The gambling industry is more competitive now than ever before. Traders offer a multitude or exciting markets on your favourite sports and there is certainly no lack of promotions available, including a welcome bonus.
Which bookmaker should you trust with your stake money and where will you find the best service? Many firms promote themselves as the ultimate sports betting experience – giving generous odds, standout specials and the best customer service – but they can’t all be right. Which firms can live up to the hype and which are little more than empty promises?
Choose your next bookmaker wisely
Deciding on your next sports betting partner isn’t easy but it’s crucial you get the decision correct. Make the right selection and you will benefit from a range of benefits and bonuses, including best price, money back, enhanced price, extra places each way and free bets. Go with the wrong site and app, however, and it could hamper your chances of profiting from your sports bets.
Below you’ll find our handy guide on what to look out for when choosing your next sportsbook. You should insist on your bookie covering each of these bases and offering plenty more besides. It may seem like you are asking a lot, but the sports betting world has become a buyer’s market and you deserve the very best service. You should also aim for a bookmaker who are trusted and rewarded in the betting industry.
Welcome offer and recurring offers
Any sports betting firm worth their salt offer new customers a welcome bonus. This serves two purposes. It helps the bookmaker stand out from the crowd, grabbing your attention with an eye-catching bonus for signing up. Secondly, it allows you to try out the website and mobile app, familiarising yourself with the layout, functions and markets without posing too much of a risk to your own betting funds. Using the app is easy when you pick the right bookie.
Some of the welcome bonuses you can expect to find at major bookmakers include free bets, risk-free bets, price boosts, extra places each way and money back for losing bets. It’s worth reading the terms and conditions attached to any offer before accepting, this will ensure you have a good understanding and how it works if you land a winner.
The top names in the industry don’t just cater for new customers. They also look after those already loyal to the cause by making available several recurring promotions. These are designed to entice you back to the site and drive repeat business. Check the promotions tab for all promotions available to both new and existing customers. The more the better here.
Competitive odds
It’s not enough to simply back the right selection in your favourite sports market, you must do it at the best odds possible. A 10/1 winner in horse racing is great but not if you could have had the same bet at odds of 12/1 or more simply by shopping around. Do your homework before placing every bet to get a feel for which bookies are offering market best odds.
There are a few price comparison websites that can be trusted. Choose the market and selection you want to bet on then visit the price comparison site. There you’ll see all the odds offered by a list of bookies. The most generous will be in bold and that’s the bookmaker you should bet with. A bigger price means more money in your pocket if you land a winner, of course, and it will also make a difference to your overall profit for the season.
Live streaming, in-play betting and cash out
You should be on the lookout for as many modern features as possible, such as live streaming, in-play betting and cash out. Not all bookies offer live streaming but it’s something worth having. This feature allows you to watch live sport on your desktop computer or mobile app at no extra cost on top of your stake. This includes all UK and Irish horse racing. Simply place your bet and click the link to watch an HD quality live stream with no buffering or frustrating loading times. Ladbrokes in play betting is conspired one of the slickest to users in the industry and they also cover many sports in their live streaming site.
Cash out betting is another feature which has changed the gambling industry forever. When placing a sport bet, you’ll notice a cash out value added to your bet slip. This will be equal to your stake in the first instance but will rise and fall depending on the progress of your bet. If your selections are performing well, the cash out will be worth considering. Cash out betting has the ability to see you profit from a losing bet or limit your damages when following the wrong selection.
Customer service
Bookmakers offering betting opportunities around the clock really should be giving members 24/7 customer service. You want as many channels of communication as possible, including telephone, email, post and live chat.
There should also be a well populated frequently asked questions page with a list of possible questions with in-depth answers attached. This helps you troubleshoot without the need to contact customer services and speeds up the process for all concerned. Keep all the points raised in this article in mind when deciding on your next bookmaker.