List of Online Bookmakers
Now that online sports betting is legal in more than a dozen states, you can place bets on your favorite teams, events, and fantasy leagues right from your own home.
Online sportsbooks make it easy to check out the odds of each bet and to take advantage of welcome promos and ongoing bonuses.
This list of online bookmakers includes some of our favorite online sportsbooks and casinos in the online gambling industry.
How Do Online Bookmakers Work?
Online bookmakers work similarly to their retail sportsbook counterparts. These bookmakers take bets, offer information on odds and spreads, and pay out winnings.
The biggest difference between online bookmakers and in-person ones is that all transactions take place online! This means that you can enjoy all the fun of sports betting from wherever you want to be — not only at a casino, racetrack, or sports lounge.
Yet, there are some pros and cons to betting on sports online. While we happen to love the online betting experience, you may simply want to adjust your expectations before placing your bets.
Ambiance
The biggest difference between online bookmakers and retail locations is the ambiance. While betting online is more convenient and easily accessible, you won’t experience the rush and the thrill that you might at an actual racetrack or casino. You also won’t get the in-person social aspect of in-person betting.
That isn’t to say that you won’t get any social benefit at all online; most online sportsbooks offer a social option that allows you to connect with friends through social media platforms, run fantasy sports leagues, and other social activities.
Yet despite how sophisticated online betting platforms have become, you’re still not going to get the ‘feel’ of a casino, sports lounge, or racetrack.
Real Money Sportsbooks Vs Free Sportsbooks
There are generally two types of online bookmakers out there: real money sportsbooks and free online sportsbooks. Real money sportsbooks allow you to bet with real money, whereas free online sportsbooks require you to purchase virtual currency to place your bets.
Real Money Sportsbooks
Real money sportsbooks offer a very similar experience to what you’d find at an in-person sports betting retail book. In fact, most of these online sportsbooks are run by the same chains that run in-person casinos.
Some of the biggest names in online sports betting include BetMGM, the Golden Nugget Casino, WynnBET, and more.
Simply create an account, validate your geo-location and your age, and you’re ready to deposit funds and start betting. When it’s time to cash out your winnings, you can generally transfer funds to your bank account, request a paper check, or use a payment processing company to transfer your money.
You can even head to a local casino cage to get cash.
Free Sportsbooks
Free online sportsbooks offer a similar experience to real money casinos and online bookmakers.
The biggest difference is that you’ll need to purchase virtual currency to place your bets. Mos free online sportsbooks accept payments via credit and debit card and offer real money payouts (transferred to your bank account). Yet, you’ll need to place bets with gold coins or sweeps.
Free online sportsbooks are legal in all states and in Canada (except for Washington State and Quebec). Depending on the laws of your state, you’ll only need to be 18 to play.
Deposits and Withdrawals
Deposits and withdrawals are pretty seamless through online bookmakers. All you need to do is make a minimum deposit, and your funds should be available in your account almost instantly! While withdrawals take a little more patience, they’re usually complete within a few business days (depending on the casino and your bank).
Making Deposits
Most online bookmakers allow you to make a deposit via credit card, debit card, PayPal, Skrill, or casino card. If you live near the brick-and-mortar location of an online sportsbook, you can also usually head to the cage to make a deposit into your account.
Make bets, play games, and take advantage of promotions.
In most cases, your funds should be available for gameplay almost instantly. Should you not see your funds in your sports betting account, you’ll want to contact customer service.
For free online bookmakers, you’ll need to purchase virtual currency, such as gold coins or sweeps, and use this currency to place your bets.
How to Make a Withdrawal
When it’s time to cash out your winnings, you can usually do so in the ‘account’ tab on most online sportsbook sites.
Real money online casinos allow you to withdraw funds (as long as you don’t have an outstanding promo restriction to satisfy) whenever you want. You should be able to make an instant transfer at most casinos (meaning the transfer request will only take a few minutes to complete).
It may take up to a few business days for your funds to reach your bank account, though. At most online gambling sites, it takes up to a few business days for an ACH transfer or PayPal or Skrill transfer. Checks take up to two weeks to receive in the mail.
Should you want your money immediately, you can always transfer it to a Play+ card or casino card. Or, head directly to the casino cage to withdraw your cash winnings.
Bookmakers Promotions
Before signing up for any online gambling site, you’ll want to keep your eyes open for promotions!
Promotions are one way that online casinos have some serious leverage over retail locations. Most online casinos and sportsbooks offer welcome bonuses and ongoing promotions (including VIP and rewards clubs) to keep players happy — and coming back for more!
Welcome Bonuses
Welcome bonuses are one of the best ways to maximize your deposits and winnings at a casino. Welcome bonuses are promos that are only offered at the time that you sign up for your account or make your first deposit.
The most popular type of welcome bonus is a deposit match. This is when the sportsbook matches your deposit up to a certain dollar amount. But this offer is only good for your first deposit, so you’ll want to maximize your bonuses by depositing the maximum amount you’re comfortable with when using this promo.
Other types of welcome bonuses may include free bets, risk-free bets (you won’t lose any money if you lose the bet), and free money to bet with.
Ongoing Promotions
Most online bookmakers offer ongoing promotions to keep gamblers coming back for more fun! Ongoing promotions include login bonuses, weekly bonuses, and holiday promos.
Login bonuses require you to simply log into your account each day to claim your prize. If you’re on a casino’s email list, you may get an email reminding you to log onto the site to get your bonus. If not, you may simply want to set a reminder to head over to your favorite site for a login bonus.
Most casinos and sportsbooks also run weekly promotions and holiday promotions (especially on holidays in which players are least likely to want to play).
All casinos and bookmakers all offer VIP and rewards programs. You’re usually immediately signed up for these programs when you sign up for an account. Simply place the number of qualifying bets you need to place to make it to the next tier, and enjoy the free bets and swag offered by each tier!
You may need to continue to make a certain number of bets each month to maintain your tier status (and don’t fall to a lower level the next month).
Placing Bets
Placing bets at online bookmakers is super easy — possibly easier than at in-person sportsbooks! Not only can you see odds and spreads right before you place your bets, but you can search for bets by a wide variety of filters, too. You can also see how much money you have to bet on your homepage or account tab at any time.
Research Your Odds
Before placing bets, you might want to research your odds of winning a particular sports bet. This is what really sets online casinos and sportsbooks apart from in-person ones (in addition to generous welcome bonuses).
The good news is that most sportsbooks will include odds information right as your betting. Still don’t understand your odds? You can research odds online before placing a bet, something that isn’t as easy to do at an in-person bookmaker.
Place Your Bet
Online sportsbooks make placing bets extremely easy. You’ll be able to search for your preferred sports, bet types, and spreads using a filter function. When you’re ready to place a bet, the platforms make it really easy to do so at the click of a button.
You may want to use a few risk-free bets if you’re new to online gambling to get a feel of how betting feels online (and which areas of the platform return the highest payouts).
Are Online Bookmakers Legal?
Yes! Online bookmakers are legal in more than a dozen states right now, and more states are legalizing online sports betting each year. While only a handful of states have legalized online gambling, online sports betting has really taken off.
As long as you abide by the rules of online sports betting (you should be of legal age to place sports bets and you’ll need to be geographically located in the state), you’ll be able to start betting on your favorite teams almost instantly.
States Where Online Sports Betting Is Legal
Online sports betting is currently legal in the following states (but more states are continuing to legalize online gambling each month, so check back regularly if you don’t see your state below).
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Virginia
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Washington D.C.
Free online sportsbooks are legal in every state except Washington State; they’re also legal in Canada (except in Quebec).
Online Sports Betting Rules
Before placing bets at an online sportsbook in our list of online bookmakers below, you’ll want to ensure it’s legal for you to play. There are different laws for different states (in some states online sports betting is legal but online casino games are not legal), and lottery is legal in most states — but not all.
Legal Betting Age
The legal betting age in most states is either 18 or 21. In states where lottery or sweepstakes are legal, the legal age to participate in either is usually 18.
In states where online gambling is legal, you must be at least 21 years old to play. (Though, 10 states allow gamblers to play at the age of 18 in land-based casinos as long as alcohol isn’t served at the casino).
Each casino and sportsbook will state the terms for legal betting when you sign up for an account. You’ll need to prove your age by submitting a copy of your ID and social security number, so you’ll be flagged if you’re too young to play.
Geographic Location
You must be physically located in a state where online gambling is legal if you want to play. Even if you’re a resident of such a state, you must be physically located within state lines.
Casinos and sportsbooks require players to download and enable geo-tracking software onto their phones before they’re allowed to play.
You must download this software and activate it before placing bets. In fact, you won’t be able to place a bet if you’re not in state lines or if you don’t have geo-tracking software activated.
Casino/Sportsbook Type
Not all online casinos and sportsbooks are considered ‘online gambling’. In fact, only real money casinos and bookmakers need to follow the laws of online casinos.
States that have legalized online gambling allow gamblers to use free online casinos, which are casinos and sportsbooks that require players to purchase virtual currency to place bets with.
Though you’re depositing real money and withdrawing winnings as real money, you’ll be playing with gold coins or sweeps.
Free online casinos are legal in every state in the U.S. except Washington State. Canadians located outside of Quebec are also allowed to play on these platforms.
Types of Sports at Online Bookmakers
Some of the most popular sports at online bookmakers also happen to be the most popular sports in general! You can bet on pretty much any sport under the sun at an online casino or sportsbook, but some of the most popular sports still include:
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Badminton
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Baseball
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Basketball
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Cricket
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Football
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Horse racing
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Table tennis
If you happen to love a particular sport (but it might not be the most popular), check your favorite bookmaker to see if betting is offered on that sport.
Online Betting Sporting Events
The betting fun doesn’t just stop at generic sporting events, either! You can bet on pretty much every event under the sun (many events aren’t even sporting events and include the Oscars, American Idol, and more); some of the most popular sporting events are major league and minor league playoffs and championships and include the:
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Olympics
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World Series
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World Cup
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Superbowl
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NCAA Championships
Fantasy Sports
Most online sportsbooks also offer betting platforms for fantasy sports. Even if you don’t have friends to play with, you can bet on your fantasy teams online with pretty much anyone. If you do have friends in a league, you can connect with those friends through social media to connect with them on casino and sportsbook sites.
Sports Levels
You can bet on pretty much any sports level, including major league, minor league, college sports, and more. Some states don’t allow you to bet on sports played by minors, so check with your local laws if you don’t find your preferred event or team listed on a sportsbook.
List of Online Bookmakers
Without further ado, here is our list of online bookmakers. These bookmakers are some of our favorites (mostly thanks to their generous welcome promos and ongoing promotions).
Since promos can change regularly, you’ll want to check back at OddsSeeker to get the update on the best promos available at these bookmakers.
Four Winds
Four Winds online casino and sportsbook is one of Michigan’s most popular online bookmakers. It’s currently registered and legal in the state of Michigan. Bet on all your favorite sports and stick around to place some bets on a few casino, table, or card games, slots, and more.
Use the OddsSeeker link to claim your free million dollar spin and 200% deposit signup bonus!
Tipico
Tipico sportsbook is more well-known throughout Europe than it is in the U.S. But that doesn’t mean that it’s not worth visiting! Tipico is known for its generous welcome bonuses and new player deposit matches.
Popular bet types at Tipico may include:
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Futures
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Live Betting
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Moneyline
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Parlays
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Point Spreads
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Totals
Use the OddsSeeker link to get up to a first deposit match of up to $750.
Golden Nugget
One of our favorites on this list of online bookmakers, is the Golden Nugget Casino. You’ve probably heard of the Golden Nugget, thanks to its brick-and-mortar locations around the U.S., most popularly in Las Vegas and Atlantic City.
Use the OddsSeeker link and the promo code ODDSSEEKER to get your first bet of up to $250 for free.
BetMGM
Another famous name in online bookmaking and casinos is MGM, and BetMGM is this betting powerhouse’s online platform.
Head over to the BetMGM review and click on your state and betting preference (casino or sportsbook), click on the link, and use the promo code ODDSSEEKER to get a second-chance bet of up to $1,000.
