The US sports betting market is going through a tough period due to the fact that the market isn’t regulated. With bookmakers closing shop at a fast rate and the number of payment processors decreasing I’ve created a guide to help new bettors.
Best US Sportsbooks
MMA Betting Site | Bonus | Rating | USA? | Review | Visit | |
MyBookie UFC Betting | $1000 | Our review | Bet Now! | |||
UFC Betting at Bovada | $250 | Our review | Bet Now! | |||
BetUS - USA UFC Betting | $2500 | Our review | Bet Now! | |||
Intertops Sportsbook - UFC Betting | $200 | Our review | Bet Now! | |||
BetOnline MMA Sportsbook | $900 | Our review | Bet Now! |
Choosing the Best US Sportsbook
Doing your research in the US market is more important than ever. The market is huge in terms of the number of active bettors, but that also means there are more shady online sportsbooks to avoid. Follow these tips to find a reputable US sportsbook.
- Company Reputation – Is the betting site brand new or has the company been in business over a decade? In the USA a lot of new betting sites open strictly to scam bettors and it’s safer to bet with bookies that have years of history.
- Betting Selection – We only focus on MMA, but that doesn’t mean you can’t bet on the NFL or NBA. The selection of MMA bets is also important. Do you want to be able to bet on method of victory or other UFC prop bets?
- Ease of Betting – Are you busy and prefer to be able to wager on your mobile phone or tablet? Most US sportsbooks have a mobile web-app that bettors can access on most mobile devices including the iOS, Android OS and Nokia OS.
- Financial Status – Sportsbooks in the United States open and close regularly under new names. Make sure you look at the history of a company to find out if they’ve recently re-branded or if they have outstanding payout disputes.
- Betting Features – When it comes to the UFC not many US sportsbooks provide live betting odds. Bonuses and other promotions are also important to most bettors today. Look for these features before joining a US sportsbook.
Popular US Deposit & Withdrawal Options
Since most e-wallets don’t accept US bettors anymore and credit cards are often blocked it has become harder for an American to deposit to his sportsbook account. The most convenient deposit method to use in the USA is a money transfer.
The two most popular money transfer companies in the USA are Western Union (WU) and Money Gram (MG). Both services are expensive to use, but as long as you deposit $200-$300 then most USA betting sites will cover the deposit fees for you.
Rapid Transfer is another money transfer service in the United States that can be used at multiple sportsbooks as a deposit and withdrawal method. With Rapid Transfer you have to visit a retail outlet whereas with Western Union it can be done online.
Visa credit/debit/gift cards are still accepted at a few online sportsbooks in the USA, but not that many anymore. Using a credit card is difficult, but prepaid cards have worked great the last few years for Americans and we highly recommend them.
Withdrawals are generally processed using WU, MG or a Check. The benefit of using WU or MG to receive withdrawals is that it’s often much quicker. Checks take awhile to receive through the mail and there is also the hassle of the check getting lost.
Is Sports Betting Legal in the USA?
The main reason why more reputable sportsbooks don’t operate in the USA is because it’s illegal for them to do so. Nowhere in the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) does it make it illegal to bet on sports online however.
Unless you’re moving $100,000’s through your bank or money transfer services you won’t end up on the radar. We can’t say that it’s legal to bet on sports in the United States, but we can say that know of only one individual arrested for betting sports online.