Don't Make These Costly Mistakes When Choosing A Betting Website
The sports betting market is astronomically huge and looks set to continue growing for many years to come. One report valued it at 83.65 billion USD in 2022, with a compound annual growth rate of 10.3% for the next seven years at least.
Consequently, there’s a high chance you’re interested in sports betting. You’re a fan of many sports and would like to place some friendly wagers on a few matches. When done responsibly, it’s an ingenious way of making every sporting event more thrilling.
As tempting as it might be to jump right into things, you must avoid these costly mistakes before choosing a sports betting website:
Picking A Bookmaker With Strict Betting Rules
Hundreds of online bookmakers are forced to impose strict betting rules as a way of “protecting” punters. While you appreciate the sentiment, some of the rules are absurd and prevent you from wagering money or making certain bets. One smart way around this is by looking for trending Curacao sportsbooks. They’re regulated by a reasonable governing body that does not impose strict betting rules.
Therefore, you’re free to wager as much as you want whenever you want. No limits are placed on the number of bets you can add to your bet slip or how many deposits you can make in a day. Punters gain more freedom and betting becomes more enjoyable.
Choosing A Site Without Your Favourite Sports
Fans of soccer and tennis rarely have to worry about an online bookmaker covering their favourite sport. These two are mainstays at online bookies around the world – along with other popular sports like golf, boxing, basketball and so on.
With that being said, plenty of big sports are missing from some betting websites. It simply doesn’t make sense to join a sportsbook if it can’t cater to your interests. Fans of Kabaddi need to know that they can bet on the latest matches from the Pro Kabaddi League every weekend. If you love horse racing, you must join a site that covers the market.
Choosing a site without your favourite sport dooms you to boredom. It’s also less safe to bet on sports you do not know about. You’re more likely to make risky and uninformed wagers, boosting the possibility of losing money. Stick to what you know and love – and double-check that the bookie can provide it before signing up.
Not Getting A Welcome Bonus
The best sports betting websites will always offer a welcome bonus to new players. This can come in many forms, including:
- A matched deposit bonus – Your deposit is matched by the bookie and you receive double the money to bet with.
- A deposit bonus package – This includes multiple bonuses where each deposit gains a percentage back in bonus funds.
- Free bet bonuses – The bookmaker gives you money to bet with for free.
- Odds bonuses – Some bookies provide bonus odds for your first bets. You don’t receive bonus funds, but when betting with real money you might get two, three or five times the returns as a gift.
All bonuses provide you with something extra when you join. It means your first few bets are more meaningful and there’s normally more chance of winning. Don’t join a bookmaker without getting a welcome bonus in return! You should probably be a bit suspicious of a site that doesn’t offer bonuses – most do, so why wouldn’t this one?
Keep in mind the wagering requirements for sports bonuses too. This indicates how many times you must wager your bonus before the funds can be withdrawn. The lower this is, the better.
Joining A Bookie Without Responsible Gambling Assistance
We’ve saved the most important mistake til the last. Never join a bookmaker that doesn’t provide responsible gambling assistance. All sportsbooks should have clear resources explaining problem gambling and how to avoid it.
Additionally, they must provide some responsible gambling services. This can encompass any of the following:
- 24/7 Support – The site could have a live chat team offering support and guidance if you need help with your gambling.
- Responsible gambling contacts – They may provide contact details for responsible gambling organisations or charities, like GamCare or BeGambleAware.
- Self-Exclusion offerings – All bookmakers should provide some self-exclusion offerings. Whether they register with GamStop or offer their own self-exclusion policy, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you can exclude if you need to.
So there you have it; don’t make these costly mistakes when choosing a sports betting site. You’ll have a worse experience and will be unable to truly enjoy yourself. As always, remember that gambling is a hobby that you do for fun. It is not a source of income and you shouldn’t treat it as such. Place sports bets to make sports more thrilling as you watch them – but never chase wins or gamble more than you can afford.