Why Online Betting Is So Popular

Why Online Betting is PopularThe industry has come a long way since Intertops (now Everygame) took the first Internet sports wager all the way back in January 1996. Online sports betting and online gambling, in general, have taken the world by storm since then. Today, sports betting alone is a multi-billion dollar industry in the United States, despite the fact that the activity is unregulated in much of the country (most of the illegal betting in the US is wagered through offshore sportsbooks).

This huge popularity of online betting makes perfect sense. Online betting allows gamblers to have access to a full list of betting markets from their desktop, or their mobile device if they are on the go. Essentially, online betting has taken Vegas sportsbooks and made them available to every adult in America.

Post-Up Sportsbooks

Post-up sportsbooks account for the vast majority of sportsbooks online. These sportsbooks require players to deposit money before they can bet. All the sportsbooks on our site and almost all the ones you see on major sports betting portals are post-up sportsbooks.

Credit shops are rare online. These sportsbooks allow players to bet with a credit line without depositing funds first. Players will then be responsible for paying their debt if they lose. Credit shops normally settle each week, with sportsbooks paying bettors when they win, and bettors paying sportsbooks if they lose.

Most credit shops available to US bettors are hosted on offshore servers due to laws against online gambling, but they often work in conjunction with local bookies. These are also known as “pay-per-head” services, which have turned into quite the industry in recent years.

However, the advantages of post-up sportsbooks far surpass credit shops, and it’s our recommendation that bettors stick to them for a number of reasons.

You Can Only Bet What You Have

Being able to put money down on a game without depositing or posting up money is one reason many bettors flock to credit shops or local bookies. This added “convenience” is something to consider, but it’s also an area where many bettors get themselves in trouble.

Sports bettors wagering with money that they don’t have is all too common at credit shops.

They should be avoided if you’ve had issues wagering too much or have unpaid bets over your head.

It’s unlikely that anything serious will happen to you if you can’t pay, but there are always rumors of horror stories.

Online sportsbooks offer a safety net for both players and sportsbooks.

  • Players can’t get over their heads with losses if they have to deposit their funds first. They can’t possibly lose more than they have since they have to front money for each bet.
  • Sportsbooks, of course, are protected because their clients have already deposited their funds, and they cannot be ripped off by someone who chooses not to pay.

Bonuses

Bonuses are a critical part of online sports betting, and they aren’t offered by local bookies or even Las Vegas sportsbooks.

Just about every sportsbook online offers a deposit bonus of some kind, and many offer additional bonuses as well, such as reload bonuses and VIP point programs that offer more rewards.

There are dozens of reputable sportsbooks serving American players, and most offer deposit bonuses in the form of freeplays.

What are Freeplays?

No-risk wagers that must be rolled over before players can cash out.

Most sites have freeplay bonuses in the hundreds of dollars, if not more. “Bonus whoring,” which means going to different gambling sites and clearing their bonuses, is easily worth thousands of dollars at online sportsbooks alone.

These bonus opportunities are especially crucial for newer sports bettors who are looking for a much-needed injection of cash into their bankrolls.

New to sports betting?

Bonus opportunities are especially crucial for newer sports bettors
who are looking for a much-needed injection of cash into their bankrolls.

Aside from deposit bonuses, many sites will offer regular reload bonuses, where players can simply deposit and earn more bonus money.

VIP Programs and rewards are more common at online poker sites and casinos, and there are several sportsbooks that offer these programs. Sites may have a point system where players can purchase rewards from a store, or management may grant certain players special bonuses.

Confidence That You Will Be Paid

Betting locally does work for some people, but the risks associated with using local bookies aren’t generally worth it. Unless you’re betting with someone who is highly trustworthy, you will have no guarantee that you aren’t simply placing bets with some guy who lives in his mother’s basement.

The offshore betting world does have some bad apples, but those are a part of every industry. Sports gambling is no different.

Remember to always be careful

There are some excellent operators

And Symbol

Some that players should avoid at all costs

Many of the top sportsbooks that serve US players have been doing so for a decade or more. Most of these sites don’t have any slow-pays or no-pays in their entire history of operation. It’s pretty much impossible to find a better track record than that.

Line Shopping

The most important aspect of winning at sports betting is getting the best price on each and every wager.

Even the best handicappers are second to someone who continually line shops, even someone with a more limited knowledge of sports. At its core, sports betting is heavily math-based, and line shopping is the best way to maximize potential winnings.

If you’re not betting online and taking advantage of different odds across a number of sportsbooks – you’re simply losing money. It’s that simple. Line shopping is the most important way to improve your bottom line as a sports bettor.

Another factor to consider is the lack of reduced juice options offline. There are several sites that offer reduced, -105 pricing for almost all of their markets and other sites run reduced juice promotions. Reduced juice is something you will almost never find with a neighborhood bookie.

Betting Markets

The online betting world offers nearly unlimited betting markets, in some cases in just about every sport in the world. Players won’t find this type of selection offline.

Want to bet a pleaser or an if-bet?
How to Login and Bet

The vast majority of online bookmakers dwarf anything that locals offer by a large margin. There are live betting markets, player and team propositions, and a host of futures. If you’re interested in more than just straight wagers and parlays, online betting is a far superior option.

Convenience

As we mentioned above, many locals will act as agents and offer online sites for wagering (pay-per-head). However, this usually isn’t the case. Most will require that you call or text them bets before the start of each game.

This is especially tedious when you consider that logging in online and placing a wager is a simple and painless process. There are still many bookies that read their lines to bettors over the phone, making the process even more painful. It’s amazing that some bettors go through this process every night and never decide to take their action online.

Using Online Sportsbooks and Locals Together

StarOnline sports betting is the clear go-to option when it comes to sports betting. Its convenience and expansive markets make it the easy choice for sports bettors regardless of their jurisdiction. All that is needed is an Internet connection.

However, while the convenience will never quite be there with local bookies, some of them may offer some +EV situations with their lines. Locals can’t move their lines as quickly as the top sportsbooks online, which can make them a lot more vulnerable.

Having a local that pays promptly can be a valuable asset. In markets with professional sports teams, bettors may be able to get excellent odds on hometown teams, on whom bookies will regularly take lopsided action.