Best Online Sportsbooks For USA Players
The best online sportsbooks for USA players are not hard to find. These sportsbooks are widely available all over the country, and in more places than you think. The best sportsbooks for USA players are international, because the international books take players from all 50 states, while the state-regulated ones aren’t available in more than half of the states in the US.
On BestSportsBooksUSA, we cover exactly what you think we do – the best sportsbooks to use in the USA. We use several criteria to judge what the best sportsbooks in the USA are. First, we look at availability – if you want to be a top USA sportsbook, you need to be available. Then, we look at reliability. Finally, we take a look at payment options, bonuses, and the available wagers at the book.
What Makes A Sportsbook Great?
There are several important criteria to consider when we look at a sportsbook – and you should consider the same thing when you look at sportsbooks with which to trust your hard-earned cash.
- Do They Take USA Players? – This may seem obvious, but it’s a bit more complex than you think. There are plenty of sportsbooks operating inside the US that have US-based regulation, but they’re less applicable for most people than international books. International books can be used in all 50 states, while other sportsbooks cannot. For example, FanDuel is currently live in less than 20 states – Bovada is live in 45.
- Is The Sportsbook Safe? – There are tons of sportsbooks out there, and it’s important to find one that is safe and trusted. This can take the form of looking at licensing and community trust, as well as the form of looking at where their games and lines are sourced from. Knowing a sportsbook is licensed and trusted goes a long way.
- Deposits and Payouts – Understanding what you can and cannot deposit and withdraw with at a given online sportsbook is critical. When you deposit with credit cards, you need to know how much the fees will be. When you deposit with crypto, you need to know which cryptocurrencies each sportsbook accepts – we cover all the basics on our deposits and withdrawals pages.
- Betting Variety – Tons of sportsbooks will let you bet on the NFL, but how many sportsbooks will let you bet on cricket? How many books offer same-game parlays? How many offer politics betting and entertainment betting? These options are what separate the men from the boys in terms of online sportsbook options, and they’re important to consider.
- Bonuses – Bonuses are a very important thing to look at when you look at which online sportsbook to use. You can even use multiple sportsbooks in order to benefit from multiple bonuses or promotions, and attempt to use arbitrage to lock in profit when doing so. Make sure to take a look at the total bonus you can get, but don’t forget to look at rollover when examining bonuses at online sportsbooks.
- Unique Features – Some sportsbooks come attached to casinos. Some sportsbooks have bingo or blackjack, some sportsbooks have nothing. These additional features – a prop builder, a parlay calculator, same-game parlays – can all affect how much a sportsbook can do for you.
- Mobile Options – It’s 2023. Most sports betting is done on the go now. This means you need a sportsbook that offers mobile sports betting. Not having a mobile client can be a deal breaker when looking for an online sportsbook in 2023.
- Customer Service – You’re trusting a sportsbook with your money. You should be able to talk to an actual human being. At a casino, you can talk to pit bosses, but online, you should be able to talk to customer service reps who treat you well.
Best Online Sportsbooks For US Players
Now that we’ve discussed all the things that you need to look at for online sportsbooks, let’s talk about some sportsbooks that pass all these tests with flying colors! These are our top online sportsbooks for players in the USA.
Bovada Sportsbook 
Bovada is the top online sportsbook in the US, and has been for nearly two decades. Beginning as Bodog, Bovada has evolved into a one-stop-shop for all your sports betting needs. Whether you want to wager on the Super Bowl or the presidential election, you can place that wager at Bovada. Bovada also accepts cryptocurrency in several formats, from Bitcoin itself to Bitcoin SV and Bitcoin Cash, in addition to Ethereum and Litecoin. Bovada has a mobile website available to players in the United States, which means you don’t even have to download anything from the App Store or Play Store to use Bovada.
SportsBetting.ag
SportsBetting.ag is a great online sportsbooks for residents of the United States. In fact, of the sportsbooks that are available offshore, SportsBetting.ag – and sister site BetOnline.ag – are the ones that take players from the absolute most states. This is a big entry in their win column. Another big perk of SportsBetting.ag is that they have tons of great lines – some so good that they’ve even been cited on ESPN before. SportsBetting.ag accepts cryptocurrency, and their biggest bonuses are available exclusively to crypto customers.
BetOnline Sportsbook
BetOnline.ag is an outstanding online sportsbook that is famous for their sharp futures lines and straightforward user interface. BetOnline has no frills – it’s a bookie sheet that’s online, and that’s all it is. It’s not built to look good, it’s built to get you the most betting odds you can get at one time. This makes it one of the easiest sportsbooks in the world to use for experienced bettors, who are familiar with how betting odds look and work, and who can take advantage of the wealth of odds available at BetOnline.
Best Online Sportsbooks
Sports Betting Laws In The United States Of America
Each state has their own sports betting laws in the US. When looking for legal sportsbooks, it’s important to keep in mind which laws you are trying to obey. This means that you should know a bit about the sports betting legal landscape in the US.
Federal Sports Betting Laws
The federal government has tried to step in and regulate sports betting at several points in history. In 1961, they passed the Federal Wire Act, and in 1992, they passed the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, also known as PASPA (now repealed). In 2006, they passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, or UIGEA. Functionally, what these laws do is put the onus on providers – they make it hard to run a sportsbook, but they don’t criminalize the act of gambling as a player.
What this did, effectively, is push America’s gambling industries offshore. The internet allows players in America to access online casinos located outside of America. These casinos and sportsbooks, in turn, are not subject to the laws of America, and can offer odds on basically whatever they want, without fear. Players, of course, are not even targeted by these laws in the first place.
State Sports Betting Laws
In 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that PASPA was not constitutional. This ruling allowed individual states to choose whether they would like to allow sports betting at the state level, governed by state regulatory bodies, on an individual basis. Very few states actually take the time to outlaw sports betting – far more states are interested in the potential revenue it can bring in.
Sports Betting Age Laws
The legal sports betting age in any state will be dependent on each state. This can even be more specific – some states have legal sports betting ages that are different depending on venue. Generally, if you’re over 21, you’ll be fine to bet no matter where in the US you actually are. Some states have lower ages, but none have higher. You can also use international sportsbooks which accept all players over 18, but you should still endeavor to follow the laws of your state.
How Do Online Sportsbooks Stack Up Vs. Retail Sportsbooks?
Online sportsbooks are incredible, but like all things in life, there are upsides and downsides to online sportsbooks as compared to real ones. The upsides are that they are permanently available, and you can bet from wherever you are, which saves you both time and money. This convenience allows you to fit sports betting into your life with ease. The major downside of online sportsbooks is a lack of amenities. They do their best to take care of customers with bonuses and free spins, but the physical experience of being at a casino is hard to replicate.