How to Find the Best Sportsbooks for Legal Sports Betting

How to Find the Best Sportsbooks for Legal Sports Betting

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With legal sports betting now available in 24 states and Washington, DC, the list of places where you can place a bet on your favorite teams has never been more expansive. The first wave of sportsbooks began opening up in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling that struck down the federal ban on such wagers, and the competition to attract new customers has been fierce.

As a result, sportsbooks have begun offering a variety of features and betting options in order to compete for your business. While some are more user-friendly than others, it’s important to research each site before you make a deposit. Look at customer reviews and betting limits, and check whether the sportsbook offers a free trial or other incentive to get you to sign up.

Another consideration is the quality of the sportsbook’s odds and pricing. It’s important to find a sportsbook that offers competitive odds for all major sporting events, and the ability to adjust them as circumstances change. A reputable sportsbook will also offer bettors a variety of betting markets, including handicapping markets for different types of games.

In addition to the standard moneyline and over/under bets, some sportsbooks also offer specialty bets such as game props. These bets are often based on individual player or team performance, and can be difficult to win, but they can provide great value if you know how to play them. In most cases, game props require a game to be official or reach a designated point – for example, one pitch thrown for pitchers and one plate appearance for position players. If a game is shortened or suspended due to weather, the bet will generally have no action.

Some sportsbooks have a reputation for having higher payouts than others, but that’s not always the case. Some are simply better at calculating risk and offering more competitive odds. A good rule of thumb is to compare the payouts on a given bet before making it, and to avoid bets with a lower return-to-player percentage (RTP) than the industry average.

Nevada was the first state to introduce legal sports betting, and it has since expanded to include retail and online betting sites like DraftKings and FanDuel. However, it doesn’t offer legal sports betting on college teams or events. New Hampshire, on the other hand, recently launched its regulated online sportsbook, and its offerings are similar to those in Nevada.