How We Rate Online Sportsbooks
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Bookmakers Review
- Last Updated: February 26, 2024
The team at Bookmakers Review has more than 20 years of experience reviewing offshore sportsbooks and advocating for players with complaints against a sportsbook. Sportsbooks are researched extensively by BMR’s stable of expert sports bettors before being assigned a rating from 1 to 10.
The industry’s Best Sportsbooks hold ratings of 9.5 and higher. A list of active online sportsbooks can be found in the Sportsbook Rating Guide, which is updated weekly throughout the year.
| SPORTSBOOK | TRUST SCORE | ONLINE SINCE | Expert Review | BONUS | Bet Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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1996
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$500 Cash Bonus
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2011
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$750 Cash Bonus
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2001
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100% Free Play
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2001
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$250 Free Bet
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2002
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55% Cash Bonus
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1996
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$1,000 Cash Bonus
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2014
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50% Free Play
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Bookmakers Review Sportsbook Rating Legend
9 to 10 | The best of the best. The best sportsbooks are rated 9 and higher have consistently delivered reliable service, fast payouts, and are known to treat every player – new bettors and professional – like VIPs. Only a handful of sportsbooks are rated this highly.
8 to 8.9 | Solid sportsbooks that have not yet made it into elite status, but are generally reliable with decent sportsbook offerings.
3 to 7.9 | Average to above average sportsbooks with some customer service issues. The lower end of this rating level often are heavy-handed to winning sports bettors.
3 to 6.9 | Proceed with caution. These sportsbooks are known to offer slower payouts than higher rated websites, and in almost all cases give winning players a hard time.
1 to 2.9 |Avoid these sportsbooks at all costs. These websites are on the Scam Sportsbook Blacklist and have confiscated winnings from players in the past. Both new and professional bettors should avoid sportsbooks at this rating level.
KEY SPORTSBOOK RATING FACTORS
The core categories BMR analyzes each sportsbook on before assigning an initial rating are listed below.
Financial Backing
BMR inspects whether or not a company is publicly traded, or has ownership with deep pockets that can establish players’ funds are kept segregated from operating capital.
Fairness of Bonus Policies
How lucrative are the signup bonuses offered? Are they too good to be true or littered with ‘gotcha’ rules buried on some internal landing page? Bookmakers Review combs through the free bet and reload offers and verifies that the bonuses offered are in-line with what the market offers. Scam sportsbooks have been known to peddle bonuses that they have no intention of honoring in order to solicit big deposits from players.
Sportsbook Location
Is the online sportsbook licensed? What jurisdiction is the sportsbook located in? Bookmakers Review researches and finds the answer to these important questions and verifies that the sportsbook is in good standing and up-to-date with their gaming license (if applicable; not all sportsbooks are required to hold gaming licenses, such as the betting sites operated out of Costa Rica, where only a data processing license is required).
Quality of Sportsbook Lines
The highest rated sportsbooks offer an abundance of betting markets. Before getting into all of the bells and whistles, the team at Bookmakers Review closely inspects the quality of betting odds for each sport spread by the sportsbook.
Banking Options Offered by Betting Sites
How easy it to deposit and withdraw money from the sportsbook? The industry’s best sportsbooks feature a plethora of banking options so that bettors can pick their favorite option to top up their account, or to initiate a payout. The most convenient options include, but are not limited to, Bitcoin, Visa, MasterCard, Person-to-Person, eWallet, and many more.
(Editor’s Note: Players can filter by banking options offered in the Sportsbook Rating Guide, as well as read a full list of deposit/payment methods inside each sportsbook’s full review).
Sportsbook Features
Does the sportsbook spread reduced juice lines? This is one of the most sought-after features, though only a handful of online sportsbooks deal reduced juice lines in 2024. Other features include live betting, event streaming, prop builders, and more.
Quality of Communication
Bookmakers Review assesses the quality of each sportsbook’s communication with the end-user. BMR tests telephone customer service, live chat interaction, and email response time. Detailed notes on the quality of customer service can be found in the full review page for most online sportsbooks.
Community Feedback from BMR Forum
BMR surveys members inside BMR’s Sportsbooks & Betting Sites Forum and considers feedback from members who have experience playing with the sportsbook. Forums are typically home to squeaky wheels, so this can be a good gauge on how well a sportsbook is performing, but it is just one data point.
Other Gambling Products
Sportsbook ratings are fluid and subject to change. If a sportsbook were to encounter payment processing issues that impacted their ability to pay players in a reasonable amount of time, BMR may choose to lower its rating. The Bookmakers Review homepage displays a list of the most recent rating upgrades.
HOW TO SEEK ASSISTANCE WITH A SPORTSBOOK
Players are encouraged to submit a sportsbook complaint form if any of the sportsbooks rated by BMR have treated them unfairly. BMR will also do its best to assist players who have complaints against unrated sportsbooks.
