Current Line Comparisons and Trusted Sportsbooks

These are the top rated online sportsbooks for U.S. bettors. They accept Visa credit & debit cards, along with other simple deposit options. We recommend these sites for US and International punters outside the US. To place a bet, click on any of the sportsbook logos or links listing the odds below. All of our lines are updated every day.

Voted Best Sports Betting Sites

Up-To-Date NBA Line Comparisons

Matchups		U.S. Welcome			U.S. Welcome
Friday, May 24, 2013
Indiana Pacers Miami Heat	8:35 PM	+7.0 -110 -7.0 -110	+275 -330	o180.5 -110 u180.5 -110	+110.0 +7 -110.0 -7	+270 -330	o180.5 -110 u180.5 -110
Saturday, May 25, 2013
San Antonio Spurs Memphis Grizzlies	9:05 PM	+5.0 -110 -5.0 -110	+185 -215	o177.5 -110 u177.5 -110	+110.0 +5 -110.0 -5	+180 -220	o177.5 -110 u177.5 -110

Sportsbooks on the Internet

One sportsbook might be best for NFL football lines, while another might have the best parlay odds, and another might have the easiest deposit options for U.S. handicappers. They’re all a bit different, another reason for signing up at multiple sportsbooks. We rank the best online betting websites based on a number of factors, and our overall favorites are listed below.

Best Online Sportsbooks

• BetOnline.com: US bettors welcome. BetOnline is a sportsbook that’s growing very quickly. They offer live betting, early lines, some of the best parlay odds in the industry, and every major sport in the world. A great all-around book that continues to get better. Visa & Mastercard credit & debit cards accepted.

• JustBet.cx: US bettors welcome. Credit card deposits accepted. JustBet focuses mainly on US sports, including NFL & NCAA football, NBA & NCAA basketball, MLB baseball, NHL hockey, and UFC mixed martial arts. Mobile sports betting with no download offered for iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, Android (Droid) and Windows based devices.

• Bovada.lv: US bettors welcome. The Bovada sports betting site is the US friendly version of Bodog. This site re-branded in Dec. 2011 for US customers. Possibly the best futures odds in the industry, along with a nice live betting site. Visa credit cards accepted. Betting lines typically get posted later than BetOnline and JustBet.

• Bet365.com: No U.S. bettors. Easy Visa deposits, tons of betting options for all sports, incredible live betting options & interface. Mobile betting available for iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, Android and Windows based phones. India friendly with Rupee currency. Bet365 is also commonly used in other parts of Asia such as Singapore.

• Bodog.eu: No U.S. bettors. The Bodog Sportsbook has arguably the best reputation in the business. They are pioneers in the industry, taking bets since 1994. They also have the best live betting available to U.S. handicappers for NFL & NCAA football, NBA & NCAA basketball, and MLB baseball. Visa / Mastercard accepted including in Canada.

If you take your sports betting seriously, open accounts at several different sportsbooks. Always compare odds and look for the best lines before placing bets. There are benefits that handicappers get by online versus in a live sportsbook. First, it’s easy to compare odds at lot of sports betting sites because they’re only a click away. By comparing odds at a number of sportsbooks on the internet, you can be sure you’re getting the best odds & lowest vig (juice) possible. Slight advantages can be the difference of winning or losing a bet, and the amount you win or lose. In the long run, small advantages can really add up.

Best Sportsbooks For NFL Betting Lines

If you’re mostly interested in betting on NFL football, these are the best NFL betting sites on the web. Since NFL games are played a week apart, early NFL lines can offer value that can’t be found Friday – Sunday. Of course we’re also looking for sites that offer the lowest vig (juice), because small advantages add up. Most NFL betting sites offer a standard 10% vig on point spreads & over/unders, but some ask for too much on money lines. We also prefer sites who have a good selection of NFL prop bets, and live betting as well.

• BetOnline.com: US bettors welcome. Early NFL lines. Lowest money line vig. Possibly the best parlay odds offered by any US friendly sportsbook. Visa, Mastercard, ewallets, some direct banking options.

• JustBet.cx: US bettors welcome. JustBet gets the nod over Bovada mainly because they post their NFL lines earlier. They have a standard 10% vig on NFL point spreads & totals, but sometimes go as high as 12-13% on money lines. However, they offer some incremental edges on money lines, often giving bettors a slight edge versus other NFL sportsbooks. Credit card deposits accepted for funding accounts.

• Bovada.lv: US bettors welcome. In the US, Bovada used to be called Bodog. They have re-branded in the United States, but everything is basically the same. We don’t like that Bovada posts their lines so late, but they offer possibly the best NFL live betting of all the US betting sites. Vig is typically 10% on spreads, totals and money lines, but money lines can go as high as 12% at times.

National Basketball Association (NBA)

Early NBA betting lines and low vig are always what we’re looking for. Below are the best NBA betting sites.

• BetOnline.com: US bettors welcome. Once again, BetOnline takes the top ranking. They’re the best NBA betting site because they post their lines earlier than most US friendly sportsbooks, and have a 10% standard vig across the board. Creidt cards, ewallets, direct banking.

• Bovada.lv: US bettors welcome. Bovada takes the #2 ranking for NBA betting sites for a couple of reasons. They post their NBA lines later than BetOnline, but earlier than JustBet. They also offer a ton of NBA prop bets, and live betting as well. For NBA futures, no US book beats Bovada. They usually have the best NBA futures odds for favorites across the board. If you want to bet NBA futures, this is your place.

• Bet365.com: No U.S. bettors. Bet365 is actually a fantastic site for betting on all sports, but they don’t accept US bettors. Since most NBA bettors are based in the US, we can’t give Bet365 a higher overall ranking for this sport. For those outside the US, Bet365 is #1 for wagering on NBA basketball. They offer fairly early lines, 10% standard vig, tons of prop bets, and great live betting as well. This is a great all-around site.

Major League Baseball (MLB)

In MLB baseball where so many games are being played every day of the season, every tiny advantage is important. Sharp bettors look for value early as well as late, while casual bettors tend to bet late. However, BetOnline beats the other bookies once again because of their commitment to posting early & fair baseball lines. When compared to other US friendly MLB sportsbooks, BetOnline clearly is most interested in our business.

• BetOnline.com: US bettors welcome. We’d love to give another site the #1 spot for MLB baseball. However, BetOnline beats the other bookies once again because of their commitment to posting early & fair lines. When compared to other US friendly MLB betting sites, BetOnline clearly is most interested in our business. Favorites often have the best lines when they first open, and BetOnline is usually 1/2 day ahead of the other books for run lines and totals. This can give bettors a huge advantage versus other MLB sportsbooks.

• Bovada.lv: US bettors welcome. As the US version of Bodog, Bovada focuses a lot of attention on MLB baseball. Their run lines & over/unders are posted later than BetOnline, but earlier than JustBet and some other MLB betting sites. MLB money lines are usually posted a couple hours after BetOnline posts theirs. Bovada is also the king of futures bets, often with the best odds on the top teams (the teams we actually want to bet on).

• JustBet.cx: US bettors welcome. JustBet does a decent job with MLB baseball, but we’re hoping they take another step forward in 2012. We’d like to see their run lines & totals go up 5-6 hours earlier, and broaden their selection of prop bets as well. They’re a must-have sportsbook for US bettors, mainly because of the incremental advantages they commonly offer.

NCAA College Football

For betting on NCAA college football, we’re giving this one a tie for first. While BetOnline.com offers early NCAA football lines, Bovada.lv has a wider selection of prop bets, live betting, and better futures odds. These are all popular types of bets for NCAA football, so we have to give Bovada extra credit in this category. For US bettors, these two sites stand well above the rest.

For punters outside the US, we highly recommend Bet365.com. They are huge and reputable that offer a great selection of NCAA college football bets.

NCAA College Basketball

In our opinion, the best NCAA college basketball betting site is Bovada.lv. Although we’d like to see their lines go up a few hours earlier, they’re clearly the best during March Madness. During March Madness, Bovada offers hundreds, if not thousands of prop bets, along with an excellent, free bracket competition. Last year, the Sports Betting Lines editor ranked in the top 20 of several thousand bracket holders (brag), and made money out of nothing.

For US bettors, our #2 ranked site is BetOnline.com. They offer the earliest college basketball betting lines, and 10% vig for point spreads, money lines, and totals. They also have excellent parlay odds, a popular way to bet on NCAA basketball.

For non-US punters, Bet365.com is our top choice. Once again, they have early NCAA lines, lots of props, and live betting as well.

Live Betting Sites

Live betting (also called in-play) is quickly growing in popularity. In 2012 and 2013, we expect to see major growth in this market, with bookmakers adding more games to their live betting calendars. If you’re not familiar with live betting, these are wagers that can be placed while a game or match is happening. If you have a mobile phone, you can even bet on a game while you watch it from the stands.

In NFL football for example, bettors can wager on which player will be next to score, the result of every possession, if player X will record 100+ rushing yards, etc etc.. Essentially, if you can think of it, you can bet on it.

For bettors in the United States, Bovada is the best live betting site. They have the best software, and offer live betting for all of the biggest games each week. The minimum live bet is just $1, and a maximum of $500 (depending on the type of bet). Bovada also offers live, mobile sports betting for iPhone, iPad, Android, Nokia, and Windows based smartphones & tablets.

For punters outside the US, Bet365 and Paddy Power are all great live betting sites. All of them have a large and continually growing calendar of matches they offer for live betting. They also have excellent software, and mobile betting as well.

Promotions & Bonuses Offered

Most sports betting sites offer special promotions for their customers. This can include free NFL, NBA, or MLB bets, free mobile bets, free parlays, and a variety of other promos.

For new bettors, most give their players a deposit bonus when they sign up. Sign up bonuses range in percentage and total dollar amount from site to site. Also, some deposit bonuses are much easier to clear than others. At some sportsbooks, players have to wager their deposit amount, plus bonus one time. At other sites, players may have to wager 5-10 times their deposit and bonus amount. The sports betting sites that we recommend typically have very fair bonus requirements.

Betting Lines Explained

This section will show you how to read sports betting lines in the most popular odds formats. There are three ways that sportsbooks on the internet list their odds; called fractional, decimal, and American. Depending on where you live in the world generally determines which type of odds format you’re familiar with. For example, people in the UK are more familiar with fractional odds, while punters from Australia use decimal odds.

The best sportsbooks online give handicappers the ability to view odds in whichever format they prefer, so look for that button whenever you visit one of them. Here’s some info on how to read the different types of lines & odds.

How to Read Fractional Lines & Odds

Fractional betting lines are listed just like we learned in elementary school. 7/2 fractional odds equal 3.5:1. This means that for every $1 bet, you’d win $3.50 more, for a total payout of $4.50 (3.5 x $1 = $3.50 + $1 wager = $4.50).

Bettors get their original wager back, plus the win amount. So if you placed a $100 bet on a team with 5/1 fractional odds, you’d get your $100 back, plus $500 more (5 x $100).

10/1 fractional odds on a $200 bet would pay your original wager of $200, plus $2000 more (10 x $200), for a total payout of $2200.

Decimal Lines & Odds

Decimal odds are viewed as a number with a decimal point, as in 1.85, 3.55, or 5.0. Decimal odds reflect the total return a bettor gets back on a win for every $1 wagered, including the wager amount. So, a 1.85 line means that for every $1 wagered, a bettor would receive a total return of $1.85.

An even-money bet would show decimal odds of 2.0. So, if you place a $1 bet on a team with 2.0 decimal odds, you’ll get back a total of $2; your $1 wager, plus $1 in profit.

A team with 5.5 decimal odds would pay $4.50 in profit, plus your $1 wager, for $5.50 total return.

To calculate a decimal odds payout, multiply the odds times the wager amount. For example; 4.5 decimal odds on a $50 bet would be calculated as follows: 4.5 x $50 = $225 total return.

American Lines & Odds

American lines are displayed as negative (-) and positive (+) odds, and based around the $100 figure. Negative lines indicate the favorite, and positive lines indicate the underdog. Of course $100 wagers are not required, this is just the number used to calculate the odds.

Negative Lines

Negative betting lines indicate the amount of money needed to wager in order to win $100 in profit. So, a -160 means a bettor would need to wager $160 to win $100. A -240 line means they need to wager $240 to win $100.

Positive Lines

Positive lines are just the opposite. Positive lines indicate the profit that can be won from a $100 wager. It does not include the original wager amount. So, a +160 means that a $100 wager would earn a $160 profit plus the $100 wager amount, for a total payout of $260.

A +240 line would pay out $240 in profit on a $100 wager, for a total payout of $340 ($240 profit + $100 wager = $340).

A +420 line would pay out $420 in profit on a $100 wager, for a total payout of $520 ($420 profit + $100 wager = $520).

Even Odds

Even odds are generally displayed as ‘even’, but sometimes you’ll see them listed as +100. Even odds simply means that for every dollar you bet, you can win a dollar in profit. A bet with even odds would pay $100 profit on a $100 wager.

Money Line Confusion

American odds are often called money lines, but this isn’t exactly accurate. A money line is a type of bet, not a system for calculating odds. The confusion comes from the fact that money line bets use American odds, but there is a difference.

Money lines are bets with no point spread involved – picking straight-up winners regardless of the score. However, American odds are used for more than just money line bets. American odds are used for any type of bet as a way to calculate the odds.