Choose a sportsbook by checking five things in this order: that it is licensed where you live, what it charges on a standard bet, which sports and markets it covers, what its welcome offer really requires, and how it pays you out. The price is the one most bettors skip, and on a -110 line the book keeps about 4.5 cents of every dollar bet on a balanced game.
Each check below comes with the number to look at. For our ratings of individual books, see our sportsbook reviews.
1. A license in your state
In the United States, sports betting is licensed state by state, so the book has to be licensed in the state you are in when you bet. The state’s gaming regulator is the authority on which books those are.
Check the regulator’s own site. A license number printed on a page proves nothing until the regulator’s list shows the same name.
2. The price on a standard bet
The standard spread or total price is -110 on both sides: risk $110 to win $100. That means you need to win 52.4% of those bets to break even, and on a game bet evenly on both sides, the book keeps $10 of every $220 staked, 4.5%.
At -105, the break-even rate is 51.2% and the book’s cut on a balanced game falls to 2.4%, about half. A bettor who wins exactly half of 200 bets, each to win $100, loses $1,000 at -110 and $500 at -105.
| Price on both sides | Break-even win rate | Book’s cut on a balanced game |
|---|---|---|
| -110 | 52.4% | 4.5% |
| -105 | 51.2% | 2.4% |
3. The sports and markets you bet
Books differ most outside the main lines: player props, live betting inside a game, smaller leagues and futures. If you bet one sport, open the book’s page for it and count the markets offered on one game, then compare that count across two or three books before you deposit.
4. What the welcome offer requires
A welcome bonus is money with conditions. Read the minimum deposit, the minimum odds a qualifying bet needs, how many times a bonus has to be wagered before it can be withdrawn, and when it expires. A $200 bonus with a 10-times playthrough means $2,000 in bets before any of it is yours.
5. How deposits and payouts work
Check the withdrawal methods before the deposit methods, because the two lists are not always the same. Look for the stated payout time for each method and any minimum withdrawal amount, and read what identity documents the book asks for before it releases a first withdrawal.
Once a book passes all five, compare its prices on the games you bet. Our betting guides explain how to read those prices, and our sportsbook reviews rate each book on these checks.