Best Online Sports Betting and Sportsbooks of 2024

This Costa Rica-based operator offers a particularly wide selection of sports and betting types to choose from, and they even offer live chat and phone options for customer support. It should be noted that, as an offshore sportsbook, it is technically illegal for Bovada to operate in the U.S. — but these laws are more directed at providers than users, so American bettors likely won’t face any legal consequences for using this option. Bovada’s offshore status means that they’re available in more states than any U.S.-based sportsbook, but they are also held to lower security standards and there are fewer deposit/withdrawal methods available.

Founded in 2009, FanDuel has long been one of the most popular platforms for daily fantasy sports and now offers one of the top online sportsbooks as well. You can make both deposits and withdrawals directly through your bank account or PayPal. And for many sporting events, FanDuel provides a streaming video feed that allows you to watch the game on the same page that you use to place live bets.

Similar to FanDuel, DraftKings was a top DFS site before they also became a sportsbook platform following the PASPA decision in 2018. They’re now the best operator when it comes to quick payouts — you can receive your funds in as fast as 24 hours through wire transfer. DraftKings is also notable for being available in more states than any other U.S.-based sportsbook, as there are a couple states where online bettors are only allowed to place wagers through this platform.

This U.S.-based sportsbook is managed by the world-famous casino and hotel brand MGM Resorts International. BetMGM is most notable for their user-friendly yet feature-rich interface — the design is clean and easy to navigate, and it includes extra features such as live streaming video of sporting events and a highly customizable Parlay Generator tool.

This provider offers some particularly attractive promotions — in addition to the $1,000 welcome bonus, you can also earn up to $200 for each person that you refer to BetOnline. And due to being based in Panama, using this operator comes with all the advantages (high availability) as well as disadvantages (limited withdrawal options and lower security standards) that are associated with offshore sportsbooks.

MyBookie is another offshore sportsbook that offers generous bonuses and high availability (they accept bettors from every state except Nevada, New York, and New Jersey). This platform’s user interface is quite well-designed and easy to navigate, especially for an offshore sportsbook. They also offer a wide selection of sports to bet on, including some niche options such as volleyball and Aussie rules football that you won’t find on some of the other top sportsbooks.

BetUS is one of the most reputable offshore sportsbooks, as their staff includes over 1,000 people and they’ve been in business for over 25 years. They offer a strong selection of different sports to choose from, and they offer live betting as well. For research purposes, you can take advantage of the BetUS TV section of their site, which includes original video content of experts making predictions and sharing betting strategies. It’s also worth noting that you can get a deposit bonus of up to $2,500 as well as up to $2,000 in additional bonuses for each person you refer to the platform.

XBet may be an offshore sportsbook, but they have taken some serious steps to keep user data secure. Indeed, the site is protected by 256-bit encryption and a secure socket layer (SSL) certificate. And if you ever run into any issues on this platform, you can reach out to their customer support team via phone or live chat 24/7.

BUSR is notably legitimate for an offshore sportsbook — they’ve sponsored fighters in WBO boxing matches, they have offices in the United Kingdom and the Americas, and they even have a partnership with the UNLV Lee Business School to provide polling data on U.S. elections. As for sports betting, BUSR allows you to place wagers on everything from the most popular leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB, etc.) to more niche sports like wrestling and cricket. The user interface is a little outdated, though.

Using this online sportsbook is an exercise in nostalgia, as it still looks like a site that was designed 15 or 20 years ago. Still, the platform is fully functional and easy enough to navigate, featuring roughly the same selection of sports and betting types that you would find available with most other operators. In fact, there’s a particularly wide variety of international sporting events available on Sports Betting.

There’s a good chance that you’ve already seen plenty of ads for this operator, as Caesars has been heavily promoting their online sportsbook since it launched a couple years ago (this platform was known as William Hill before it was acquired by Caesars in 2021). As a U.S.-based sportsbook, you can be confident that your funds and personal data are safe with Caesars. One drawback, though, is that their bonus opportunities are fairly limited compared to other operators.

There are many ways to move money in and out of your account with this provider, which currently only operates in New Jersey — you can make both deposits and withdrawals using bank transfer, Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, or Skrill. Streaming video is provided for some live events, and there’s also a schedule tool that makes it easy to keep track of when teams are expected to play their next games.

If you’re looking for a new way to bet on sports, this operator’s exclusive “pointsbetting” system provides you with a unique method for wagering on outcomes. They offer the usual sports betting methods such as spreads and moneylines as well. PointsBet is an especially good option if you plan to use sportsbooks while you’re on the go, as their mobile app is quite user-friendly. But it should be noted that PointsBet is available in fewer states than most other U.S.-based sportsbooks

As of this writing, FOX Bet is only available in Colorado, Michigan, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. But if you’re located in one of these four states, you should certainly consider using this sportsbook — FOX Bet offers strong security/privacy policies and an exceptional user interface. Their new Parlay Builder tool is particularly helpful.

It would take a whole book just to review a fraction of all the different strategies that sports bettors use to try to give themselves an edge against the oddsmakers. That said, here are a few basic tips that can help any beginner become a more successful bettor: 

• Manage Your Bankroll: The first rule of sports betting is that you never risk money you can’t afford to lose. Before you place any bets, consider how much money you’re truly able to set aside for gambling — this is your bankroll. One helpful rule of thumb is that you shouldn’t place more than 5% of your bankroll on a single bet. For example, if you start out with a bankroll of $500 for the NFL season, you initially shouldn’t wager more than $25 on a single bet.
• Do Your Homework: You can never be too informed when it comes to betting on a sporting event. So, review the stats and keep an eye out for trends. Take a look at the injury report. And don’t forget to check on the weather. Oddsmakers will be considering all of these factors and more — you won’t stand a chance if you don’t do your own research as well.
• Shop Your Lines: Each operator sets their own odds. When you’ve got a pick that you think will hit, you should always check the lines on a few different sportsbooks to see where the odds are most in your favor (for example, if you’re betting on the underdog in a game, you might be able to find a less risky spread of +5.5 on one sportsbook when all the other operators have set it at +4.5). In addition to taking advantage of sign-up bonuses, this is another reason to use multiple sports betting platforms.
• Keep Your Cool: Losses are inevitable in sports betting — while you can’t control the fact that you’ll lose sometimes, you can control how you handle it. Inexperienced gamblers have a tendency to go “on tilt” when they lose a few bets in a row, which means they let their emotions take over and start frantically placing uninformed bets out of frustration. Of course, this will usually lead to you losing even more money. Whenever you feel yourself getting upset, you’ll be better off taking a break to cool down rather than channeling your anger into aggressive, illogical bets.