Online Bookmakers – Compare the Best Betting Sites

Online bookmakers are sites that provide you with odds for many different markets for upcoming games in major or minor competitions across various sports, whilst you can also use bookmakers to take advantage of promotions, and more.

Bookmakers are the ones who set the odds for betting, giving you opportunities to place wagers and win real money on your preferred events, with many different angles for you to choose from.

For example, top bookmakers may offer you 3.0 odds for Real Madrid to beat Barcelona in the 1X2 market, and if you place a bet of 100 on those odds and they do win, you will have a total sum of 300 in your account with the bookmaker.

Online betting sites are a place where you can both win and lose money, depending on your decisions and the results of your wagers placed.

Essentials for Safe Betting

Safety is one of the most important elements of joining a betting site, and it is crucial you analyse the safety and reputation of any bookmaker before signing up. The protection of both your personal and financial information is of utmost importance, and it is key you sign up with sites that have procedures in place to safeguard your details.

Some of the biggest aspects that we ensure are available with our recommended bookmakers are:

• Licensing
• Trusted reputation
• Responsible gambling tools
• Secure payment methods
• SSL encryption technology

Licensed and Regulated Betting Sites

An official license with regulatory bodies means that the betting site has complied and has authorisation to operate in the locations in which they are active.

Some examples include the UK Gambling Commission, Malta Gaming Authority, Kenya Betting Control and Licensing Board, South Africa National Gambling Board.

All of the online betting sites that we recommend here on SoccerVista have been vetted to make sure that they are licensed and have important licensing features such as:

• Regulated payments
• Fair play standards
• Player protection

How to Identify a Trusted Sportsbook

There are many ways to spot a trusted sportsbook, but first of all, you can join any of our suggested betting sites in confidence that they are completely trustworthy.

Even as a person that’s new to gambling, there are likely to be some bookmakers that you are already familiar with due to advertising, sponsorships of major football teams, or simply due to the vast nature of the brand.

But most of all, there are some huge indicators that sites are reliable, which include:

• Verified User Reviews: With many positive reviews from notable sites in the betting space and individual user reviews on websites, it all helps to culminate in a trustworthy betting site.
• Partnerships: Being partners of major football teams is a big indication that a site is trustworthy because it also has a major impact on the reputation of the club if the site is proven to be unreliable.
• Secure SSL Certification: Having SSL certification means that the site is verified by the browser you are using and ensures you are protected against data interception and phishing.

Furthermore, there are also independent audits that take place to verify the trustworthiness of sportsbook sites, with eCOGRA and IBIA often referenced by trusted bookmakers as a sign of their ethical reliability.

Choose a trusted sportsbook with SoccerVista today to bet safely.

All users interact with betting sites in the same way, placing different types of bets on their chosen events for many different betting markets once they are signed up as a player.

First off though, an account needs to be created and the online bookmaker will likely need to verify your account and your eligibility to bet. This is where we come in, providing you with the best bookmakers in your location, and direct links for you to head to their site and sign up.

Once you have completed your sign up, the sites or betting apps are free to use in the way that you want. You could use online betting sites for playing free-to-play promotions, placing bets, analysing the latest betting odds for various different markets, monitoring games of your favourite teams, and lots more.

If you are looking to place bets, you will need to make deposits using eligible payment methods with your chosen betting site, which will include standard options like debit cards and Apple Pay, plus other options like PayPal, bank transfer, and several others.

You will frequently find that betting sites will prioritise football as their main sport and offer the most markets due to its popularity. This can often mean that it is easy to find the latest odds for major events like the Premier League, Champions League, and other big competitions, sometimes even through the homepage.

Click on our links for the bookmakers we recommend and browse them today to get the best indication of how online betting sites work.

Comparing betting odds between online bookmakers can be a big difference in your profit, especially on accumulator or parlay bets where the contrast in payouts can be substantial.

First and foremost, it is key that you choose the odds format which suits you. Europeans are typically most familiar with decimals (2.0), UK players most frequently using fractions (1/1) and people from the US will commonly have their odds set as moneyline (+100).

Whichever odds format you decide to use, the odds will always be calculated for you in the betslip, where you can enter the stake of your choice to determine the payout you will receive, including your original stake.

By choosing online bookmakers with the best odds, you could see a large distinction in the amount you win. It can also be crucial to have access to accounts across multiple betting sites, because it allows you to compare and choose the one with the best odds every time.

Some sportsbooks will regularly offer better odds for certain sports compared to others, which demonstrates why it is important to shop around and find the best value for the sport you most like to bet on.

The range of markets available with online betting sites will be largely similar, especially when it comes to standard options for football, which is the most popular sport for betting worldwide, and especially in the UK and Africa. There are always some key differences between them though, with some offering a larger range, or focusing on certain areas compared to other sportsbooks in their market selection.

More sports like basketball, tennis and cricket, which are always available with online bookmakers, also boast large betting volumes worldwide and offer a vast range of markets to choose from.

Below are some of the most popular betting markets and how they work for a range of different sports.

Football Betting Markets

There are many major competitions in football that are played year-round, such as the Premier League, La Liga, Champions League, and plenty of others. Similarly, international tournaments like AFCON and the World Cup are also hugely popular and anticipated by both fans and bettors.

For each of those events, you will find the same range of markets always available, which are:

• 1X2 – Pick between the home team to win (1), the draw (X) and the away team to win (2) for this market which is available for every football match.
• Over/Under – Choose a set amount of goals from the lines available and decide if you want to bet over or under, depending on how many goals you see the fixture having.
• Both Teams to Score (BTTS) – You have the option to pick “yes” or “no” for this market, with yes requiring a 1-1 scoreline at minimum, and no needing at least one of the teams not to score a goal.
• Handicaps – Essentially, a -1 handicap means that a team would start the game 1-0 behind for your bet. This means that they will need to win by a minimum of two goals for your bet to win. On the other hand, a +1 handicap means they start with a 1-0 lead and they need to draw at minimum for the bet to win.

These markets will be available for each of those major events and many other smaller competitions. Each of them can be found pre-match, or during the games through live betting.

Basketball Betting Markets

With its fast pace and intensity, basketball is an amazing sport to bet on if you want to stay excited and engaged throughout the game.

With many major leagues and competitions to follow, basketball is a popular sport around the world, but most notably in the US due to the high-quality of the NBA, the world’s biggest league.

Similarly, the sport is well-followed in Europe through the EuroLeague competition and produces some incredible atmospheres, with home advantage proving to be important on many occasions.

The key markets you will find for basketball in these competitions and many others are:

• Moneyline – With no draws in basketball, you can pick between the home team or away team to win the game, and it is called the moneyline market.
• Totals – This market is simply a different term for over/under and provides you with the option to choose over or under for a set total.
• Point Spread – Give teams a head start or a handicap before they start with the point spread. There is often a set line provided by betting sites, but you can also go for more or less with a wealth of options to choose from in the point spread market.
• Player Props – Provided the markets can be found with our betting partners, you can pick over or under on totals set by bookmakers for points, rebounds, assists, and more for players.

Tennis Betting Markets

Tennis is another sport which is extremely popular for betting, especially centred around men’s and women’s grand slams at Wimbledon, the US Open, and more.

Additionally, there is plenty of betting coverage that you will find for ATP and WTA Tour events throughout the year, which are played worldwide and in many different timezones. Check out some of the biggest markets for tennis betting below:

• Match Winner – Bet on either player to win a tennis match, available throughout all the tours around the world.
• Over/Under – Bet over or under on a total amount of games or sets for tennis matches.
• Set Betting – Place a bet on a player to win the first set, second set, or another throughout the match with set betting.
• Correct Score – Choose a correct score for a tennis match, which could be 3-2 in sets to Carlos Alcaraz against Jannik Sinner for example.

There are many different things to consider when choosing the right online bookmaker for you, with some being non-negotiable, and others being down to personal preference.

For example, it is key to find an online bookmaker with competitive odds because it will ensure your profits on winning bets are bigger than if you were playing with a competitor who provides worse odds.

But at the same time, it might be crucial for you to have regular promotions available as an existing player, meaning you need to find a middle ground that includes the best of both worlds.

Some of the most important factors to consider when choosing the right online bookmaker include:

• Compare odds between different operators
• Promotions and betting offers
• Site usability and speed
• Verify responsible gambling tools
• Football-specific markets available (handicaps, accumulators, player props, bet builder)
• Ensure availability in your region

For those of you that are new to online betting sites, there are some essential steps that you should take to make sure that you lock in optimal value for your bets, manage your betting, and more.

Some things you should consider as a player that’s new to online betting are:

• Managing your bankroll
• Implementing responsible gambling tools like deposit limits
• Sticking to sports and competitions you know
• Betting odds comparison to get the best value