How to Choose a Sportsbook for Betting on the NFL This Season
It’s currently the offseason for most major sports, but you know the summer will be over before you blink. The 2022 NFL Kick-Off Game between the Buffalo Bills and the defending champs Los Angeles Rams is on the calendar for the fast-approaching September 8.
Some of you probably have a favorite betting app and know where they’ll be placing wagers come season kick-off. But if you haven’t found the right sportsbook for betting on the NFL yet, now is about the perfect time to do it, and we’ll be more than glad to throw in some tips on choosing one.
Regulated vs. Offshore
Now, if you’re in one of the states where sports betting still isn’t legal, you’ll have no other option but to visit offshore sportsbooks. However, if possible, always go for regulated sportsbooks. They are much safer, usually provide better odds and offers, and you won’t break any laws there.
Luckily, more states are legalizing sports betting every year, usually introducing several different sportsbooks for people to choose from. FanDuel alone is available in over 15 states, with some of the other widespread operators being DraftKings, BetMGM, Caesars, and PointsBet.
Even if you are located in one of the unregulated states, try traveling to a nearby regulated state and place a bet there, as you don’t have to be a resident of that state to wager, but only located inside its borders.
Compare Sign-Up Bonuses
Choosing a sportsbook specifically for the start of the 2022 NFL season means you’ll likely use the sign-up bonus when placing those first NFL wagers.
That’s why you should pay attention to the difference between intro promotions and compare them. Apart from value, sportsbooks’ sign-up bonuses differ in how they work.
For instance, a risk-free bet means that if your first bet loses, you’ll get your stake back, but only in the form of free bets or site credit. Meanwhile, a deposit match bonus matches a certain percentage of your initial deposit and gives you bonus credits, and bonuses labeled as “Bet X, Get X” mean you’ll get free bets after your first bet regardless if it wins or loses.
A typical bonus seen on U.S. sportsbooks is a risk-free bet of up to $1,000. Your first bet is protected, so even if it loses, you’ll get reimbursed. If you win with the free bets resulting from the risk-free bet promo, you only get to keep the profit, not the stake. On the other hand, if you win with a risk-free bet, it’s business as usual.
While choosing the bonus, pay close attention to the terms and conditions and limitations, such as minimum deposit, minimum odds, validity period, and wagering requirements. Understand what all these imply before claiming the offer.
Check Out the Odds
Logically, the better the odds, the better your payout, so you should always look for the best possible odds for a given NFL betting market. All sportsbooks collect the juice, which is basically a fee they impose through the odds to guarantee themselves a profit, but some sportsbooks are more generous than others in this regard.
The general rule is to always look for odds of -110 or better (-109, -105, etc.). However, this only applies when the prices are the same on both sides of the bet. If one side has the odds of -105 and the other -115, the average is still -110. If you see -106 on one side and -116 on the other, the odds are worse since the average is -111; thus, the sportsbook’s juice is higher.
If multiple sportsbooks are available in your state, you should always spend some time odds shopping before making a wager.
There are no limits on how many different sportsbooks you can register to, so use this to always bet with the one that features the best odds for a particular market. There are even NFL odds comparison tools that allow you to see live odds for main markets at any moment.
Test Out the App or Site
Another way to decide whether a sportsbook app is good for you is simply by testing.
Some of the things you should test out include:
- The ease of finding and making bets
- Speed and fluidity
- Whether the app lags or crashes
- What does the bet slip management look like
- The ease of making deposits and withdrawals
- Special features (live streaming, same game parlays, number of exotic markets, etc.)
- Customer support responsiveness
- Any other thing you feel is essential for your betting experience
For all the latest sports news follow PledgeSports on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.