Online Sports Betting

By Daniel Bennett & others on 25th July 2024

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Online betting is not only a wonderful form of entertainment but also an excellent opportunity for in-the-know bettors and complete novices alike to make huge profits from top sports like football, soccer and horse racing. Whether it’s a simple prediction such as the match result or correctly predicting the first scorer in a basketball game, the list of ways to win is seemingly endless. Not sure where to start? Our beginner’s guide will take you through everything you need to know before you start placing your wagers at a top online betting site.

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Betting SITE	Score	NEW CUSTOMER OFFER	Expert Review	GO TO SITE & SIGN UP	Terms
1. 888 Sports CA	77%	100% up to $200	Reviewed & verified by our team "With a range of free bet promotions, boosted odds, free to enter prediction games, and 1000s of pre-match and live betting markets, 888sport is the complete package." Compare.bet Editor	Sign Up	New Customer Offer $10 min deposit • The bonus will be applied once the full deposit amount has been wagered at least once with cumulative odds of 1.5 or greater • Wagering must be cleared within 60 days • Casino Bonus valid for selected games only • Bonus wins capped at $500, exc. JP wins • 30x wagering 18+. Full T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly.
2. Betway Sport CA		Enjoy 100% up to $100	Reviewed & verified by our team "Offering many special hockey promotions, Betway Boosts and its renowned free bet club, Betway Sports is designed for Canadian bettors." Compare.bet Editor	Sign Up	New customers only. Opt-in required. Bonus based on 1st deposit of $10+. Card or Paypal deposits. 10x wagering at odds of 1.75+. 18+. Full T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly.
3. Mansionbet Sport CA	81%	50% up to $50	Reviewed & verified by our team "At MansionBet, you can create your own wagers with the Make-A-Bet tool, enjoy the excitement of pulse betting and increase you payouts with the accumulator booster." Compare.bet Editor	Sign Up	New Customer Offer We’ll give you 50% extra up to $50 when you use code MBET50 on your first deposit. So if you deposit $100 – we’ll give you an extra $50 to play with! 18+. Full T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly.
4. Leo Vegas Sport CA		100% up to $300	Reviewed & verified by our team "Pick up the user-friendly LeoVegas mobile sportsbook and place your wagers on hundreds of events from Canada and around the world. " Compare.bet Editor	Sign Up	New Customer Offer To be eligible to claim the New Player Sports Bonus players must deposit at least $10. The withdrawable bonus is not released until the wagering requirement has been met. Bets placed with real money funds deposited whilst a New Player Sport Welcome Bonus is open and being wagered towards will contribute to the wagering of that bonus. 18+. Full T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly.
5. Mr Green Sports CA		Enjoy $50 in Free Bets		Sign Up	New Customer Offer STEP 1: A single deposit of $20+ will start you off. STEP 2: Wager your deposit on any Sport event of your choosing Remember! Odds must be 1.80 or more to qualify. STEP 3: Your reward! Once settled prepare to see your account gifted with 2 x $20 FREE BETS 18+. Full T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly.

Beginner’s guide to online betting

Why bet online?

There’s nothing stopping you from heading out onto the high street and placing your bets with a land-based bookie, but the advantages of betting online simply can’t be ignored. There’s the obvious – being able to bet anytime, any place frees you from the confines of the local betting shop, thanks to mobile-friendly betting sites as well as native mobile betting apps. Plus, many of the best online betting sites allow you to bet in-play on a huge number of sports, while you watch the action unfold on high definition live streams. As if that wasn’t enough, the ability to cash-out online puts full control in the hands of the bettor, allowing you to cut your losses early on or claim a win before things take a turn for the worst.

Find the best value

Sure, betting on sport is fun, but we’re all looking for a nice return when putting our hard-earned money on the line. It goes without saying – every bettor is after the best prices available. When comparing, you’ll probably find that most prices on major sports are quite similar, but there are a few features that set the contenders apart from the pretenders. Can you get a bonus on your accumulator? Are there any money back specials or price boosts on offer? There are usually great ways of measuring which betting site offers the best value for bettors.

Betting Odds

When comparing prices, the way they’re presented might make them tough to decipher for complete newcomers. Markets aren’t priced like items at a grocery store, but are instead assigned betting odds. Betting odds simply indicate the payout you’ll receive from the bookmakers if your bet is a winner. These odds are usually presented in one of three formats:

Fractional – Here, your potential winnings are given as a fraction of your stake. For example, odds of 1/1 means that if you place a $5 wager, you’ll receive $5 in winnings and have your original stake returned for a total of $10.
Decimal – This is simply the multiple of your stake that you’ll receive for a winning bet. So if you place a $10 wager on a market with decimal odds of 2.5, you can expect a $25 return.
American – American odds are a completely different ball game. The bookmaker’s favourites come with a – or + symbol attached for favourites and underdogs, respectively. The higher the value, the larger the underdog. For instance, a -500 favourite has a better chance of winning than a -200 favourite, while a +100 underdog has a better chance of winning than a +600 underdog.

Online betting markets

The best online betting sites deliver a stellar choice of betting markets for customers. Betting markets are the outcomes available for betting on any given match. We aren’t just talking the number of different sports available to bet on, but also the choice of betting markets within each match, such as the match result, handicap and winning margin markets. While there’s often little to choose between the biggest brands when it comes to major sports like soccer, you’ll find a fair amount of variation in market coverage between betting sites when looking to bet on more obscure sports and competitions.

In-play betting

You can be forgiven for thinking you’re limited to pre-match markets at the top online betting sites. Whilst this used to be the case, live betting is now one of the most important features to consider when choosing a top online betting site. Placing bets during a live game can present more favourable opportunities and odds for bettors, depending on how a game is unfolding.

Compare welcome bonuses

If the prices and market depth on offer aren’t enough to filter the list down to just one, the welcome bonus, also known as sign up bonus, offered to new customers is a great way to make your decision a little easier. Betting sites offer a number of first bet bonuses to attract new customers, including free bets, first bet insurance and matched first deposits. Here, it’s not all about choosing the biggest bonus, but instead, choosing wisely to find a bonus that suits your betting style. Reading the terms and conditions for a specific new customer bonus offer and keeping an eye out for any wagering requirements is a great way of figuring out if a signup bonus is really as enticing as advertised.

Ready to place your bets?

Now we’ve shown you the ropes, you’re sure to have a better idea of what to look out for before signing up at an online bookmaker. Check out our carefully curated list for the premier selection of online sports betting sites available today. With plenty of sports for you to bet on, from football to UFC, we’ve got you covered. Once you’ve picked out one that ticks all your boxes, simply sign up, claim your exclusive welcome bonus and start betting online today!

Your Questions Answered

What should I be looking for when choosing a bookmaker?

There are a number of things to consider. Many people automatically think about free bets and bonuses – and with good reason. You’ll often find offers like ‘bet $5 get $10 free’, or deposit bonuses such as ‘100% up to $50’. While they will usually have a number of terms and restrictions applied, they certainly boost the incentive for getting started with one bookie over another. You’ll also want to think about the range of markets, availability of live betting, bonus features like cashout or live streaming, and mobile compatibility– all of which are covered in our in-depth betting site reviews.

How do I deposit funds to my betting account?

It’s pretty simple, really. Once you’ve signed up to an account at your chosen bookmaker, head to the banking, payments or cashier section. Here you’ll have a choice of options, such as Interac, debit card or PayPal- the exact deposit methods will vary between bookmakers.

What is an accumulator?

An accumulator is a fancy word for when you combine multiple bets together. For example, if you bet on Toronto Raptors, La Lakers and Chicago Bulls to win as part of an accumulator, the odds are multiplied together. This makes the potential payout much higher than if you bet on just a single game. Another way to think about it is this: the winnings from each part of the accumulator are automatically bet on the next match – and so on. The only downside is that, unless you have a very reliable crystal ball, the odds of you winning are pretty low! Still, accumulators remain a popular bet and many bettors place a weekly accumulator in the hope of one day hitting the big time.

Should I cash out or not?

Ah yes, the eternal dilemma! A growing number of bookmakers offer a ‘cashout’ feature, which allows you to cash out early and take a reduced win in exchange for guaranteed profit. The alternative is to stay in the game and ride it out. If the result remains the same, you’ll win more. But if the outcome changes, you’ll be left wishing you cashed out when you had the chance. Whether you should do it or not? That mainly depends if you fancy holding on for the ride or the certainty of a guaranteed outcome. It’s like making a bet within a bet. the choice is yours!

Do all sportsbooks have mobile apps?

Most of them do. Usually these specific mobile apps downloaded from an app store will be faster and more reliable then a regular mobile website. However that’s not always the case – and some people prefer to play from their mobile web browser than taking up space on their phone with another app. You can browse our top mobile betting apps here.

How do I make sure I get the best odds?

Our reviews include spot checks of various odds on a range of popular markets. This gives us a fair idea of how good the odds are at various sportsbooks, and you can find that in each review we provide. However the smartest thing to do is to compare specific odds for the market you’re interested in, on the day you want to place the bet. This will help you know exactly which odds are available on the market, and where your potential returns are maximised.

The people behind this page

Compare.bet's online gambling content experts helped write, edit and check the content on this page:

Daniel Bennett

Daniel is the editor-in-chief at Compare.bet. He has half a decade of experience writing on topics including sports betting, online casino and the NBA. Daniel also covers Premier League football for The Warm-Up and has interviewed Louis Saha, Richard Dunne and Gary Pallister. In his spare time, Daniel enjoys film photography and making Spotify playlists.

Noel Davies

Noel is a writer for Compare.bet with over a decade of experience writing on topics including online casino and sports betting.