Ranking the Best Sports Betting Sites
One of the four golf majors, the Masters is an epic event that’s eagerly anticipated for both its sheer sporting spectacle and betting potential. As the world’s greatest golfers battle it out for that fabled green jacket, the rest of us can feel the adrenaline rush of putting money on how things will unfold at Augusta. The question is, how do you decide which US sportsbooks to sign up to?
At Compare.bet US, it’s our job to make it easier for you to choose. We’ve curated a list of the best sports betting sites for the Masters, so you can quickly weigh up the benefits of each and opt for the sportsbook which suits you best. There are several factors we take into account when deciding which sites to recommend – here are some of them.
Licensing
We only recommend sites that are licensed and regulated in states that have legalized online sports betting. This guarantees that these sportsbooks adhere to strict regulations regarding fair play, promote responsible gambling, and employ industry-standard encryption technology to secure your personal details.
Betting Markets
The best US betting sites offer a range of betting markets, meaning you can bet on far more than the tournament winner. We consider the options on offer to pinpoint the sites that offer the most exciting and varied experience for bettors.
Bonuses
From welcome bonuses for new members to ongoing promotions that reward customers for their loyalty, there’s a whole world of incentives offered up by the best sports betting apps. We carefully assess these to ensure you’ll get the most bang for your buck when gambling online.
Banking Options
You want your online gambling experience to be as convenient as possible, and so do we. That’s why we consider whether the sportsbooks offer a good range of deposit and withdrawal methods, so you can bet and cash out winnings in a way that suits you.
Interface and Customer Service
The general ‘feel’ of a site is also important, and our reviewers always take the interface into account when making recommendations. We also look at how efficient and on-hand the customer service team is, so you know you’ll be in good hands when you sign up.
What Can You Bet On?
There are numerous ways to bet on the Masters. Here are some of the markets you can expect to find on the US’s top betting apps.
Tournament Winner
This market is pretty self-explanatory. You simply bet on which golfer you think will don the green jacket as the tournament champion.
Nationality
There are two types of nationality wagers. The first market is where you wager on the nationality of the winning player. The other nationality props are wagers on the ‘Top American Player’ or the ‘Top European Player’, for instance. Only listed players qualify for these prop bets.
Round Leader
With this market, you’ll be attempting to predict which golfer leads after a specific round.
To Make or Miss the Cut
After the first few rounds, only the top players will progress to the later stages of the Masters. This is called ‘making the cut’, and you can bet on which players you think will stay in contention.
Matchups
This is an intriguing market for golf fans, as you’ll be betting on two specific players, in a head-to-head format, and how they fare with regards to a specific round or the entire tournament. With these wagers, many sportsbooks declare the tie a no bet.
Place
Exactly what it sounds like. You wager on if you think a player will finish in the Top 5 or Top 10 of this year’s tournament. Each online betting site has its own rules on tie finishes, which you should check out before making these wagers.
Call Time on Your Wagers and Bet In Play
In-Play Betting
Whether you call it in-game betting or live betting, this is a particularly exciting way to place wagers on the Masters — or any other sporting event, for that matter. With live betting sites in the US, you can get in on the action after the golfers have teed off, meaning you can capitalize on changes in the odds as the round progresses. Golf is actually an ideal fit for in-game wagering as the action is a lot slower than other sports, giving you time to make considered judgements during the round. If a hot favorite like Bryson DeChambeau looks a bit shaky to start with, for example, the odds offered in-game may be considerably more appealing than they were before tee off.
Cash Out
Many of the top US sportsbooks will let you cash out, giving you more control over the whole betting process. The principle is simple: cashing out means claiming potential winnings from a particular bet while the golf is still underway. If you feel like the tide is turning against you, and your chosen player is unlikely to win, or place in the top 5 or top 10, cashing out might be the best way to maximize your winnings and limit your losses. In this instance, you can cash out an amount which the sportsbook calculates based on the odds at the time of booking, the current in-play odds, and your initial wager.
Balance Risk and Reward with Parlays
Like the idea of maximizing the return on your odds? Then you’ll want to look into US sports betting apps offering parlay bets. With these, separate wagers can be placed on separate selections, and each bet needs to win in order for the parlay to pay out. The different odds are multiplied together, meaning that the reward will be far greater if you win over that paid out by a single bet. Even small bets placed on multiple odds can add up to a big return.
But bear one very important thing in mind: losing just one selection means the whole parlay is lost. The good news is that many of the best US betting apps offer parlay insurance, meaning you’ll get your initial stake refunded in the form of a free bet if you narrowly miss out on a winning ticket.
Take Advantage of Bookies' Promotions
With the growing number of sports betting sites around online, it’s natural they’ll try to elbow the competition aside by offering some appealing welcome bonuses to new members. Here are some popular ones you can use to boost your betting fund when the Masters gets underway.
Matched Deposit Bonuses
If you see an incentive advertised with a phrase like “100% up to $150”, that’s a matched deposit bonus. It means the sportsbook will match your first deposit up to a certain percentage. So, in this example, if you sign up and deposit $50, you’ll be given an extra $50 to bet with. These bonuses usually come with play-through requirements attached, stipulating that you bet a certain number of times, at certain minimum odds, before being eligible to draw any winnings.
Free Bets
These are very straightforward – the online sportsbook will simply give you a certain amount in free bets when you make your first qualifying wager. For example, you might be given $10 in free bets if you wager $10 at qualifying odds. The free online bet may be one lump amount, or given to you in the form of several smaller amounts. As with matched deposit bonuses, you’ll want to check the terms and conditions to see what strings are attached.
Promotions
It’s not just new members who get to lap up some tasty bonuses and promotions. The best US betting apps will also make regular customers feel rewarded with ongoing promotions. Here are some types to look forward to.
Money Back Offers
Losing bets is an unavoidable fact of life in the gambling world. But, with a money back promotion, you’ll at least get the consolation prize of having your stake refunded in the form of a free bet. This isn’t a total fail-safe as there will be a maximum limit on how much is returned to you. Nonetheless, it’s still a handy way to mitigate your losses, and it’s also a good excuse to go ahead and bet on one of the underdog golfers of the tournament.
Enhanced Odds
For big sporting events – like the Masters – sportsbooks will go into overdrive to stand out from the crowd. This means you can be treated to enhanced or boosted odds in selected markets, so you can reap the rewards of a wager that’s been artificially slanted in your favor.
Payment Methods
These days, there are numerous ways you can bank with online betting companies in the US. Here are some of the most popular ways it’s done:
- Debit and credit cards
- PayPal
- VIP Preferred
- Play+
- Neteller
- Skrill
- Online banking transfer
- Bank wire transfer
Cast Your Bets on the Go
Out and about when the Masters is on? Don’t worry, you can still place your wagers without being tied to a desktop or laptop. The best betting sites in the US make it easy to get your bets down using your smartphone or tablet, and you’ll be able to do that by simply surfing onto the website through your web browser and signing in or you can download its native app onto your device.
These online betting apps are optimized to provide the swiftest, most user-friendly experience, making it a breeze to dip into in-game betting while on the go. You can also opt to receive push notifications, alerting you to the hottest new promos as they happen.
Check Out What the New Kids Offer
While the widest offerings and most lucrative bonuses are often the biggest sites’ domain, new operators and betting apps spring up regularly with tantalizing offers for new and dedicated players. Our rankings of the best new sites are worth a look for anyone seeking to try something novel, particularly as new sites often balance their smaller bonus offers with either lighter or no play-through requirements. If you’re keen to make withdrawals on your bonus funds as soon as possible, new sites might have just what you’re looking for.
Betting Tips for the Masters
There are never any guarantees with gambling, but there are some rules of thumb that can help ensure you make the most informed bets and maximize your chances of striking lucky.
Research is key. You’ll want to check how well the players you’re considering wagering on have been performing. This is called ‘general form’. However, it’s every bit as important to research their course form – in other words, how well they’ve specifically performed in the Masters, quite aside from the other tournaments out there. That’s because a particular course can bring out the best (or worst) in certain players. Some golfers have an affinity for Augusta, and it will bring out the best in them even if they’ve not been performing as well elsewhere.
You’ll also want to check how suited various players are to specific betting market wagers. If, say, a golfer is known to be a strong starter, that might make them a good choice for a first round leader bet. It’s important not to be sentimental and bet in favor of golfers you particularly like. In other words, always bet with your head, not with your heart. Finally, be sure to leverage our extensive rankings to compare the best betting apps in the US, and sign up for the one offering the bonuses and perks best suited to you.
Other Major Golf Tournaments
The Masters may be one of the most iconic tournaments around, but there are plenty of other golfing extravaganzas to follow and wager on.
The other three Majors are the PGA Championship (May), the US Open (June) and the British Open Championship (July). Unlike the Masters, which is held at the same course every time, these three Majors are held at various alternating courses. They all have unique attributes – for example, the PGA Championship is the only Major not to admit amateur golfers, the US Open is known as the hardest of the tournaments, while the British Open has the distinction of being the oldest golf tournament in the world.
Other important tournaments include:
- The Omega Dubai Desert Classic (Emirates Golf Club, January)
- The Players Championship (TPC at Sawgrass, March)
- The Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open (various courses, July)
- The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship (various courses, September)
- The WGC-HSBC Champions (Sheshan Golf Club, October)
Looking Back at the Masters
The Masters tournament was the brainchild of Bobby Jones, a lawyer and amateur golfer – albeit, one of the greatest amateurs the game has ever seen. In partnership with investment banker Clifford Roberts, he founded Augusta National Golf Club which hosted the first Masters tournament in 1934. The famous green jacket was first officially awarded to the champion in 1949, with the winner in question being legendary American golfer Sam Snead.
The even more legendary Jack Nicklaus boasts the most Masters wins, having been crowned champion six times from the 1960s to the 1980s. Tiger Woods, meanwhile, nips at his heels with five wins. The event has seen its share of dramatic upsets – in 1996, for example, Nick Faldo overcame the odds by beating Greg Norman, who’d been well in front with a six-shot lead when the last day’s action commenced. Norman crashed and burned in what still ranks as one of the greatest shocks in Masters history, proving that sudden turnarounds can yield incredible returns for savvy bettors.
Another memorable turn of events occurred in 2011, when South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel came back from a four-strike gap, and birdied his last four holes. This was an unprecedented Masters achievement, and it was all the more startling coming from a +10,000 betting underdog.
Ready to Wager on the Masters
All set to tee off with your Masters wagers? Check out our list of the top US betting sites, compare the bonuses, betting markets and payment methods offered, and sign up today!
Frequently Asked Questions
Sportsbooks are a competitive bunch, and you’ll often see similar odds for the same outcomes across operators. That being said, enhanced and boosted odds are a common tactic amongst online sports betting companies to draw wagers and new players in, so it pays to look around to find the best deal on the day you’re wanting to place a wager.
Parlays have become a hugely popular option for bettors in recent years, and you’ll find them on most operators’ mobile betting sites. Of course, all sportsbooks are different, so be sure to check out our reviews of the leading sites to make sure the app you’ve got your eye on offers parlays and related promotions.
There are never any guarantees in gambling, but a researched bet can often be safer than one based on pure instinct. While we would always recommend doing your own research to consolidate your top betting picks, tipsters can be a great way to point yourself in the right direction. Past performance doesn’t guarantee that your tipster’s predictions will come good in future, so it’s always best to do your own reading around the subject before settling on a wager.
Every site ranked and reviewed on Compare.bet US is licensed and regulated by the state’s governing authority. For example, all NJ sportsbooks are licensed by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE). This ensures that all operators follow strict regulatory guidelines designed to keep bettors safe and secure. These measures include, among many others, the assurance that your licensed sportsbook will provide transaction encryption for all customer payments, protecting you in the unlikely event of a hacker’s interference.