Sports gambling is bigger than ever, and there haven’t been more options to decide on an internet sportsbook. With reliable sportsbooks occupying the same market share as fraudulent ones, it’s getting harder and harder to discern ones which operate with integrity from their scammy counterparts.
We created this guide that will help you browse the selection process. Scammers might be getting more sophisticated, however there are still plenty of key indicators for secure, legitimate sportsbooks.
The Importance of Picking of A Safe Sportsbook
If it comes to sports gambling, it’s all for naught unless your sportsbook matches your deposits and winnings.
Say, hypothetically, that you end up registering with an illegitimate sportsbook, and subsequently make a deposit. While it’s by no means guaranteed This sportsbook will totally rip you off, there’s a Fantastic chance that one of the following problems might happen:
Delayed payouts on your winnings (think 45+ days)
Absent customer service Canceling/not crediting winning wagers (either partly or in their entirety)
Stealing your money outright Viruses infecting your pc or mobile phone Needless to say, registering at safe sportsbook means that you’ll avoid any of the above consequences. To avoid at least one of these headaches, it is up to you to maintain your sportsbook liable — don’t settle for anything less than the most exacting standards for your betting experience!
If you perform the following checks prior to sending your cash over to a sportsbook, you’ll know your funds (and betting experience) are in the hands of a quality book.
1. Scrutinize Your Sportsbooks’ Permit Any secure online sportsbook will prominently display their operating license that ensures that their lawful right to function. Sportsbooks licenses make sure that their novels are open to lawful, third party audits, and pass examinations to be sure they are not defrauding their clients.
When a sportsbook has a license from a well-respected area, you may rest easy that it’s wholly legit. This, alone, is a sufficient requirement of a legitimate sportsbook.
The most Frequent areas that sportsbooks search licensure in are:
Western Europe
Different islands within the Caribbean Archipelago
Select Native American bookings within North America
That being said, just because you can not spot a sportsbook license straight away doesn’t mean it isn’t safe. You will have the ability to find their legal surgeries license somewhere on their website.
Conversely, if you land on a sportsbook and you can tell it is not licensed, reconsider sending your cash to them. Licensing ensures safety, and therefore, we advise that you adhere to sportsbooks who’ve bothered to jump through the proper legal permissions hoops.
2. They Confirm Your Identity
Within our guide to banking at your sportsbook, we discuss how to successfully navigate the withdrawal process, which always includes verifying your identity.
Legitimate sportsbooks, such as these sites for online sports betting, are licensed and regulated companies. Therefore, they are required to comply with the rules and regulations in the area they sought licensure within.
These principles consistently include checking the identity of their customers prior to sending payouts, which is necessary for sportsbooks to remain in accordance with international KYC (Know Your Customer) and AML (Anti-Money Laundering) regulations.
If sportsbooks don’t verify their customer’s identity, they could find themselves complicit in criminal action, cater to bettors who aren’t legally licensed (or old enough) to gamble within their particular state or country, damage relationships with their payment suppliers, and also send payments into the wrong person/persons. None of them are good for a sportsbook which wants to stay legal, and that wants to provide their clients with the greatest standards of support.
Unsafe, illegitimate sportsbooks have a tendency to skirt this security feature, plus they do not often need customers to verify their identity. When a sportsbook is simply seeking to fatten their own pockets by ripping customers off, they aren’t likely to be very concerned about becoming legally compliant or constructing their own reputation within the market. They’re only trying to get off with your cash and disappear!
3. They’ve Got SSL Protection
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) security is standard security technologies which guarantees an encrypted link between a web server and a browser.
That is a lot of web-specific jargon, but this encryption ensures that all data passed between you and the website remains confidential. SSL technology is used by tens of thousands of websites around the world to protect financial transactions with paying customers. When sites utilize this, it’s nearly impossible for poor actors to steal sensitive financial or personal information.
Obviously, the process of withdrawing and depositing at your sportsbook requires the transfer of sensitive financial information. Therefore, your sportsbooks ought to be operating an SSL-encrypted connection (for your own protection and theirs). Any sportsbook that isn’t running SSL either is especially trying to steal your data, or they don’t have any understanding of the most rudimentary facets of internet security. Both are reasons to steer clear, and also any sportsbook that is not armed with SSL protection isn’t worth your time.
How can you identify a website that’s SSL protected? Easy! Just look for sites with https:// in the beginning of the web address and a locked icon. That’s all it takes!
4. Your Sportsbook Has An Excellent Online Reputation
If your sportsbook has a good reputation, you have probably landed on a secure sportsbook. The more a sportsbook has been around, the safer it is managing your money. A sportsbooks’ continued presence is proof of the safety. If they were ripping bettors off, there is no way they could remain in operation.
All the sportsbooks we examine have demonstrated track record of validity, but if you want to expand your search, there’s many different channels you can go through also. The subreddit r/sportsbooks is an excellent place to investigate the strengths and weaknesses of specific books inside the gambling community.
5. They’ve Got A Responsive Customer Service Department
If you call, email, and/or send a message to your sportsbook and find a near-instantaneous response, you’re dealing with a secure sportsbook.
Customer support departments that are actual, responsive, and educated do not emerge from thin air. A well-furnished, fully-functional customer support department is expensive to employees, train, and operate, and therefore, it is only safe sportsbooks that may feasibly run them.
6. They Are Not Promoting Anything Outrageous
A secure sportsbook is not going to be offering bettors outrageous perks which look too good to be true. Any sportsbook that masquerades as a charitable operation is most likely attempting to engineer innovative ways to separate you from your cash.
What exactly do we mean when we say outrageous? Well, if you see that the Pats in +1000 about the moneyline — or even a 500% bonus offer — steer clear. Make sure that the odds, bonuses, lines, and limitations align with business standards.
7. Well-Developed Interface & Modern UX and UI
Should you stumble upon a sportsbook that has got a fully functional interface, live betting options, a well developed mobile platform, and considerate, modern UX and UI, you’ve definitely found a safe sportsbook. These features are the hallmarks of the maximum quality novels, and no publication that is spent so much time on providing bettors with a top notch experience are going to be looking rip you off.
Scammy sportsbooks just don’t stay in business for long. Creating an optimal user experience not just requires a huge financial investment, but a substantial amount of time as well. Evidently, this would preclude them from developing a quality platform for bettors.
Found A Safe Sportsbook? Start Building Your Bankroll!
Finding a trustworthy sportsbook is undoubtedly the most vital aspect of sport gambling. Now you understand how to find one, you can brush up on the basics with our betting 101 guides, where we walk you through the fundamentals while demystifying the essential principles of sports gambling that might appear complicated at first blush.
Want to learn more about the business of sports betting and why online sportsbooks run the way they do? Have a look at our guide to internet sportsbooks’ complicated (but lawful ) status in the USA.
Read more: totalsporty.com