Sports Betting 101: How to Find a Safe Betting Platform
Joe Johnson
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Thanks to the combination of increasing acceptance (legal and otherwise) and the omnipresence of the interwebs, sports betting and betting, in general, are becoming more and more popular. While that may be the case, it still might be pretty intimidating to attempt to jump into the world of sports betting, especially when it comes to determining where to place your first online bet.
While sports betting isn’t legal in Minnesota (yet), we have readers all around the world who love money almost as much as they love the Vikings. So, periodically we delve into the world of online sports betting to keep our audience abreast of everything they need to know to place a bet and do so responsibly and safely.
So, let’s take a look at how to find a safe and reliable betting platform whether you’re a relative new-comer looking to take every Vikings positive (prop) bet Monday Night a la Adam Sandler in ‘Uncut Gems’, or if you’re a novice who is looking for a new place to throw down!
Markets offered
When you’re looking to place your first bet, the first step you’ll want to take after typing “HALP” into Google is to find the right site for what you’re betting on. Sounds pretty self-explanatory, right?
Well, it is and it isn’t because you’re also going to have to consider whether or not that site handles NFL bets and offers better deals than the other sites that offer similar bets. Most sites offer tremendous deals for new customers, so you’ll want to make sure you check more than one site that offers what you’re looking for.
Beyond that, you’ll want to make sure that you’re on a site that offers live betting (as opposed to just pre-match wagering), as you get more acclimated to the process of betting, as you’ll most likely be amazed by the number of things within a game you can bet on. A good betting site will also offer a comprehensive list of betting options, not just your basic straight wins or over/under wages.
The more options offered typically means that the company behind the site is typically pretty legit as it has to potentially cover every single one of those bets. So, the more options, typically the more financially sound (or insured) the site is, so you don’t have to worry about winning and not receiving your sweet, sweet riches.
Web interface
Now we get into some of the less obvious aspects of what you should consider. Web interfaces essentially are one of the many factors that determine how fast a website reloads. Outside of how irritating a slowly loading site can be, the speed of the site you use for bets can also determine whether or not you miss out on some wins down the road (depending on the type of bets you’re doing).
Beyond that, slowly loading sites can crash often which is not a good sign of credibility, funding or reliability. A frozen site could incorrectly assign your bet from one team to the other, which is obviously not ideal. So keep an eye on how fast the sites you look at end up loading as you hop on and off, or even visit one of the many sites that test website speed if you want to learn more about this.
Mobile betting
Most who are into sports betting do so via the same way most people generally use the internet, via their mobile device(s). Because of that, it’s important to check to see if the betting site(s) you’re going to be using is friendly with the type of phone you have (iOS or Android).
That can extend to whether or not they have an app, as well. Apple didn’t always allow betting apps in the app store, but it appears that they have opened that up as long as the app is native to iOS. Beyond ease of use, an app can also lend itself to credibility for the betting site/company behind it as Apple, especially, vets every company that is added to it’s App store and therefore you can feel a lot better about sharing your credit card info with a betting company that has an iOS app.
License and security certificates
This is pretty cut and dry. Most unlicensed bookmakers or betting sites are a scam, so avoid them like the plague. You can check on each site or app whether or not the site is licensed through the states/municipalities their site is HQ’d in. Unlicensed sites/services can be linked to organized crime, as well, so it’s just better for everyone (except organized crime, I suppose) to, again, avoid them as if they’ve recently befriended a bunch of rats from antiquity (yes, that’s a plague rat joke).
Beyond that, you’ll want to check whether or not the site itself has security (namely SSL encryption) certification. That’s pretty easy to check, as you’ll see either a small lock or “Secure” logo next to the website URL in your browser. Or, you can simply put the website URL (www.GAMBLINGexample.com) after httpS:// . The S in https stands for secured, and only sites that have an SSL certificate or more will actually load if you put the URL after https://.
Why does that matter? Well, it’s a lot harder to hack or steal data from a site with that certification. So, it’s good to know that your online money isn’t going to be stolen by someone else at some point.
Online Reviews
After doing the above and perhaps limiting your list of potential sites to a handful, the next phase is the online review phase.
Online reviews are obviously important because you’ll see what other people like you thought of the different sites you’re researching. User reviews can be relatively overwhelming as you’ll see the myriad of problems that can exist in the online betting realm. Some of those issues are; not being paid out in full, sites crashing, etc.
It is important to know, too, that similar accusations extend to even the most established bookmakers, so it’s also important to look at the date of some of the reviews as gambling sites are always improving their product.
The advisors over at https://ultrasbet.com/ would urge caution against expired reviews, especially. But keep in mind that when people are gambling they can get very emotional and emotion is the largest driver of user reviews online, so you’re going to see a mix of the very good with the very bad. If it’s based on technical experiences, again, check their complaint with recent app/site updates to see if those issues have been rectified.
Do NOT let bonuses and limits tempt you
This is VERY important!
You should try to avoid sites that allow either bonuses, in general (if something seems too good to be true, it is) or that are tired to limits as they’re very prevalent in the betting site world. Most sites/bookies will advertise fantastic opportunities, such as “free” betting money. However, in those cases you’re not allowed to withdrawal all of your money, thus essentially giving you “free” money you can’t actually use in real life.
So keeping an eye on depositing and withdrawal limits when you’re assessing what sites to use is very important.
Some websites enforce a restrictive withdrawal minimum. By that, they mean that you cannot withdraw your money until your balance is some huge, often unattainable number. Make sure they are not promoting anything outrageous that it is too good to be true.
Responsive Customer Service Department
Having an actual customer service department is important, as is one that is available and responsive.
If you have any issues with your account you’ll obviously want to rectify those issues quickly, so having a phone number or even a live chat function is a sign that the company is legit, can afford services or employees and can also help you should you need it.
Hopefully, this helps you when you’re out there looking for where to start in the sports betting world!