At first glance it may seem that online bookmakers are all fairly similar to one another. That should come as no surprise because of how competitive the industry is.
However when you look closer you’ll start to see that there are various factors that differ from one bookmaker to the next. If you want to choose the ‘best’ option, you should start by focusing on those.
Selection of Bets
The first thing you should look at is the selection of bets that are available. That is both in terms of the:
- Types of sports such as NFL, NBA, football, rugby, cricket, electronic sports, tennis, golf, and so on.
- Types of bets such as straights, totals, parlays, propositions, betting lines, teasers, spreads, and so on.
Essentially you should look for an online bookmaker that offers both the types of sports as well as the types of bets that you want to place. For popular sports and common types of bets that may be easy, but for more obscure options it can be a bit difficult.
Deposit and Payout Options
It is important that you examine the different deposit and payout options that are available for online bookmakers. Most accept debit or credit card payments as well as bank transfers, but may have certain conditions that need to be met.
Ultimately you should make sure that you’re able to easily deposit and make withdrawals from the bookmaker that you choose – otherwise you may have issues. On top of that you should pay attention to any transaction fees that may be imposed.
Jurisdiction and Legality
The issue of the legality of bookmakers can be a bit murky, and it varies from one jurisdiction to the next. To be safe, your best bet is to check on the laws that govern online betting in your jurisdiction, and choose a bookmaker that complies with them.
Although some online bookmakers disregard issues of jurisdiction and allow bets to be placed, in the long run you could run into legal issues if you use them. In short it is far better to be safe rather than sorry.
Bonuses and Special Offers
Because of how competitive the industry is, many online bookmakers offer different types of bonuses and special offers. Some may offer incentives for sign-ups, deposits, or have a different type of rewards system.
Needless to say you should definitely take advantage of these bonuses – but be sure to read the fine print. Most bonuses tend to have strict terms and conditions attached to them and are unlikely to be as amazing as they look at first glance.
For example although a bookmaker offers a welcome bonus up to 7 bitcoins, you may need to place a fixed number of bets before you can claim it.
Customer Service
Finding an online bookmaker with a track record of good customer service is definitely worthwhile. Initially it may not seem that important, but if and when you run into any issues you’ll definitely be happy that you took the time to look into it.
If possible you should try to find a bookmaker that has a 24-hour customer service and responds quickly to any queries.
Conclusion
By examining online bookmakers based on the factors listed above, you should be able to start to see how different they are from one another. Based on the factors you should also be able to easily pinpoint the options that would actually be a good fit.
Admittedly it will take a bit of extra work on your part, but in the long run, choosing the best online bookmaker is definitely worthwhile.
