Finding the best sportsbook in the US

It has been two years now since the first online sportsbooks appeared in the US and, so far, we are impressed with what is on offer. It is hard to ignore the fact that FanDuel and DraftKings dominate a huge portion of the market, and with good reason. The 'big-two' already had a huge user-base with their fantasy sports offering, and have both created excellent sportsbook apps in record times. They are also in the most amount of states.

However, there are a considerable number of new sportsbooks which offer equally exciting products such as 888Sport. There are also sportsbooks that focus on a niche within the market, such as PointsBet which offer the best product for point spread betting.

The first step in choosing what sportsbook is best for you, is to look at our state tracker map above and see which sportsbooks are up and running in your state. Then you can delve deeper into our reviews to see which of these are best suited to your betting needs.

Do you feel overwhelmed all sportsbooks out there? Do you feel confused by the world all the lingo? Don't worry you are not alone - we have all been there. The reality is it looks more complicated than it is easier than you think - you just need the time to be able to understand the odds and the different types of markets. You also need to find out what type of bettor you are - and what your strategy is going to be.

So, what sportsbook creates the environment for a beginner to test things out?

We have identified two crucial factors:

1. A sportsbook that is easy to navigate: this may seem obvious but it cannot be emphasized enough. If you are thrown onto a landing page with endless rows of odds with parlays, lines and teasers all muddled up together then you are not going to learn how to bet on sports.
2. A generous welcome bonus: this is a less obvious point but just as important. The welcome bonuses are not just an opportunity to win some easy cash they are also an opportunity to test the water without losing your own hard-earned cash. Think of it as a trial session, like you might be given at your local gym.

The team at bettingscanner.com have many years of experience in the sports betting industry. Many of us have been working with online betting since 2008 and have amassed a wealth of experience. We have seen the betting industry evolve in Europe over the past two decades and although we are excited by the new developments in the US, we also want you to be aware of all the factors you should consider before placing your bet.

Our comparison system consists of a number of different sections and it is important to realize that ranking betting sites is both an objective and subjective exercise.

When online sports betting was legalised at a national level, most people expected that Nevada would dominate the market. But it was New Jersey who has, so far, stepped up to claim the mantle of best state for sports betting.

The NJ gaming commission allowed a less restrictive environment for online sports betting that rivals Nevada and the state-imposed a lower tax on sportsbook operators than Pennsylvania. This meant that sportsbook eager to establish themselves in the US flooded into the state. PA has caught up to an extent, but NJ still has the widest selection of sportsbooks in the whole country.

• Trustworthiness

This is an absolute must for us. If a site is not trustworthy, then it won’t even be featured on our website. We have to trust them as a company and be sure that they have their finances in check. If you're transferring your money to them, then you need to trust them that they can, and will pay you back. Think of this stage as the filter, if any site seems fishy then we’ll remove them from the list without hesitation.

• Customer Support

From our years of experience, we know that both customers and betting companies can make mistakes when it comes to odds, offers, or when handling accounts. This is always the case and not restricted to the betting market. What is essential though is that there is reliable support available to deal with these issues. Reliable customer service, as well as a wide range of contact methods (chat, telephone, email etc), are factors that we rate highly.

• Payment Methods

When it comes to payment methods, we put your safety and security first. The restrictions placed on you by a betting site when it comes to payment methods can be frustrating but can also be an indication that they take the law seriously.

If the sportsbook has partnerships with established, reputable payment providers, then this will add to their credibility; companies such as PayPal or Neteller will not want to be associated with untrustworthy betting sites.

• Betting Odds & Selection of bets

Once we have removed all the shady betting sites from the list, we can get down to comparing the fun stuff! How good is the sportsbooks odds? And crucially how different are they from the market average? Many of the larger betting sites use the same odds provider, so odds are often identical amongst the larger sites and for the bigger events.

The selection of bets is also an important factor for US bettors as many internationally established betting sites are now expanding into the US market. This means there may be a difference in the number of American sports offered between sites.

• Special Features

As the betting industry evolved, sportsbooks looked for new ways to differentiate themselves from others. Many of the functions that were introduced, such as in-play betting or the ‘cash out’ function are now standard for most sportsbooks. But new special functions are popping up all the time and are a great indication of how forward-thinking and innovative a site is, which can have a huge impact on your user experience.

• Usability

This is something that is important to all types of bettors. How easily you can navigate around a sportsbook makes a huge difference to the overall experience. This factor relates especially to in-play betting, an especially popular form of online betting in recent years.

When placing an in-play bet, you will need to move from the odds selection to bet placement as seamlessly as possible as any unnecessary delay could damage your chances of winning.

• Betting Bonuses and Promos

This should be exactly what it sounds like… a bonus! Most betting sites will offer you a welcome bonus as an incentive to sign up with them and it's a great opportunity to earn a little extra money if you use them right. They shouldn’t be a major reason for signing up with a particular sportsbook, but they can definitely spice up your experience with your sportsbook, and also provide you with a fantastic opportunity to test out their product without gambling loads of your own money!

It’s all-hands-on-deck at our office in 2020 after the 2018 Supreme court decision to remove restrictive legislation has opened up a world of opportunity for online sportsbooks in the USA.

The previous legislation in place since 1992 had shut out the US, the world’s most attractive market, from the online betting industry.

While the US, remained isolated from the world of online betting, Asia and Europe stormed ahead. Now, with so much competition, these markets can feel crowded and saturated with very little to differentiate the competition.

Removing the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) as it was known was only the first step. Now, it is down to each state to decide whether they will allow online sports betting. Delaware was the first to overturn its compliance to the PASPA and since then more have followed.

Now, remember the removal of legislation does not mean that there will be online sportsbooks available the next day. New Jersey was one of the first states to overturn PASPA and saw an almost instant online betting presence. However, other states, for a number of reasons haven’t seen any online sportsbooks despite changing the law.

All this means that it will be more important than ever to stay updated as to your state’s current betting legislation.

These are incredibly exciting times for the US sports betting market but right now things look a little ad-hoc when it comes to that status of online betting around the country.

In some states, such as NJ, you can find sportsbooks galore and enjoy very little restrictions when it comes to depositing your money or signing up.

But then you can find yourself in the scorching heat of Nevada and things can look very different. In Nevada, you can pick from a relatively extensive selection of major sportsbooks, but you will still need to enter a physical location to sign-up, deposit or withdraw cash.

This is of course much easier if you are already in Las Vegas, but if you are in a smaller town out in the desert things won't be quite as straight forward.

We think the best way to approach to be aware of your states stance on online betting, and not worry too much about the rest of the country.

As long as you are not using a VPN to circumvent the rules, you won't be doing anything illegal in trying to sign-up to a sportsbook. Remember, it is still ultimately up to the sportsbook to block you or notify you if you are not in the correct location.

The future looks bright for most of the US states, but the availability of online bookmakers and variation between states will not only depend on legislation.

Factors such as population and tax rates will encourage or discourage betting companies to open up.

At bettingscanner.com we promise to keep you up to date with all the latest developments state by state in 2020.

Since 2018, when the US congress decided that the American people could finally gamble online, sportsbooks have been springing up all over the place.

Some of these have been existing US sportsbook or fantasy sports operators whereas others have been international sportsbooks that see the US a lucrative market.

Our team at bettingscanner.com come from all over and have experience in a number of countries where online sports betting has been legal for some time.

The world's largest market has opened itself up for online sports betting.

It's been fascinating to see how the early sportsbooks have positioned themselves for US customers, and you can see how we have ranked them above.

We are especially excited about the start of 2020 where we expect to see a flurry of activity in Indiana and West Virginia.

2019 was riddled with various hesitations, setbacks and some caution that will hopefully dissipate in 2020.

Many sportsbooks will have received their licenses in states like Pennsylvania and/or have their mobile app designed and ready to launch.

It will also be a year where some of the teething issues associated with a new market, should be ironed out.

Some states, legalised online sports betting but didn't change conflicting legislation, or tax rates which stifled progress. In 2020, we expect many of these issues to be sorted.

According to the Chinese Zodiac, 2020 is the year of the Zodiac, which is the year of new beginnings. Hopefully, all those sportsbooks interested in the US online betting market will take heed!