US Online Bookmakers in 2021
BettingBilly eases your way into online sports betting and allows great insight to a number of best online bookmakers. With the federal ban lifted and many states in the process of legalizing betting, we make an effort to present all legal US sportsbooks available. You can sign up for Billy’s List and enjoy a free comparison as well as betting tips.
Legal Sports Betting Status in the USA
Indeed, the Supreme Court opened the door to sports betting in the United States with a ruling to lift the sports betting ban. The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act was found to be a violation of the 10th Amendment in 2018 and this turned attention to individual states. States now have their hands free to pass sports betting bills and statutes, which will allow a number of bookmaker companies to move into the market.
The ruling itself has more background and is not about sports betting alone. Still, some states moved fast and allowed sports bookmaker companies to set up while others are still considering the bills. This has made an impact on offshore sports betting opportunities but the biggest winners are certainly bettors.
Fully legal and legit bookmakers mean a safer haven for the bettors. Sports betting authorities are bound to have more control over such sports bookie sites, with instruments to force transparency. This means less exposure to scams, funds and sensitive data protection, but also brings about better customer care in general.
BettingBilly is devoted to constant research into the current legal situation in all states and we follow up quickly with any changes, positive or negative. Our ultimate goal is to review every bookmaker in USA and find online bookmakers’ best offers which you can grab. With ever-growing enthusiasm, bettors in the US can either already bet or expect to be able to place bets with best bookmakers sooner rather than later.
Online vs. Offline Bookmakers
Online bookie sites offer a great alternative to brick-and-mortar sportsbooks and even have a number of advantages over it. This has seen a great rise of online sports betting as users get the ease of access, where you can sign up for an account within minutes and get to play just as quickly. The most obvious one is the flexibility it provides, as bettors have an opportunity to bet from their home or on the go. This allows you to review the offer in great detail and time your bets to grab the best odds out there. Additionally, best online bookies have great bonus offers including deposit bonuses and free bets, which retail bookmakers seldom offer. This lets you boost your bankroll early on but we do suggest taking your time to go through the terms and conditions before grabbing them. We will list some of the best bonus offers for US players below.
Legal vs. Offshore Online Bookmakers
Finding a legal betting bookie in the US was a mission impossible for a long time as federal laws prohibited sports betting, which forced many bettors who took on risks to offshore bookmakers. These sports betting sites thrived in what was called a gray area when it comes to online gambling, but is it now all gone?
Indeed, legal online bookie sites offer more. The fact the sportsbook market becomes regulated by respective authority gives players instruments to ensure they’re with legit bookies. This often means a more serious approach to business, with more responsibility and better security systems in place.
This also means safer money and sensitive data so we always advise bettors to sign up with legal online bookies. Our online bookmakers comparison will give you a better insight into why we prefer these sites. It is better to wait for your state to legalize sports betting rather than going for an offshore bookmaker.
Online Bookmakers: 5 Most played Betting Types
Online sportsbook offer has a range of different options to facilitate betting. Still, some just catch the eye of many and easily become fan favorites. We now take on a quick review of some of the most played betting types with bookies in the United States.
Point Spread betting: Point spread lets bettors play on games where there’s an obvious favorite. Bookmaker will calculate the spread in order to even the field and provide similar odds on both sides.
Teaser betting: If you want to alter the point spread, you can do so with Teaser bets. You can move the handicap anywhere between four and 14 points, which will also change the odds and either allow fewer risks or increase the odds.
Moneyline: Moneyline betting is a simpler form of betting, where a bookmaker provides odds for the sides to win and bettors place their bets. Backing favorites will make less than the actual wager (thus the – sign) and going for an underdog will bring bigger winnings than the wager itself (the + sign).
Over/Under betting: If you want to bet on individual and team efficiency, or any other stat for that matter, you will enjoy Over/Under betting. The sportsbook provides point thresholds players or teams have to exceed and you simply predict the outcome.
Hedge Betting: If you see odds shortening after you make a bet and decide to cut potential winnings to get a smaller but sure payout, that’s hedge betting for you. It’s often used and recommended by professional bettors, who will often place such bets if their tournament outrights are going well, for example.
Top 10 Sports Events to bet on at Online Bookmakers
Some of the great US fan favorites and some unlikely heroes, betting bookie sites offer a variety of different sports and major events to bet on. Bettors get to place their bets on just about anything these days, so let’s take a look where the most of the money goes.
Super Bowl betting: Super Bowl has its popularity rising every single year and the same goes for Super Bowl betting. Legal bookmaker sites will certainly allow more insight but it’s estimated billions of US dollars are bet every year.
Football betting: It is just as obvious football betting in general takes up a big chunk of the overall bets in the United States. You can hardly find a sportsbook with no NFL or college football in the offer.
Baseball betting: Baseball could not really follow the rise of some other major sports but it’s fair to say baseball betting has always been taking an important spot. World Series always has big money moving with US bookies.
NBA betting: It’s been hard to determine how much attention the Finals got in the past, as most of the betting traffic went to offshore and illegal bookies. However, NBA betting has great potential and will surely prove it with every new season.
Soccer betting: With the rise of MLS popularity, soccer betting has seen a rise of its own. Sportsbook sites offer a range of leagues and events with a great number of markets, where MLS, European Champions League, and FIFA World Cup catch the most attention.
Tennis betting: The great thing about tennis is that you have major tournaments all year and ATP really brings the most out of tennis betting. Bookmakers offer a variety of markets and bet types, which offers a well-rounded experience.
Horse betting: A pioneer in sports betting, horse races have caught the online sports bettors’ early as well. Horse betting is available around the clock and any good betting site will have a great number of races every day.
eSports: As an ever-growing industry, it’s only to be expected eSports betting starts gaining popularity with bettors. The concept of it allows great flexibility and this serves as a great reason to pick eSports even in the time of a pandemic.
UFC: UFC has been a focal point for bettors around the globe since its beginnings. UFC betting will have aficionados busy throughout the year and all major fights have sportsbooks covering with a great range of markets available.
Political betting: Unlike anything else, online bookmakers made a boom with political betting and opportunities to predict the elections around the globe.
Our Test Categories
BettingBilly is here to help you pick the best bookmaker, sign up for a new account, and make your first bet with ease. With that in mind, each online bookmakers review will provide detailed information on important elements which will make up your experience with the bookmaker – including the following test categories:
Betting offer: The number of sports, leagues, and events you can place your bets on is crucial. You will want your favorites there but it’s also important to have a variety of options, which will make it easier to find your best picks.
Parlay picks: We often provide parlay picks through Billy’s List and we always promote sportsbook sites that offer the best picks. This is a great way to boost your bankroll and it’s an enjoyable bet experience too.
In-play betting: Live events are different thrills altogether and it’s important to have a solid in-play offer nowadays. We review the sportsbook‘s site, update rates, as well as the odds themselves to provide best options.
Mobile betting: While it’s obvious players enjoy mobile play, it’s not a given that there will be no glitches. We check out the mobile apps in store and review their design, compatibility, and performance before suggesting them.
Welcome bonus and promotions: Online bookmakers new customer offers are an important mark of their customer care. Bonus offers in the shape of welcome bonuses, free bet offers, or odds boosts increase your chances of winning early on.
Support: When it comes to customer care, though, nothing shows it off as support. We take a closer look at the customer support channels available and review every single one. We want to make sure best sportsbook companies also have friendly and knowledgeable staff.
Payment options: Bookmaker has to be able to process deposit and withdrawal requests quickly and seamlessly. We check out the site responsiveness and review the payment timeframes to make sure of this too.
Limits and odds: Betting limits are just as important as odds you grab, which has us looking closer at what you can actually do with a bookmaker. We check out specific odds as well as the update frequency and reliability.
Usability: The design and user-friendliness are instrumental to an enjoyable experience with a sportsbook. We find out all the traits and rate its functionality when it comes to site as well as the iPhone betting apps.
Security: Legal sportsbook sites often bring great security but we also check out encryption it boasts, firewalls, payment processors, and more in order to find the best possible safety US players can get online.
- Betting Offer
- Parlay Picks
- In-Play Betting
- Mobile Betting
- Welcome Bonus & Promotions
- Support
- Payment Options
- Limits & Odds
- Usability
- Security
Checklist: Registration
Once you find a bookmaker that suits you well, make sure to follow through with a checklist and list all of the important features. Great bookies will tick all of the boxes but you should at least have most of these on your selected site:
- League & market availability
- Betting odds
- Mobile betting platform
- Live betting options
- Customer support
- Parlay selections
- Payment options
- Fast cashouts
- Welcome bonus
- Other betting promotions
Our Top 5 Sports Betting Bonus
Still, some of the traits listed above are more important than others. You have to take your individual preference into consideration when picking a bookmaker. If you are looking for the best bonus offers out there, we have put together a list of bookmakers with their respective sports betting bonuses right here!
Our Top 5 Betting Apps
On the other hand, you might want to bet on the go and this could sway your decision to set up a new account one way or the other. With that in mind, we also have a list of our top 5 mobile sports betting apps that should help you in such a search.
5 Tips for the Beginning
Before you set up a new account with any bookmaker, it’s important to bear some important advice in mind. This is especially true if you are not just new to the site but to the online sports betting world in general.
Gamble responsibly: This is the foundation on which you should base any fun you will have with sports betting. Any good bookmaker will constantly advise you to be responsible with your bets and never take on wagers you cannot afford to lose.
Money management: Find bankroll management tutorials and stick with them for the start. It’s important to know how to manage your money, whether you are just there for the free bets and other bonuses or you have a huge bankroll online already.
Use your knowledge: Sports betting is not all about the knowledge you might have, but it’s nothing without it too. Make sure you bet on sports you know about and try to follow through the events live, which you can easily do with bookmaker’s live stream offers.
Check out more than a single bookmaker: Making a new account and funding it to grab bonuses was never as easy. We strongly suggest you check out more than a single sportsbook, as you might find a lot of what you are looking for.
We can help: You can always go for pros’ advice and betting tips. You can sign up for our Billy’s List for free and get bookmaker suggestions as well as some of our best picks. We will point you in the right direction!
Supreme Court has lifted a federal ban on sports gambling, which has allowed individual states to pass sports betting bills and fully legalize it. This is an on-going process, where some states acted quickly while others are taking their time.
As said, some states already passed bills and allowed a number of sportsbooks to provide their services. The list is constantly expanding and you can check all the details here by signing up for completely free Billy’s List.
Offshore sportsbooks still allow US citizens. However, it feels like a matter of time when more strict regulation will be implemented and we strongly advise you to only make new accounts with a fully legal and legit site.
You need to be 21 years of age and a resident of a state that allows online sports betting. You will need to complete a sign up form once you select your preferred bookmaker and submit documents to confirm your ID and legal status.
This largely depends on your state and individual preferences. We provide a great Checklist you can follow here together with Billy’s List, which is a great tool you can use to pick your new favorite sport to place bets every day.
Yes, chances are there will be a welcome bonus once you set up a new account. You can check out some of our favorite bonus offers above or read through our bookmaker review to see a more detailed overview of the bonuses in the offer.
Yes, most of the best bookies in the US offer great mobile apps you can use to place your bets on the go. You can check out the top apps we’ve selected above or find insightful reviews on current apps in every bookie review.
PayPal is a great way to deposit and withdraw your money with sportsbooks. Many of the sites offer PayPal as one of their preferred options. You can check out a detailed list in our PayPal betting sites review to get more info.
Many of the major US sports have profound betting offers on best bookmaker sites. Aside from that, you can also find a range of markets on soccer, martial arts, e-Sports, and even political betting. The array of events has never been as wide, which promises to have a lot in store for you too.
Great customer care is a sign of great bookies. Most of the online sportsbooks ensure positive experience through support, enabling a number of channels for contact including live chat, e-mail, and phone lines live through most part of the day.
