Best American Betting Sites
Looking for the best betting sites in the United States? Interested to learn more about online betting in the US? You’ve come to the right place. Betting Fellow experts have prepared an in-depth overview of the American gaming market to bring you the full lowdown of the US betting scene.
Online sports betting in the US is in a strange situation currently. The fact is, sports betting has questionable legal status throughout most of the country, and remote gambling is in a legal quagmire in its own right. These two factors are the main reasons why, in many ways, US betting sites are almost an entirely separate market from the rest of the world.
With that in mind, before we go on to our list of the best online bookmakers for US punters, we’ll have to sort the issue of legality. After all, we always stress the importance of betting strictly with licenced, legal bookmakers. Without proper licensing, customer protection and site reliability go out the window – not to mention that the customers themselves can run into trouble with the law.
As such, the first thing you should do is scroll down to the bottom half of this page and read about the legality of online betting in the United States, and ensure if these bookmakers can provide you with the service you’re looking for.
Best Betting Sites in the US
Here are Betting Fellow’s top online bookmakers that allow US customers. Bear in mind, however, that these are listed in no particular order.
Intertops
This is one of the very few worldwide online gambling brands that also operate within the US. Not only that, but they also happen to technically be the oldest online bookmaker in history – Intertops was the bookie that accepted the first-ever online wager back in 1996.
This already means that you’re dealing with a serious operator. It takes a high-quality service to remain one of the top betting sites in the world for 25 years, and it shows. At the very least, it says a lot about their reputation.
Intertops holds remote gambling licences from Antigua and the Kahnawake Gaming Commission. These might not be immediately familiar to you, but combined with Intertops renown as a reliable online bookmaker, your mind should be at ease.
In terms of the sportsbook itself, Intertops boasts a diverse offer of categories and markets, filling almost any niche imaginable. US Betting mainstays like NBA, NHL, and NFL betting are given special attention, with incredible odds and low margins.
To top it all of, innovations such as Bitcoin and mobile betting are also fully supported, making Intertops a good choice no matter what you’re looking for.
Intertops details
- Minimum Deposit: $20
- Maximum Withdrawal:between $2500 and $6000 per week, depending on your chosen method.
- Customer Support: Friendly customer service available 24 hours via live chat, email, phone and Skype
- Welcome Bonus: 50% up to $200 in free bets.
BetOnline.ag
Operating since 2004, BetOnline is a well-known, reputable bookie that has been focused on the North American continent since day 1. They promise to bring an all-in-one online gambling package, which just means they are also a platform for online casinos, poker, and other iGaming services.
Withdrawals are one of the bigger problems American punters must face (you can read more about this below), but it seems BetOnline.ag was unfazed by this fact. We can safely say that they offer some of the most diverse banking options for American bettors.
The sportsbook itself is further reflects this bookie’s focus on American players. While the selection of international betting markets is nothing to scoff at, the depth of service in terms of alternative markets and offers at BetOnline.ag is hard to beat. This further extends to the live betting service, which hosts dozens of sporting events every day.
All of this is presented through sleek, intuitive design, and one of the quickest betting websites we’ve had the pleasure of trying out. Where this bookie truly shines, however, is with the incredible betting promotions and various sportsbook bonuses. Reload bonus, bet insurance, referral programs… They’ve got it all, and with a welcome bonus of up to $2500, it’s hard to resist.
Cryptocurrency betting promotions are even better than the regular ones, making BetOnline a great choice if you’re looking to wager your Bitcoins.
BetCoin.ag details
- Minimum Deposit:$10. $50 for credit cards.
- Maximum Withdrawal: $9,900 for most methods, $25,000 for wire transfers, and $100,000 for Bitcoin withdrawals.
- For deposits: Visa, Mastercard, Person to Person, MoneyOrders, Skrill, Neteller, bank wire transfers, cashiers checks, cryptocurrencies. Credit and Debit card withdrawals are not available to US customers.
- Customer Support: 24/7 live chat, e-mail, telephone
- Welcome Bonus:50% up to $2500.
Bovada
Arguably, Bovada is the biggest US betting site in 2020, which is a title they’ve earned. Founded in 2011 in Canada, Bovada provides one of the most comprehensive sports betting experiences currently available to American punters.
“Experience” is not a term we chose lightly, as this bookie is all about the customer. The Bovada website is one of the fastest, most user-friendly designs you can find. Throw in some regular promotions and giveaways, a peerless customer service which receives nothing but praise, and you can see why Bovada is the go-to sportsbook for millions of users every day.
Their operations are limited to the USA, Brazil, and Mexico, but that hasn’t stopped them for building a brand on fairness and reliability. The quality of their service and presentation further extends to an excellent mobile betting platform, and the numbers show that over 60% of their customers use it rather than the standard website.
No matter your personal preferences and interests, Bovada has something to offer to everyone. This is a top-tier betting platform that can be safely recommended to anyone looking to bet from the US.
Bovada Details
- Minimum Deposit: $10 for Bitcoin, $20 for credit/debit card deposits.
- Maximum Withdrawal:$9,500 for Bitcoin, per transaction, per day. $3000 for vouchers and checks.
- Deposit options: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Bitcoin, and Bitcoin Cash for deposits. Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, checks, and vouchers for withdrawals.
- Customer Support: 24/7 live chat, e-mail, telephone.
- Welcome Bonus:50% up to $2500 in free bets. Not everyone is eligible, as per the T&C. Contact Customer Support to find out if you can receive the signup bonus.
GT Bets
It should not come as a surprise to find out that football betting is, by far, the most popular form of sports betting in the USA. It should then also make sense that someone would make a betting site catering specifically to college football and NFL betting fans. Enter GT Bets.
Entering GT Bets’ website, it becomes immediately apparent where this bookie’s interests lie. Everything from the logo to the layout points at football, making this a highly-specialized American football betting site. Of course, this sort of narrow focus has its pros and cons.
The good side is that you will find some of the best lines and odds in the industry. GT Sports knows what it’s about, and they do it well. Not only that, but the sheer number and variety of markets are downright jaw-dropping. If you’re looking to bet on NCAA college football or the good ol’ NFL, look no further.
On the other hand, the selection of sports you can bet on this platform is severely limited. Besides football, there is Aussie rules, baseball, basketball, cricket, e-sports, golf, hockey, boxing, rugby, soccer, and volleyball. That’s the entire list; however, each of these categories is given a lot of care and attention.
All in all, GT Bets is a great online sportsbook for punters who know what they want and do not partake in niche sports betting. They haven’t been around for long, but so far their track record for reliability and customer service is spotless. If this sounds good to you, GT Bets gets glowing recommendations.
GT Bets Details
- Minimum Deposit: $35
- Maximum Withdrawal:$5,000 for bank wire transfers and bitcoin, unlimited for QuickCash
- For deposits: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, XRP, gift cards, Quick Cash. Only transfers, Bitcoin, and Quickcash for withdrawals.
- Customer Support: 24/7 live chat, e-mail, phone.
- Welcome Bonus: 100% up to $500 in free bets as a first deposit bonus.50% up to $250 on your second deposit.
BookMaker
With a simple but to-the-point brand name, this is one of the oldest online bookies still in business. Bookmaker.eu has maintained a stellar reputation since the company’s founding in 1985. This is a world-class betting site that is renowned for its friendliness to high-rolling wagers and professional punters.
This is, in fact, one of their most distinguishable characteristics. Do you know how bookies tend to suspend the accounts of players who win too much? Well, that will never happen on BookMaker.eu. This has put them into the good graces of bettors worldwide, and the fact that they also operate in the US is great news. Also, they offer some of the highest stake limits in the industry.
While the website also offers online casinos and poker tables, make no mistake – it is very clear what BookMaker’s vision is, and how thought-out the execution of this vision turned out. The sportsbook offer is both diverse and competitive in terms of odds, which extends to the live betting section as well. With thousands of sporting events each day, you’ll never want for more.
Bookmaker Details
- Minimum Deposit: $10
- Maximum Withdrawal:$3000 per transaction, although there is no limit to how many you can request.
Banking methods:
For deposits: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Bitcoin, check, bank wire transfer, person to person transaction. For withdrawals: check, bitcoin, person to person transaction- Customer Support: 24/7 live chat, e-mail, phone.
- Welcome Bonus: 15% for a cash first deposit, up to $1500. Between 25% and 100% for a cryptocurrency first deposit.
Is online sports betting legal in the US?
Before you even try to register with any online bookmaker, you have to be perfectly clear whether you are even allowed to. Most sites control access based on the customer’s IP address – but this system is not perfect, and it’s up to you to be sure about the facts.
So, let’s get right into it. We’ll start with the issue of sports betting at large, online or otherwise. As you may be aware of, gambling is legal on a federal level. However, strict restrictions are enforced when it comes to interstate and, more notably, online gambling. We’ll get into this later. For now, only two states currently explicitly disallow all forms of gambling: Utah and Hawaii.
Sports betting was a different issue altogether and, until 2018, was banned across the States due to the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992. Despite the name, the act had nothing to do with athletes, professional or otherwise. It specifically outlawed all forms of sports wagers across the nation, except for horse and greyhound races. However, it did leave a one-year window for states to figure out their own regulations if they so chose. Some states, such as Delaware, Oregon, and Nevada, managed to do so, keeping sports betting legal in these states. Others, like New Jersey, did not meet the timeframe.
Either way, this Act was overturned in May 2018. In the much-publicized court case of Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, the US Supreme Court ruled that PASPA conflicted with the Constitution. Specifically, it conflicted with the Tenth Amendment, which guarantees states legal jurisdiction throughout their respective territories.
In light of this change, we now have a longer list of states which allow sports betting:
- California
- Colorado
- Delaware
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Michigan
- Mississipi
- Montana
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Tennesee
- West Virginia
Bear in mind, however, that we’re currently talking about sports betting in general – not online betting.
Which brings us to our next point: what about online gambling in the US?
Currently, two bits of legislation are main talking points if we’re talking about American online bookmakers. The first is the Federal Wire Act of 1961. This law prohibited bets from being placed and accepted via telephone. To what extent this applies to Internet gambling is a matter of some debated, but the FBI is on record for stating that it is mainly used to go after illegal gambling operations, not punters.
The other, more important, regulation is the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. Now, technically, this act does not prohibit all forms of online gambling. Instead, it prevents bookies from accepting financial transactions as results of online gambling. Of course, betting with no money involved has its own set of problems, but the important thing is this: Online sports betting is not illegal on a federal level.
So how do people bet in the US, if they can’t stake or win any money?
Well, there are a couple of ways of getting around this prohibition. For example, BitCoin betting is becoming more popular, partly because it allows transactions to be completely anonymous, protecting both the bookie and the customer. In other cases, withdrawals are made through intermediaries, such as eWallets.
This shouldn’t worry you as a potential punter, though. As of the writing of this article, not a single person has been legally sanctioned for participating in online sports betting in America. There are cases where bookies got in trouble, such as the arrest of the chairman of SportingBet in 2007. But customers? Never.
So there you have it. Use this information to keep your bets safe and legal, and good luck!