Finding the Best Sportsbook in USA: The Top Sports Betting Sites in 2021

Watching sports is one of the most popular pastimes in America, so it makes sense that betting on them would be insanely popular as well.

For years, though, sportsbooks were illegal in the United States. That’s all starting to change, however, as many states are passing gambling-friendly laws — and many bettors are taking their action to the internet.

Below, we’ve assembled a list of the best sportsbooks in the USA. These sites are all accepting American players, and they have all the action you could possibly want.

Ranking Methodology: How We Chose the Best Sites

In assembling our rankings, we looked at the following criteria:

Reputation: if an online sports betting site stiffs its customers, word will travel fast. We valued sites with pristine reputations much more highly than those with checkered pasts.

Sports Variety: a sportsbook won’t do you much good if you can’t bet on your favorite sports. Those with the most games and bets were given priority over those with more limited menus.

Odds and Lines: we looked for sportsbooks that offered player-friendly lines.

Bonuses and Promotions: every dollar counts, so any site that offered attractive deposit bonuses or other promotions received extra credit.

The Best Online Sports Betting Sites in the USA

1. MyBookie — Best Online Sportsbook Overall

Easy to add funds
Allows crypto deposits
No fees on cryptocurrency transactions
Excellent UFC action
Relatively stiff penalties for credit card transactions

An online sportsbook does you no good if you can’t put money on it easily, and MyBookie is one of the easiest sites to bank with.

They accept Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency deposits, allowing crypto users to try their luck somewhere other than the financial markets. They also accept Visa and Mastercard, as well as MoneyGram.

There are no fees on crypto deposits, but card deposits do have fees in the 5% range.

Their UFC action is top-notch, and they offer all sorts of interesting wagers (including parlays) on cage fighting action.

2. BetOnline — Earliest Betting Lines

Extremely early lines
Lots of soccer wagers
Takes esports bets
High deposit limits
Withdrawals can take a long time

BetOnline prides itself on offering some of the earliest lines you’ll find anywhere, so if you want to get in on the ground floor before the public starts moving lines, they’re a good place to look.

Soccer fanatics will appreciate their massive selection of futbol odds, and they’re even dipping their toe into the world of esports.

There are a variety of ways to deposit funds, many of which have generous limits, so you can put a ton of money on there in a hurry.

While depositing is easy, getting your money off the site can take quite a while — as long as 15 business days in some cases.

3. Bovada — Best for Prop Bets

Excellent selection of prop bets
Can build your own prop bet
Has games in a variety of countries
Lots of information for newbies
Low deposit limits

Possibly the most well-known sportsbook on the internet, Bovada also offers some of the most varied action anywhere.

They’re especially famous for their prop bets. They let you wager on just about anything under the sun, and their build-your-own-prop feature gives you virtually unlimited options if you don’t like what they have on tap.

Bovada is a global site, so you can bet on games in just about any country. It also has extensive literature on sports betting, making it an excellent site for newbies.

Their deposit limits are fairly low, though, so if you want to place heavy wagers, you’ll struggle to do so here.

4. Sportsbetting.ag — Best Interface

Lots of free contests available
Top-notch in-game wagers
User-friendly interface
“My Wagers” tab lets you track your bets
Customer support is lacking

If you want to save some money without sacrificing any action, Sportsbetting.ag offers a variety of free contests that allow you to win cash prizes.

Their in-game offerings are excellent, and they’re sure to keep you riveted to even the biggest blowouts.

The interface is very user-friendly as well, and they have a helpful “My Wagers” tab that lets you track all your action in one place.

You’d better hope that your experience is a smooth one, though, because their customer support has been plagued by complaints.

5. Intertops — Best for International Sports

Convenient “hottest bets” sidebar
Emphasis on international sports
Odds can be presented in multiple ways
Excellent customer support
Withdrawals are slow and subject to heavy fees

Intertops has a “hottest bets” sidebar that lets you know where most of the action is being generated, allowing you to find some nuggets you might otherwise have missed.

They allow you to bet on virtually everything, with a strong emphasis on sports that are popular overseas.

You can also pick the way the odds are presented, choosing between the traditional American money line or a British fractional or European decimal format.

Their customer support is top-notch and gives you a variety of ways to contact them, including via Skype.

Getting your money off the site is a bit of a drag, though, as it can take several days and certain withdrawal methods are hit with heavy fees.

6. BetMGM — Best Bonuses

Generous and creative bonuses
Many offers are refunded in free bets if they miss
Strongly geared towards American audiences
Only available in a handful of states

BetMGM has a fantastic overall user experience, and would be higher on this list save for one little problem: they’re currently available in less than 10 states.

That’s a shame, because gamblers in the rest of the country are missing out on generous and creative bonus offers. They have your standard deposit bonuses, but they also offer a variety of easy-to-hit props and parlays for newbies.

Many of their bonus offers are refunded in free bets if you lose as well, allowing you to get the most possible action out of your initial deposit.

You can certainly bet on international events here, but this is a U.S.-centered sportsbook. Most of their offerings are tailored towards making things as fun as possible for American bettors.

7. Monkey Knife Fight — Best for Daily Fantasy

Mix of daily fantasy and prop bets
Bets are fun and unorthodox
Lots of second-half bets available
May be a learning curve for experienced gamblers

Given that it takes its name from an episode of The Simpsons, you can expect Monkey Knife Fight to offer an unorthodox take on traditional sports betting.

The site is a mixture of daily fantasy and prop bets, so while you won’t find many traditional money lines, the things you can bet on make watching games much more fun.

They also have lots of second-half bets, allowing latecomers to get in on the action (or those who have already seen a bet go up in flames get back in the action).

That said, experienced gamblers may have a bit of a learning curve as they figure out all the unique ways in which the site operates, and it may be frustrating for them at first.

8. BetAmerica — Best for Responsible Gaming

Fun promotions designed to keep bettors engaged for entirety of games
Cashouts are quick and easy
Can set limits on gambling activity
Only available in 3 states

Despite its inclusive-sounding name, BetAmerica is only available in Indiana, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

They have a variety of fun promotions that change frequently, most of which are designed to keep players watching for the entirety of each match.

It’s easy to withdraw funds from the site, and you can even cash out at the Golden Nugget casino in Atlantic City if you happen to be in town.

The site also takes responsible gaming seriously, as players can set up a variety of limits on their activity from their online account.

Runner Ups that didn’t make our top 8:

WilliamHill
888 Sportsbooks
Draftkings Sportsbook
PointsBet
Fox Bet
Unibet
Fanduel Sportsbook
Sugarhouse Sportsbook

Sports Betting FAQs

Are Sportsbooks Legal in the USA?

The legality of sports betting will depend on where you live and what, exactly, you consider “betting on sports.”

There are a handful of states that have completely legalized sports betting, and a few others that have legalized daily fantasy games.

You don’t have to be a resident of one of the states in which sports betting is legal to place a bet there, but you do have to be physically in the state at the time the bet is made.

For this reason, some states only allow people to bet on sports in person, rather than online. It’s important that you check your local laws before you make any bets and do the same for casino games, online or otherwise.

Are Online Sports Betting Sites Licensed?

The legitimate online sportsbooks (like the ones above) are. This is something you should check before doing business with any sportsbook, though.

How Can I Spot an Untrustworthy Online Sportsbook?

Checking for an up-to-date license from a reputable gaming authority is a good place to start. Beyond that, there are a few other things you can look for when evaluating betting sites (or any other gambling sites that specialize in different games such as poker games):

They offer “too good to be true” lines or bonuses that are way off those found at other sportsbooks
They lack customer support options (or you can’t get in contact with them)
Their verification process is slow or suspect
They invoke retroactive terms or other technicalities to avoid paying players
The site design is shoddy

What Sports Can I Bet On?

This will vary depending on what the sportsbook in question offers, but generally speaking, you can bet on just about any sport under the sun.

The most popular sports to bet on in the United States are professional and college football, basketball, baseball, and boxing, but UFC and hockey are quickly growing in popularity. There are also sites that specialize in CSGO gambling.

All About Odds and Lines

Money Lines

In the U.S., the most common form of odds you see are money lines. These are numbers with either a “+” or “-” before them.

If the number has a “+” before it, then that tells you how much you’ll win if you wager $100 and are correct. That means that a line of +200 will pay you $200 if you win (plus your original $100, for a total of $300).

On the other hand, a -200 bet would mean that you would need to wager $200 to win $100.

The negative bets are placed on teams or individuals who are favored to win, while the positive bets are designed to entice people to bet on the underdogs.

Point Spreads

In some sports (most notably NFL or college football), point spreads are often used in addition to money lines.

When betting on NFL games, for example, you’ll see things like “Cowboys -6 Jets +6.” This means that the Cowboys are favored to win by 6 points.

If the Cowboys win by 5 points or less, anyone who wagered on the Jets will win their bet. If they win by more than 6, anyone who bet on the Cowboys will win. On the other hand, if the Cowboys win by exactly 6 points, then it’s considered a push and everyone gets their money back.

These bets usually have a money line attached as well, but it’s almost always -110 for both sides (or you can place a money line bet and skip the points).

Over/Unders and Other Prop Bets

You can do more than just bet on the winner of each game. Sports books also offer “prop bets,” which can be made on nearly anything that could happen in a game.

The most popular prop bet is an over/under. Most of the time, over/unders are placed on the score of the game; if the Cowboys-Jets game mentioned above had an over/under of 49.5, then you’d have to decide if you think the combined total of points will be greater or less than 49.5.

At some sportsbooks, you can place over/under bets on all sorts of scenarios, like number of fumbles in a game, number of penalties, and number of times the camera shows a Cowboys fan crying in the stands.

There are other forms of prop bets besides over/under. However, since prop bets can be made on literally anything, we don’t have time to define them all here.

Why Do Odds and Lines Vary at Different Online Sports Betting Sites?

To answer this question, you first need to understand how an online sportsbook makes money.

They take bets on both sides of competition, but they also take a small percentage of each bet (called the “vig”) for their profit.

In an ideal world for sportsbooks, each game would have an equal amount of money wagered on both sides. Then, they could just take money from the losers and hand it to the winners, while keeping the vig as a risk-free profit.

However, the public may choose to bet overwhelmingly on one side rather than the other, potentially leaving the online betting sites exposed to a massive loss.

To avoid this, an online sportsbook offers an initial line that they think is fair. They then move the lines if one side gets more action than the other in an effort to entice bettors to balance out the wagers as much as possible.

As a result, some online sportsbooks may have more unbalanced action than others do, causing them to move their lines while the others stand pat.

How Do I Deposit and Withdraw Money?

Different sportsbooks have different policies, but for the most part you’ll use a credit or debit card (usually Visa or Mastercard) to deposit and withdraw. Many online sports betting sites are now accepting top cryptocurrencies and there are many bitcoin gambling sites, for example.

Do Online Sportsbooks Offer Bonuses?

Most do, yes. The most common is a deposit bonus, in which they offer you free money as an incentive to make your first deposit.

These deposit bonuses can vary wildly from site to site and usually have strings attached, so be sure to read the fine print.

How Do I Pick the Best Sportsbook for Me?

The right sportsbook for you will fit the following criteria:

Legal in your jurisdiction
Offers action on your favorite sports
Is fully licensed and regulated
Has easy and reliable cashouts and deposits

If you are interested in other games too then you should take that into consideration when choosing a site to play on. There are many choices in the online gambling world such as poker games, roulette games, slot games, bingo games, table games, CSGO gambling, etc.

Final Takeaway on Online Sports Betting

If you’re looking to gamble on sports from the USA, the sites on this list represent the cream of the crop. In addition to accepting American players, they also offer a ton of variety and value for gamblers.

Regardless of whether you’re looking to wager on the NFL, the NBA, or something much more obscure just be sure that you choose a trustworthy site for online gambling and do your research.

Whichever site you choose, we wish you luck and tons of fun!.

If you suffer from a gambling problem or suspect somebody you know does, then we strongly suggest that you call Gambler’s Anonymous at 1-626-960-3500 to talk with an advisor for help and to make gambling safer for you or your loved ones.

Underage gambling is an offense, all sites are 18+ ONLY. Gambling can be addictive, please play responsibly and only bet what you can afford. Casinos listed on our site may not be available in your region. Check your local laws to ensure online gambling is available and legal where you live.

Visit these organizations for free gambling addiction resources:

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