Interested in Online Sports Betting? Here are 5 Signs that a Site is Legit

There are many people who are interested in online betting. This is because it is a convenient and easy way to place bets on your favorite sports teams or players. You can also find many websites that offer tips and advice on how to make money from online betting.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, online betting sites have become more popular as an alterative to brick-and-mortar betting places that were forced to close down due to restrictions. However, with the rise of online bookmakers’ popularity, the number of illegal websites is also rising.

If you’re interested in online sports betting but want to make sure you’re using a legitimate site, there are a few things you can look for.

Check for Licensing

Before an online sportsbook can start to operate, they must first have a license and certificate. A license indicates the bookmaker is checked and verified by the authority. Also, when a bookmaker has a certificate, it usually means they are an audited business.

Now, what does an audit signify? The bookmaker’s finances and operations like how they calculate college football betting and payouts are checked for illegal activities, and the authorities gave it the okay sign.

Usually, the license and certification can be seen on the bottom of the front page of the bookmaker site. Some even have a dedicated page that you can visit to see if they have the proper documentation. It should be a huge red flag if you can’t see these documents on the bookmaker’s site.

Take a Look at the About Us Page

Every simple betting site has an “About Us” page where you can learn more about the site and the people running it. On this page, you can usually see the complete contact information like the physical address of the bookmaker, the telephone number, and a contact hotline for emergency purposes. Also, it includes the aim, objectives, and the past of the website.

The content on this page should be concise and straightforward. If all of the necessary information is in there, then that’s a green flag. However, when you feel they’re trying to hide the past and the information about their founders, that should be a red flag.

Check the Security

Of course, betting sites involve your money, so they should have the best protection to protect your wagers and deposits. Also, your personal information should be secure to ensure you’re not getting doxxed. But how exactly do you know that your money and information are protected?

The first thing you should look at is the bookmaker’s encryption methods. The primary software for this thing is SSL or Secure Socket Layers, an encryption-based internet protocol commonly used by most betting sites.

When you visit a site, your browser will check its certificate and security, and if it’s deemed safe, you can usually see a padlock symbol beside the URL. Also, if a site is safe, some browsers use” https” instead of “http.”

Check the Payment Method

The most popular way to incorporate money into your betting accounts is through a credit card or a debit card. Most sites accept cards from Visa and MasterCard since they’re the most popular. You can also opt for e-wallets such as PayPal.

Why is this important?

Remember that these companies have a reputation to protect and wouldn’t willingly partner up with an illegal site. You should know that something is up when you don’t see the usual payment methods.

Also, your money should be sent within 24 hours when you withdraw from your account. Anything more than that should be deemed as a red flag and must be reported through their customer service.

If they can’t be called, you may call the authorities themselves. Or if they outright deny you to withdraw or get your payouts, all the more so. However, note that sometimes during peak season, the withdrawal can be slightly delayed since many people are using the site, but the delay should not exceed weeks.

They Offer Ridiculous Promotions

People often get blinded by the perks and promotions that they start to put money on and ignore the red flags immediately. If you think the offered promotions are too good to be true, especially if you haven’t seen them before, they may be.

Illegal sites often do this to entice more people to sign up on their sites and put their money in, which of course, has a high potential that you won’t get back.

Final Words

This last one could be a bonus tip, but it’s useful nonetheless. Another easy way to check if the site is legit is to look at its reviews. When something is up with the website, you can bet your money that people would talk about it in the reviews. Or you can check with the authorities if a particular site isn’t in their database. With all that said, be safe out there.