The Legality of Online Sports Books in the U.S.A.

The United States Government was (not surprisingly) slow to put a stop to online sports gambling when it first appeared on the scene. Online sports books had no guidelines to follow when offering services to American citizens, life was good! What happened to betting sports from mobile devices?!

In 2006, President W. George Bush, signed the SAFE Port Act which made it illegal for banks to send money to offshore sports books. From about 1995 until 2006, it was very easy to wager on sports online using any US credit or debit card, but all of this ended with one stroke of a pen. Or did it?

While the act stopped American banks from processing payments related to online sports betting, it doesn’t state that it is illegal to bet sports online in the United States. It was only a matter of time before there were work arounds in place to get around this minor speed bump in the road.

The fact is, all federal and most state laws regarding online sports betting target owners of sites, not gamblers. There are states that currently ban online sport books altogether, if you live in one, you are generally out of luck unless you go around the law. SportsBetting.com will never condone illegal action, so we will stop here and move on with the subject at hand.

Your Best Online Sports Betting Options

Below, we list the best options currently available to sports bettors looking to wager online. We place significant weight on being able to easily wager from mobile devices when ranking these sites. First, we’ll tell you why life is much easier when we’re all betting sports from mobile devices.

Why Use Online Sports Books?

Online sports betting is growing leaps and bounds in popularity every year and with the growing has come lots of competition, which is good for gamblers. Online sports books allow gamblers to wager from the comfort of their home or wherever they are without heading to an actual sports book. As we all know, lines for sports books can mean long wait times during big events like March Madness. When you want to make a live bet, waiting in line is not a luxury you have. This is the beauty of online sports betting sites, all the action is available in the palm of your hand, whenever and wherever you want it.

Breaking Down the Best Online and Mobile Sports Betting Options

Bovada – 4.4/5

Restricted States

New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Nevada, Delaware, Utah, Washington

First Deposit Bonus

50% up to $250

Review

Bovada is one of the most reliable and popular online sports books in the nation. While operating out of Costa Rica, Bovada does a great job of catering to American sport bettors. Their list of wagering options rival those of any book in Las Vegas, and in most cases – they offer more options!

Depositing and withdrawing are easy, quick, and reliable! In the old days, things were done with wire transfers and snail-mail checks, but not anymore. Bovada accepts Visa and MasterCard, both debit and credit, as well as direct wires and bitcoin. There is a small fee for cashing out, but you can have your money in under 24 hours if you choose to wire it directly to your bank account or use bitcoin. If you choose to have a physical check mailed to you, it will take about two weeks.

For those of us betting sports from mobile devices, whether it be to avoid long lines or just because it’s too much damn fun betting from the couch, Bovada’s web site is fully compatible on Apple and Android. So, betting online from your laptop, tablet, and phone are all done from one web site. From a usability standpoint, this is huge – your user experience remains the same on your computer and mobile device.

TopBet – 3.8/5

Restricted States

None

First Deposit Bonus

50% if you deposit $50-$99.99

75% if you deposit $100-$199.99

100% if you deposit $200 – $1,000 (max match)

Review

TopBet is unlike most of its competitors in that there isn’t a large umbrella organization to which it belongs. While this could be a good thing, it does have certain drawbacks. For instance, the site is lacking regarding information on their background and operations. Not a huge deal in the end, but it’s something that may come in handy to give more gamblers a warm and fuzzy feeling that it is a legit online sports book. 

TopBet caters to United States gamblers, it is only written in English and only accepts the U.S. Dollar as currency. Joining is very easy, every page of the site has a link to the registration form. The bonuses are top notch as well, matching up to $1,000 is remarkable in comparison to their competitors. TopBet allows deposits via Visa or MasterCard as well as MoneyGram, the one option lacking is Bitcoin – but this may be coming very soon. When it comes to withdraws, TopBet doesn’t have an instant wire option now, but they do offer a physical check by courier option which takes about a week.

TopBet’s mobile version is friendly, but you lose some options that the full web site view possesses. This, again, could go back to the fact that there is no large organization backing TopBet like there is other online sports books. For your basic needs, good lines and secure fund transfers, both the mobile and full version of the site will get the job done – but it could be done better.

BookMaker – 4.7/5

Restricted States

None

First Deposit Bonus

50% up to $300

Review

BookMaker has had an online book since 1997, they were one of the few books to weather the SAFE Port Act of 2006 and are still going strong today. BookMaker is one of the largest sports books that serve the United States, restriction free! Anyone, anywhere, anytime (over 18) can be betting sports from mobile devices.

BookMaker is made for “sharp” players and high-rollers, unlike most other online sports books they happily accept large wagers. This doesn’t mean that small bettors aren’t welcome or encouraged to play here. With all the sharp action taken at BookMaker, the lines can move in ways that a smart low-unit player can take advantage of. The website is extremely user friendly, you can sign up and place a wager within five minutes. BookMaker accepts every form of payment that you can think of, including Bitcoin, which also means that their payouts can be turned around in under a day! The one downside that we could find with this book is that it charges 20% for MLB wagers, compared to the industry standard 10% (-110).

The user-friendly design of BookMaker’s full web site translates well to betting sports from mobile devices. Without even having an account, you can browse to BookMaker and view lines. It is as easy to deposit and wager from your mobile device as it is from your laptop. Avoid lines, still make that dinner date, and wager up to $50k from this sport book’s wonderful mobile user interface.

Conclusion

The American shift in demand towards needing everything accessible on their computer or mobile device has incentivized online sports books to develop mobile gaming platforms that allow bettors to wager wherever they may be. A bettor can wager while drinking in a bar, sitting comfortably at home, commuting to or from work, and yes – even from a bathroom stall at the office!

Standing in line for hours to wager with a live teller is quickly becoming a thing of the past. This means great deals for the American sports bettor, but you can’t just deposit money with any of the online sports books out there. Luckily, BettingSports.com did all the research needed!

We stand behind the three online sports books presented in this article. These stand out from the others in the market by a long shot, any will make you a happy sports bettor from wherever you may be, and you can bet on that!

By Chris Sharp, Certified 12-Time Veteran of Las Vegas March Madness and Sports Wagering