The Best Sportsbooks for Beginners
Newcomers to the wonderful world of sports betting have a wealth of different options when choosing a legal sportsbook. It can therefore be difficult for beginners to know which sites to register with and which ones to avoid. Fortunately, we have done all the hard work for you.
Our experienced reviewers have performed a rigorous analysis of every single online sportsbook that has launched in the United States. We have picked out the sports betting sites that best suit newcomers, based on a range of key criteria.
Read on to learn which sportsbook has the simplest sign-up process, the site with the most appealing bonuses and the operator with the best sports betting app. We will also highlight the sportsbook with the best customer service and the best retail sportsbook to visit.
DraftKings
Best for Overall Bonuses
DraftKings offers customers a wide range of exciting bonuses. The business is flush with cash and it invests heavily in promotional credits. New customers will be awarded Bonus Bet credits worth up to $1,050. DraftKings then provides lots of ongoing bonuses to keep existing customers sweet.
Lucrative Welcome Offers
You will receive a 20% match deposit bonus when you join DraftKings. The maximum you can receive is $1,000. DraftKings also throws in a $50 no deposit bonus as an added incentive. That is a winning combination for new customers.
DraftKings also runs “Bet $1, Get $100” bonuses for new customers on a periodic basis. You can win $100 off just a $1 wager if a single punch is landed in a UFC fight or a single 3-pointer is made in an NBA game. That essentially amounts to a $100 Bonus Bet.
Ongoing Promotions & Odds Boosts
DraftKings will offer you a number of interesting bonuses after you have registered. One example is an NBA Parlay Boost, which gives you 33% extra profit on parlay bets featuring three or more selections.
The sportsbook offers odds boosts too. This sees bettors paid out at more appealing odds on certain wagers each day. You will also be able to enter sportsbook contests, such as the Big Birdie Payday and the Pro Football Millionaire Survivor Pool contest.
You will be automatically enrolled into the DraftKings loyalty program when you sign up for an account. This allows you to rack up points by placing bets. These points, known as crowns, can be exchanged for Bonus Bets. There are incentives available for referring friends, and DraftKings provides a variety of short-term bonuses to maintain the excitement over the course of the year.
Query Result Size UnexpectedSummary
DraftKings delivers a seriously impressive suite of bonuses. You will not find a better range of promotions at any other online sportsbook.
FanDuel
Best App
FanDuel offers a high-quality sports betting app. It has an average rating of 4.8 out of 5 on the Apple Store after receiving more than 140,000 user reviews. The FanDuel app is also popular among Android users. It is easy to download and the mobile sign-up process is quick and straightforward.
Experienced Team of Developers
Flutter Entertainment, the world’s largest online gambling company, owns FanDuel. Flutter also owns famous brands such as Paddy Power, Betfair, Sky Bet, FOX Bet and Sportbet.au. It has channelled all of that expertise into the FanDuel sportsbook app.
Navigation is smooth and simple, pages load quickly, and it is full of helpful shortcuts. We tested the FanDuel sportsbook app out on lots of different devices and found that it performed well on each one. There were no issues with glitches or pages freezing.
Impressive Features
FanDuel offers competitive odds on all the major sports leagues around the world. You can typically find more than 100 wagering options per game. The pages are laid out in a simple and intuitive manner, so it is easy to find your favorite leagues.
They offer pre-game, live betting and futures betting options. The live betting section is particularly impressive. You can stream games inside the app as you consider which bets to place. You can then place your wagers with just a few taps of the screen.
Deposits and withdrawals can be made via the app. The process is very straightforward. FanDuel withdrawals are among the fastest we have seen.
Query Result Size UnexpectedSummary
Other sportsbooks also offer excellent apps, including DraftKings, but FanDuel’s app is the best on the market. The quality of the user experience and the awesome features put the FanDuel sportsbook app in a league of its own.
Caesars Sportsbook
Simplest Sign-Up Process
Caesars Sportsbook takes all the stress out of registering for a sportsbook account. Their experience internationally has translated to the simplest registration.
You may have to upload a photo ID and a utility bill to prove your address. This is a standard procedure called KYC (Know Your Customer). Caesars makes the KYC procedure a lot smoother than rival sportsbooks.
The next step is to fund your account. Caesars provides you with a long list convenient banking options. It also offers quick and reliable withdrawals.
Caesars also offers 24/7 customer support. The agents at Caesars are experienced and knowledgeable. They can help you with the registration procedure if you struggle at any time.
Query Result Size UnexpectedSummary
The Caesars sports betting platform is really easy to use. There are attractive odds on thousands of sporting events each week. It also provides a very large First Bonus Bet as a welcome bonus.
However, its key selling point for new bettors is the smooth, easy sign-up process. You can just type in some basic details and then start betting on your favorite sports within minutes.
BetMGM
Best Customer Service
BetMGM offers 24/7 customer support, 365 days a year. That is a rarity in the online sports betting industry.
You can quickly access a live chat service to seek help at any time. The agents are polite, friendly and helpful. They are also highly knowledgeable.
A Thorough FAQ Section
BetMGM provides customers with a comprehensive list of FAQs. You should be able to find the answers to most issues quickly when you land on this landing page.
The answers are clear and concise. BetMGM is really transparent, and it lays out its terms and conditions in plain English.
If you cannot find what you are looking for, just trigger the live chat function.
Minimal Waiting Times
Your questions should be answered rapidly. We tested out the service, and we were never kept waiting long.
This stands in stark contrast to most competitors. Many sportsbooks fail to provide 24/7 support, and they only offer a web form as opposed to live chat. They then keep you waiting for a long time before you receive a response.
This is never an issue at BetMGM. Rival sportsbooks could learn a lot from their customer service team.
Query Result Size UnexpectedSummary
BetMGM is a polished online sportsbook co-owned by two industry heavyweights – MGM Holdings and Entain. Both companies know how important it is to offer high-quality customer service at all times.
They have trained their agents well, and they run a very professional operation. You should always receive quick, insightful responses that get straight to the point.
Best Retail Sportsbook
BetRivers
BetRivers runs the best retail sportsbooks in the country. There is often a buzzing atmosphere, and you can watch your favorite sports on dozens of TV screens.
You can find BetRivers sportsbooks in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Des Plaines in Illinois and Schenectady in New York. It also runs online sports betting sites in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Colorado, Iowa, Virginia and West Virginia, but it is well worth making the trip to enjoy the in-person wagering experience.
Attentive Staff
Self-betting kiosks are open from 6am to 2am daily, and sportsbook writers are there most of the time. The workers are generally a friendly bunch, and they can explain how to bet in clear, simple terms.
The list of wagering options is impressive. You can bet on all the major U.S. sports leagues, along with lots of events around the world. The betting limits are appealing and the odds are in line with those available at FanDuel, DraftKings and BetMGM.
A Luxurious Experience
The sportsbooks feature table seating, private booths and a VIP club. There are lots of bars and restaurants to enjoy, plus large casinos packed full of table games and slots.
These venues provide a fantastic all-round experience for casual bettors and high-rollers alike.
However, the sportsbooks are particularly appealing for beginners, because the staff will make you feel at ease and walk you through the wagering process.
Summary
Sportsbook apps make it quick and convenient to place bets at any time of day. However, nothing can beat the thrill of landing a winning wager in a packed retail sportsbook surrounded by fellow bettors.
The overall experience is amplified at BetRivers, because a lot of care and attention has gone into providing an outstanding visitor experience. We recommend a visit if you are ever near a BetRivers sportsbook.
Frequently Asked Questions
All the sportsbooks operating in the United States are safe and secure. They are bound by strict regulations and licensing conditions, and they all have to use robust SSL software to keep your details secure. The safest sportsbooks include FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM and William Hill.
Bet365 is one of the quickest sportsbooks for payouts, as you can receive instant withdrawals via a branded MasterCard or at the casino cage. Using a prepaid Caesars card is also a quick way to get paid out. In general the speed with which you are paid depends on the method you choose, with PayPal and Skrill often among the quickest options.
Beginners might like to check out FanDuel thanks to the high-quality app and superb all-round wagering experience it offers. Caesars is another great option due to the ease of the registration process and the broad array of convenient banking methods, while BetMGM has great customer service. Another excellent all-round option is DraftKings, which provides sports bettors with lots of appealing bonuses.
It really depends on which sport you are most familiar with. You will find hundreds of wagering options on football, basketball, baseball hockey and soccer games at the leading online sportsbooks. The bet types range from simple moneyline options to slightly more complex same game parlays and alternative lines, but sports betting is generally very simple when you get the hang of it.
Parlays are often the hardest bets to pull off. You have to combine multiple selections into a single wager, and each prediction must prove correct for your bet to pay out. Sportsbooks generally report the highest hold percentage on parlays, which is worth bearing in mind before placing one.
You can generally open a sportsbook account by making an initial deposit of just $10. That should also ensure you qualify for a welcome bonus. Most sites will allow you to withdraw small amounts too, but it is always worth checking the FAQ section to make sure it is possible.
More than half the states in the country have now legalized sports betting following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to strike down PASPA, a federal sports wagering ban, in 2018. Some states only permit in-person sports betting, but most allow you to bet on sports online and via an app. You will just need a Geolocator plugin to prove that you are located within that state.
OddsTrader offers a free odds comparison service that allows you to quickly find the best available odds in your state. You can compare odds on NFL, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF, NHL, WNBA, CGL, soccer, tennis, UFC, Bellator and boxing. All the legal sportsbooks in the United States are featured on the site, and you can find the best spread, moneyline and totals odds, along with futures and power rankings, plus a wealth of helpful sporting stats.
