Legal Betting States

IS ONLINE SPORTS BETTING LEGAL

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Yes, in 2018 the US Supreme Court overturned the federal ban on sports betting allowing individual states to legalize and regulate sports betting.

ARE ONLINE CASINOS LEGAL

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A handful of states have fully legalized online casinos. As of 2021 New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan and West Virginia have regulated online casinos.

WHAT SPORTS CAN I BET ON

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You can bet on all sports. Depending on the time of year you will find markets available for the major professional sports, college sports and other international events including but not limited to:

• NFL
• NCAA Football
• NBA
• NCAA Basketball
• NHL
• MLB
• Golf
• Nascar/Auto Racing
• Tennis
• UFC/MMA
• Boxing
• Soccer
• Rugby
• Australian Rules
• Cricket
• Table Tennis

HOW DO I GET STARTED SPORTS BETTING

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Each legal state has a different selection of online sportsbooks and/or casinos to choose from. You can sign up for a new account on their website or via their app (links provided above). The apps are available for both iPhone and Android users.

Can I place a bet while outside a legal state?

No. State and Federal Law prohibits online gambling from outside a regulated state. This is enforced by Geolocation Technology. You are however free to register a new account and even make deposits and withdrawals from anywhere.

WELCOME BONUSES AT ONLINE SPORTSBOOKS AND CASINOS

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Online sportsbooks and casinos offer a variety of incentives to new users. Some will give you a free bet just for signing up a new account. The more common offer is to give a bonus to new players when they make their first deposit. The bonus is usually proportional to the size of the deposit and can be in the form of a free bet or a risk-free bet.

DEPOSIT METHODS

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There are a wide range of deposit methods for funding your account.

Credit/Debit Cards:

Most sites accept these for deposits. Options may be restricted to Visa and Mastercard.

Electronic Wallets:

Availability is dependent on the individual app/site but established eWallets such as PayPal or Skrill are an option. You can only withdraw using eWallets if you deposited with the same method first. Deposits usually process immediately.

Bank Transfer:

You can deposit by sending money directly from your bank account.

Prepaid Cards:

These are like gift cards that players can use similarly to credit/debit cards to deposit any amount up to the value of the card. You can also withdraw to the prepaid card.

PayNearMe:

Some providers offer this deposit-only method however you cannot withdraw via PayNearMe. You simply select it as your deposit option, then decide on the amount you would like to deposit and you are sent a unique barcode. You can then go to your nearest 7-Eleven/CVS/Family Dollar where the cashier will scan the barcode and you pay them the amount of the deposit. Typically, your deposit will process within 15 minutes and is then available to use on the site/app.

Check:

You can deposit and withdraw using electronic check (eCheck) and you can withdraw by paper check. Typically, you cannot deposit directly using a regular paper check. With eChecks, after a player requests their bank to transfer money from their bank account, the request is first passed through a clearing house before the funds are transferred.

 

WITHDRAWAL METHODS

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Typically there are fewer options for withdrawing and it takes longer than depositing. The most common form of withdrawal is by check, paper or eCheck. If you want to withdraw by a particular method you must first have used that same method to deposit.

HOW OLD DO I NEED TO BE

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You have to be 21 years or older.

HOW TO SIGN UP TO A SPORTS BETTING APP

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To ensure you don’t miss out on a new account bonus, locate a promo code or follow one of the “Get Bonus” links.

– iPhone:

Choose a sportsbook and follow the links to their website. You will be directed to the App Store download page. When you have installed the app on your iPhone or iPad simply follow the registration instructions provided.

– Android:

Real money gaming apps are now also available for Android users in the Google Play Store. Follow the links to your chosen sportsbook’s website and you will be directed to the Play Store. Download and install the app and follow the instructions to complete your registration.

What do I need to set up an online sports betting account?

• Name
• Address
• Date of Birth
• Email Address
• Phone Number
• Social Security Number (last 4 digits)
• ID may be required to verify your account

 

CAN I BET ON COLLEGE SPORTS

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Yes, betting on College Sports is permitted but there can be restrictions which are imposed on a state by state basis. For example, New Jersey and Illinois do not allow betting on in-state teams but other states like Colorado do allow it. One restriction which is common in many states is not allowing proposition bets on college events. See the individual state page for details.

WHAT ARE THE BEST SPORTSBOOK AND CASINO PROMOS

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The best promos are given to new users. The exact promo offer will vary by provider but here is a rundown of the most common types.

Free Bets/No Deposit Bonus:

No-deposit bonuses are simple: you sign up to an account and on registration you are given a free bet. You do not need to deposit but it is usually for new accounts only.

Risk-Free Bets:

With a risk-free bet you have the chance to place a wager where if you lose you get credited back the amount you lost in the form of a free bet. They are essentially a bet where you can’t lose, e.g. you place a risk-free $20 bet on the Patriots to win but they lose, you get a $20 free bet.

Deposit/Match Bonus:

Matched Bonuses are usually on your first deposit only. It requires you to deposit and the sportsbook will match your deposit amount or a % of your deposit. There are typically playthrough requirements to release these bonuses. In some cases there might only be a 1x playthrough requirement but others can be up to 50x. The latter makes the offer not as attractive because you will have to make a lot of bets before your bonus money is available to withdraw.

Reload Bonus:

Reload bonus are offered from time to time. You re-deposit money into an already established account and get some form of site credit. It is usually in the form of a matched bonus.

Refer A Friend:

This is a bonus you get for referring a friend to register a new account with one of the sportsbooks or casinos. When they complete their account registration, make a deposit or place their first bet you get credit to your account. The exact form of credit depends on your specific provider’s offer.

Insurance/Refund/Cashback:

Will be a refund/site credit on net losses or a % of net losses. These are usually subject to certain playthrough requirements and a specified timeframe.

Odds Boosts:

The player receives better odds for a particular sporting event.

Example: a boxer who is +120 to win a fight might be boosted to +140 on a particular site. This gives extra value to the bettor.

Loyalty/Bonus Programs:

Bonuses and VIP Awards are given when you play through a certain amount of money and are usually released in small increments. Some sportsbooks may offer these VIP rewards in the form of tickets to sporting events for high volume/ high wagering bettors. Not all sportsbooks offer VIP Rewards.

IS ONLINE GAMBLING SAFE

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Yes. Once you sign up with a regulated sportsbook or casino that is approved by the gaming authority in your state, it is completely safe.

WHAT TYPE OF BETS CAN I MAKE

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Moneyline Bets:

This is the most popular bet type, it is simply betting on a specific team to win. The team with the negative sign is the favorite and the team with the positive sign is the underdog.

Example: New York Jets are @ -165, New York Giants @ +140: the Jets are favorites and the Giants are underdogs. In this example if you bet on the favorite, the Jets, you have to bet $165 to win $100. If you bet on the underdog, the Giants, you’ll bet $100 to win $140. Moneyline bets on solely who wins.

Point Spread Bets:

Also known as betting the spread, this bet is on who wins and by how much. It is used to even out the odds between two unevenly matched teams. The sportsbook estimates which team is expected to win and by what margin. The favorite has a negative sign and the underdog has a positive sign. Players then bet that the team expected to win will exceed the margin of victory and “beat the spread” or players will bet the underdog will lose by fewer points than the margin thus “cover the spread”.

Example: Patriots vs Rams. Patriots are favorites (-5), they have to win by six points or more to beat the spread and the Rams would have to lose by four points or less to cover the spread. If a game results in the exact number e.g. in this case if the Patriots win by exactly five points it would be a ‘push’ and bettors on either side would be returned their original wager. The spread is often expressed in half points to avoid a “push”/tie.

Total Bets – Over/Under:

This is a single wager that the combined score of a game will be over or under what the sportsbook sets it at before the game. The bettor is not concerned about which team will win but is concerned on the combined number of points/goals/scores scored by the teams by the end of the game. Those who think the score will be higher than that set by the sportsbooks are “taking the over”, those who believe the score will be lower are “taking the under”. Normally expressed in half points to avoid ties.

Parlay Bets:

This is a type of wager that combines multiple individual bets into one bet. In order for the player to win, all the individual bets have to win. Despite your odds being lower to win, when you do win your payout is significantly higher. Parlays allow players to risk a small amount to win big.

Teaser/Pleaser Bets:

These are a form of parlay bets. The differences are 1) all bets within Teaser/Pleasers are Point Spread Bets or Total Bets and 2) the spread is shifted either for the bettor (Teaser) or against the bettor (Pleaser). All the lines are shifted in the same direction either for you or against you for the same amount of points.

Teaser: Here lines are adjusted in the player’s favor thus the player has a better chance of winning, however this will be at a lower payout than a standard parlay.

Pleaser: The line is adjusted in the opposite direction of a teaser thus the line is adjusted in the sportsbook’s favor so the player has a lower chance of winning than a regular parlay but the payout will be at a much higher rate than a standard parlay.

Prop (proposition) Bets:

This is a bet on something occurring that is not necessarily directly related to the final score. It is also known as a side bet. E.g. Lebron James Assists in a game 10.5; you could bet the over or under. Tom Brady 3.5 Touchdown Passes in a game; again you could bet the over or the under. Betting on the number of fouls in either half of a game or on someone running a mile in under five minutes would also be examples of prop bets.

Futures Bets:

These are bets on an event occurring in the future. For example, you could bet on the New England Patriots to win the Superbowl at the start of the season. These are particularly popular in soccer, golf, tennis and Olympic events.

In-Play/Live Betting:

This is betting on a particular sporting event after it has started. Odds are adjusted in real time depending on score lines, various statistics e.g. possession, injuries etc. Live betting allows continuous betting throughout the duration of a sporting event. Moneyline, Spread Bets, Prop Bets, Totals can all be placed during In-Play betting.

Round Robin Bets:

This is similar to a parlay bet. A parlay is a collection of single bets combined into one bet; a round robin is a collection of parlays placed into one bet. As a result you do not have to win every bet within the round robin to win some money, there is room for some losses. However payouts will not be as high when some of the parlays within the round robin lose.

PointsBetting (Only on PointsBet):

This is a brand new type of bet offered by PointsBet only. Wagers are placed on the points a team win by rather than simply the outcome of a game. E.g. $5 placed per point the Jets win by so if for example the Jets win by 9 points you would win $45, however if the Jets lose by 5 you lose $25. Essentially the winnings or losses are magnified depending on “how right” or “how wrong” you are. Wagers can result in big wins or but big losses can also occur.

Decimal/European Odds:

These are different formats for expressing odds. The decimal odds number represents the amount a bettor wins for every dollar wagered. For the decimal odds the number represents the total payout including the original wager amount, not just the profit.

Example: Decimal odds of 4.5 and you bet $1. If your team wins you get $4.50 back i.e. $3.50 profit. European odds, also known as fractional odds, are more common in European betting markets.

To convert fractional to decimal, divide the top or first figure by the bottom or second figure then add 1.

Example: 7/2 in fractional odds = 7 divided by 2 = 3.5 then add 1 which results in 4.5 in decimal notation.