Online sports betting — where to bet in the US
Crank up the excitement of a live sports game from the comfort of your home. That’s what online sports betting is all about.
Legal online sports betting may still be in its infancy in the US, but after the Supreme Court legalized sportsbetting in 2018, many states are already boasting some first-rate sportsbooks offering top-notch bonuses. Let’s jump straight in as we touch on various aspects of sports and online betting.
In brief: The top 10 US sportsbooks for Oct 2024
- 🥇 Sportzino — Bonus: Up to 150,000 Gold Coins + 6 Sweeps Coins
- 🥈 Caesars — Bonus: Up to $1,250 Stakeback + 2,000 loyalty credits
- 🥉 BetMGM — Bonus: Up to $1,000 back in Bonus Bets
- Borgata — Bonus: Bet $20 get $100 in Free Bets
- BetRivers — Bonus: Second Chance Bet of up to $500
- Bet365 — Bonus: Bet $1 get $200 in Bonus Bets
- OwnersBox — Bonus: 100% match up to $500
- Fliff — Bonus: 100% up to $100 FC
- Betr — Bonus: 100% up to $100 BC
- ParlayPlay — Bonus: 100% match up to $100 + $5 Promo Pick
| Sportsbook logo | Odds rating | Bonus | Go to sportsbook Button | Show more | T&C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
Time2play's choice
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84/100 Expert rating by Paul P. 91% Playscore based on |
Up to 200,000 Gold Coins + 9 Sweeps Coins
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Play now |
Good to know
6 payment methods 
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2
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90/100 Expert rating by Ian Z. 94% Playscore based on |
Up to $1,000 back as a Bonus Bet on your first wager
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Play now |
Good to know
9 payment methods 
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3
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85/100 Expert rating by Anna M. 91% Playscore based on |
Up to $1,500 back in Bonus Bets
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Play now |
Good to know
14 payment methods
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4
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85/100 Expert rating by Ian Z. 85% Playscore based on |
Bet $20 get $100 in Free Bets
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Play now |
Good to know
14 payment methods
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5
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83/100 Expert rating by Ian Z. 86% Playscore based on |
Second Chance Bet of up to $250
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Play now |
Good to know
6 payment methods
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6
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82/100 Expert rating by Ian Z. 89% Playscore based on |
Bet $5 get $200 in Bonus Bets or $1000 First Bet Safety Net
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Play now |
Good to know
8 payment methods
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21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler (call or text in Colorado). |
7
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80/100 Expert rating by Anna M. 87% Playscore based on |
100% match up to $500
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Play now |
Good to know
7 payment methods
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8
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80/100 Expert rating by Ramona D. 83% Playscore based on |
100% up to $100 FC
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Play now |
Good to know
5 payment methods
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9
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80/100 Expert rating by Paul P. 83% Playscore based on |
100% up to $100 BC
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Play now |
Good to know
5 payment methods
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10
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78/100 Expert rating by Anna M. 86% Playscore based on |
100% match up to $100 + $5 Promo Pick
|
Play now |
Good to know
4 payment methods
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11
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75/100 Expert rating by Ramona D. 89% Playscore based on |
Second Chance Bet of up to $500
|
Play now |
Good to know
10 payment methods
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12
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74/100 Expert rating by Paul P. 88% Playscore based on |
200% match up to $500
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Play now |
Good to know
5 payment methods
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13
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72/100 Expert rating by Paul P. 79% Playscore based on |
$500 First Bet Insurance
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Play now |
Good to know
4 payment methods
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14
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67/100 Expert rating by Paul P. 81% Playscore based on |
Spend $10 get $30 of Sweeps Coins
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Play now |
Good to know
7 payment methods
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Ready to bet on sports? Our top three sportsbooks
You know what sports betting is all about and you just want to get straight to it. Well, as more states are legislating to ensure residents can enjoy legal online betting, more operators are entering the scene. So let us introduce you to the best sportsbooks the US has to offer.
🥇#1 Sportzino — Best overall experience
A brand new social sportsbook from Blazesoft, players can make predictions on 41 sports, including specialty options like politics and entertainment. Sportzino players can use their daily login bonus credits of 20,000 Gold Coins and one Sweeps Coin to make predictions, meaning they don’t need to spend a dime to play at this sportsbook.
- Available in 36 states
- Regular promos
- Niche sports available
🥈#2 Caesars — Best real money sportsbook
An established brand since 1966, Caesars has gained a solid reputation far and wide and has gained an online presence in 19 different states. Players can use their welcome bonus risk-free bet of $1,250 to bet on 20 sports, all of which can be live-streamed.
- Intuitive betting features
- Huge number of markets per match
- Larger-than-average bonus
🥉#3 BetMGM — Best welcome bonus
Another established brand, BetMGM starts strong with a welcome bonus of up to $1,000 back in Bonus Bets. This can be bet over 21 sports, with plenty of markets for each sport such as football’s 106 markets. This combines well with football’s great payout percentage of 95.73%
- Excellent site navigation
- No wagering limits
- Boosted parlay odds
The best betting sites in USA by category
Each sportsbook has its good points and many factors go into choosing the top online betting websites. We’ve covered the strong points for what we consider are the best sports betting sites.
You can always customize your choice based on the betting site qualities that are most important to you, the bettor. For example, if you play exclusively on mobile you’ll want access to the best apps you can fire up, while if you’re interested in the best NFL site then you’ll want a sportsbook that is best set up for football bets.
| Site category | Best sportsbook site |
|---|---|
| 📱 Mobile betting site | Borgata sportsbook |
| ⚖️ Legal betting site | SugarHouse sportsbook |
| ☘️ New betting site | BetMGM sportsbook |
| 🏎️ Fast payouts | BetMGM sportsbook |
| 🏈 NFL betting | bet365 sportsbook |
| 🏀 NBA betting | BetRivers sportsbook |
| 🥊 Boxing betting | Caesars sportsbook |
| ⚽️ Soccer betting | bet365 sportsbook |
Things to consider when betting on sports
If you’re new to online sports betting you might be feeling slightly overwhelmed at the amount of choice you’re presented with when accessing a betting site. Don’t worry, once you get to grips with a few terms things will start getting clearer.
The best online betting sites will explain all the important terms and will provide helpful info within the bet slip to help you out. Many will also give you information such as the final payout of your bet so you know exactly how much you might win. However, it’s still important to be familiar with the basic terms and features when picking an online sportsbook.
Betting odds
All bets have a number that represents the payout you’ll get if that player or team wins. This is the most important factor in betting, and you need a good grip on what betting odds mean before making a bet. In the US we use American odds which are a number with a + or – next to it. A – indicates the number you have to bet to win $100. The number with a + is the underdog and represents the amount you would win if you put up a $100 bet. If you win your initial stake is always returned to you together with your winnings.
Betting units
Units indicate the size of your bet on a game. These are personal measurements and every player sets what a unit means to them. The most common scale goes between 1 and 5 with 5 being a bet of great value. This helps keep your accounts in check and helps you decide the amount to bet. Ideally, you should never bet more than 5% of your account on a single game. In this case, if you have $100 in your account, and you decide 1 unit is 1%, then the maximum you can bet on one game is $1.
Bet types
Different sports attract different bet types. Basketball attracts point spreads though to the often large gap in points, while boxing has different moneylines for methods of victory. An online betting site with 400 futures isn’t necessarily the best sportsbook site around. Look for a site with four or more bet types, with moneylines, point spreads, totals, and parlays being a must for all the best online sportsbooks.
Betting offers
Online sportsbooks will always have some form of offer to entice you into placing a bet with them rather than a competitor. Sports welcome offers include risk-free bets, where you’ll get your money back if you lose the bet, and bet match, where the bookmaker will match your stake or even double the amount of your wager. A good sportsbook will also have a selection of weekly offers depending on ongoing events and leagues.
Live betting
With the advancement of technology, we’re now able to place bets in real-time as the event is happening. Bookmakers have fixed odds before the match but the odds are in constant fluctuation during the game. Live betting gives you the chance to predict outcomes within live games. Some bookmakers will also provide in-depth information and live streams to help you predict the different outcomes.
Cashout
This is an important safeguard in online sports betting. Say you place a bet but suddenly change your mind. Cashout gives you the chance to collect your payment before the game starts. Online bookmakers will also offer the chance for you to cash out your winnings during live games before the match ends. Is your team doing well now but has gotten a sudden injury? Then your best bet might be to cash out early and collect whatever is left of your stake or any winnings accumulated.
Overall offering
Any decent sportsbook will have a solid mobile sports betting site, with a glitch-free experience. Five or more payment methods is a good sign as it shows established brands trust the safety of the sportsbook, as does having basic safety features such as SSL encryption. 24/7 customer support is great, but we also recommend checking out the FAQ — an online sportsbook with an extensive FAQ shows a dedication to provide detailed and helpful information to the players.
What sports can you bet on?
A good sportsbook might overwhelm you with the vast betting choices on offer. We’re not just talking about sports here, any event that is happening live and has an unknown, unpredictable outcome is fair game. That means players can now enjoy real money betting on anything from the outcomes of elections to who is going to win the next series of American Idol.
A great online sportsbook will have 15 or more different sports available to bet on and will include most or all of the most popular sports mentioned below.
Esports
Esports consists of any competitive video games played between individuals or a team. Popular Esports include LoL and CS:GO.
Horse racing
Horse racing is a popular sector with races differing in distance, obstacles, and where the jockey is seated.
Boxing
US boxing betting has been popular since Dempsey and Johnson in the 1920s. Popular wagers include the outright winner and method of victory.
Football
This American institution needs no introduction. Here, parlay bets are the go-to wager type as they have higher potential payouts.
Soccer
Huge in Europe, soccer betting earned the European football industry half a billion dollars in betting sponsorships in the 20/21 season.
Tennis
There are three popular types of wagers in tennis: moneyline, game spread, and set spread. These help balance out the lower variance.
Basketball
Almost as popular as football, basketball betting is legal in around 20 states, though some limit college sports.
Golf
Let’s face it, America loves golf. 3 out of the 4 major world championships have a foothold in the US sports betting online market.
Rugby union
Inaugurated in 2017, the popularity of the sport has been rising in the US, with the US set to host the Rugby World Cup in 2031.
Mixed martial arts (MMA)
The sport started in the 90s, and MMA sports betting followed. Any serious sportsbook will offer UFC bets these days.
Cricket
Cricket makes in-game betting popular. From the Ashes to T20, who doesn’t love slow-motion baseball?
Auto racing
From Formula 1 racing to NASCAR, auto racing offers endless types of sports betting options, from outright wins to podiums and futures.
Baseball
Rivals football and soccer for the number of individual bets per game. Sportsbooks such as BetMGM partner with MLB to offer real-time data.
Hockey
Who’ll win the Stanley cup? Well, nobody knows yet. But that’s one super-popular bet at the start of the NHL season.
Table tennis
With tournaments like the World Table Tennis Championships and the ITTF World Cup there’s no shortage for table tennis fans to choose from.
Politics
Many sportsbooks also offer bets on the outcome of political events. These are normally straight bets such as which way a state will swing.
Entertainment
Some of these include who’ll win American Idol, who’ll win the best director award at the Oscars, and even who’ll be the next James Bond.
Popular sports events you can bet on
All year-round, no matter the season — and who doesn’t like an NFL game where the gridiron is covered in snow — there’s some form of sporting event going on.
Many of the major sports leagues run annually, and other international events run every 4 years, such as the FIFA World Cup or the Olympics. This means there are plenty of chances for players to try their luck on different sports betting events.
According to a study by Statista in 2023, the three most popular sporting events in the US are:
- The Superbowl, hosted by the National Football League (NFL) every February.
- Major League Baseball (MBL), which concludes in October/November in a best-of-7 game World Series.
- National Basketball Association (NBA) crowning their yearly champions in the NBA Finals in June.
The legal situation in the US
Since 2018, when New Jersey won their Supreme Court ruling stating they can legalize sports betting, every state in the US can legislate to allow betting on sports.
Every state can make its own rules regarding online sportsbook betting. For example, Wyoming only legalized online sports betting with no land-based sites, however, the legal age for sports betting in Wyoming is set at 18. This is in contrast to most states, where the legal age for online sports betting is 21.
Out of the 50 states, 32 have already regulated retail sports betting and many of these have also legislated to allow online regulated sports betting. Some even have fantasy sports betting on the cards.
States have regulatory bodies that are in charge of licensing and regulating sportsbooks. Say a sportsbook wants to have online betting in New Jersey, it would have to apply for a license with the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement and pass regular checks to keep the license once obtained.
| State | Offline sports betting | Year available | Online sports betting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | Yes | 2021 | Yes |
| Arkansas | Yes | 2019 | Yes |
| Colorado | Yes | 2020 | Yes |
| Connecticut | Yes | 2021 | Yes |
| Delaware | Yes | 2018 | Yes |
| Florida | Pending | N/A | Pending |
| Illinois | Yes | 2020 | Yes |
| Indiana | Yes | 2019 | Yes |
| Iowa | Yes | 2019 | Yes |
| Louisiana | Yes | 2021 | Yes |
| Maryland | Yes | 2021 | Pending |
| Massachusetts | Yes | 2022 | Yes |
| Michigan | Yes | 2020 | Yes |
| Mississippi | Yes | 2018 | No |
| Montana | Yes | 2020 | No |
| Nebraska | Pending | N/A | Pending |
| Nevada | Yes | 1949 | Yes |
| New Hampshire | No | 2019 | Yes |
| New Jersey | Yes | 2018 | Yes |
| New Mexico | Yes | 2018 | No |
| New York | Yes | 2019 | Yes |
| North Carolina | Yes | 2021 | No |
| North Dakota | Yes | 2021 | No |
| Oregon | Yes | 2019 | Yes |
| Pennsylvania | Yes | 2018 | Yes |
| Rhode Island | Yes | 2018 | Yes |
| South Dakota | Yes | 2021 | Only on premises |
| Tennessee | No | 2020 | Yes |
| Virginia | Yes | 2021 | Yes |
| Washington | Yes | 2021 | No |
| Washington DC | Yes | 2020 | Yes |
| West Virginia | Yes | 2018 | Yes |
| Wyoming | No | 2021 | Yes |
Sources
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/1430289/most-watched-sports-leagues-usa/
- https://www.theguardian.com/law/2018/may/14/sports-betting-gambling-legal-supreme-court-decision#:~:text=The%20supreme%20court%20on%20Monday,and%20Amateur%20Sports%20Protection%20Act.
- https://www.americangaming.org/research/state-gaming-map/
