With sports betting being as popular as it is, it’s no surprise there are so many sportsbooks out there trying to capitalize on the high demand. However, as a result, there is a seemingly endless roster of sportsbooks that claim to be the best, so how can we tell which ones really are worth our time? The answer is review sites.
Review sites keep track of the endless stream of betting sites and review them to help bettors decide which sites are worth their time. They evaluate these sites based on a wide range of factors, but there’s only a few that make a big difference. Below, we discuss the most important factors that determine the rating a betting site receives.
Safety
The biggest priority for any sportsbook worth its salt is safety. Without safety, nothing else matters. A betting site could offer the best bonuses in the world, have a great user interface and frequently update its game library, but if users don’t feel secure or frequently become victims of theft or fraud, it’s all for nothing.
This is because the potential consequences of using an unsecure betting site are just too serious to risk. It’s not worth it for players to risk their money or personal data being stolen just to place a few bets. In severe cases, you could become a victim of fraud and have your entire life turned upside down if you are unlucky enough to use an unsavory betting site.
Most of these issues are due to betting sites not putting the right systems and security protocols in place. This can be either because of a lack of care or a lack of finances, but some sites even have malicious intent and are set up with the intent of scamming users.
For these reasons and more, betting sites that do not have good security measures in place or have a bad reputation for being malicious are given abysmal ratings. Most reviewing sites will even issue a warning if user safety is in jeopardy.
Safety is the only factor that is ranked extremely harshly by betting site reviewing platforms, often having the ability to plummet a betting site right to the bottom of the rankings even if everything else is great.
This is good for bettors. This means that any betting sites that have even a somewhat decent rating are going to be safe and secure unless stated otherwise. In addition, the higher the security, the better. Betting sites that go above and beyond to protect their users are seen much more favorably than those that only do the bare minimum.
Fortunately, in most cases, safety and quality are directly correlated. The best betting sites that offer everything bettors could want are also the sites that employ a variety of security measures, are licensed, provide bettors with helpful information and are frequently checked for any vulnerabilities.
Of course, not all betting review sites rate safety above all else, but most do. For your own sake, you should only trust betting review sites that prioritize safety and security.
Betting variety
Another factor that is often hugely influential when betting review sites review betting platforms is betting variety. You know what they say, variety is the spice of life. Well, the same rings true for betting sites. No matter how fond you may be of betting, if you don’t have plenty of options at your disposal and just do the same thing time and time again, you’ll likely grow bored.
This is why having numerous options is so important, even if you don’t initially think you’ll want them. This is something that betting review sites know all too well. Betting sites that offer a variety of different sports betting categories are often ranked higher than those that don’t, promoting sites that offer more choice to users.
Whether it be NFL picks or wagers on key matches from a range of sports, having the opportunity to choose from a range of sports and events enhances the experience for bettors.
However, it’s not just different sports and events that betting review sites look at; it’s betting options. This encompasses a wide range of different choices. For example, some betting sites offer different odds formats so users can deal with the format they prefer. This is a great quality-of-life change that many users appreciate.
Another example is what choices a betting site gives users in events themselves. This could be offering bets on which players will score, how many fouls there will be in a match or what the final score will be. These are just a few examples as there are endless potential options.
Having these kinds of bets can keep the experience exciting, so review sites favor sportsbooks that go above and beyond to offer a comprehensive betting experience.
In-play or live betting is also a factor. Live betting offers a completely different experience compared to pre-game betting, allowing bettors to place their bets as the game progresses. This is yet another great example of an extra add-on that will often boost a sportsbook’s rating on a review site.
User experience
Last, but not least, user experience plays a role in how highly a review platform ranks a betting site. Just like betting variety, user experience encompasses a wide range of factors. From theme to navigation and ease-of-use, user experience simply refers to how easy and practical it is for a user to navigate a betting site.
You might not think user experience would make that big of a difference at first glance. While this may be true the first time you use a betting site, it certainly isn’t after using it more than a handful of times. Long load times, bad performance and finicky navigation can quickly dampen the betting experience, and over time, it can lead to intense frustration.
Taking all of this into consideration, it’s no surprise that betting review sites look for user experience and often make it a focal point of their reviews and ratings. A betting site that is frustrating to use gets dragged down no matter how good its offerings may be.
Of course, there is also some level of subjectivity when it comes to user experience. What may be a poor layout to one person may be completely fine to another. However, things like slow load times and confusing navigation tend to be more objective and are things that nobody likes to experience.
Betting sites that are professional, easy to navigate and optimized receive higher ratings than those that aren’t.
Conclusion
We hope we have been able to give you some insight into how betting sites are rated and reviewed. While there are a variety of different factors that review sites look for when rating and ranking betting sites, the primary variables are safety, overall user experience and betting variety. This means that the best betting sites are safe, easy to use and offer plenty of options when it comes to sports and betting options.
If you are thinking about placing a bet on a sport or are already involved with the industry, just remember to practice responsible gambling at all times. It’s easy to get swept up in the excitement of a sports game in the moment — it can happen to anyone. This is why it’s vital to set limits on expenses and walk away if you feel like you are getting carried away.
