Licence For Your Country Of Residence

The most important factor when choosing a bookmaker is whether they have the legal permission to operate in your country. It doesn’t ensure that 100% of your betting experience will be flawless, of course, but at least you will have meaningful people to complain to in case something goes wrong with a money transaction or if you are having a dispute with the bookmaker.

Bookmakers that have obtained a licence to operate in particular countries have taken the responsible decision to do that in the best possible manners.

There is a grey market in the sports betting industry and you may be occasionally swayed to register, deposit and bet at an organisation without the needed licence. However, what will you do when one day you win a nice amount of cash and this bookmaker refuses to pay you? They don’t have an official entity to answer to so you may be left without your deserved profit.

Stick to bookmakers that are legally allowed to provide you their platform for betting. Using non-licensed bookies puts you at an unnecessary risk.

Reputation

Reputation is very important in the online betting industry. If the overall opinion of a bookmaker is very good, chances are that is very much the case. Likewise, bookmakers who alienate their customers quickly become the subject of severe negative comments.

Do your research in advance. If many people complain about a certain bookmaker, most probably there is something dodgy going on and you should also avoid that bookmaker.

That being said, it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t give a chance to newly established bookmakers who still don’t have any reputation at all, be it positive or negative. Everyone needs to start from somewhere so if nothing is obviously worrying at a first glance, it may be worth opening an account at such bookies too. Read on for the rest of the crucial aspects of an online sports betting site you need to consider before registering.

Sports Betting Payout

The odds different bookies offer on the same sports event are not always the same. Some bookmakers have higher payout for you than others and respectively operate at a lower margin. This means the commission they take as a result of providing their sportsbook platform to you is lower. For more detailed analysis on this topic, have a look at how bookmakers actually operate.

The bottom line is that you would prefer to bet with a bookmaker operating at a 104% margin than with such at a 112% margin, for example. Sports betting payout at a given bookmaker also varies from sport to sport, league to league and even game to game basis. That bookmaker may have unattractive odds for NBA games, but may simultaneously offer you the best prices on the market on tennis matches. This discrepancy in the odds offered for the same game is the main reason why you should bet at multiple bookmakers.

Nevertheless, there are some bookmakers which have very miserable payout across the board. If you stumble upon such a betting company which has obvious unfair odds that are out of sync with the rest of the market, avoid them and invest your time and money elsewhere instead.

First Deposit Bonuses

Almost all bookies offer new customers a welcome bonus on their first deposit. Free bets, deposit bonuses with rollover conditions, enhanced odds – these are the most popular means with which bookies strive to catch your attention and attract you as a new player.

Carefully examine the terms and conditions of every welcome offer. Some of the sign-up bonuses provide great value for your betting and you should definitely open an account at the bookmakers offering them.

On the other hand, there are welcome bonuses that contain hidden traps, like having to roll over your deposit and bonus amount combined 20 times before you attempt a withdrawal, or that you need to bet only on selections with minimum odds of 2.50 while rolling over the bonus. These are just examples of promotions that maybe are not worth your time and money.

Ongoing Betting Promotions

After you have already used the first deposit bonus at a bookmaker, a key ingredient that defines your overall betting experience with them is the amount, variety and attractiveness of ongoing promotions available on their site. It’s one thing to bet at a place offering you 1-Miss Acca / Multiple Insurance, Money Back Specials, Price Boosts, Loyalty Programmes and so on, and an entirely different experience betting at a bookie that doesn’t offer any of these enhancements.

If you are a passionate tennis fan, betting at a place offering ongoing tennis promotions is times better than wagering at a place that doesn’t bother to do the same.

Some bookmakers may also offer you hidden bonuses directly via email or live chat. Of course, you won’t know about this possibility until you’ve registered and already have had a betting history with that bookmaker. Nevertheless, while performing your online research about the bookie reputation, you may encounter stories of other users who have been privately offered such bonuses.