Sports betting is bigger than ever, and there haven’t been more choices to decide on an online sportsbook. With reliable sportsbooks occupying exactly the identical market share as fraudulent ones, it is becoming harder and harder to differentiate ones which function with integrity from their scammy counterparts.
We created this guide that will help you navigate the selection process. Scammers might be getting more complicated, however there are still lots of key indicators for safe, legitimate sportsbooks.
The Importance of Picking of A Safe Sportsbook
If it comes to sports gambling, it’s all for naught unless your sportsbook matches your deposits and winnings.
Say, hypothetically, that you end up registering having an illegitimate sportsbook, and subsequently make a deposit. While it’s by no means guaranteed that this sportsbook will completely rip you off, there is a good chance that one of the following issues might occur:
Delayed payouts in your winnings (believe 45+ times )
Absent customer service Canceling/not crediting winning wagers (either partly or in their entirety)
Stealing your money outright Viruses infecting your pc or Cell Phone Needless to say, signing up at safe sportsbook means that you’ll prevent any of the aforementioned consequences. To prevent at least one of these headaches, it is your responsibility to maintain your sportsbook accountable — do not settle for anything less than the rigorous standards for your betting experience!
If you perform the following checks before sending your cash over to a sportsbook, you will understand your money (and gambling experience) are in the hands of a quality book.
1. Scrutinize Your Sportsbooks’ Permit Any secure online sportsbook will prominently display their working license that guarantees that their lawful right to operate. Sportsbooks licenses ensure that their novels are open to legal, third party audits, and consistently pass examinations to be sure they are not defrauding their clients.
When a sportsbook includes a permit in the well-respected region, you may rest easy that it’s wholly legit. This, alone, is a sufficient condition of a valid sportsbook.
The most common areas that sportsbooks seek licensure in are:
Western Europe
Different islands within the Caribbean Archipelago
Select Native American bookings within North America
That said, just because you can’t spot a sportsbook license right away does not mean it isn’t safe. You’ll have the ability to locate their legal surgeries permit somewhere on their site.
Conversely, if you land on a sportsbook and you’ll be able to tell it is not licensed, reconsider sending your cash to them. Accreditation ensures safety, and as such, we advise that you stick to sportsbooks who have bothered to jump through the proper legal permissions hoops.
2. They Verify Your Identity
Within our guide to banking at your sportsbookwe talk about how to successfully browse the withdrawal process, which always includes verifying your identity.
Legitimate sportsbooks, such as these sites for online sports betting, are licensed and regulated businesses. Therefore, they’re expected to obey the regulations and rules in the area that they sought licensure within.
These principles consistently include checking the identity of the clients before sending payouts, which is necessary for sportsbooks to stay in accordance with international KYC (Know Your Customer) and AML (Anti-Money Laundering) regulations.
If sportsbooks do not confirm their customer’s identity, they could find themselves complicit in criminal activity, cater to individuals that aren’t legally authorized (or old enough) to gamble within their specific state or nation, harm relationships with their repayment suppliers, and also send payments into the erroneous person/persons. None of them are great for a sportsbook which wishes to remain legal, and who would like to provide their clients with the greatest standards of service.
Unsafe, fictitious sportsbooks have a tendency to skirt this safety feature, plus they do not often need customers to confirm their identity. If a sportsbook is only looking to fatten their own pockets by ripping customers off, they aren’t likely to be very concerned about being legally compliant or constructing their reputation within the market. They’re only looking to make off with your cash and vanish!
3. They’ve Got SSL Protection
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) protection is standard security technology that guarantees an encrypted link between a web server and a browser.
That’s a lot of web-specific jargon, but this encryption ensures that all data passed between you and the web site remains confidential. SSL technology is used by tens of thousands of sites across the globe to protect financial transactions with paying customers. When websites utilize this, it’s nearly impossible for poor actors to steal sensitive financial or personal info.
Of course, the process of depositing and withdrawing at your sportsbook requires the transfer of sensitive financial advice. Therefore, your sportsbooks ought to be running an SSL-encrypted link (for your own protection and theirs). Any sportsbook that isn’t running SSL either is expressly trying to steal your data, or they do not have any comprehension of the most basic facets of online security. Both are reasons to steer clear, and any sportsbook that is not equipped with SSL protection isn’t worth your time.
How do you identify a website that’s SSL protected? Easy! Just look for sites with https:// in the beginning of the web address along with also a locked icon. That is all it takes!
4. Your Sportsbook Has A Great Online Reputation
If your sportsbook has a solid reputation, you have probably landed on a safe sportsbook. The longer a sportsbook has been around, the safer it is handling your cash. A sportsbooks’ continued presence is evidence of the safety. If they had been ripping bettors away, there’s no way they could remain in operation.
Each of the sportsbooks we examine have proven track record of validity, but if you want to expand your search, there’s a variety of channels you can go through as well. The subreddit r/sportsbooks is a great place to inquire into the strengths and weaknesses of specific books inside the gambling community.
5. They’ve Got A Responsive Client Service Department
If you telephone, email, or send a message to your sportsbook and get a near-instantaneous reply, you’re working with a safe sportsbook.
Customer support departments that are real, responsive, and knowledgeable do not emerge from thin air. A well-furnished, fully-functional customer support section is expensive to staff, train, and operate, and therefore, it’s just safe sportsbooks that can feasibly conduct them.
6. They Are Not Promoting Anything Outrageous
A secure sportsbook is not likely to be offering bettors outrageous perks which appear too good to be true. Any sportsbook which masquerades as a charitable operation is likely attempting to engineer creative ways to distinguish you from your money.
What exactly do we mean when we say crazy? Well, if you see that the Pats in +1000 about the moneyline — or a 500% bonus offer — steer clear. Ensure that the odds, bonuses, lines, and limits align with industry standards.
7. Well-Developed Interface & Modern UX and UI
If you stumble upon a sportsbook that has got a fully operational interface, live betting options, a nicely developed cellular platform, and considerate, modern UX and UI, you have definitely found a secure sportsbook. These features are the hallmarks of the maximum quality novels, and no book that is spent so much time on supplying bettors with a top-quality experience will be looking rip off you.
Scammy sportsbooks just don’t remain in business for long. Creating an optimal user experience not just requires a massive monetary investment, but a significant quantity of time too. Obviously, this would prevent them from creating an excellent platform for bettors.
Found A Safe Sportsbook? Start Building Your Bankroll!
Finding a trusted sportsbook is undoubtedly the most vital component of sports betting. Now that you know how to find a person, you are able to brush up on the fundamentals with our betting 101 guides, where we walk you through the fundamentals while demystifying the essential principles of sports betting which might appear complicated at first blush.
Want to learn more about the business of sports gambling and why online sportsbooks run the way they do? Check out our guide to online sportsbooks’ complicated (but lawful ) status in the United States.
