With new regulations passing all the time and legal online sports betting facing less criticism in the United States, this branch of the booming gambling industry continues to expand at an incredible rate. Our guide will explain how to bet, where to find the best sports betting sites, define types of sports wagers, share tips for beginners, and highlight the best current mobile sportsbooks and top-rated sports betting apps.
If you want to bet at sports betting sites USA, here are the best online sportsbooks:
Want to learn sports betting basics? Whether you’re a beginner or need a refresher, we cover what you need to know about sports betting strategy, like what sports odds mean, what spread bets are, how to read line movement and more.
Please do your homework before joining any online gambling site. Rest assured that the best online sportsbooks mentioned above are all highly reputable. Whether you are an online poker player learning how to bet on sports or consider yourself a sharp, there is a site for you. Our list of trustworthy sportsbooks online will help you avoid the time consuming and confusing process of comparing the various sites for quality in order to match yourself with the best sports betting sites.
Three of the most popular forms of online sports bets are moneyline, point spreads, and totals (over/under). The information in this section explains each of these betting options offered at the sportsbook in an easy-to-digest manner.
A moneyline bet is a sports wager on which team will win a particular game. The moneyline wager is the most popular in NHL betting and MLB betting, but exists also for NBA betting, online football betting and other sports. In this type of bet, the payout is the same regardless of how many runs or points the team you wagered on scores.
Placing moneyline bets requires that you first understand the American odds system, which always uses a 3-or-more digit whole number expressed as either positive or negative. The reason there are positive and negative moneylines is that the two teams are often not equally matched.
A negative moneyline, for instance, represents how much a bettor must stake to profit $100, with a line of -180 requiring a $180 bet in order to profit $100. Therefore, if your bet is successful, you keep the $180 you staked plus the extra $100 in winnings. Meanwhile, a positive moneyline is how much a $100 stake will pay. For example, if you stake $100 on a line of +160, if your bet wins you keep the $100 you staked, plus an extra $160 in winnings.
Point spread betting is the most popular way to bet on the two most frequently wagered upon sports in the United States, namely NFL betting and basketball betting. The basic idea behind point spread betting is to make the sports game closer to a 50/50 proposition by adding a handicap.
For example, you could find the New York Giants +10.5, and the Philadelphia Eagles -10.5.
How this works is that the favorite team always has a negative value alongside it, and the underdogs a positive value.
In our example, the Philadelphia Eagles are the favorites to win by 10.5 points in this game.
Meanwhile, the underdog in this game are the New York Giants, which has a +10.5 value, meaning online sports bettors will profit if the New York Giants win the game outright or lose by 10-or-fewer points.
All point spread wagers also have a price or commission, which if not stated by the Las Vegas sportsbooks is assumed to be -110.
In other words, risk $110 to profit $100, or if simplified, every dollar bet you bet, the sportsbook receives 10 cents, rather than an even 50/50 line in which you bet a dollar to make a dollar. This extra price you’re charged is referred to as the vig or juice and is how the sportsbooks make their profit.
When betting online, you’ll commonly find point spreads that have half points involved (example -2.5 / +2.5), thus ensuring there is no way for a sports bettors wager to be tied, otherwise known as a push.
Totals betting, also known as over/under betting, is one of the easiest sports bets to understand. Here you bet on whether the total number of points scored by both teams combined during a game will be over or under the posted betting total.
For example, this bet might be:
Similar to point spread betting, unless otherwise stated, these bets are assumed to be offered at -110 (risk $110 to profit $100). Also, similar to point spread betting, it’s also quite common in totals betting to see each option have a different vig price, such as over 5.5 (-130) / under 5.5 (+110).
As the name implies, a futures bet is a wager that will occur later on in the sports calendar rather than that same day. Examples of futures are odds to win the Super Bowl, odds to win an award like Most Valuable Player or, in entertainment, odds to win the most Oscars at the Academy Awards.
Having decided on the best sports betting site for you, the first step towards placing a bet is to register for a free account, log in and make your first deposit. Be sure to pick up a free bonus to boost your bankroll.
Spend a little time familiarizing yourself with the terms and conditions and betting rules on the site. Then it’s time to research your bet. If you already have a prediction in mind, right on! If you need a little help, check out our expert picks.
Find the bet you want to make. If you like the odds, click on it and populate a generated bet slip with the amount you’d like to wager. Double check it before confirming to place your bet. It’s that simple.
Compare the best online sportsbooks that we recommend. See which sites have the best welcome bonuses, fastest payout options, and are easiest for those learning how to bet on sports.
After reviewing the top sportsbooks online in the USA, these did not pass the high standards set by Gamble Online. For more information, please check out our How We Rate section.
Do you like being rewarded for making sports bets? That is essentially what is happening when you sign up for a VIP Program. At most sportsbooks, you are signed up automatically, and the more you bet on the NFL, NBA, UFC, etc, the higher you move up through a tier-based system. You can win perks such as higher deposit amounts, a dedicated account manager, and even luxury items like trips and cars!
Earn rewards on every sports bet with Bovada’s VIP Program. This site offers players one of the best ongoing experiences as far as loyalty rewards and customer service, which is a big reason why they are our #1 ranked sports book.
The welcome bonus is the first promotion that a new player will get when they sign up for a sportsbook. It usually offers a deposit bonus, which is matched by the sportsbook up to a certain amount. This could be one deposit, or spread out over multiple deposits. You might even get a free bet or two. So, you can let it ride on that week’s NFL underdog!
BetNow has three different sportsbook welcome bonuses for you to check out:
Some sportsbooks will actually let you start growing a bank roll without depositing real money. If you don’t want to risk money right away, Everygame offers a $20 risk-free bet to get the ball rolling. This can be applied to a moneyline wager on your favorite team, point spread bet or over/under point total.
Everygame also offers a Sports Parlay Bonus where If you place a four-selection parlay and only hit 3-of-the-4 bets, you are entered in a drawing for one of 20 $50 FREE bets each week.
More online sportsbooks are offering Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as a deposit and withdrawal method. You will also get perks for depositing with Bitcoin, including higher limits when banking, quicker transactions and most importantly, the safest transactions out there. With some professional athletes getting paid in Bitcoin these days, it makes sense for legal sportsbooks online to accept various cryptocurrencies.
BetOnline has a fantastic welcome bonus for players depositing with crypto for the first time. They feature a 100% match bonus, up to $1,000.
Live in-game betting has gotten extremely popular at online sportsbooks. Basically, you can bet on games as they’re happening, and you can bet on certain situations. For example, will the Kansas City Chiefs call a run or a pass on their next play? You can bet on that now, but you have to be quick: these bets don’t last long.
Sportsbetting.ag features a ton of live betting options for you to choose, from NFL football to NBA basketball, from tennis to soccer to esports.
NBA basketball is wildly popular in the United States and around the world. Futures, live betting, spreads, you name it, you can bet on it in NBA basketball.
With the lockout behind them, it's time for MLB to play ball and for you to place your 2022 World Series futures bets.
Some say betting on the NHL playoffs is one of the most underrated options at online sportsbooks.
The 2022 Triple Crown of horse racing begins with the "Run for the Roses" at the Kentucky Derby in early-May.
Of course, football, basketball and baseball are not the only sports you can bet on. We can show you how to bet on sports, including the following:
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the volume of sports to bet on during a calendar year, but we’re hoping to take the stress out of planning by highlighting some annual major sports betting events to remember. Here’s what’s hot on the online sports betting USA calendar to kick off 2023.
| Month | Event | Sport | Dates |
| January | College Football Playoff Championship | College Football | January 9, 2023 |
| January | NFL Divisional Playoff Weekend | NFL | January 21-22, 2023 |
| February | Super Bowl 57 | NFL | February 12, 2023 |
| February | UEFA Champions League Round of 16 | Int’l Soccer | February 14-15 and 21-22, 2023 |
| February | NBA All-Star Game | NBA | February 19, 2023 |
| March | March Madness | College Basketball | March 14, 2023 |
| March | MLB Opening Day | MLB Baseball | March 30, 2023 |
| April | Kentucky Derby | Horse Racing | April 6, 2023 |
| April | The Masters | PGA Golf | April 6, 2023 |
| June | NBA Finals | NBA Basketball | July 1, 2023 |
| June | Stanley Cup Finals | NHL Hockey | TBD |
| July | Wimbledon | APT/WTA Tennis | July 3 |
| September | NFL Regular Season | NFL Football | September 7, 2023 |
| October | MLB Playoffs | MLB Baseball | October 3, 2023 |
The saying goes “life comes at you fast” and the world isn’t slowing down anytime soon. With most of us on-the-go everyday, it’s important for online sportsbooks to be optimized for mobile moreso than desktop.
Industry leaders may offer a downloadable sports betting app in the Apple’s App and Google Play stores, but the best realized those were often clunky and required a large amount of memory from smart devices. To make things easy on users, sports betting sites simply made their mobile experience mirror the desktop by simply opening up a browser.
Browser-based mobile online sports betting on mobile allows users to simply open up their smart device’s browser, type in the sports betting site address, login to their account and have all the bells and whistles enjoyed on the desktop right in the palm of their hand. Most mobile devices let you save a sportsbook quick link to your homescreen, too. That way, you’re only one click away from your placing a bet.
This guide is meant to help you understand the basics of how to bet on sports.
Just know that betting on sports is extremely competitive, and people often beat the odds by exploiting leaks presented by online sports betting USA sites. Nevertheless, this is in an industry where it is hard to be profitable in the long run, and very few are destined to make a living betting on sports. In fact, the majority of sports bettors tend to be what we call recreational bettors.
On the plus side, there are tons of good bonus offers and promotions available at the best sportsbooks that can make your hobby profitable. Just be sure to stay disciplined, though, and never risk any more than a couple percent of your bankroll on any given game.
For many years, legal online sports betting USA was only allowed in Nevada. Due to its exclusive status as a gambling hub, cities like Las Vegas and Reno prospered off of bettors flocking to the desert to place bets.
That all changed in 2018, when the Supreme Court struck down an antiquated piece of legislation and redefined brick and mortar sportsbook and online sports gambling laws. Since then, the states, and not the federal government, have gained control on how they want to handle legal online sports betting within their borders.
In 2018, the Supreme Court struck down the federal Professional an Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) of 1992. This law prohibited states other than Nevada (and in limited circumstances Delaware, Oregon, and Montana) from allowing sportsbooks within their borders.
New Jersey, home of Atlantic City casinos, led the charge to repeal PASPA. Now, every state has the ability to regulate sports betting.
Each state is allowed to make its own laws for what gambling it does and does not allow.
That is why lotteries are run by their respective state and any casinos or horse tracks are regulated by a Gaming Commission.
Sportsbooks are the same way. There are different laws in different states regarding where you can bet on sports, either online or in-person. There are also regulations on how you can bet, maximum bets, and the type of bets allowed.
Read our state-by-state guide to land-based sportsbooks in the next section.
The federal government still has tools to stop illegal gambling.
The Wire Act of 1961 prohibits using interstate communication to further wagers on “any sporting event or contest.”
However, the Wire Act is now used exclusively against shady operators of illegal gambling rings. While past administrations were more hostile towards legal online gambling, the Biden administration is not standing in the way of the growth of legal sports betting.
One of the easiest ways to learn how to bet on sports is to go out and practice. The following table covers every state where you can find retail sports betting. We also list the best online sportsbooks for residents of every state!
Several states either have added legal sports betting in the past year or plan to launch sports betting in the next year. Here is a quick look at the latest sports betting legislation in the USA.
The sports gambling industry continues to grow across the country, with an increasing number of states offering legal, regulated USA online gambling options. This includes Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New Jersey, Delaware, Rhode Island, Mississippi and New Mexico. New York, Indiana, Iowa, online gambling Illinois, Michigan, Arkansas, Oregon and of course, Nevada, have also largely legislated legal online wagering.
Meanwhile, the rest of the country have bills that have been introduced, but not passed, or bills that have been recently passed. The only places that have no interest in legal online sports wagers are Utah, Wisconsin and Idaho.
If you’re not a resident or visiting one of the regulated betting states, or are not comfortable using online gambling sites, you could always use either a Las Vegas sportsbook or, alternatively, a local sportsbook to take your action.
Many of the best sports gambling sites will post sports-like odds for non-sporting events. Popular events to bet on outside of the sports arena include Oscars & awards betting, betting on the stock market, the weather and politics. such as US Election betting odds.
Shorthand for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th quarter and 1st and 2nd half bets.
As the name indicates, exotics are another form of prop bet that gets a little weird sometimes. For example, what will happen first: LeBron James breaks Kareem’s scoring record or LeBron wins another NBA Championship.
A baseball bet term for first five innings.
Another term for cost of placing a bet and is easier to show an example than define. When you look at a moneyline bet on an oddsboard, it’ll look something like: Bills -125 Jets +120
Shorthand for last five games / last 10 games.
Another term for an outright win sports bet. When betting the moneyline you believe one of the two teams (or player) will win the event.
A multi-game, multi-event bet, in which 2-or-more wagers must be correct in order for the ticket to cash. Because you are betting on more results to happen successfully, parlay bets often enjoy great odds than single bets.
A type of bet where one team must win by a certain amount of points or the other team must lose within a certain number of points. For example, Browns (-7) vs Jets (+7) means the Browns must win by more than 7 points to win or the Jets must lose by fewer than 7 points or win outright. If the final score is Browns 28 Jets 21, the bet is a PUSH.
Also know as an Over / Under bet, is one when you must guess whether the total points scored will be over or under a certain number
These typically have to do with a certain player or team achieving a certain goal threshold within an event. An example of a prop bet would be Cam Akers OVER/UNDER 65 rushing yards against the Seahawks.
The same as point total, but applied to hockey.
A sports betting term for a tie and wagers are returned to the player.
Sports betting done at a land-based sportsbook at a casino or horse track.
The same as point total, but applied to baseball.
Another word for bet slip in which your wager is printed on.
An off-shoot of prop bets, specials are unique to a certain time frame. For example, during MLB playoffs, who will score more points/runs, the Rangers or Cowboys?
Similar to a parlay, a teaser contains multiple event bets where the point spread and/or totals can be adjusted by “buying” points.
An example of this would be a 2-team, 6-point teaser where the Browns are originally -6 (6-point favorites, must win by 7) and Seahawks are -3 (3-point favorites, must by 4), but with the 6-point teaser, you move the spread to Browns (EVEN, all they need to do is win) and Seahawks (+3, they can win or lose by 2 or 1) and still win the bet.
When you start betting with uncontrollable emotion.
Certain sporting events are off-limits when it comes to legal betting in the USA. These often involve sporting events with underage children or events that include voter or judges. Too many people might know the results of reality tv shows or prominent entertainment awards.
Your safety is imperative at online sportsbooks, and we show you what to look for.
Yes, legal online sports betting is 100% allowed in the US, but some states do not allow certain online sportsbooks to operate in their state. Residents of these states can still find real money offshore sportsbooks like the ones listed on this page. To find out more about state law, see our guide to legal online gambling in the USA.
Betting on sports is completely safe and legal as long as you use a trustworthy online sports book. Although there are some rogue operators out there, most online gambling sites are run by legitimate organizations with extensive security measures. All online sports books we list on this page are approved by third party independent auditors who have strict regulations on security and fair play.
The most popular bets that you will find at online sportsbooks are moneyline bets, point spread bets and totals (over/under), which are described in detail on this page. You can also parlay picks by choosing multiple games on one ticket for a larger payout. Lots of sports bettors will also place future bets at, predicting an outcome that will come at the end of the season.
What’s the point in gambling online for real money if you can’t withdraw your winnings? Luckily, all of the sites that we recommend offer a variety of safe deposit and withdrawal options, including most major credit cards, Bitcoin, PayPal, e-check and more! We make sure that all the best online sportsbooks have a good track record of paying their players.
The spread is how sportsbooks attract bettors to place action on either side of the competition. The spread represents how much one team is favored over another in a given game, match, race or event. Take the following situation:
Team A: -3.5
Team B: +3.5
By betting Team A, you win your bet if they win by 4 or more points. If you bet the spread on Team B, they can lose by 3 points or fewer, or win outright in order to win your bet.
Traditional sports books only allow you to place bets on games before they start. Live sports betting allows players to continuously place wagers during a game with the odds adjusting as the game plays on. With live betting, you can place all sorts of different bets and cash out on some bets before the game even end!
Like any form of gambling, sports betting odds represent how likely something is to happen. If Team A is heavily favored to win, their odds will not be as good as Team B, the underdog. A lot goes into determining the exact odds. Home/road records, rest schedule, weather and injuries play a major role when book makers are determining game odds.
You may have seen some famous handicappers bragging online about how much money they have made betting on sports. A successful sports gambler definitely needs a little bit of luck, anyone who has made a lot of money sports gambling still loses plenty of wagers. However, there are things you can do to improve your chances of turning a profit. By checking schedules, injuries and box scores daily and finding the sportsbook listed here with the best odds, you can maximize the amount of online sportsbook real money you can win betting in sports online.
It is extremely rare that sportsbooks online would allow you to bet for free. If you could, you likely would not win any real money. That said, many sportsbooks offer bonuses or free bets after you have reached a given requirement.
