we believe has created the winning formula when it comes to producing the world’s most comprehensive and accurate assessment of the global industry.

Knowledge and experience

The only way we can offer you such a unique insight into the betting industry is through our varied experience and intense topical knowledge of all the fundamentals. Our knowledge of sportsbooks is bolstered by years of studying the industry, assessing countless strategies, making mistakes, and for some members working within gambling companies. With this unique skillset our team possesses, we can assess the gambling industry from the side of not just the player, but also from the operators. With this combined functionality our team can draw upon, the work we have created is extensive and detailed.

Our journalistic approach works well in bringing you clearly presented and substantive content across every topic related to betting, no matter how insignificant it may seem, we will analyse it exhaustively with our expert lenses, so you don’t have to. If you’re somebody with a limited knowledge on the modern era of online betting 2019, or if you would just like to brush up on certain topics to understand the new dimensions of this technologically revolutionised world of gambling, then this is for you.

Voice of experts

If you’re a new customer at a betting site and you’re struggling to get a foothold, or if you’re currently searching for a site that will meet some specific criteria, then you need the assistance of a team of experts. With the guides we have prepared for you across this website, you can be assured that your experiences at the sportsbook will drastically improve. We aim to make gambling a fun and safe experience for all of our readers. Although this sounds like a very simple objective, reaching the maximum potential of online betting sites takes a certain level of expertise.

Key factors compared

When we’re dissecting a site for the first time, there are a few key factors that must be evaluated in order to pass a judgement on the quality of the product we are dealing with. In the following paragraphs, we will delve deeper into these sections that confirm or deny the value of a product online. When opening an account for the first time, it is helpful to know exactly what this operator strengths and weaknesses are. Even the very best betting sites have weaknesses, and it would be naïve to simply think the biggest and most well-known operators cover every single aspect in the best way possible. It is certainly not like this, and there are several factors of online gambling that certain companies specialise in, whether that be continuing bonuses/promotions for their customers, or a healthy variety of payment options covering all financial requirements.

Welcome bonus

Welcome bonuses, or new account offers, are very common throughout the sports betting industry. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to find a bookmaker that didn’t provide a financial incentive to open an account. Bookmakers are often changing the welcome bonuses they offer and compete against one another to maintain the most lucrative and attractive promotions for the many people out there looking to open accounts at online betting sites. There are two questions you must ask yourself as a new player when encountering a welcome bonus, they concern the potential for profit and the difficulty of the conditions attached to the deal. If you are looking at the vast range of offers currently available to new players and feeling a bit confused or lost on where to go, then the following sections are for you. Look below as we dive into one of the most exciting and well-marketed aspects of the sportsbook.

Bonus types

There are two types of promotions for customers making online bets. Those being the ‘Free Bet’ and ‘Bonus’. They are distinctly different in their functionality at the sportsbook and it is vital you understand the differences in order to avoid potential miscalculations and losses.

The ‘Free Bet’ is very straightforward, technically speaking. It comes in the form of a token, that can be put on something all at once, but your stake will not be returned in the process. Free Bets are completely non-withdrawable until they have been staked and turned into cash. These are sometimes offered to new customers in bundles or packages. An operator might give you 3 x tokens when you make a first qualifying deposit, these can be used separately from each other, but the whole token must be used each time. When you win, you will not receive the value of the token back in your winnings, and only the net winnings will be rewarded, but as cash. These tokens also have expiry periods, so be sure to check with your chose operator if you have a certain time-frame in which to use the Free Bet tokens.

The second type of offer is a ‘Bonus’ or ‘Deposit Match’, as it is sometimes referred. With this, you will receive a sum of promotion funds on top of an initial deposit that you can use freely to bet with. This is non-withdrawable until all the terms and conditions attached have been satisfied. Players usually have to play through a bonus up to 6 times before they are able to withdraw, this is often referred to as the rollover or wagering requirement. Also, a minimum odds level is set to determine what qualifies toward the roller/wagering requirement, the bookmaker might say only bets with odds greater than 4/5 (1.80) contribute toward the rollover/wagering requirement, this is referred to as a qualifying bet.

T&C’s for bonuses

When it comes to the Terms and Conditions of a betting site, there is perhaps no section that bears more importance to the new player than the Bonus T&C. These are often overlooked or misinterpreted by inexperienced players and this leads to countless problems including the miscalculation and loss of funds.

There are two primary factors that you must be aware of before entering into a bonus with a betting site. Understand the rollover/wagering requirement, that is exactly how much money you will be required to bet of the bonus until it will be released to you as cash. And secondly, you need to consider how high the odds levels are that constitute a ‘Qualifying Bet’, if these are astronomically high, it is probably going to be difficult for you to get any money out of this offer. Once you have found a satisfactory combination of conditions, ideally low wagering requirements no higher than 6 times and minimum odds levels no higher than 4/5 (2.0), and you’re onto a decent deal. With the minimum odds levels this amount is a cumulative amount, so you could have two selections that combine to make odds of 1.8 when placed in a double, but be aware that individual selections also have limits, make sure the individual selection minimum odds level is being adhered to even if the cumulative odds level is ok – most times this around the 2/5 (1.4) mark.

Always pay attention to the time frame limit on the betting online offer and be aware of any payment method or geo-location restrictions that would prevent you from being eligible. Also, betting promotion are strictly for new customers, bookmakers have many verification processes they enforce making it impossible for the same person to use an offer twice. Always give a valid address and personal details when signing up to ensure you have no problems with withdrawals at a later stage.

Ongoing promotions

Betting sites have a knack of rewarding loyalty at their sportsbooks. This is often and most commonly referred to as a ‘Loyalty Bonus’ and you will receive these approximately every 4-6 weeks at a quality site where you are making regular deposits and bets. There are many types of ongoing rewards that can be sport specific or even match specific.

In football (soccer) lots of sportsbooks like to reward customers making accumulator bets with an increased return percentage that increases given the number of selections on their bet. Football (soccer) match specific bets often crop up for big games where you might be offered a free bet to bet with if you make a qualifying bet on the match pre-match, see bet365 for top-quality in-play football offers. There are also insurance style promotions that cover an accumulator loss if one selection fails and many highest odds guarantee promotions across a range of exciting sports. Always keep a close look at the ‘Promotions’ section of every sportsbook you’re interested in, as some of the ongoing promotions might be exactly what you’re looking for!

Various types of promotions

Bookmakers tend to offer a very varied distribution of promotions for their customers. For sports that are very well served and attract a high betting volume, there are numerous exclusive promotions. In football, punters can expect to enjoy promotions focused on the accumulator bet type. Many operators offer an ‘Accumulator Boost’ promotion that focuses on the football markets of Europe. Simply make a series of selections from qualifying divisions within the sport and if your bet wins, you will be in for a small boost to the winnings. These types of promotions tend to increase your likelihood of making riskier bets as you’ll be tempted into adding more selections to the betslip. Be aware of making too many selections as these play into the hands of the operator perfectly.

Another type of popular promotion operator loves to offer is the odds boost for games. These tend to be offered on a weekend fixture list, a few games will be offered as a combination bet were the overall odds have been boosted by 20% or so. Again, be careful with these bets as the bookmaker is making the selections and tempting you into a bet you have not chosen.

Mobile specific bonuses

Betting online with mobile is quickly becoming the medium in which bookmakers receive the highest volume of bets. To service this growing demand, they sometimes offer unique bonuses for mobile bettors. You have to keep your eyes peeled at the top operators when you sign-up because several of them offer unique bonus amounts when you make an initial deposit through your mobile phone, or you place a qualifying bet.

Bonuses on mobile tend to be the same as any regular betting bonuses. You can also enjoy all the regular ongoing promotions from your mobile device. There is no technical difference for the bookmaker in terms of a user who places a bet via a desktop computer or one who bets through the dedicated app. Therefore, all bonuses that are available at a bookmaker, will be available on your mobile. But sometimes you may just get lucky, and catch an exclusive betting bonus just for the mobile app.

In-play betting offers

The in-play arena is incredibly crucial for a modern punter. In order to service this demand, betting companies have developed first-class platforms that can handle the complexities of live wagering. If you’re particularly keen to place bets on live markets and receive a bonus financially, then you can certainly find operators willing to help you when betting online. A classic in-play offer would be for a user to place a pre-match bet and then receive a free bet token for use on the in-play markets once the game has begun, to the same value as their pre-match bet. The majority of offers can be utilised on both pre-match and in-play markets – but on occasion, a lucrative in-play offer comes around. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled at the top betting sites on this page for the latest and best in live promotions.

VIP & loyalty sportsbook schemes

There is nothing better than being rewarded for the loyalty you show to a product. Whether it be a simple piece of recognition from the service provider or financial reimbursement – it all leads to the improved customer experience. There are many ways that bookmakers love to utilise their power of leveraging loyalty from the customer base. There are some operators that do this a lot better than others. As a general rule of thumb, if you’re making consistent bets (5+ a week) and you don’t receive at least one free bet every 6-8 weeks, then you should consider finding a new place to bet. The potential for loyalty bonuses is raising as the competition in the industry intensifies. Bookmakers know they have to go above and beyond to capture the business of the modern punter.

A plethora of sports to bet upon

There are numerous reasons to bet online these days. One of the best and most prevalent being the unlimited options that come with turning to an online sportsbook. As you can probably tell, there are plenty of sports markets available at betting sites ranging from obscure sports such as Beach Volleyball and Figure Skating, up to the leading markets in Football, Horse Racing and Tennis. Throughout all of these betting markets, the ethos remains the same, give as much coverage as possible to the punter, make sure each fixture within the sport is well served with a healthy variety of markets, and utilise the technology of in-play to create a fantastic betting experience once the game has begun.

If you are particularly interested in certain sport, then make sure to do your due diligence on the betting site. Some companies specialise in certain sports, and it would be wise to check out certain data points such as market availability and specific bonuses for these sports. There is a big difference when it comes to market availability too.

The competitive edge of tournaments

Betting on tournaments is a fantastic way to enjoy the thrills of sports gambling. You can either chose a sport that you are directly interested and see what tournaments are available or just go straight ahead with up-front outright betting across numerous tournaments. The beauty of tournament betting is that nothing is completely mutually exclusive, therefore we can expect the teams involved to operate more predictably when it comes to crunch time. Betting on major tournaments such as World Cup’s or European club tournaments is always different to domestic wagering. It is often hard to predict an outcome if the teams are meeting each other for the first time in the tournament as there is no past matches data to go off. With that being said, you can often utilise the knowledge gained from other games in the tournament to make an accurate assessment of how the upcoming fixtures may pan out.

The three main betting types explained

When it comes to sports bet types there are three options that can be used. The majority of people make either one of two similar bet types. Single bets, this being where one selection is chosen and a stake amount are selected to back that singular selection. Another common way of betting is to choose 2 or more selection in a combination bet, all selections must win for the bet to win in this case. These multiple selection bets are anywhere from 2 selections (double) up to 15 selections (accumulator), and everywhere in between. The obvious advantage here being you receive a much larger payout as all the odds are multiplied together – making it a very risky but potentially very rewarding way to bet.

Another popular way to put money on sports is via the very popular betting online with a system option. Here you will be breaking up a stake into a series of smaller bets, all covering different combinations from a list of pre-defined selections. The bets are then won or lost individually, and this can total up to a very significant profit if a large portion of the higher odds bets you placed actually return a win.

Market variety and availability is crucial

The availability of markets to bet upon is a crucial factor for any punter entering a new sportsbook. There is perhaps nothing more crucial to an enjoyable betting experience than having the ability to bet on any outcome possible for a game that you are obsessed with. High-quality operators will service their users in such a way that gives the idea of anything is possible for betting. There will be hundreds of markets for football matches, and if you can’t see the market you wish to bet upon, then fire a quick message to the customer service team and they’ll come back to you with odds for your tailored market. This is the experience that we as passionate punters have come to expect, and deserve. For tournament online betting specifically, Antepost markets are certainly an important factor. These markets are gambling on the final outcomes of the tournament and not just individual matches – i.e Top goalscorer, or, To win the trophy.

The quality of the odds & bookmaker payout rate

The amount of money we receive from winning a bet is not something that is the same at all bookmakers we go to. This is because they all set their own odds levels for the sports events taking place. But with that comes an opportunity to always seek a better price, as a punter who bets regularly, it is worth looking across the betting industry for prices on a bet you are planning to make as you may be very surprised about the difference in odds levels.

In terms of payout, we always want to receive what we perceive to be the true odds of an event. If we bet on a coin toss of a cricket match at a betting site, the real chances of it coming in heads are 50%. But when we consider the payout rates at a betting company, the odds of 1.95 would be given for either the heads or tails. This creates a margin of guaranteed profit for the bookmaker if there is a nearly even distribution of bets on both sides, which over thousands of bets, there usually is.

Betting odds & probabilities

Odds are a very important part of betting as we can use them to effectively dictate the markets we want to bet on. A very classic way of gambling is to ‘Double your money’. Doing this requires us to construct a bet that can be either a single, double, treble or even more, to equal a total odds of 2.0 (1/1). Therefore when selecting bets we would be paying more attention to the odds of each selection than whether we believe it will win or not. Betting purely by the odds levels though is a very detrimental way to place your money as the bookmaker will always end up winning in the long run, as they set the odds levels. Make sure you have a combination of expecting something to happen, guessing the odds before you see them, if the odds are equal or higher than what you expected, this is a pretty good sign you have a great selection for a bet on your hands.

What is the need for a payout commission?

The payout at a online betting site is essentially the way of the operator guaranteeing a steady profit coming their way. We know companies won’t offer even odds on a 50/50 outcome as it wouldn’t make any sense for them to do that. The same rings true for all sports betting markets, the ‘real odds’ and ‘implied odds’ (those available on the sportsbook) always have a slight margin. A talented gambler is able to spot when this gap is badly calculated and will place bets only where they receive the true odds of an event happening. Doing this takes lots of time and research, or the utilising of professional tipsters who will do this work for you for a small fee.

Differences when comparing Live vs. Pre-match

There are several theories surrounding this topic, that once you start to investigate offer some compelling revelations. The payout rates for betting companies are obviously dictated by algorithms and computer models, powered and only as accurate as the data they are being provided by third-parties, most prominently by Opta Sports, the leader in sports data API’s. The sportsbooks tend to drastically alter their payout levels the moment a game kicks off. As more and more bets flood their server, the computer models factor in the consensus of the betting customers when setting the odds levels. If you have a particularly strong inclination regarding a certain outcome, make sure to select this market nice and early before the masses get behind it and cause the odds to crash.

Differences between sports and leagues

The payout levels also vary significantly when we take different combinations of sports and leagues into account. There are certain sports that will be very well represented at a sportsbook, you will feel like the sportsbook was tailor-made for that sport, and other sports that seem incredibly underrepresented. This also rings true for particularly leagues within a sport. Bookmakers love to exploit popular betting markets such as the Premier League or NFL and capitalise on the huge betting volume by making a very low payout rate for the customer, comparatively when compared to similar markets within the sport. Other leagues that receive much less attention, such as Non-league football, will be set-up in such a way to tempt punters into unchartered territory. Bookmakers can utilise the fact that these games are hard to predict and often very evenly contested: expect few market options here and very high odds for standard betting markets.

The excitement of the live/in-play betting arena

When it comes to wagering on sports, there is no medium that causes the same level of excitement than that of the live/in-play betting arena. As soon as the action begins, in-play markets are being powered by a constant stream of data, thus powering an offering of live odds that punters can track and bet upon. In any sport, the balance of the fixture can change very rapidly and cause us to immediately regret or celebrate the decisions we made in the pre-match markets. Sometimes we notice a development in a fixture, whether it be a player sustaining an injury, or a player on a team who has the fire in his eyes, or simply the momentum of the game is heavily shifting towards one side. In moments like this you can capitalise on your knowledge of the sports and fixture. The pure beauty of live betting is that we can take advantage of this knowledge. The bookmakers find it a lot harder to interpret on field events into setting the odds levels, and it is in these moments that true sports experts can take the advantage over the operator and make profits.

What sports are compatible?

There are obviously some sports that are completely compatible with the demands of live betting, in fact you will find most sports in the in-play arena. Any sport that allows enough time for a re-assessment of the outcomes will be able to feature in the live betting arena. Certain sports, usually those that involve a racing over a short distance aspect, i.e. swimming, speedway, greyhounds or horse racing, will not be able to be bet upon in a live function. There is simply not enough time for the odds to be recalculated and the advantage can swap hands very rapidly making it difficult for bookmakers to offer live odds. Sports such as football, tennis and basketball all feature heavily and are the biggest in-play markets for the industry.

Popular markets for the in-play arena

The markets available to bet upon in the in-play arena are very similar to those that feature in the pre-match offering, although there are some unique options for live bettors. You are likely to find period specific markets once the action kicks off. These being very similar to flash markets, the bookmaker will offer you odds on an event to occur within a given time-frame and then encourage you to take it by giving a boosted price. There are also markets that depend entirely on events that have come before them, i.e. to win the penalty shootout, or to win the tie-break.

Live streaming on in-play betting platforms

There are numerous ways you can keep up with the action once it begins on the online betting in-play arena. But one of the most rewarding and exciting ways to enjoy this phenomenon is via a live-streaming portal at the in-play platform. Any high-quality betting site will have its own offering of live-streaming events that you can watch directly on the sportsbook. Usually for a small bet and assuming your geo-location is valid, you will be able to access certain events. If you’re using an operator that doesn’t offer such a service then check out the fantastic fantastic live-streaming services at bet365.

Statistics portals to assist your selection process

When making a quick decision over where to put your money, you can never go with a gut feeling alone. Thankfully, all the betting sites we have detailed throughout this site are very well equipped to help you make excellent decisions for your betting online. Statistics play a huge role in sports betting, depending on how deeply you go, they can power the thought process of all the tipsters and industry commentators out there. Therefore, it comes in handy when you can access the markets, odds levels and previous fixtures, all in one place. The statistics are provided by third parties who utilise an API to bring the data straight to the sportsbook. Big firms controlling these data collection tasks include Opta and Sportsradar.

Cash-out a bet

To use the cash-out feature on the sportsbook you have to first make a bet on a market that supports such a feature. The markets where cash-out is available will be clearly marked and noted on the sportsbook. But in most cases these days you can assume that cash-out will be an option for all single and accumulator bets. There is a slight downside to the offering of cash-out that has plagued many punters throughout the years. You are constantly being offered a financial value for your bet and must make the decision over and over again to hold on to your bet and essentially risk the money that is being offered to you at the time. Again and again, punters are stung by taking a massively reduced offer for their betslip that ends up going on to win the full amount.

Fundamentals of the mobile sportsbooks

The mobile betting industry is one of the most vibrant of all in the gambling industry. To say it has completely revolutionised the way people bet on sports would not be an overstatement. More and more punters are regularly flocking to the mobile sportsbooks and are getting more than they bargained for as the quality is constantly being improved. Nowadays bettors are able to conduct all gambling tasks required of an operator directly from their mobile device. Whether it be creating an account, claiming the welcome offer or simply choosing and placing their weekend accumulator. All these tasks can be completed seamlessly and quickly by using the dedicated mobile application attached to the online betting platform. The future for handheld sportsbooks is certainly an exciting one, as there are many new updates and improvements being constantly produced and implemented into software. If you’re looking at what comes next for mobile betting, then keep an eye on this space, as we will regularly update with the latest developments.

The user experience

Everyone wants to use an app that has a nice interface and looks professionally made. But something that is often overlooked and a lot harder to pull off, is user experience. A very complex field within in its own right, software architects and product managers invest meticulously into making sure the application runs very smoothly and performs exactly as they would expect it to. This comes down to things such as navigation through the platform and the ease of use. The amount of clicks a user must make in order to land at their desired destination needs to be small. This ensures the app will monetise correctly and receive positive feedback from their user-base.

For more complicated platforms the presence of navigation menus is vital to a good user experience. How the pages on the platform are sown together is vitally important as it makes the whole sportsbook completely accessible and usable. Performing new sets of tasks should feel intuitive and there certainly should be no confusion buried into the app that will throw people off and discourage them, perhaps even forcing them to adopt the services of a competitor.

Mobile in-play betting arena

As with the desktop sites, the mobile platform has complete betting online live functionality. In fact, the in-play betting seems to be perfectly suited for mobile. Given the nature of in-play, you may be at a game watching the events unfold and notice something out the corner of your eye. Luckily, there are now plenty of high-quality betting sites that allow you to follow through on these urges and back the market that you are burning for. Many different mobile sportsbooks have varying ways they offer live wagering, the secret remains on usability and quality of the features. The bookmakers we have listed at the top of this page all offer something relevant and unique for fans of the mobile sportsbook.

Stream sports directly on your smartphone

For some of the higher quality sportsbooks you’ll be able to get your hands on the mobile streaming services. The same rules apply here as with the desktop platform. If you’re simply looking for a quick glance at the fixtures, then it’s probably not worth firing up the live stream. But if you’ve placed a bet on the event in question, and/or have your account funded, then you’ll be able to receive high-quality video streams directly to your smartphone. This really adds a whole new dimension to the mobile experience at betting companies and it is something that will be further optimised going into the future.

Native downloadable app vs. Web application

Unfortunately, there are those operators that don’t offer users the chance to download the software directly to their smartphone. Although this isn’t much of a problem as the web browser in your phone is more than capable of running the web application version of the sportsbook. If you can’t find your favourite new sportsbook on the app store or at the Google Play Store, don’t worry. All you need to do is simply locate your betting site on the web through the phone browser and load up the platform manually. This saves a lot of download time and speed when running the app directly. You will still have full access to all corners of the sportsbook and will have the same enjoyable betting experience compared to the native downloaded app.

Technical requirements for running the software

There really is no need to worry about the technical aspects of the software. Your smartphone, if it is an iPhone, will need to be the 4 or later. With this you should keep in mind that the operating system on your phone will need to be maintained at one of the latest versions in order to successfully run the app without having boot failures. Once you are confident that your phone is working how it should be, give the app a try. If you do encounter errors, your smartphone troubleshooting mechanisms will guide you to a correct solution no matter what. There really is nothing to worry about regarding the software requirements of the native app.

Bookmaker desktop platform: the website

Ignoring all the aspects of the inner-workings of a sportsbook for one second, let us take a step back and consider the importance of the actual website the bookmaker has designed and put online. It is all well and good getting excited about the platform, but if the service that the operator has provided is inherently a low-quality site, which is visually unappealing and doesn’t come packed with the fundamental features that help an online business survive, then it isn’t going to perform well when it goes to market. Luckily for our readers, we have analysed the entire industry and only recommend sites to our users that fulfil all the aspects. A good website sets a tone and example of the high quality we can expect when we enter the sportsbook for an initial visit. Neglecting the business and support side of your online platform can have catastrophic consequences for any betting company.

Design and layout of the sportsbook

When analysing a new betting sportsbook, one of the most important considerations is usability, presentation and the layout of the platform. This is obviously something that is taken seriously, as some of the leading companies in this industry invest millions into front-end development. The ability to capture the attention of the user is not something that is easily achieved. Unique colour pallets and the ability to seamlessly glide between betting directories cannot be overestimated in the importance of fulfilling the user and providing a rewarding experience. In the end, this is more than a crucial factor of a sportsbook, it is quite simply what separates the best betting sites in the world from the plain and average.

The usability and user experience

Any competent product manager working for a big brand sportsbook will fully understand the needs of their user base. In fact, they will act as the voice of the user within the company, making recommendations to improve the usability and user experience of the platform. These changes that are integrated at regular intervals are to make sure that punters are able to glide through the sportsbook without exerting unnecessary effort. Everything must be intuitive, easily accessible and follow a natural structure. If a betting site can achieve all of these conditions, they are well on course to mastering the creation of perfect usability and user experience for their clientele.

Customer service at the sportsbook: multiple help channels explained

There are very few things that can have such a disastrous impact on any online business than having terrible customer service. If rumour gets out that you are a company that refuses to take care of their customers, it spreads fast and can only spell the end of your business. With online gambling, there are numerous complexities and technicalities that have to be adhered to in order to secure the health and reliability of your business. In order to instil trust in the user base, companies have been investing massive sums of money into their betting support agents, who are constantly available via a number of different options and methods. Read the following sections for a complete overview of how to use these options.

Email

The classic method for sending a message over the internet. It is a very formal way to lodge a complete, or request help with your problem. But is it the best way to resolve an issue quickly? Most likely not. There are times when sending an email is the best way to proceed. If you have a rather complicated issue that has to be thoroughly explained and articulated, opt for email. Otherwise, stick to one of the many quick methods outlined below.

Phone

Obviously, the most direct and urgent way to get your point across. Nothing quite compares to the trusty telephone. If you have something to get off your chest and need to speak with someone urgently, give your bookies’ customer service centre a call. They are highly professional and well trained at dealing with a whole plethora of issues. Just be aware of incurring charges for long calls.

Live chat

A sign of quality, there is nothing that customers have responded better to in terms of customer service than having a decent live chat portal with which to answer their requests. Not only is this a free and quick option, but something that people have been able to utilise for a whole range of issues for some time now. It began with just a few companies, and soon the technology became widely available at virtually every single bookmaker on the market.

Contact form

A far less orthodox method of contacting your operator is via a contact form. Depending on the reasoning behind your correspondence, it may seem like a good idea to leave just a few customer details and then wait for the phone to ring. But we have always been a firm believer in proactiveness, and taking the issue up directly with the person we are interested in speaking with. For that reason, it’s not recommended by us.

Always check the FAQ section before

Unless you have an urgent issue that must be resolved with a person. It is always worth checking the FAQ section of some betting sites. These sections have been specifically drafted in order to help people with the most common problems that arise from using the betting platform. If you are still encountering issues when facing the basic tasks required at betting sites, then, by all means, get in touch via one of the options outlined above.

The administration & money division

Although it is not always a primary concern of new players entering a sportsbook for the first time, it is not the worst idea in the world to check out the health of a betting service. The board of directors that are controlling the company will usually have some sort of reputation that can be learned about. If you have particular doubts about one company then just look at who is in charge to get a better idea of the situation under the hood. The financial statements that are released at the end of every tax year provide valuable insights into the market capitalisation and the general performance of the business. If the company you are using is not performing well financially and is making lots of shady moves, then beware of leaving large amounts of funds under their control. Because one day, it might just disappear. With that being said, there are a number of protections in place to prevent consumers from being affected by the collapse of companies. But always do your due diligence and only bet with companies that have a fully licensed and legitimate service.

Payment methods

Betting at the sportsbook is only possible when we equip ourselves with the best payment methods on the market. The availability of payment methods is one of the key deciding factors for many punters around the world. The modern player will most likely want to bet in multiple currencies, utilizing a combination of e-wallets, bank cards and perhaps even cryptocurrency. Sportsbooks have been forced to improve and develop new payment protocols at their platforms. For the purposes of usability and improved satisfaction of their customer base, sportsbooks now offer a plethora of betting deposit options. If you thought that the old days were a debit card or bank transfer were your only options, think again. Sites these days are able to accept in some cases more than 50 options for their gambling needs. With all of this flexibility when it comes to the forces of online gambling, it is no wonder that many punters are simply left confused, with no idea of who, what or where to place their money with. Luckily for all of you who are sharing this sentiment, we have put together an epic guide on how to best deposit at sportsbooks in the modern era.

Debit/credit card

A classic option that will resonate well with fans of traditional payment methods. The bank card options will always be featured heavily at online betting platforms. If you’re someone who likes reliability and the security that comes with these type of payment option, then you’ll feel right at home with online sportsbooks. Many of the UK’s leading sports betting sites support a whole range of options for their user base.

PayPal

When using online betting sites for the very first time, it can sometimes feel a bit daunting having to hand over sensitive card details that may be mishandled. How are we supposed to know that the vendor taking our bet will be an honest and highly secure entity. Fortunately for you, PayPal is a perfect solution to this problem. Enabling you to make payments straight from your card by providing only your email!

Skrill

The second in line to the title of best e-wallet payment options is most definitely Skrill. A service that has been running in the shadow of PayPal for a very long time, it offers the same levels of security and can attract the same type of user due to its unique set of principles. If you’re not feeling trustworthy, and don’t mind paying a tiny fee on top of the transaction, then give Skrill a try.

paysafecard

As it says in the name, this is a very safe way to pay. But paying onto the sportsbook is the only function you’ll be able to carry out when using this option mind you. Withdrawals are completely impossible when using paysafecard. Due to the one way, and disconnected nature of this service, it remains a bit of an outsider, that people trapped behind the changing times have tended to favour over the more technical methods of depositing.

Apple Pay

Perhaps one of the most gimmicky and fun ways to pay for products in the modern day. Apple Pay has certainly transformed the way we pay for products on the move. With one quick tap of the thumb to confirm your identity, users can send money across the internet and pay for things quicker and easier than ever before. As if things weren’t already streamlined enough, many betting apps have incorporated this technology.

The limitations placed on Deposit/Withdraw

All betting sites will have an upper limit, a number that cannot be exceeded, financial clout that they must respect. These numbers are of course the restrictions placed on deposits. A bookmaker is able to take a lot of liquidity on their platform, but every once in a while a player comes along with a huge bank balance who wants to bet extremely big on the sportsbook. This can cause problems for the financial stability of the service. In order to offset this risk, carefully calculated limitations are placed on depositing and withdrawals. If you are a high-roller who bets 5-figure sums or more, then you may have to do a lot of research into where the best service is for you, as many companies will place restrictions on the amount that can be processed daily, and you may find it impossible to have quick access to your winnings. For the rest of us, living well within our means, it is always possible to bet within the limits. The only concerns for us would be high-deposit limits for certain payment methods. Luckily for you, all the operators we have selected on this site are more than capable of taking large sums, and more modest sums of cash in their withdrawal and deposit load.

How easy is it to create an online sportsbook account?

Now that you know everything there is to know about online payments at a sportsbook, we suppose you want to know more about the complexities of online gambling? Then look no further. Our bulletproof guide to setting up an account at an online sportsbook is the only resource you will need to fully understand the ins-and-outs of this famous process. First and foremost, you need to be sure you have chosen the right service to do this. As we have outlined throughout this page, there are endless ways to do this, but our tried and trusted method is the best (scroll up to read more about that). Nexts, get a clear and accurate list of your current details, including address, personal details and payment options. Once you have all of this, head on over to a betting site and enter the registration process. You may just be in for a big bonus if you choose your sportsbooks carefully!

How to close an account at an online sportsbook

Saying goodbye is never easy, and it is not the way things were intended to turn out. But, if you feel the need to end your relationship with a particular online betting service, then there are very easy and logical steps to doing so. First and foremost, you want to make sure that the site you are leaving will pay out any moneys due to you in your balance or outstanding as a withdrawal. Once that is all taken care of, the best and most reliable way to proceed would be to go through the customer service centre and discuss your intentions with an agent of the company, they will help you complete this quickly and efficiently.

Fort Knox level security protocols

If you though security was a primary concern of online businesses these days, then online betting is perhaps the most fortified industry of all of them. The top betting sites invest millions into Information Security (INFOSEC), and ensure they have the latest technologies and skilled professionals working with them to ensure the integrity of their systems and customer data. Due to many public outcries and high-profile data leaks in recent years, companies are becoming more aware to the threat that a cyber-attack can have on their day-to-day business activities. Therefore, it remains a primary concern of many of the top sportsbooks to ensure that they remain completely ahead of the latest exploits and vulnerabilities within their backend servers and frontend deployment modules. Customer verification is also a huge pillar of security, as the betting sites are not only concerned with protecting themselves, but also the integrity of their customers and the law of underage gambling. A good betting site will always ask you to confirm your age and identity before they can proceed with a client customer relationship for betting. With that being said, the restrictions are still not optimal, and underage gambling has been occurring across the world in recent years, although the problem is slowly finding an adequate solution.

What can you do to protect yourself?

If you’re particularly concerned about your security online, there are several precautions you can take to ensure that you will remain safe. Firstly, download yourself a password manager such as LastPass. This will allow you to deploy ultra-secure passwords for all your online accounts, meaning you only have to set and remember one master password. Database hacks in the past have dumped out emails and passwords in plain text across the internet. If you’re constantly using the same credentials to setup online accounts, then there could be a problem in the future.

Red tape and regulation in the industry

One of the key fundamentals of online betting is the regulation of the industry. There are many ways for people to bet nowadays, but many of them require you to at least have a valid proof of identity and age. The regulated industry is the only place you should consider using and try to avoid completely the sections of the gambling industry where the regulators have no power. There are unregulated markets across the world that feature some of the most interesting unregulated betting markets. There are some sites that will also impose a fee on the winnings you make as a punter. These fees contribute to the overall sustainability of the service and run usually at a rate of 5%. You can expect to find these fees at the majority of online betting sites across the world. Some services may choose to absorb this fee in the lowering of odds levels, others may directly charge your winnings after you win. Either way, there is little you can do to avoid paying such a fee, and it serves as a way to keep the industry healthy and thriving.

Organizations fighting for responsible gambling

In the fight to ensure that customers are gambling responsibly, there are a number of key organizations that are involved. They individually lead the fight to guarantee a safe environment for all users of the online gambling industry. In a field that is so plagued by controversy and government policy scrutiny, these organizations maintain the legitimacy and legality of the online betting markets. Without them it would be a very rogue and unregulated business, full of unsavory characters, and no protections or insurances in place to make the experience fun and safe for everyone involved in the process. As you can see below, the four organizations each have unique and defined responsibilities and functions when it comes to fulfilling their role as the protectors of the sportsbook business. We will outline each of the organizations below in detail and give you a firm idea of what each of them are covering, and how they are helping to improve the betting experience for you.

ESSA

The ESSA organization are largely attributed with preventing the crime of match-fixing becoming overly rife within the industry. Their policies, technologies and enforced practices are rapid at detecting any suspicious activity on betting markets. The unified nature of the industry betting services allows ESSA to act impartially and alert sporting authorities who can conduct further investigations. Facilitating these cross-sector partnerships allows them to protect operators from corruption.

EGBA

The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) is a Brussels based independent body that represents the best betting companies and industry leaders within the EU. There are several different functions that this organization bears responsibility for, but most importantly they promote the creation and maintenance of safe and reliable digital environments for online betting customers at European sportsbooks. This ensures high levels of regulation and consumer protection across the entire industry.

Gambling Therapy

An organization that is dedicated to the practical support of problem gamblers. In an industry that is often criticized for is half-hearted attempts to sort out the issue of gambling addiction, there some that exemplify the position that all involved should be adopting. This fantastic service has helped countless people beat the illness of gambling addiction. A condition that is so serious and can destroy lives needs to have the adequate attention from the industry leaders and Gambling Therapy ensure this is kept in the spotlight.

eCOGRA

The final pillar of key organizations in the industry is most certainly eCOGRA. The work carried out by this institution is integral for the testing elements and randomness of the gambling activities that you can enjoy at an online sportsbook. It is the task of eCOGRA that in markets such as virtual sports, all the outcomes are powered by random numerical models and there is no possibility for fixing or corruption on the part of the bookmaker. This guarantees a fair playing experience for all players and is an integral part of gambling safety.

Trust and reputation of betting companies

No matter where you’re from and what you’re interested in spending your money on, trust and reputation of a provider is something that we always look for and study heavily. The experiences of customers that have come before us, and the stories that they must tell about what went particularly well and what could have been better, are invaluable resources for proceeding with a company. Especially in an industry such as online gambling, there is always going to be a huge amount of importance placed upon the trust and reputation. The market is becoming incredibly contested with new players and it won’t be long before there are simply to many companies and not enough market share to go around in order to maintain their stability. Therefore, as you can probably imagine, the importance of a strong reputation, and the receipt of good review work wonders for any online business trying to service in a competitive field, especially those coming from a recent start up or relatively unknown section of the industry. Building a reputation can take years and years but can be destroyed in no time at all. Betting companies know this and strive to serve their customers in the best possible way.

The bookmaker awards

Receiving an award for your hard work is a pleasurable experience no matter which industry you’re involved in. For the online bookmaking industry, there are several awarding bodies that feature an annual ceremony of awards representing various categories of bookmaking. Although one would love to believe that these awards are completely impartial in their nature, it is sometimes hard to see why they would be. Plenty of firms have been known to plow money into the award ceremonies to ensure they appear on the podium. But in all fairness, these awards do maintain a decent level of integrity, and any betting site being named the best in a single category is likely to have deservedly earned that title.

EGR

The EGR Awards is largely considered to be the Oscars of the online gambling sector. A prestigious award ceremony that is attended by over 160 industry professionals, it is a chance to reward the best firms in the business and give them the wide scope recognition that they deserve for their massive achievements. The ceremony that has been specifically designed to award egaming excellence, taking place at the prestigious Grosvenor House hotel on Park Lane in London in October every year, it is an important date in the calendar for everybody connected to this industry.

How to define a good betting strategy

As a loyal punter of any betting service, it is important to make sure that you have adequately planned a strategy for your wagering exploits. When it comes to the business end of the betting activities, there is the necessity to employ a strategy, this can be anything from sticking to a strict wagering pattern or employing a respected tipster and data analytics firm to assist you with the preparation of your bets. Either way, it is important to adopt some sort of strategy, at the very least you should keep track of the money going in and out of your wallets, in order to control your habit and keep an accurate record of the P/L. Using a wagering system appears to be the best way to ensure that you maintain a tight grip of control on your finances, dedicating yourself to only bet using a point system, which in turn ensures you will not fall into an uncontrollable betting habit.

What are the best practices for a bettor at the sportsbook?

There are plenty of ways you can enjoy betting in the modern age. But when you can enjoy the successes of gambling and feel like you are beginning to leave a dent in the bookmakers’ profits, the enjoyment becomes a whole lot more prominent. If you are like us and love making regular bets, then it is important to know exactly how to optimize the chances of success. Read below for further top betting strategy advice covering all the core concepts.

Understanding sports predictions and tips

There are several high-quality resources on the internet that provide punters with expert insights into upcoming sports matches. If you are unsure about what to bet on, finding a decent tipster to compare your predictions with is an essential prerequisite. If you are looking for high-returns and an end to a losing streak, then finding a well-informed tipster with a sensible betting strategy may be exactly what you need.

The difference in tipster reliabilities

The internet is full of betting tipsters, and sometimes it’s hard to determine exactly which ones have the best information and highest return rates. The reliability of tipsters is something that can be measure objectively, simply how many of their recent tips have returned a profit. If a tipster is unwilling to share the success of their previous tips then do not use them. Many high-quality tipsters who put extensive research and exhaustive write-ups into the tips they provide, will ask for a small fee. But this is usually a very worthy price to pay if you are betting large sums of money and making regular profits off the hard work that they have provided.

Bookmakers and B2C facing campaigns

The public perception of online bookies is something that is constantly changing. Forever receiving bad press for the actions, they take, betting sites are good a creating a buzz around fixtures, as they often hog advertising spots both on TV and social media. It is sometimes hard to escape the influence of betting companies, often employing large marketing teams who work in-house purely driven by campaigns where the main KPI is return on investment, they want to maximize reachability and influence of the people who visit their advertising space and witness the content that they are pushing out into the world. Bookmakers love to attract users through social media campaigns. Whether it be a viral video, such as the campaigns in the past from the forward-thinking Paddy Power. All kinds of strategies are constantly being pushed an adopted in the constant struggle to reach customers. But one thing is for sure, advertising is essential in this industry, and the more innovative a company can be, the better success it will enjoy in the yearly financial reports.

The subtle art of sportsbook social media marketing

Both new and established companies pump huge amounts of resources into their social media channels. Often used as a customer service tool, it gives users of these services an instant channel of communication to their chosen betting service. The social media marketing strategies of betting sites can be extremely varied, with plenty of bookmakers amassing many thousands if not millions of subscribers to their various channels, it is an ever-growing space that provides a unique way to reach a diverse group of customers.

Community and forum creation

Bookmakers have always been heavily involved with driving a community spirit amongst their user base. Their primary interest is to keep all the possible needs of their customers within the sphere of gambling that they are providing. If you need to realise something quickly about the complexities of using their product, then be sure that you can find it on a well-oiled blog or community space at your favourite betting site. These platforms tend to be used in order to help users really get to grips with the service they are using, if you’re looking for advice, help with integrating third-party API’s into a betting exchange (for example) or just to see what the community at your bookie is really like, then have a look out for the bookmakers that are particularly prominent in this space.

Bookmaker news section

Some betting companies do an excellent job of keeping their user base informed and up-to-date with the latest happenings within the industry. However, for the most part, this section of the business is left to dedicated news sources and agencies that specialise in commentating the sportsbook world and producing articles and relevant pieces that will be well received by the customers. Many betting sites run a tech blog, where they write up specific technical improvements and new developments to their service.

The subtle introduction of social betting

This form of gambling is relatively new and is a product of the modern age that we live in. In a world of increasing interconnectedness, where social media platforms dictate vast proportions of our lives – it is no surprise that the iGaming industry took the initiative to try and tap-in to this social frenzy at peoples fingertips. The concept revolves around the fact that you can bet with friends, track the progress of each others’ bets, and measure your successes against one another. The best social betting apps offer the chance for community inclusion, some giving kickbacks to regular players and the opportunity to share your exploits through various social media channels.

Evolution of betting from brick & mortar to online

Even today, the brick & mortar bookie, that being the betting shops you physically enter and place your bets at, is a thriving market and many punters across the country regular use these shops to enjoy their gambling activities. But for many of us, betting is purely an online exercise. The leading bookmakers in the world seldom have any physical shops where you can place wagers on their markets; the operation has been exclusively moved to the online space. With this advancement in technology and the increasing population of smartphone users, it surely won’t be long until the vast majority of betting activity is moved exclusively to the online world. There will always be a space for betting in person, and many classic sports such as dog racing and horses will require these type of bookies to serve the interest of their target market, but times are indeed changing, and the next decade will surely be a redefining era for the global sportsbook industry.

Key differences

Of course, choosing to enjoy your betting exploits in the online space is massively different from the physical perspective. Firstly, the options at your fingertips are usually far faster, better priced, and easily accessible than in the bookie shop. You will always be able to cash out your bets when you bet online, whereas betting in a shop with the betslip, you may not be able to do this. Some punters will be attracted to this, as the cash out temptation is too much for many to resist, and they end up kicking themselves if the bet does eventually come in for a much higher profit. Betting in the shop will always be a popular pastime, but the benefits and flexibility with the online hemisphere are too overwhelming and undeniable.

Special bets and new trends in gambling

Many new trends are being developed for the gambling industry, year-in-year-out. One of the latest and most novel is the special bets categories. The ability to bet on the outcome of your favourite TV show, or who the eventual ruler of Westeros will be has proved to be a very formidable and enjoyable market for punters around the world. But the term special bets can be used a lot more broadly than that. Bookmakers are launching countless initiatives around the globe, virtualised and computer-generated graphics have now reached a level of sophistication were betting on these simulations is possible. The video game industry is also going through a revolution, gamers around the world now stream online, and elite gamers receive audiences of millions that tune in to watch them showcase their immense skill on the worlds most popular titles, including Apex Legends and Fortnite. In the following sections, we will delve into more detail and discuss exactly what the gambling industry has on its horizon. In a landscape that is changing and advancing so rapidly, it is important sometimes to recalibrate, and assess what is next to come.

How to use the betting exchange

Although betting exchanges have existed since the very early days of sportsbooks, they are slowly starting to take a more prominent position within the industry in general. The art of back and laying bets to ensure a profit is something that appeals directly to the inner desire of many punters to make big wins. If you’re confused about which strategy to adopt at the exchange, then you really must stick with the basic principles of sports gambling online. Always stay within your betting limits, assess the form and motivations of the protagonists in each fixture, then deploy a stake you think is worthy of the fixture at hand. Exchanges are a great place to adopt the role of the bookie and make stakes that many betting suites would refuse to offer you a market for.

The technical aspects of the exchange

There is nothing too complicated about how a betting exchange works. You can imagine it like an aggregator that offers a platform for bettors to back and lay off bets against one another. The system works well when the liquidity of the platform is reaching a threshold that allows bets to be matched off easily, in a high volume of markets. The best exchanges give users plenty of additional options, the ability to integrate third-party API’s that can track shifts in the odds of particular markets, and the generosity of not claiming a huge commission on every bet that is placed on the platform.

How long have people been backing & laying?

The exchange for sports betting is a relatively old concept. Since the turn of the century, punters have had the ability to place bets on the internet. The revolution of betting online coincided completely with the birth of the betting exchange. The first companies to emerge in 2001 were the likes of Flutter, Betfair and BETDAQ. Of these, Betfair has positioned themselves now as the leader of the global exchange gambling field. They offer a very unrivalled service for the true punters, professional gambler and those who love to challenge the status quo of gambling trends.

The unprecedented rise of Esports betting

There have been few moments in the history of betting that have had such a profound impact on the state of gambling as eSports betting has — offering punters the unique chance to get involved with their favourite games. The world of Esports is rapidly expanding, with Twitch streamers such as Ninja attracting millions of followers and audiences that exceed prime time television spots, this is undoubtedly something that carries a tremendous significance for gambling. Elite gamers play in league style formats that can be watched and bet upon at many of the top betting sites. If you’re considering entering this emerging market, then be sure to familiarise yourself with the titles that these gamers are playing if you haven’t done this already. Then and only then, you will feel fully equipped to take on the task of betting on these new markets. The most popular titles of the last years have most certainly been League of Legends, Starcraft, and CS:GO. More recently, fans are shifting their focus to the Battle Royale style of game. Apex Legends, released in early 2019, appears to have all the marks of a legendary title and already attracted 25 million players in its first seven days of launch. Watch this space for more details about this exciting subsection of the industry.

Virtualised sports at the bookies

If you’re one of these punters that need permanent access to betting markets, then the virtuals section at your favourite bookie could be the perfect place for you. There is nothing quite like the thrill of watching a CGI simulation of horses running at a predetermined outcome, every three minutes whilst having a couple of markets to bet on. But the fun doesn’t stop at horses; there are countless amounts of sports that this style of betting is compatible with. You can enjoy virtual sports betting on a large array of markets. If you’re into the newer form of betting on mobile, then you need not fear, virtuals are fully compatible here too!

Motor sports

As if you’re watching a sped-up simulation of Gran Turismo, this style of virtual sports will surely have your pulse rate climbing. Just select your car from a list in between each race. The corresponding odds will be equivalent to the alleged likelihood of that car successfully crossing the line before the rest. The races usually last about one minute, and you will be able to look up relevant statistics such as form and past results before the commencement.

Horse racing

One of the best markets in this category. You can enjoy virtual courses in a variety of lengths and categories. There is usually anywhere from 6-8 runners in each heat. The odds for each horse are randomly assigned, and there is certainly no point in looking at the past results to try and gauge how successful the horse will perform in the given race. There are many operators adopting these markets, so be on the lookout for the best welcome bonuses!

Greyhound racing

There is also a very prominent market that exists for the pastime of greyhound racing. You can select your virtual dogs at the start of each race and watch their fluffy pixels morph across the backdrop. If this is your thing, then we feel somewhat empathetic to your battle, and can offer only the seldom advice of bet what you can afford to lose and look for the dog that has a glint in his eye.

Boxing

Boxing is a sport of grit, physical power and mental determination. When it comes to the virtualised space, these principals certainly remain true. You can choose your fighter from a series of selectable characters; there are numerous markets available to be bet upon, from round betting to method of victory. Once you’ve chosen your stake and placed the bet, sit back and watch the two avatars punch lumps out of each other.

Football

As one of the biggest betting markets in global sport, it is no surprise to see that football features heavily in the virtualised side of the industry. With the best software developers steadily improving virtual football, it is similar to watching a simulation of a FIFA 19 match and placing bets upon the outcome. You can back many popular markets that you’ll find in the real-life match market portfolios.

Tennis

The tennis markets will be very similar to that of the real-life industry space; you simply select your athlete from a predetermined list of competitors. You can bet on the match winner and then the players to perform best over a given set or game; it is relatively simple and enjoyable if you have an in-depth knowledge of these markets.

Cycling

When betting on cycling in the virtual space, it is important not to back the most prominent cyclists, just a glance at the form guides as it usually does not hold much relevance to the success of the markets you will be betting on. In any case, look at the odds levels for guidance and always bet within a strategy and a limit that can be pre-determined with careful planning.

The best fantasy football operators

A new and emerging way to enjoy football through online betting is beginning to emerge. At the end of 2009, technology in gambling was being seriously overhauled, during this era many new and emerging proprietary based gambling platforms were emerging offering new and exciting products for the industry. Fantasy football has long existed, but the implementation of this idea to a gambling platform has been entirely revolutionary. Giving players the chance to bet on the “stock” value of their favourite stars, is an innovative and exciting way to enjoy football betting. There are some fantastic brands occupying this space, take a look below for more information.

How does it work

As we already mentioned, this form of online betting aligns itself heavily with a stock trading environment. Players can invest in the players they believe will perform well in the future, and watch their value rise and fall in correlation to the quality of their on-pitch performances. This is one way. There are other fantasy football platforms that allow you to select a number of players from each team of a particular fixture, it could be three from each team for example. The objective is to pick the players who will perform best in the match and use this as a position to bet against other players with. There are numerous and many wonderful ways to bet within the realm of fantasy football. If you’re a curious gambler, this is something worth considering.

Leagues that you can play

As fantasy football is still a relatively new and emerging market within the sports betting industry, it has not been open to the same levels of coverage that you can expect at more established areas of the sportsbook. You can certainly expect to receive odds on the biggest and best leagues around Europe. The Premier League and Serie A are the two divisions that are most compatible for the fantasy betting implementations. Those that love to play in slightly lower tier divisions may be left a bit disappointed by the limited coverage you can get from fantasy betting.

Various formats to choose from

The best fantasy football betting sites will host various different formats for you to enjoy. The one vs one game mode involves a process by which you select an upcoming fixture, and then against one opponent you attempt to select the players you believe will perform the best in that match. The players each have a cost attributed to them, which is dynamic and can adapt to the supply and demand of the player involved in the fixture. The other formats allow you to bet over the course of a season, choosing players and making changes throughout the season. This football manager style way of playing football fantasy is an incredibly fun process and is hugely popular across Europe and North America.

The origins of fantasy football betting

The betting industry has undergone upheaval in the previous 10 years. There has been a major improvement in the technological capabilities of betting operators to provide and unrivalled and enjoyable betting experience for their players. The years that followed allowed developers to really get to grips with this new industry, create fantastic products that people enjoy and launch fantasy football betting from the card-based paper game, into the online sports betting space. What has followed has been nothing short of a success story, and punters across the world flock regularly to these alternative forms of sports gambling.

Non-sport bets

There are various ways to enjoy betting outside the realms of sports. For example, politics and TV show betting is becoming increasingly popular. The UK Brexit referendum was the most heavily bet upon political event in history, and punters were receiving odds of around 6.0 (6/1) for the UK to vote leave about one month out from the election. Game of Thrones, the hit HBO TV show is frequently featured at the leading sportsbooks. Punters can bet upon who they think will eventually rule over Westeros, with characters such as John Snow attracting odds of around 2.5 (3/2).

Political betting

In a world that is becoming increasingly more globalised, with political tensions growing ever more prominent, the perfect climate for political betting has emerged. Look at any quality operator, many of which you can access from this page, and you will see markets for major upcoming elections. Whether it be national leadership elections, or European exit referendums, punters are able to bet on a variety of circumstances and outcomes. If you’re very in tune with the climate of current affairs, and have a hunch about a certain result, take a look at one of the top betting sites, as you may be surprised on the odds being offered.

TV show and emerging markets

The TV shows industry has really seen an exponential boom in the popularity it is enjoying. The best shows from around the world are more accessible than ever, and thanks to companies like Netflix, audience reachability has never been scaled so effectively. With all the hype surrounding shows like Game of Thrones and EastEnders, it is only natural you can make online bets on the triumph and tribulations of its characters.

Gossip columns and tabloids

Everybody is guilty of occasionally dipping into the less classy style of keeping up with the news. Looking into the chit chat sections of the news and seeing what your favourite celebrities are up to is an easy and quick form of escapism for many people. But there are also times when betting online is catered for things like this. The naming of Royal babies has been in the spotlight for a while, and with both the heirs to throne building families of their own it seems like a market that will be a popular choice for gossip betting in the future.

Conclusion: the complete information guide for betting in 2019

Betting on sports can be wonderful and rewarding when you understand the nuances and capabilities that this industry possesses. Those of you who are new to the game will probably need a helping hand and guidance along the way. On this page, and indeed the rest of the site, we have dedicated ourselves to building the number one knowledge database for sports betting enthusiasts around the world to learn more about the industry, understand new and emerging aspects, improve their strategy, and eventually be more successful at sports betting. As a team of passionate gambling enthusiasts, we only recommend the best, if we didn’t use and love the site you can see below, we wouldn’t recommend it to begin with!

This page is overly comprehensive for a reason. We want to serve the interests and needs of all people who are looking to learn more about sports betting. Both experienced punters who understand the technicalities of betting strategies and the depth of markets at sportsbooks, but also new players who are simply looking for guidance on which operator serves the needs most adequately. We hope this page will serve as an encyclopaedia and knowledge base for all future enquiries and difficulties you may encounter in your sports betting career.

FAQ

If you have any further enquiries regarding the content displayed across this page, or if you require further clarification regarding the topics we have raised, please contact us directly at info@betting.info – below you can view some of the most common issues and questions we receive from our readers. Perhaps you will be experiencing something similar and find a quicker resolution.

How old do I have to be to bet online?

You have to be at least 18 years old to bet. In some countries this may be 21. If you lie about your age and the bookmaker finds out, you will lose any funds in your account and winnings. It’s not worth it, just wait until you’re old enough!

Are my winnings subject to taxation?

In many municipalities, you will not be taxed on winnings. In other countries, you may have to pay taxes on winnings. Here is a list of countries where paying taxes on winnings is not necessary: United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Italy, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Malta.