How to find the best bookmaker?
When looking for the best bookmaker for your needs, there are several crucial aspects you have to consider. These are related to the bookmakers’ offers and services, as well as various benefits for customers that make the best bookmakers stand out from the rest. In this article we highlight the most important considerations when it comes to evaluating various betting sites in order to help you find the right one that will give you maximum benefits and a wonderful betting experience.
Our reviews of the best betting sites cover the following points:
- Betting offer
- Welcome bonus
- Website
- Mobile app availability
- Live betting offer
- Payment methods
- Customer support
- Security
Betting offer
The betting offer will determine the sports and the extent of the betting markets that you can bet on. Generally, a bookmaker with a large sportsbook offers many sports categories, including the not so popular ones. This gives you access to numerous betting markets at any time. Check a few events under each sports category to see the number of betting options offered. Football betting is very popular and each match should have plenty of markets you can bet on.
I would also opt for a bookmaker with cash out option, as this gives me a chance to recover my stake and some of my potential winnings if the bet outcome is not favorable. Other rewards related to the betting offer include cashback, Accumulator bonus, and Jackpots.
Some of the bookmakers with a wide range of betting markets include Betway, Bet365, and 1xbet. Read our Betway review here.
We can suggest you the following bookies
Welcome Bonus
You should look for a bookmaker that offers a generous welcome bonus to new customers as this gives you more stake to bet with. Bookmakers offer various types of welcome bonus offers to attract new customers. The most common bonus offers are first deposit bonus, free bets and no-risk bets. The maximum value of the bonus is what you should be looking at to see the magnitude of the reward.
Keep in mind that all welcome bonus offers come with certain conditions that you must fulfill when using the bonus so it is important to check the bonus conditions first. These are usually related to the types of bets, minimum odds, minimum selections, wagering conditions, and expiry date. If the bonus conditions are tough to fulfill, the welcome bonus may not be that attractive even if it offers a large maximum amount. Some of the bookmakers offering big welcome bonuses include Melbet, 22Bet, and Bet365. Have a look at our review for the Melbet bonus.
Website of bookmaker
On this point, a good bookmaker will have a well-designed website that is easy to navigate and allows you to complete all the processes easily. All the important tabs and links should be easily accessible from the homepage, and the pages should load fast enough when you open them.
The bookmaker’s website should be optimized for both desktop and mobile platforms. With betting increasingly going mobile, you should be able to open the betting site on different mobile devices and see all features that are available on the desktop version.
Mobile app availability
For me, a mobile betting app is a must if I am to sign up with any bookmaker, because it makes the whole betting experience more enjoyable and convenient. Once you have the app, you do not need to log into the bookmaker’s website again. You will be able to access all services and complete all processes conveniently from the palm of your hand through the betting app or mobile site. This also gives you freedom of movement while still being able to keep up with your betting activities. In particular, services such as live betting, live streaming, and cash out are more convenient to complete on mobile.
You need a bookmaker with a mobile app that is compatible with your mobile phone, be it Android, iOS or Windows phone. A lighter app takes less storage space on your phone and performs faster in terms of loading pages and navigation.
Some of the bookmakers with the best apps include 1xbet, Betway, and Odibets.
Live betting offer
You cannot afford to miss out on the thrills and excitement of live betting if you are a serious punter. You can see the live betting tab on the homepage of almost every betting site. It gives you a chance to place live, in-play bets on ongoing sports events. Based on how the action is unfolding, you will be able to make betting decisions best suited for that particular moment.
The top bookmakers have taken live betting a notch higher with exciting additional features. The live betting page comes complete with match graphics, live stats, H2H stats, and live odds. All these are there to help you analyze the on-going game so that you place informed bets. In some cases, live betting is supported with live streaming option, giving you the chance to watch live matches for free via the bookmaker’s website. This makes live betting much easier as you can see what is happening and make the right betting decisions. Bet365 has one of the best live betting offers – read our Bet365 review.
Payment methods
Betting requires a bookmaker where you can deposit and withdraw your money in a convenient way without much fuss. As a result, you should look at the payment methods offered by the bookmaker and see if they will suit you. The leading bookmakers offer a wide range of payment methods to ensure that all customers are taken care of.
Most payment methods allow for instant deposits and withdrawals while others may take longer. You should also know that some payment methods may have transaction charges. I prefer to use Mobile money for betting because it is convenient so this is one of the first things I look for in a bookmaker.
Customer support
You need to go for a bookmaker that is easily reachable in case you have issues you want to sort out with them. This requires a customer support team that is available through different means of communication such as phone call, email, live chat, and social media pages. Personally, I find the live chat feature on the website particularly useful when I want to contact customer care. What is more important is the response time regardless of which means you use. You need a bookmaker that will respond fast to your issues and ensure quick resolution. Best is of course 24/7 customer care, offered by many trusted bookmakers!
Security
This has to be one of your most important considerations since your money and personal details are involved when you sign up with a betting site. You should only deal with bookmakers that are properly licensed in your country.
The website design in terms of security features such as SSL encryption will ensure that your personal details and money transactions are safe and secure from unauthorized access by third parties. There are also some industry standard certifications such as eCOGRA that indicate if the betting site is secure.
Summary
The choice of bookmaker is definitely something you should take seriously as it will make a huge difference in terms of what you gain from your betting activities. In general, you want a bookmaker that is properly licensed and offers excellent betting services as well as big bonuses and rewards. Personally, a mobile app and mobile money payment options are a must when choosing a bookmaker. I also check the betting offers for extensive options and high odds. Read our bookmaker reviews for details about the leading bookmakers in the game.
Useful links
Use the link back to the overview of our betting school
Find out more about the best betting sites in Africa on our HOMEPAGE