How We Rate & Review Sportsbooks

It can be hard to choose the best sportsbooks with so many different options across various legal betting states in the U.S. Your favorite sportsbooks will be based on your personal preferences, so your top choice may differ from ours. 

At Gambling.com, our mission is simple: to connect you with licensed online sportsbooks that deliver a premium betting experience in a secure environment.

As trusted experts in reviewing and rating betting sites, we provide honest, unbiased insights free from external influence.

We’re here to help you make informed choices. Our team comprises industry-leading experts who share our audience's passion for safe, legal betting. 

Our Promise to You

At Gambling.com, we pride ourselves on our impartial reviews of sportsbooks, free from outside influence.

We’re committed to transparency and accuracy. If a betting site doesn’t meet our high standards for recommendation, it won’t receive a positive review from us.

Most importantly, we only review fully licensed and regulated betting sites we’ve tested for reliability so you can be sure of a safe betting experience. That means we feature zero offshore sites. So you can be 100% confident in our betting sites, which our experts have reviewed and recommended.

Some of the links on our website are affiliate links, meaning that if you sign up directly from our website, we may receive a commission payment at no extra cost to you.

How We Test Sportsbooks for Reliability

We pride ourselves on our independent and meticulous review process, which ensures our recommendations are accurate, relevant, and up-to-date. Our reviews are based on hands-on testing and in-depth analysis. 

The first step in our review process involves testing a site to see if it meets strict minimum requirements. 

We do this by taking each operator through the following 10-step process: 

  1. Licensing & Security Checks

    Licensing & Security Checks

    The first part of our review process is ensuring that a sportsbook is legally operating in the United States and has proper licensing from each state in which it operates. If a site isn’t fully licensed with a reputable body in a given state, we won’t review it.

  2. Sign Up & Verify Identity

    Sign Up & Verify Identity

    Our review team manually signs up to every site to ensure each one has a secure verification process that protects you.

  3. Deposit Real Money

    Deposit Real Money

    We manually test each site using real money to deposit and place bets. We do this to authentically evaluate the site's functionality, reliability, and overall user experience.

  4. Claim New Customer Bonus

    Claim New Customer Bonus

    We ensure the welcome offer is realistic and fair to the user. It should give value to new customers without unfair wagering requirements.

  5. Claim Existing Promos

    Claim Existing Promos

    Betting sites should have a range of promotions and offers that reward returning customers for their loyalty.

  6. Analyze Odds & Markets

    Analyze Odds & Markets

    While betting offers and promotions are crucial, a betting site's bread and butter is its pricing and depth of markets. We ensure all the betting sites we recommend have competitive pricing on a broad range of markets.

  7. Place Bets

    Place Bets

    We ensure customers can easily place their bets pre-game and in-play.

  8. Test Customer Service

    Test Customer Service

    We only recommend sites with strong customer support. If available, we test this key element by chatting with agents over the phone and using the live chat function.

  9. Test Site on Mobile & Desktop

    Test Site on Mobile & Desktop

    Most bettors like to bet on the go. We evaluate the layout and usability of each betting site and review its betting apps and mobile sites.

  10. Withdraw Funds

    Withdraw Funds

    We check the speed of withdrawals across various payment methods and compare the site to its rivals.

Red Flags: How We Know Which Sportsbooks to Avoid

Ensuring a secure betting experience is Gambling.com's top priority. Our review team strictly evaluates each betting site and dismisses any that fail to meet key essential criteria. 

Offshore sites are based outside of the U.S. and operate without state licenses. They often won’t accept traditional banking methods like credit cards or bank transfers; instead, they only accept payment through cryptocurrency or Bitcoin.

Though they might look similar to legitimate betting sites, blacklisted sites won't include any official U.S. licensing information in your state. They're not beholden to the betting legislation that's in place in your state to keep you, your data, or your money safe. You may receive delayed payments—or no payments at all.

Below are five red flags that lead to immediate dismissal during our tests:

Lack of Licensing & Legal Status

Licensing ensures a betting site operates under regulatory oversight, providing users with a safe, fair, and legal environment. Without it, bettors risk unregulated practices and potential financial losses.

X in a red circle

Lack of SSL Encryption

SSL encryption protects sensitive user data, such as payment details and personal information. Sites lacking this safeguard put bettors at risk of data breaches and cyberattacks.

X in a red circle

Restrictive Bonus Terms

Unfair or overly restrictive bonus terms undermine user trust, making it difficult for bettors to enjoy or benefit from promotional offers as advertised.

X in a red circle

Unclear Terms & Conditions

Transparent terms and conditions are critical for informed decision-making. Ambiguous or hidden clauses can lead to disputes and a poor user experience.

X in a red circle

Strict Winnings Limits

Excessive winning limitations prevent bettors from fully benefiting from their successes, diminishing a betting site's appeal and fairness.

X in a red circle

The best way to guarantee the security of your personal, money, and banking information is to use licensed legal betting sites.

The most common sites to avoid include Bovada, BetOnline, BetUS, Xbet, BetWhale, Everygame, BetNow, BookMaker, Heritage Sports, BetAnySports, MyBookie, SportsBetting, XBet, and JustBet.

Our Rating System Explained

Once a site meets our strict minimum requirements, we assign it an overall rating out of 10 based on a detailed evaluation by our review team. 

We consider ten key categories during the review process, assigning each one a score out of ten. 

The final rating is determined by summing up the scores from all 10 categories.

Here’s what we look at: 

By evaluating these critical factors, we ensure that every site we recommend delivers a safe, enjoyable, rewarding betting experience.

Why Trust Gambling.com?

Why do our users choose Gambling.com's reviews? You can rest assured that these reviews are entirely objective. 

Our goal is to provide sports bettors with reliable, up-to-date information you can trust.

Gambling.com Group has been reviewing sportsbooks in the U.S. since 2018, winning eGaming Review’s Affiliate of the Year award in 2018 and 2021. Our team includes experts with decades of combined experience in sports and sports betting.

Responsible gambling is at the heart of what we do. We only recommend sites offering tools like deposit limits and self-exclusion to ensure betting remains an enjoyable pastime. Betting should be fun, not a source of income. 

To support safe gambling, we offer practical tips and resources to help you stay in control.

Meet Our Expert Review Team

Here's more information on the world-class pros who test online sportsbooks, review licensed sites, and update our rankings with their latest findings.

Chris Alpizar, Editor

Experience: 

  • Over a decade of experience working in technical user support and customer services
  • Favorite betting markets include soccer, NFL, and NBA 
Headshot of Gambling.com editor Chris Alpizar

About: Before coming to Gambling.com, Chris spent years listening to customer concerns across various tech products, so he knows what our users need from our website to be successful bettors. Chris liaises with all team members to ensure that our reviews and the tools available within them are accessible.

Martin Booth, Reviewer

Experience:

  • Award-winning sports betting and iGaming writer
  • Over 20 years of experience as a sports editor and reporter, with work appearing in the Daily Express and the Daily Mirror
Headshot of Gambling.com writer Martin Booth

About: Martin is a leading authority on online gambling. For decades, he's informed readers with expert analysis of sports betting legislation across the U.S., bringing insightful breakdowns of the top sportsbooks to Gambling.com readers.

Michael Butlin, Reviewer

Experience:

  • Two decades of experience—including product development, marketing, managing websites, and consulting—in the gambling industry for iGaming brands
  • Betting expertise focuses on horse racing and golf
Headshot of Gambling.com writer Michael Butlin

About: Michael reviews online sportsbooks, casinos, and other iGaming products in the U.S. and UK for Gambling.com. He is dedicated to ensuring his teams produce insightful analysis that resonates with both new and experienced bettors.

Matthew Crist, Reviewer

Experience: 

Headshot of Gambling.com Writer Matthew Crist

About: Matthew is a regular contributor and analyst for Gambling.com. He covers sports betting odds, betting events and markets, and picks across various sports. This work gives him a boots-on-the-ground perspective on the best sportsbooks for everyday bettors.

Larry Henry, U.S. Betting Reporter & Insider

Experience:

  • Decades of experience as a broadcast & print reporter at news organizations that include the Las Vegas Sun, the Reno Gazette-Journal, and KFSM-TV Channel 5
  • Former press secretary for governor of Nevada, the home of legalized gambling in the U.S.
Headshot of Gambling.com writer Larry Henry

About: Larry covers the U.S. gaming industry and online sportsbooks. With his governmental and legislative expertise, he closely monitors and reports on gaming regulations and laws in jurisdictions throughout North America, speaking with regulators and other experts.

Richard Janvrin, Reviewer

Experience: 

  • Nearly a decade of experience covering sports, sports betting, and iGaming
  • Analysis and sportsbook reviews have appeared in major online publications, including Bleacher Report, Forbes, and The Sun
Headshot of Gambling.com Author Richard Janvrin

About: Richard has reviewed dozens of sportsbooks for Gambling.com across all major sports. He's exceptionally skilled at discerning the best features of each sportsbook, and he's applied that keen sense to help create our recommendation list.

Shannon Lane, Strategist

Experience: 

  • Decade of experience in digital sports content, including at NFL Media where she was primarily responsible for NFL.com and the NFL mobile app
  • Background in sports reporting with a journalism degree from Northwestern University and previous work appearing in major publications, including Sports Illustrated
Gambling.com Contributor Shannon Lane

About: Shannon has nearly a decade of experience working in the legalized sports betting industry. Her focus on the NFL gives her a unique insight into the U.S.’s most popular betting market, and her background in sports websites and apps helped her contribute to our review process. She has focused on new emerging sports betting markets in Kentucky and North Carolina, applying her expertise on U.S. legislation and sportsbook brands to Gambling.com users nationwide.

Peter Mooney, Editor

Experience: 

  • Top 1% Bettor Overall on Pikkit
  • Holds a Master's degree in professional writing from the University of Southern California
Headshot of Gambling.com contributor Peter Mooney

About: Peter has over 15 years of experience as a copywriter and sports reporter, with expert reviews and research appearing on various online outlets. Peter works with our reviewers to ensure all information is accurate and factual. His experience as a sports editor, writer, and bettor is crucial to our sportsbook reviews. 

Dan Moran, Reviewer

Experience:

  • Nearly 20 years of experience working in online media
  • Background in customer support, market research, and user experience
Headshot of Gambling.com writer Dan Moran

About: Dan has spent thousands of hours speaking directly to tech users to understand what they’re looking for in online products, so he knows what everyday bettors want. He uses that experience to thoroughly review online sportsbooks and apps for bettors of any experience level.

Charlie Mullen, News Writer

Experience:

  • Over two decades of experience in sports journalism with previous work appeared in Hull Daily Mail, PA Media, and the Coleraine Times
  • Considers himself an "unofficial NFL London historian/statistician"
Headshot of Gambling.com writer Charlie Mullen

About: At Gambling.com, Charlie applies his analytical prowess to deliver insightful sports betting news and the latest sporting trends, equipping bettors with the information they need to place informed wagers.

Tom Ober, Reviewer

Experience:

  • Decades of experience writing about U.S. sports & iGaming, with past clients including the Boston Celtics, Washington Commanders, Vancouver Canucks, Liverpool FC, and Wrexham AFC
  • Mainly focused on MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL betting markets
Headshot of Gambling.com writer Tom Ober

About: Tom has been an avid Boston sports fan and bettor for several years. He brings his first-hand knowledge of U.S. betting markets to Gambling.com users, helping them find the best sportsbooks for their betting preferences.

Chris Wassel, Reviewer

Experience:

  • Over 15 years of experience as a writer, covering NHL, daily fantasy sports, and sports betting for outlets including USA Today and DraftKings Network
  • Regular contributor to “The Panel” betting picks and analysis 
Headshot of Gambling.com author Chris Wassel

About: Chris makes picks and analyzes the best offers of the day to deliver reliable betting tips. His ability to analyze trends, predict outcomes, and provide actionable advice ensures readers receive valuable insights into their favorite sports.