In this article, we will talk to you about not just the biggest sports betting sites but also the smaller ones that we believe have something special to offer.
Finding the best online sports betting sites can be quite a challenge.
As more and more states in the USA legalize sports betting, our options can only expand and become more competitive.
This is a dream situation for sports betting aficionados. Welcome bonuses and promotions abound!
Well. We’re pretty sure that the sportsbooks will find a way to collude with each other and negate any genuine edges we might find.
BUT WE CAN DREAM
Either way, dedicated bettors, everyday fans, and newcomers alike are all looking for the best sports betting sites.
In the modern world, that very much includes betting via a user-friendly app so that will be a major consideration for us.
If you want an even more detailed breakdown of the best betting apps around then see our article – ‘The 6 best NBA betting apps‘ for a great overview.
Between us here in The Jump Hub office, we’ve carefully considered or actually used scores of online betting sites over the years. We’ve logged hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars. Now we can share some of our findings with you and reveal the best online bookmakers we have come across.
First things first, however.
WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST BETTING SITES IN THE WORLD?
If we’re talking about the biggest sports betting sites on the planet then there are a few behemoths we cannot ignore. They tend to be conglomerates of several merged sites but there are some standalone ones too.
10. 888 HOLDINGS PLC
Revenues – $750 million
Subsidiaries – Cassava Enterprises, Dragonfish
Founded in 1997, the company formerly known as ‘Virtual Holdings PLC’ was rebranded as 888 20 years ago.
The company was originally based in the USA until gambling bans drove it away to Gibraltar.
This is, without question, one of the biggest gambling companies in the world. Staggering to think that $750 million of annual revenue only gets them into 10th position on this list.
Ever think you might be in the wrong business?
9. KINDRED GROUP
Revenues – $1 billion
Subsidiaries – UniBet, 32 Red, Stan James
Established also in 1997 in Europe with its headquarters situated in Malta.
The group’s subsidiaries are huge entities in and of themselves.
Unibet alone has an estimated 15 million customers.
But they are not resting on their laurels in 9th position.
The Kindred Group is one of the fastest-growing online gambling companies in the world.
8. BET FRED
Revenues – $1.01 billion
Established in 1967 with the winnings from a World Cup soccer bet (England to win in 1966 apparently). Bet Fred has thus far refrained from creating subsidiaries or selling off its rights.
This appears to have been a somewhat canny move and Bet Fred is now the world’s 8th largest betting company with over 2,000 retail sites around the world. Primarily in the UK.
They love a cheeky bet over the pond…
7. INTERNATIONAL GAMES TECHNOLOGY
Revenues – $1.17 billion
In existence since 1975, International Games Technology has gone through several sets of hands in its lifetime.
The founder made his money producing slot machines and that is where it continues to thrive and dominate today.
An estimated 12,000 people rely on this betting giant for their livelihoods and the successful addition of online services having started off solely producing physical machines cannot have hurt the company.
6. WILLIAM HILL
Revenues – $2 billion
William Hill was established in 1934.
Gambling was actually illegal in the UK at the time of its creation.
It has changed hands several times in its history but remains the 6th largest betting company in the world.
William Hill employs over 16,000 people and has around 2,500 retail gambling sites that complement its powerful online sports betting presence.
5. THE STARS GROUP
Revenues – $2.57 billion
Subsidiaries – Bet Easy, Crown Bet, Full Tilt Games
Established under a different moniker in 2001, The Stars Group is the 5th largest betting site on our list.
A staggering 2.57 billion dollars annual revenue will do that for you I suppose.
Through the acquisition of different, high-level betting companies they grew their company time and again into the monster that it is today.
4. SCIENTIFIC GAMES
Revenues – $3.45 billion
Subsidiaries – OpenBet
Scientific games first came into existence in 1917 as Autotote in America.
The company not only operates gambling services but also produces the equipment and paraphernalia related to physical betting sites.
From mechanical and computerized games to gambling control systems and online lottery products.
They provide elements of almost every conceivable aspect of gambling sites both physical and virtual.
As a result, Scientific Games is now the 4th largest gambling company in the world.
6,000 employees earn a living working for them.
3. BET365
Revenues – $3.76 billion
Bet365 is a British online gambling colossus.
Founded in the UK in 2000, it has grown exponentially to become the 3rd largest company of its kind in the world.
It is a name that none of here can have missed as they are prolific sponsors of sports teams and venues.
They sponsor 10 of the 20 teams in the Spanish Soccer competition, La Liga!
They have customers in almost every country on the planet and are truly an online sports betting site to be reckoned with.
2. GVC HOLDINGS
Revenues – $4.64 billion
Subsidiaries – Sporting Bet, Gala, Foxy, Bwin
Established in 2004, GVC Holdings is still often referred to as Ladbrokes-Coral PLC. Those are two of the massive UK gambling companies that they acquired on their way to becoming the 2nd largest gambling giant in the world.
The company employs around 30,000 people and boasts more online bettors and players than any other company listed here.
1. FLUTTER STARS GROUP
Revenues – $4.76 billion
Subsidiaries – Paddy Power, BetFair, SkyBet
This is one swollen company that has a series of mergers to thank for its staggering growth in revenue.
There are many other subsidiaries than the ones listed above but each of those alone represents a very significant company in its own right that would have brought vast amounts of wealth to the conglomeration.
It’s a close-run thing at the top of this list. What with the dexterity of accountants and the loopiest of loopholes, it may be that we will never know the true extent of the revenues that these top 2 produce.
Suffice it to say that it is more than the GDP of some whole countries.
A SOBERING THOUGHT
BEST ONLINE BETTING SITES
Before we break down our list of favorite, recommendable betting sites in the USA, let’s first address the burning question.
What criteria are you basing your recommendation on?
Glad you asked.
There are literally hundreds of online sports betting sites to choose from these days. With the overturning of gambling bans in so many states, that looks set to keep increasing until some kind of saturation point is reached. So, how do we assess these sites and come to conclusions as to their worth?
Well, if you’re happy to trust us when we say that we’ve used the ones we recommend and continue to do so then that’s great.
IT HAPPENS TO BE TRUE
But for those more skeptical among you (don’t feel bad, in this game, it’s your best defense) here is a list of things we consider or, in some cases, insist upon before recommending any online betting site.
Things they must have:
AN ESTABLISHED REPUTATION
Now, we’re not expecting them to have a rich history dating back to before the Crimean war but we do expect to be able to read a reasonable number of reviews and articles that mention the site after a simple online search.
RELIABLE, SAFE FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS
We want to see safe and secure sign-up bonus / cash-out systems.
Without a confirmed “Fund-safety policy” we will not even consider adding a website to our list.
Let’s be honest – we wouldn’t even test it without that so it would never be an issue. But it bears mentioning nonetheless.
DEPOSIT SECURITY
This is especially prudent when dealing with international sports betting sites. Reputable, quality sites must offer a variety of initial deposit options for new customers in order to make this list.
We want to see everything from VISA and MasterCard to PayPal and Skrill. There are lots of others and the more the merrier when it comes to adding funds.
There’s no way that all of those companies have been duped into allowing a scam site to use their services and that makes us feel much safer.
As do the refund policies of many of them should you find yourself being cheated.
WITHDRAWAL POLICY AND PACE
If online betting sites do not offer reasonably fast cash on request then they are automatically excluded from our list.
BONUSES, PROMOTIONS, AND REWARD SYSTEM
We will entertain only an online betting site that provides customers with some extra value for their hard-earned money. We want to see tasty signing up bonuses. Free bets out the wazoo.
The online gambling industry makes money from the likes of us faster than it knows what to do with it.
Is it too much to expect a tempting welcome bonus and a few sweeteners along the way?
We don’t think so
once you sign up for them. Our team constantly researches various competitive sites to make sure that the recommended ones listed here really have the best current deals.
DECENT, FAIR ODDS OFFERED
We’re not going to steer you towards betting sites that constantly gouge their customers and offer weak betting odds and lines with no value in them.
The top sports betting companies are able to consistently offer good value in their markets. Giving the beleaguered public better odds doesn’t seem to hinder them from sucking up extraordinary profits.
Not doing so can only be attributed to greed and we don’t want to taint your sports betting experience by making you feel undervalued or even cheated.
Give us competitive odds or you are dead to us
MOBILE USAGE
If a company cannot get it together enough to produce a seamless, user-friendly mobile-device experience then they’ve got no chance of getting on our list.
Yes, we were Luddites at first. We admit it.
We can all be wrong sometimes, can’t we?
Now you can’t move in here for agitated avians and people evading the zombie apocalypse.
Times change. Nobody born in the last 20 years has any idea that a time existed when you simply went out on your bike for 8 hours straight and came home when it was dinner time.
AH. ROSE-TINTED NOSTALGIA EH? THE NECTAR OF THE GODS
Digressions aside, full compatibility with all modern mobile devices is a must for companies who want to be competitive in the sports betting market.
All surveys and studies will tell you that individuals are way more likely to pick up their hand-held devices (that’s what all the cool kids call them right?) and browse betting sites than they are to sit down with a laptop or home computer and do so.
End of discussion
USER-FRIENDLY INTERFACE AND DESIGN
Staying in that vein, we are also fussy about the ease of use when it comes to our mobile betting options.
Aging eyes don’t want to be forced to squint while bony, arthritis-riddled fingers poke and prod. Ok, we’re not that old but you get the picture.
Poor design and functionality are extremely off-putting and there’s just no excuse for it.
The best betting sites in the world constantly evaluate and upgrade their gaming software. You can just tell that time and energy have gone into making the user experience as pleasant and straightforward as it can be. We expect and appreciate that.
QUALITY OF CUSTOMER SUPPORT
We have only included gambling sites that offer 24-hour customer service here. Now more than ever, betting online is an international business. If you’ve got an issue at any time of the day or night then you need to be able to have it dealt with expediently and professionally.
There are few things more stressful than the feeling there might have been a financial anomaly when we are doing something online.
But you’re not 100% sure if it happened or what to do about it.
These sites all have your back.
Phew. That was exhaustive. Here’s the list:
THE BEST ONLINE SPORTS BETTING SITES
This was not easy. We are a contrarian bunch here at The Jump Hub. Agreeing on where to have lunch has been known to cause fistfights.
This list then contains our collective recommendations. All of the entries meet all of the aforementioned criteria.
We just couldn’t agree on what order they should go in…
BETMGM
Opinions on BetMGM were divided in the office but not for catastrophic reasons. We will come to that.
MGM took a world-famous brand and introduced it to the world of online sports betting. The results are rock solid and have some perks to push it more towards “excellent”
The standard welcome bonus is a $1,000 risk-free bet. That’s a great start!
Whether using the website or mobile betting app, BetMG offers a very technophobe-friendly, straightforward user experience.
You are eligible to do so if you wish to use BetMGM in the following states:
Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington DC, West Virginia, Wyoming
Both the website and the mobile app offer a free live-streaming service. That gets us going right away.
There are free bets to be had every week.
Poker and casino games are also available.
There are some things that we don’t like, and here is where the arguments started.
BetMGM have a withdrawals procedure that takes 2 business days
As far as some of us are concerned that’s a deal-breaker. There is no valid reason why a bookmaker should take 2 working days to give you your money. They take it rapidly enough when you’re making a deposit!
The number and range of promotions, beyond those weekly free bets, is pretty weak.
There is a $10 casino bonus for the first $10 bet on any futures market.
A free $500 daily trivia game. That’s about it.
However, they make up for a lack of imagination in that area with reliably good odds.
Customer support, while efficient and constantly available 24 hours a day, cannot be contacted by telephone. No biggie really but bears mention.
Live betting is easy and has plenty of options. There are usually a ton of markets on everything from local and national leagues to international ones. The interface is easy to understand and near enough walks you through any interactions.
As mentioned, live streaming is a huge bonus for us. The difference between placing a bet and refreshing a website to see the scores tick over and watching it live, even on a small screen, is hard to quantify.
Mobile app
The mobile betting app BetMGM has created is a real bonus too. It works seamlessly on smartphones and is simple and intuitive to use. The design is uncluttered and pleasing and the full range of markets are available.
Overall, a really rock-solid choice when it comes to online sports betting. Just don’t count on getting your hands on any winnings rapidly.
4 out of 5 of us here think it is right at the top of the tree for online sports betting. Number 5 is a curmudgeon.
FANDUEL
FanDuel launched its online sportsbook in 2018 and it is currently available in the following states:
Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming
As far as we’re concerned, Fanduel gets a lot of things right in this game.
They are licensed in a decent number of states and have an abundance of available markets when it comes to the prominent leagues.
Cashing out is straightforward and takes as little as 12 hours.
The FanDuel live betting section is genuinely superb. They have really knocked it out of the park here. They cover a huge range of sports from across the globe and the number of options and available markets are almost overwhelming. Almost…
Mobile app
The website and mobile app are both nicely laid out and easy to navigate.
In fact, the app is a real gem. It is really easy to use and everything is accessible and sensibly placed.
There is the option to engage in live streaming of games and matches from both the website and the app.
Good work FanDuel
There are some discrepancies in bonuses and promotions when using FanDuel. It seems that it might depend on which state you find yourself but needs further investigation.
The $1,000 welcome bonus is – well, welcome
It’s not just a cash gift of course. It comes in the form of a free bet of up to that amount. You wager however much you feel comfortable with and if you lose that first bet then they credit your account with the same amount to use as stakes for other bets.
Live streaming gets us excited every time and here we have another site that excels. Watch the games and bet live as you do so. Convenient and a real bonus as far as we’re concerned. People pay huge sums to watch live games on TV through subscriptions and so forth. This represents a real value and is great to see.
At its core, FanDuel is best known for its daily fantasy sports betting.They are one of, if not the leading company in this sector and there is a colossal amount of money to be won. The total amount they have paid out so far is over $4 billion. Yikes.
Cash-out
This is a feature that is common in the UK betting market and it is nice to see it taking hold here also. The premise is that the sportsbook will offer you a cash price to end your bet there and then. If you are losing then the amount will be lower. Winning then they may entice you with a decent offer. If the bet stays good, it will still be less than you stand to win. But will it? It’s like a secondary level of betting within the same ticket. Cut your losses and get something or hold out and go for it?
A nice feature that has saved our stakes a few times and made us pull our remaining hairs out in frustration at others.
CAESARS SPORTSBOOK
The casino giant swept effortlessly into the world of sports betting. In fact, they were part of the first wave.
The site is available to use in the following states:
Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington DC, West Virginia
That’s an impressive list of places you can place a wager with Caesars.
Their site offers hundreds of betting options and markets although not necessarily as many as some of their rivals here.
They need to work hard to up their game when it comes to live betting in particular. It is not the place to go if that is your preferred style of sports betting.
Where Caesar really does knock it out of the park is in their bonuses and promotions.
They have perhaps an industry best free bet of $1,100 for new signees and follow up with frequent promotions, daily odds boosts, and other deals.
They seem to be consistent in all available states.
The Caesars Rewards Program seems robust enough too. It uses a points system. Players earn points when betting on the site, and their number of points determines which tier of the program they find themselves in. The higher you go, the more you gain.
Deposits are straightforward and available to make in a variety of ways. Withdrawals take 1 business day and we consider that irritating, but acceptable.
We like the easy navigation around the Caesars site and appreciated that they have also adopted the cash-out system that allows you to cut your losses or profit from a bet that ultimately would have been a loser.
Of course, the Caesars brand is completely synonymous with casinos and in-venue gambling. Once fully signed up, customers can access the casino area directly from the site. There are table games with live dealers and popular slot machines.
Mobile app
Caesar’s mobile app is perfectly functional and does everything you need it to.
Are there other, more satisfying betting apps to use out there?
Certainly.
Does it matter?
Not really.
Overall we enjoy spending time interacting with the Caesars site and will find ourselves returning again and again. We just have to be sure not to get lost in there and lose track of time like in their actual casino…
HONORARY MENTIONS
888SPORT
As one of the first bookmakers to see the enormous potential and get on board with the online betting market, we would expect 888Sport to be ahead of the curve.
And they are.
The site offers betting options on more than 40 different sports and often provides over 300 markets per game. That is impressive in anyone’s (sports) book.
The range of sports betting options is staggeringly wide here and you will never find yourself at a loss on where to place your bets.
There are enhanced odds promotions and other offers to be taken advantage of and a healthy welcome bonus for those new signees.
The app is designed in much the same way as the website. It is easy to navigate and generally intuitive to use.
There are pre-match and live betting options available from the app. Crucially for us, you can make deposits and withdrawals from the app just as you would from the main site.
888Sport pleases us further in that it also offers a live streaming service.
Overall a pretty flawless effort.
Except…
The site is currently only available to use in New Jersey.
We hemmed and hawed about it but at the end of the day, it’s not really their fault. Antiquated, nonsensical BS have tied everything in knots here and nobody really knows how to proceed. They have vowed to enter any and all states where legalized gambling opens up but there are complications.
See our article – ‘What states allow sports betting‘ and keep an eye on the news for updates…
BET365.COM
The 3rd largest gambling company in the world also ranks very highly with us here.
They meet all of our criteria and go a lot further.
The options for sports betting are so vast that it almost boggles the mind. There are great options for both pre-match and live betting and the range of competitions is comprehensive.
Another feature that really draws us to Bet365 is the live streaming service they offer.
We have watched a ton of NBA games that we would have otherwise missed using that service and it is striking when using betting sites that don’t have the same option.
The live streaming is also available through the excellent app and we may or may not have watched entire NBA games on a 6-inch screen…
As always, offers and promotions come and go.
They are subject to change at any moment. However, Bet365 does have some seemingly permanent offers and some that recur frequently.
Overall this is a slick operation from top to bottom. The site is super-practical and easy to use. Even with such a large amount of information and options available, it manages to remain user-friendly.
We have seldom experienced any technical issues when using either the website or the betting app and this can be alarmingly prevalent on other sites.
Good luck staying calm if you find value in a line you have been researching avidly for weeks only for the site to crash mid-bet. Did the bet register or not? Aargh! Hence our insistence on good customer service to make this list.
Anyway, no such problems here.
The mobile app is a real stroke of genius here. It is extremely rapid and reliable. All the features of the website are present but they have very cleverly removed any unnecessary photographs and distractions that make some of them feel so cluttered.
Navigation is pure class. Easy and intuitive.
Overall a great, stress-free (unless you lose) experience that eases you through the process effortlessly and makes you want to come back time and again.
Sports betting doesn’t get much more fun than this.
So, why is this only a site worthy of an ‘honorable mention’?
Again, we have to add the caveat that you can currently only use Bet365 if you are physically in New Jersey. It sucks because this is a site that all Americans deserve access to. But there you have it.
BOVADA
The Bovada sports betting experience is a slightly mixed bag, hence it doesn’t make the list proper. The available betting markets and game lines are extremely wide-ranging (especially when NBA betting)
That includes live online betting and player/team prop bets.
The Bovada app is one of the best-looking on this list and gives the customer a streamlined layout and a clear, intuitive experience.
There are good bonus offers and promotions to be taken advantage of to tempt new users and keep old ones happy.
They provide an excellent range of player and team props lines. Certainly for NBA betting.
Both the website and the mobile site feel versatile and rich in content.
It is true that there are more competitive NBA odds to be found on other sites and mobile applications. Bovada skirts right on the edge of our criteria with this point and nearly didn’t make the cut. In the end, we agreed that they deserved a mention and that the benefits just outweigh the shortcomings.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The online gambling experience is one that we have genuinely grown to love and appreciate over the years.
Has the ability to make sports bets at literally any time cost us more money in the long run?
Why certainly Stanley
But that’s on us. We didn’t have to throw a 20 on the Hawks to grab a winner in the 4th quarter against the Knickerbockers. It wasn’t compulsory.
But having the option to do so via a live online betting platform is a pretty remarkable thing…
As with all the best things in life, a modicum of self-restraint is required.
Sports betting is undergoing a kind of revolution since the overturning of the law by the senate in New Jersey and we’re just riding the waves now and seeing where they take us.
You’ve seen what we consider to be the best online betting sites available at this moment in time. But this is a fluid situation and we get the feeling that more change will come before things settle down. So strap in and come along for the ride.
You got something better to do?
No, didn’t think so.
