How to Make Sure the Sports Betting Website You Sign Up With is Legit
Finding a reputable sports betting site is arguably much easier now that the market in the US has become more regulated. The number of states that have passed legislation allowing legal sports betting is increasing all the time, and with each additional market comes a growing sense of relief for users who have previously had to take a chance on unregulated options.
Make no mistake; if you choose to use a sports betting site, or indeed online casino operators, that are not licensed to operate in the state you reside in, then you are taking a massive risk and one that is very much not worth taking.
Take, for instance, the sportsbooks in New York. Now that the state has legalized sports betting, the options that are available to you are clear-cut. Either select one of the nine options that are regulated or opt (mistakenly) to use an offshore betting site or others that are prevalent in the somewhat grey area of unregulated options.
If you choose to do so, then here are a handful of tips to make sure that the site and service you select are as trustworthy as possible.
Read Reviews
Frankly, the best way to be sure that a sports betting website is legit is to check out the reviews of the brand online. It’s best to search our reviews on comparison sites as opposed to individual reviews you might find on specific sites. When reading the reviews, keep an eye on game-changer issues, such as problems with personal information being stolen or payouts not being made or delayed for long periods.
Make sure the reviews are relatively new, and anything that you read that makes you feel uneasy should be enough for you to re-think any plans you had to sign up with that particular provider.
Padlock Symbol and HTTPS status
Security is a crucial element of any online sportsbook, and you should avoid any site that doesn’t have a padlock symbol in the URL bar and only use sites that have an HTTPS prefix and not those with HTTP, as this is a sure-fire sign that something isn’t quite right.
Any site we visit should be treated as a possible threat, and that goes double for anything in the sports betting and online casino markets, chiefly because you’ll have to enter your critical banking details in order to complete any sign-up process.
Licensing
If you’ve chosen to use a site that isn’t regulated in the state you are in, which is a mistake you should avoid, then you should at least see what licenses the sportsbook does have and where these are based.
Often offshore sites have licenses attributed to countries outside the United States, and while this doesn’t necessarily mean the provider is entirely legit, it is at least a sign that you may be in safer waters.
In most cases, anyone willing to join an unregulated sportsbook is usually only doing so because the state or region they are a resident in doesn’t offer a regulated market. If your state has passed legislation allowing online sports betting, then you shouldn’t stray away from those on offer, as these would offer you the peace of mind and quality you’ll need to truly enjoy your experience to the fullest.
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