Some more so than others, but for centuries, sports and betting have been inherently tied. Whether it’s a wager between two friends as to the outcome of a game of football or through the regulated routes of placing a bet with a bookmaker, millions of people around the world bet on their favourite sports and the biggest contests.
Of course, the likes of horse racing and greyhound essentially only exist because of betting, and yet, some of the most popular sports in the world now utilise odds in their coverage. Boxing is a fine example of this, with the two pugilists’ odds always being used to reflect how the experts see the outcome of the fight going. Manny Pacquiao has often defied the odds and verified his place as the favourite, as he did in this event, thereportertimes.com, which only enhanced the fanfare surrounding the Filipino legend.
Still, just about every professional sport can be bet on these days, thanks to the quick-moving nature of online betting platforms. As a result, almost all sports fans can find the events and outcomes that they want to put money on. However, with the online betting scene being so vast and different to its land-based form, it can be very difficult for newcomers to know which sites offer value, will be enjoyable and are safe to use. So, here are some top tips for all of you betting newcomers.
The most important factors to consider before registering
They may all offer the same activity, but each online betting site is distinctly different from the next. This isn’t just an observation on the aesthetics, either, with the competition being so high between the sites that they all try to tweak and enhance aspects of the service to stand out. As such, a newcomer to the scene should focus on the most important factors before registering, find sites that fit the bill, and then work from personal preference.
As detailed by sbo.net, many aspects are taken into consideration and graded when rating and ranking betting sites. Still, the key elements are: having a legitimate licence with a trusted regulator, good customer support, and offering a wide range of payment methods. Past this, more betting-centric requirements come into play, such as them regularly presenting the best odds, having deep markets across sports, giving a user-friendly welcome bonus, and being mobile-optimised.
There’s a great deal to consider before giving your details and money to a betting site, particularly because of the pay-to-play way of placing sports wagers. Still, the above are the primary aspects that any newcomer should look into before making an account.
What to look for in a site’s licensing
Depending on which jurisdiction you’re playing from, you’ll want to observe the different regulators. In Europe, the big two are the Malta Gaming Authority and the UK Gambling Commission. The two have risen to the pinnacle of the regulatory space, and sites that adhere to their rules to maintain a licence are given respect as a result.
To find out whether the website that you’re interested in is licensed and regulated by a trusted body, you should go to its home page and then scroll down to the bottom. Here, you can usually find a clickable link to the UKGC or MGA which will take you directly to evidence of their licence and authorisation. Further down, often amidst the copyright details, you can also find details about the licensing.
Check the customer support and your payment options
As you interact with betting services by depositing and withdrawing money, you need to make sure that the customer service for the site is ready and capable of helping you should you ever have a problem. Even before registering, you can test this out. Go to the customer support page, check what options are available – preferably, these will include live chat – and then send a bunch of questions to test them.
Second to performing a customer service check is ensuring that the site has the payment options that you want to use. Everyone has their own payment method accounts that they trust, with security-enhancing methods like PayPal being very popular in the UK, according to ecommercenews.eu. You must use a site that offers your preferred method as the whole point of betting is betting and withdrawing money.
Other essentials to the betting experience
Your security and safety have to be paramount when registering for a betting site, but as you’ll find many that meet these high standards, you can then look at the finer points of the service. The range of sports to bet on and the depth of those markets – meaning, how specific do the markets go – should be the first thing that a newcomer looks into. Next, comparing sites for odds in these markets will help to guide you to the preferred site.
Due to how competitive the scene is, newcomers will be happy to find that they can get free bets for signing up to a new site. Here, it’s critical to look at the wagering requirements in the terms and conditions, with zero wagering requirements being the sign of the best welcome bonuses. It’s also good to download the app and check that it offers the same as the site and is easy to use, especially as so many people use their smartphones every day and features like live betting need quick and convenient access to be made the most of.
Checking all of this to find a site that meets all of these criteria to a very high degree will ensure that any newcomer will find an enjoyable and safe betting experience.