It has been three years 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 that FanDuel and DraftKings dominate the market, and with good reason.

The 'big-two' enjoyed a large user base even before the federal ban on sports betting was withdrawn, thanks to their fantasy sports offering. But that should take nothing away from the fact that the two giants have created state-of-the-art products in several states in record time.

Top Online Sportsbooks 2023

• FanDuel: Most trusted online sportsbook
• PointsBet: Best online sportsbook for live betting
• PointsBet: Best online sportsbook for betting on the NBA 🏀
• DraftKings: Best online sportsbook for betting on the NFL 🏈
• Bet365: Best online sportsbook for betting on the NHL 🏒
• PointsBet: Best online sportsbook for betting on the MLB ⚾
• Unibet: Best online sportsbook for betting on Soccer ⚽
• FanDuel: Best online sportsbook for betting on Golf🏌️
• PointsBet: Best online sportsbook for betting on Table Tennis🏓

First, you need to check that the state you are in has legalized online sports betting. It is officially possible to sign-up for a licensed sportsbook anywhere in the US, but to place a wager, deposit or withdrawal, you must use a licensed sportsbook in your state. To sign-up for most sportsbooks, you will need to make an initial deposit.

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.

Every online sportsbook that we list on BettingScanner is a fully licensed online sportsbook: we simply do not rank, or review, any offshore sportsbooks.

That is good news, up to a point. But as anyone who has had a bad experience with a company in the US can testify, just because a company is liable does not mean they won't try and rip you off.

For example, did you know that it is, in some circumstances, possible for a sportsbook to simply refuse to pay out?

This rule is in place for good reason; to stop match fixing and suspicious betting. However, there have been cases of punters, just being smarter than a sportsbook and not receiving their rightful payout. Thankfully, this does not happen that often, it is much more likely that a sportsbook will pay your winnings and then restrict your account for a period of time. However the fact that this can happen makes it more important than ever to pick a sportsbook with a top-rate record of paying out and playing fair.

We take into account several factors when deciding if an online sportsbook is safe or not. They include:

• A license → For a sportsbook to be considered 'safe', it must be fully licensed in the state you which to wager in; for example, in New Jersey, that would be The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement. It is important to note that a sportsbook may be licensed in New Jersey but not in Colorado. However, you do not need to worry about doing anything illegal by signing up for an NJ sportsbook somewhere else in the US. It is perfectly legal to do so, and since the sportsbook is liable in the US, it will simply not let you deposit any money. Many New Yorkers, for example, sign-up for an NJ licensed sportsbook like FanDuel in NJ state and then hop over to New Jersey to deposit and wager.
• A wide range of payment methods → Bank transfers and Visa/MasterCard transfers to online sportsbooks can be difficult due to outdated banking regulations. The issue here is it is significantly easier to deposit than withdraw funds using these methods. This means that a trustworthy online sportsbook has to offer a safe and reliable alternative such as PayPal or Skrill.
• Trustworthy Odds → A safe sportsbook must offer your odds that are of some value. Fortunately, there is a regulated online sport betting market in the US and competition; all the legal online sportsbooks offer reliable odds.
• Transparency → The team at Betting Scanner dedicate a lot of time to researching and verifying who owns a company and how it is structured. We believe this is an important factor to consider when deciding if a company is safe or not. Thankfully, since the sports betting industry, sportsbooks have been relatively open about their companies operate.
• Customer Service → It is simply easier to trust an online sportsbook that is on call 24/7. If you are into in-play betting, this can be a crucial factor as you could need immediate help when placing a bet live.

The second most common issue related to online sportsbooks we get asked about is payment methods. This is an incredibly complex issue in the US, where states all over the country are at different stage of the legalization process.

Visa & Mastercard → This is the easiest and most secure form of payment and it is offered by all the major online sportsbooks listed on our site. However, you need to check that you bank recognizes sportsbooks, even if you are in a state where sports betting is legal. This is because not all banks in the US have an up-to-date system that can decipher where in the country you can legally bet.

E-wallet → This type of payment acts as the middle man between you and the sportsbook. Many customers use it as an alternative to using a debit or credit card as you can circumvent some of the restrictions placed on you by the banks.

• PayPal → This is the most popular form of payment option for sports bettors in the US. Thanks to its reputation as a trusted payment platform PayPal found it easy to sign partnerships with online sportsbooks. This meant it was quick to establish itself as the go-to provider. When using PayPal it is possible to transfer money from your bank account into your PayPal account. If you are using a Visa or Mastercard then PayPal will charge you a 2.9% fee, however you can then transfer funds to your sportsbook account free of charge. You can also withdraw money with relative ease using the same process in reverse. Deposits are instant but a withdrawal can take a few days.

• Skrill → This is the second most popular type of e-wallet in the sports betting industry. The platform is slick and easy to use and, in many ways, is not different to PayPal, apart from the fact that it charges you $5.50 when you make a withdrawal. Skrill has signed only with four legal online sportsbooks; Bet365, Unibet, Fox Bet and BetMGM.

Prepaid Cards → This method guarantees anonymity in the same way that buying credit for your pay-as-you-go phone does. You can simply buy a prepaid card at a gas station or grocery store and use it with your betting account. Play+ is the most common form of prepaid card offered by online sportsbooks. A PLay+ card will always be branded with the online sportsbook's name. An example of this is the DraftKings Play+ card which is have proved an extremely popular payment method for customers of the sportsbook/DFS provider.

ACH E-Transfers → The Automatic Clearing House system is arguably the safest method but also the most tedious. You will need to fill out a considerable amount of paperwork using a system that is not particularly user-friendly. However, you payments are not restricted and you are not charged any fees, so this is a great option if you will be betting big bucks.

Mazooma → This new payment method has a bright future ahead of itself. Until recently the payment provider had processed payments behind the scenes for a number of major sportsbooks using the ACH system. Now, they have teamed up with Plaid, a financial data network that supports thousands of apps and services and launched their own service. They have managed to marry their sports betting industry experience with Plaid's experience in the banking sector and we foresee them being the most popular payment provider in a few years thanks to this unique partnership. Currently they are only available with Unibet Sportsbook.

Bitcoin → The cryptocurrency is growing in popularity with the new generation of bettors. However, very few legal online sportsbooks in the US accept this payment method. FanDuel, for example, allows Bitcoin payments via BitPay but only for its Daily Fantasy Sports product and not its sportsbook.

The good news is that there are a lot of online sportsbooks in the US with some great value odds. The bad news is that there is no definitive sportsbook with the best odds. That is why odds comparisons sites have proven so popular over the years as they allow you to find the best odds for a particular sporting event.

It is essential that you pick an online sportsbook that consistently offers odds above the market average.

However, you cannot constantly chase the best value odds on the market per event as you will have to open accounts with dozens of sportsbooks. That is why the best strategy is to pick the sport or sports that you are interested in and see what sportsbook generally offers the best value odds for that category.

Online Sportsbooks with the best odds for the NFL

When it comes to the nation's most popular sport you can feel assured that almost every major online sportsbook will offer you a wide variety of betting options at a decent value. Especially when it comes to major events like the Super Bowl the competition will be so high that no sportsbook worth its salt will offer odds much lower than the market average. Caesars are currently the officia partner of the NFL, however this is only for its casino product, so you will not see any major advantage with using Caesar's sportsbook. We expect this could change soon as the NFL continues to warm to sports betting in 2021. They recently announced that they would be looking for $100 million in exchange for the rights to live betting data.

Until the league takes on an official sports betting partner, we recommend you consider looking at what sportsbooks sponsors which teams. When a partnership is in place, it is likely that the sportsbook will offer boosted odds and run promotions on that particular team.

This strategy only works of course if you are going to betting on one or two particular teams. If you are looking at betting on the NFL overall then we can see one standout online sportsbook and that is 888Sport. The British sportsbook looks best set to become the first official gaming partner to the league thanks to its existing sponsorship in the UK and Ireland. Since it launched online in NJ back in 2018 it has consistently demonstrated its focus on American Football. The sportsbook direct a large number of promotions at NFL games and you can often find odds that are consistently better than the market average with 888Sport.

Online Sportsbooks with the best odds for the NBA

Unlike the NFL, the NBA has jumped into bed with a number of online sportsbooks including BetMGM, PointsBet, William Hill, FanDuel and DraftKings. This has been great news for the sports betting industry as this means that all these major online sportsbook have been awarded access to league data that significantly improves their in-play services.

However, the sheer number of online sportsbooks that the league has partnered with (now over 11) has diluted the competitive advantage that comes with being an official sponsor. However, if you are focused on betting on one particualar team there can be a real advantage with picking that team's official sponsor as they will definitely offer boosted odds and special promos.

If you are not focused on one team in particular then we can recommend PointsBet as the best sportsbook for NBA odds. The Aussie sportsbook consistently offers odds that are better than the market average as-well as NBA specific promotions which include boosted odds.

The other major advantage with using the online sportsbook to wager on the NBA is that you can use their unique PointsBetting, This is not the same as fixed-odds betting, where you place place a bet at odds set by the sportsbook and then either win or loose (and sometimes draw) instead there is a scale to winning where you are either rewarded or docked points according to how right or wrong your bet was. This favors a high scoring sport like basketball.

The US is a new market, and so new online sportsbooks are in fierce competition with each other as they look to hoover up as many new customers as possible. The good news for bettors is that the most trusted marketing tool sportsbooks use to entice new customers is the welcome bonus.

With so many new sportsbooks in competition, the generosity of these bonuses in the US has reached unparalleled heights.

There has simply never been a better time to sign up with a new online sportsbook.

But it is important to remember a welcome bonus is not just an opportunity to win some money, it is also an opportunity to try out a new online sportsbook without risking a load of money.

To do this, we suggest signing up with a few sportsbooks. Then place some wagers with the bonus bets you are provided with and see which sportsbook feels right for you.

Do you feel overwhelmed by all the sportsbooks out there? Do you feel confused by all the lingo? Don't worry you are not alone - we have all been there.

We assure you it is easier than you think. You simply need to take 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.

Here are three major factors you should consider as a sports betting beginner.

1. A site or app 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 simply 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 where you can test out the product without signing your life away.
3. A safe and secure selection of payment options: Depositing and withdrawing your funds can be a hassle in the US. The banking system is not always up to date with the new legislation sweeping the country. This means that transactions with Visa or Mastercard can be arbitrarily blocked. This means that sportsbooks need to offer a number of safe alternatives such as PayPal and Skrill. If you are a beginner, all of this can be overwhelming so your sportsbook needs to lay out all of the information in an easy to understand format.

It’s been all-hands-on-deck at the BettingScanner office since the 2018 Supreme court decision to remove restrictive legislation 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.

This means that it is more important than ever to stay updated.

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 relatively easy if you are in Las Vegas, but if you are in a smaller town out in the desert things won't be quite as straight forward.

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.

Last year was a huge year for the sports betting industry with states such as Kansas opting to legalize online sport betting.

FanDuel and DraftKings, the two sportsbooks that currently dominate the market and have gone live in all the recent states that have legalized online sports betting.