New Jersey has welcomed the most sportsbooks since sports betting went live in 2018. The Garden State has firmly established itself as a market leader.

There are a number of reasons why New Jersey has proven so popular with new sportsbooks looking to set up shop in the US:

Lack of restrictions → NJ does not require you to signup in person with a sportsbook. The whole registration, deposit and withdrawal process can be managed online. States such as Nevada still insist that you do this in-person.

Population → With almost 10 million people, NJ represents a significant market. Other states such as Delaware and Mississippi have struggled to attract betting sites due to their smaller size.

Tax → A 13% tax on mobile betting wins is considerably lower than many others states, and less than half of Pennsylvania's tax rate. This has made New Jersey an attractive market for new online sportsbooks.

Currently, DraftKings and FanDuel are the largest and most established online sportsbooks in the state of New Jersey.

However, new online sportsbooks are starting to make some real headway. 888Sport, Bet365 and PointsBet are three exciting new online sportsbooks that are already showing signs of real success in the state. The three sportsbooks are offering high-value odds and incredible bonuses all in an attempt to sign you up.

1. 888Sport NJ → The online sportsbook has proven itself in 2020 by consistently offering the best odds in the state of New Jersey.
2. Bet365 NJ → The global sportsbook giant has finally blessed New Jersey's shores with its presence. This online sportsbook has the widest selection of bets in the state as well as a tasty welcome bonus to get you started.
3. PointsBet NJ → The online sportsbook has taken the US by storm with its unique points betting. This form of betting rewards, or punishes depending on how right or wrong your bet was. The fact that this form of betting suits American sports such as baseball, football and basketball has given the online sportsbook a huge advantage in the US. PointsBet also has the most generous welcome bonus in the market.

After the ban on online sports betting was removed at a federal level in 2018, a small collection of states immediately legalized online betting. One of these was the Keystone state which already boasted a small retail gambling industry which included the likes of Parx Casino.

With a population of over 12 million, a number pro sports teams and an economy that would rank as the 19th-largest in the world if it were an independent country, the state was a popular destination of choice for new sportsbooks looking to make a mark for themselves in the US sports betting market.

New sportsbooks in PA have to pay a 36% tax rate and cough up a $10 million license fee.

The state should have welcomed as many new sportsbooks as its neighbor New Jersey in 2018 but a decision to implement a 36% tax rate on sportsbooks and a $10 million license fee proved a turn off for potential investors. However, it wouldn't be long before major players such as FanDuel and DraftKings decided the hefty fees were worth it and in 2019 the state issued its first licenses. It was SugarHouse that was first to go live in May 2019 followed by BetRivers later that year.

Now in 2021, Pennsylvania is one of the most established betting markets in the country with more than ten mobile operators.

Here are three new sportsbooks in PA that we can recommend:

1. Unibet PA → The European Giant has thrown its weight behind the Pennsylvania market even sponsoring the Eagles. However, it is the eye watering welcome offer that pipped this sportsbook to first spot. You won't get $40 in cash simply for signing up with any other sportsbook.
2. FanDuel PA → FanDuel is the most downloaded sportsbook in the state and for good reason. Its PA product is slick and easy to use.
3. DraftKings PA → DraftKings wouldn't let FanDuel completely dominate any market. Their product is as good as their main rival but it's their slightly misleading welcome offer which sees the sportsbook giant slip to third.

The state of Indiana legalized sport betting in 2019 and almost immediately welcomed market leaders Draftkings and FanDuel. Since then it has been a steady trickle of sportsbooks entering the market including BetMGM. The state is currently fourth in the US when it comes to the number of online sportsbooks launched.

2020 was a busy year for the Indiana gaming industry as it welcomed four major sportsbooks

Among the new online sportsbooks we are partiularily excited to see PointsBet who have made no secret of their ambitions in the state of Indiana. The Aussie online sportsbook has gone from strength to strength in the US market thanks to their innovative points betting system where there is scale to winning where you are either rewarded or docked points according to how right or wrong your bet was.

Here are our top three picks for the best new sportsbooks in the state of Indiana:

1. PointsBet IN → The online sportsbook has thrown everything it has behind its Indiana product and it shows. Their mobile app is easy-to-use, glitch-free and looks great. The welcome offer is excellent (beaten only by Unibet) and they sponsor the Colts, so expect promotions and boosted odds for bets involving the football team. Their points betting system has also proven a good fit with the Indy 500 races.
2. Unibet IN → The European sportsbook picked Indiana as one of its primary markets and it has succeded in creating an excellent product. They definitely, in our opinion, have the best welcome offer in the country right now.
3. DraftKings IN → The online sportsbook giant is always good value to money and if you are already signed up to their daily fantasy sports service then signing up to their sportsbook is a no-brainer. We do find that their 25x turnover requirement makes their welcome offer slightly misleading for new customers.

The decision to legalize online sports betting in Illinois was a huge boost for the sports betting industry in the US. Not only did it open up the third largest city to online sports betting but the state of Illinois but also a state which is home to an eye-watering six major league teams.

However, things got off to a confusing start with the state oscillating between physical sign-up requirements and legal online sign-ups. This caused confusion among sportsbooks that had applied for an online license but were then forced to open a brick and mortar establishment.

Thankfully the state appears to have done away with the idea of physical sign-ups and the online industry is finally blossoming.

In 2020 alone the state welcomed five major online sportsbooks and more are projected to go live in 2021.

Here are top picks for the Land of Lincoln:

1. PointsBet IL → The online sportsbook has proved a hit in the state of Illinois after its 2020 launch. Not only does it have the best welcome offer, but it also has a state-of-the-art mobile app with the best value odds in the state. The Aussie company has also sponsored the football team the Bears and is partnered with Hawthorne Race Course.
2. BetRivers IL→ The company which began as a casino in Pennsylvania has made significant progress in establishing itself as a major new online sportsbook in the US. The company owned by Rush Street Interactive was the first to set up in the state after sports betting was made legally. Their mobile app is highly customized for the local bettor and they offer some great odds for NFL and NBA events. BetRivers has a retail (in-person) casino and sportsbook in the state.
3. FanDuel IL → The online sportsbook and DFS giant has an excellent product with reliable odds and a huge selection of odds. Their welcome offer may not be the best in the market but we feel it is less misleading than DraftKings' which has placed a 25x turnover requirement.

The Centennial State may only have a population of 5.8 million but it now boasts one of the highest numbers of sportsbooks per capita in the country.

The state went live with sports betting in May 2020 and thanks to its low tax rate of 10% sportsbooks, comparative wealth and four pro sports teams, online sportsbooks have been flooding across state borders.

Coloradans now have a wide selection of online sportsbooks to choose between. Here is our top three:

1. FanDuel CO → The daily fantasy sports operator and online sportsbook giant were instrumental in pushing through the legalization of sports betting in the state. Their commitment to Colorado also shows in their excellent product that is highly customized for the local market.
2. PointsBet CO → The online sportsbook has made Colorado its western base in the US, opting to open its second office in Denver. They have also sponsored a host of local teams including the Nuggets (NBA), Avalanche (NHL) and the Mammoth (Lacrosse). Not only does the sportsbook offer great odds but it also has the best welcome offer in the state.
3. BetMGM CO → The third-largest online sportsbook went live in Colorado in 2020 and has established itself as one of the most popular products in the state.

When the Great Lakes State went live in January 2021 a host of major online sportsbooks immediately launched their products.

FanDuel and DraftKings were always going to launch in such an important market; not only are there 10 million residents in Michigan but it is also home to four pro sports teams: Tigers (MLB), Lions (NFL), Red Wings (NHL), Pistons (NBA).

However, the sheer number and speed at which new sportsbooks set up shop in the state took us by surprise. At the time of writing, there are currently eight licensed online sportsbooks.

Here is our pick for the top 3 new sportsbooks in the state.

1. PointsBet MI → The online sportsbook launched in Michigan after three successful years in the US market. So far they have the best product in Michigan, with great value odds and the best welcome offer to boot.
2. BetMGM MI → The online arm of MGM Resorts is picking up speed in the US and is now the third-largest in the country. BetMGM were one of the first to be granted a license in the state. They have sponsored the NFL team, the Detroit Lions.
3. FanDuel MI → The largest online sportsbook in the country is now live in Michigan. FanDuel's MI product is easy-to-use and their odds are great value too. We especially recommend FanDuel's sportsbook to customers of their fantasy sports product.

The Old Dominion legalized online sports betting in 2020 after the State Senate & House passed a bill after heavy lobbying from both FanDuel and its partner The Washington Football Team.

The state then went live in early 2021 with FanDuel allowed to launch first thanks to their partnership with the local football team.

There are currently five legal and licensed online sportsbooks in the state and the wagers are flying in. The success of Virginia's online sports betting market has been in part thanks to its proximity to the District of Colombia where online sports betting is not legal.

Since it is legal to sign-up to a Virginian online sportsbook and then cross over the border to deposit and place a wager, many residents of Washington DC have made the short journey to place a bet.

We expect that when things return to normality in late 2020 and 2021 a number of sports bars will pop up along the shores of the Potomac River to accommodate these new customers. A similar situation has occurred in New Jersey where many New Yorkers use an NJ sportsbook to place bets after making the short trip across state lines.

If you are looking to place a bet in Virginia then we can recommend one sportsbook above all others:

FanDuel VA → The online sportsbook and daily fantasy sports operator have had their sights set on Virginia for some time. The company had partnered with the Washington Football team and heavily lobbied for the legalization of sports betting in Virginia - even flirting with the idea of moving the NFL's stadium to Maryland if Virginia didn't pass a bill. Politics aside, their ambitions in Virginia have resulted in a highly optimized product that simply offers the best odds and promotions in the state.

Nevada is really the American home of gambling, so it comes as no surprise that it was also one of the first states to legalize online sports betting. A trailblazer in gambling it may be, but when it comes to the world of sports betting it does lag behind states like New Jersey. This is largely down to the restrictions it has imposed on its residents, who are required to sign up and deposit in person at a sportsbook.

This has meant that there are slightly less new sportsbooks popping up in the state than we would have hoped. However, you still have some big names to contend with. At bettingscanner.com we are particularly impressed with the usual two of FanDuel and Draftkings as well as 888Sport, who we feel has made the transition to the US market really well.

So, you have decided to take the leap into the wonderful world of sports betting but you are wondering where the hell to start? This is completely understandable, the world of sports betting can be an intimidating one, seemingly full of experts throwing around jargon like vigs and lines.

Well, fear not, sports betting was only legalized in the US in 2018, so you are certainly not alone. There are millions of other Americans also wondering where the hell to start. Let’s break it down for you. Here are the main factors to consider when looking at a new sportsbook:

It is essential that before you do anything, you check that an online sportsbook is fully licensed in the state in the US.

If a sportsbook is not fully licensed then it is no doubt located offshore and is not liable. You should avoid these sportsbooks as they are not regulated by the US betting industry.

You can check if a sportsbook is licensed by checking with your states gaming commission. Alternatively, they will display the badge of your state's gaming commission on their site.

It is important to note that as long an online sportsbook is legal in a US state, you are allowed to legally sign-up with that sportsbook even if you are not in a state where it holds a license. The online sportsbook will geo-locate you and not allow you to deposit until you are in that state. It is common for residents of New York to download and sign-up to an NJ online sportsbook then travel over the border to wager.

BettingScanner does not list any online sportsbook that is not legal in at least one state.

Online sportsbooks entering a new market will be looking to pick up as many new customers as possible. To do this, they usually offer potential customers a generous welcome bonus when they sign-up. The idea being that once you have signed up, used your bonus and collected some free bets, you are most likely to stick with them.

Now, this is great news for US customers as sports betting has only been legal for three years at a federal level and new states are coming online every few months. This means that sportsbooks will be willing to hand out huge bonuses to tempt you from the competition.

You could say the newer the sportsbook the better the bonus is likely to be. We can see this when we look at DraftKings and FanDuel, who are the largest, most established online sportsbooks in the US but offer much lower bonuses than newer rivals like PointsBet. The reason for this is that PointsBet, originally an Aussie sportsbook, are building a brand in the US, so have to go to greater lengths to lure customers away from the big two.

How is a new sportsbook going to be able to afford a generous welcome bonus? Well, the good news for US customers is that the majority of ‘new’ sportsbooks are actually pretty established brands, that can afford to allocate considerable fund to their marketing and promotional spending. You can see this reflected in some of the outrageously good signup bonuses being offered by the new sportsbooks popping up in Nevada, NJ and PA.

This is a key factor to consider when picking a new online sportsbook as ultimately odds will determine if you make money from sports betting.

Odds comparison sites are a good way to compare odds for specific events. However, if you are looking to pick a new online sportsbook to use regularly then you need to look at wether they offer odds of more value than the market average.

The majority of new sports betting sites popping up will use one of the big odds suppliers, such as Kambi, to set their juice. This means that there is probably less variation between most licensed online sportsbooks than you might think.

However, if we look at enough bets over an extended period of time then we can start to see which new sportsbooks offer slightly better odds.

The banking system has proven a real thorn in the side of US online sportsbooks.

This is because despite being fully licensed and operating in a legal industry banks routinely block internet transfers of funds to and from online sportsbooks.

The reason for this is that some banks do not always recognize the change in laws and therefore Visa and Mastercard payments can be arbitrarily blocked. An extra issue is that it is more likely that your Visa or Mastercard payment will be permitted for depositing cash rather than withdrawing cash - which means you run the risk of not getting your winnings back unless you are able to select a viable alternative.

This is why we recommend you use a trustworthy e-wallet that can act as a middleman between your bank and your online sportsbook. There are two main e-wallets that are 100% trusted in the betting world:

• PayPal → Every new sportsbook that is worth its salt now accepts PayPal, both for transferring and withdrawing cash. The payment platform is used by millions of people across the world and is accepted by every major bank. You can expect a 10 minute transfer time for deposits and a fee of 2.9% of the amount that is transferred + a $0.30 flat rate. You are not charged for withdrawals.

• Skrill → This is a safe and trusted payment platform used by thousands of customers in the sports betting industry. It is similar to PayPal in that it is an e-wallet that acts as a middleman between your bank and sportsbook allowing you to circumvent the banking restrictions while still being 100% legal. It also adds an added layer of security to your transactions. The main difference between Skrill and PayPal is that it does not charge you for deposits, instead, it issues a flat $5.50 withdrawal fee.

Sports betting is a mad and wonderful world with a huge range of options. Over the past couple of decades, sportsbooks around the world have been developing new and exciting forms of betting.

With almost every major US sportsbook you can expect a standard set of bets including: moneylines, point spreads, prop bets, parlays and futures.

Usually, a sportsbook will allow you to have a little look around their website before requiring you to signup, so we recommend you do this, to get a feel of what bets they do offer. Alternatively, if they are an app focused sportsbook then you can look at our individual reviews of each sportsbook where we cover their selection of betting types.

The majority of customers in the US prefer to bet on sports via an app, or on their mobile. So, we imagine that it's an important factor for you when choosing your sportsbook! The good is that now online sportsbooks are choosing to launch their mobile product before their desktop service!

One of the biggest challenges for new sportsbooks is being able to launch a new site and app which works perfectly without any hitches. Add to the mix the fact that many of the new US sportsbooks have rushed to get their service up and running in states ahead of the competition and you have a recipe for disaster.

So far, we haven’t seen anything too drastic but we suspect buggy sites and apps have been the reason for a few of the delays!

It is important to note that if there are any lags or glitches in a sportsbook app this could be detrimental to your in-play wagering.

FanDuel and DraftKings always score a few extra points in the usability department as so many US customers are used to their DFS platform and so are already acquainted with the layout.

The large international brands also hold their own in this department as they have decades of experience in which they have been able to perfect their customer experience.

The sportsbook situation in the US can be a little hard to understand. At the federal level sports betting has been legal since the PASPA was removed in 2018. Now everything is being decided at the state level, with each state deciding whether they will allow sportsbooks to set up in their states.

However, it gets even more complicated, as each state places its own restrictions on the sports betting companies. This means that a new sportsbook may set up shop in New Jersey but decide against moving into Pennsylvania.

This means that you should worry less about what sportsbooks are new in the US and more what sportsbooks are new in your state. This also means that you will need to signup with the sportsbook's product that is specific to your state.

You will find that a lot of the new sportsbooks will be partnered with an existing casino. This is often due to state legislation which requires online sportsbooks to partner with an existing physical establishment. This is so the state can retain some degree of control over the sports betting industry.

There are a number of sportsbooks that will look to launch in the US in 2021. The majority of those will be existing sportsbooks that are expanding into new states.

We expect that FanDuel and DraftKings will continue to dominate the US sport betting market. You can expect to see both of these company's set up shop in any state that legalizes sports betting in 2021.

Otherwise, we are keeping our eye on Bet365. A global mega-company have now launched in New Jersey and Colorado. We expect that they will apply for a license in one of the other major betting states including Indiana, West Virginia or Illinois.

PointsBet has been one of the revelations of 2020. The Aussie sportsbook has proven incredibly popular amongst US sports bettors. The company is now active in Indiana, New Jersey, Iowa, Colorado, Michigan and Illinois. We don't think they will slow down in 2021 and will look to build on their recent success.