Sports Betting in 2k20: Where to bet and why
Joe Johnson
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My friends used to take an annual trip to Vegas, but thanks to a mix of my own inability to handle copious amounts of alcohol and working multiple jobs since the age of [redacted to protect my former employer], I never went along and thus have never placed a sports bet in my life.
That having been said, with sports betting expanding from state to state like a strain of COVID that can make a grown man really care about whether or not a meaningless extra point is made or missed in a game between sub .500 NFC East teams, it is only a matter of time before I do just that.
I thought I’d write a new series of articles breaking down my research into the world of sports betting as someone who could, I guess, drive to Iowa to place a bet on the Vikings winning it all in never, but instead will wait until Minny approves sports betting at Mystic or Grand Casino(s) as driving to and being in Iowa seems like no monetary win would be worth it.
So, I reached out to my contacts in the industry to help me discern between the sportsbooks that only pay out in rubles and the ones that I can trust with my super official PayPal Business Debit Card (then again, I’ve had identity thieves beg me to take back my identity, so, I guess I have nothing to worry about), with the main goal of helping you avoid that drive to Iowa.
Oh, and per usual I’ve wrangled a deal or … five for our readers so you can at least say at the jump that the house may eventually win but you’ve got the upperhand.
Anyway, here is what I found:
BetMGM
Available states: New Jersey (NJ), Indiana (IN), Colorado (CO) & West Virginia (WV)
One of the most popular US Sportsbooks, BetMGM is now live and available in 4 states, New Jersey, Indiana, Colorado & West Virginia. Available to bettors online and, of course, on mobile with dedicated apps for Android & iOS devices.
Formerly called playMGM, they rebranded and relaunched with a new design and a bunch of new features. MGM is of the leading names in the gambling industry for a reason, and also included in basically every terrible movie about the mafia.
It also happens to be where Tupac Shakur essentially signed his death warrant, so, not only does that mean that despite the fact that I’m a 36-year-old white guy who dry cleans his Ecko sweatsuits but it also means that MGM is an institution that lets you know you aren’t giving your financial info to some phishing scheme that your bank would call “obvious” while laughing at you because you thought maybe sometimes Nigerian princes need help too.
BetMGM allows bettors to now wager on sports in NJ and now Indiana, West Virginia, and Colorado right from their mobile phone, no matter where they are in the state.
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DraftKings
Available states: New Jersey (NJ), Indiana (IN), Pennsylvania (PA), West Virginia (WV), Colorado (CO), & Iowa (IA)
Fantasy sports fans have been playing at DraftKings for years, but now they bring real money wagering to the state of New Jersey, Indiana, West Virginia, Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Iowa. This top draw Sportsbook app is now available on mobile, and they also have downloadable apps for Android as well as the iPhone & iPad. With over 10 million players around the world, is the DraftKings Sportsbook the best place to have a wager in the regulated US states?
I think so. But I also never win.
The PurpleTERRITORY You’re Welcome bonus?
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PointsBet
Available states: New Jersey (NJ), Indiana (IN) & Iowa (IA)
PointsBet is one of the new breeds of online Sportbook breaking into the US. Available in New Jersey, and as of Feb 2020, the Sportsbook is now live in Iowa & Indiana. Fully regulated and licensed by the DGE, IRGC, and the IGC, they bring you PointsBetting – a brand new high-risk, high-reward feature that is different and especially for those that would yell at a person like me at a black jack table at Mystic Lake for doubling down constantly, provides some new options that can make even an AFC South game interesting.
Not only do they operate online, but they also have a fantastic mobile app available to download on Android devices as well as iOS, including the iPhone & iPad.
What I like, as someone new to all this and also what my teachers so politely called a “visual learnwr”, is that they talk you through getting the app on your cell, run you through the extensive features and help with some handy tips to using this new online sportsbook for NJ, IN & IA.
The PurpleTERRITORY You’re Welcome bonus?
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Unibet
Available states: New Jersey (NJ), Pennsylvania (PA), & Indiana (IN)
Online gambling giants Unibet may be the have choice of all punters with unibrows sinxe before the advent of DNA testing kits and manscaping, but the good news is that they have finally launched their online sportsbook for New Jersey, Pennsylvania and now, Indiana.
NFL fans in those states, which coincidentally also lean hard towards the unibrow look (I’m looking at you, New Jersey), that are looking to place a wager with Unibet can do it online and, of course, via their mobile apps for Android & iOS as well as a mobile browser version.
Unibet launched its sportsbook in NJ in early 2019, followed by PA later in the year, and then Indiana in July 2020.
Click the The PurpleTERRITORY You’re Welcome bonus? to show you how to download the app, what features are on offer, banking options, and any promotions worth knowing about.
The PurpleTERRITORY You’re Welcome bonus?
Get 2 x $10 free bets on the app
BetRivers
Available states: Indiana (IN), Colorado (CO), Illinois (IL) & Pennsylvania (PA)
Rush Street Interactive launched its BetRivers Sportsbook app in Indiana on October 3rd, effectively christening the online market in the Hoosier State along with DraftKings sportsbook, whose app also launched the same week. Think of that, Indiana, the Alabama of the Big Ten (except they’re not good at football) was the first to innovate something that wasn’t related to how meth is created.
Their online sportsbook is now live and available in four states; Indiana, Illinois, Colorado & Pennsylvania.
The launch of legal sports betting in Indiana was a two-tiered process, with retail sportsbooks beginning to open their doors from September 1st onwards, and Indiana mobile betting starting up a little over a month later. Come on Minnesota, you can do this too.
We’re already bad at sports, let us be bad at betting on sports, too!
The PurpleTERRITORY You’re Welcome bonus?
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So there you have it!
Now we just have to use Google maps to find the quickest way to Iowa and then an even quicker way out of Iowa.