How to Bet Safely?

Updated February 9, 2023By Chris Boline

The team at Sports Betting Sites wants to make sure you are connected to the best safe and legitimate betting sites. This means that we only recommend sites that are up to par.  It also means providing you with all the necessary information and resources. 

How to Bet Safely?

This guide will not only help you choose the best safe sports betting sites, but it will also recommend deposit methods and other tactics to encourage responsible gambling and protect your identity. 

The Basics of Safe Betting

We divide safe betting into four basic categories. The first two have to deal with finding the correct legitimate only betting site. Read about why this is important here. You can always trust our vetted reviews. 

The second two categories on our list have to do with how to gamble, not only where to gamble. Different sites and deposit methods offer assets or features that will help you bet safely in these last two categories.

We will cover all of this in our guide to safe online betting. 

Our Four Pillars of Safe Betting

  1. Legal Gambling Sites
  2. Legitimate Gambling Sites
  3. Responsible Gambling
  4. Protecting Your Identity

Legal and Safe Gambling Sites

Yes, online betting is legal in the United States. For a long time, players from the United States have not had problems accessing legal online gambling sites.

Until 2018, Nevada had a monopoly on licensing online gambling. In that year’s Supreme Court case Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, New Jersey won the right to operate state-run sports betting.

This ruling opened up the gates to legal gambling sites in the US. It is now being decided on a state-by-state basis. Find more details on which sites are available in your state.

The legal patchwork for US gambling is changing all the time. New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland were among the first states to break the mold. 

Many legal online sports betting sites available have been available to US residents for years. They are typically headquartered in other nations. They are able to cater to people in the US. 

Because many states are now opening their own legal betting sites, they are starting to regulate the other ones that have been available for years. Some sites are being cautious and limiting from which states they accept new players.

Just select a server from your home state, and you will be able to access it easily. 

Legitimate Gambling Sites

Finding legit online sports betting sites is two-fold. Some sites have solvency and operational issues. Others are downright frauds. We’ll show you how to spot them. You can always check out our favorite sites. All of which have gone through our strict review process. 

Be aware of any bonuses that seem too generous. If you see bonuses worth 1000% with no rollover, well, do not take it. No business can stay afloat, or pay you your winnings, with that kind of practice.

Similarly, shady sportsbooks will often lure new customers or higher wagers by offering bets that are too good to be true. For example, if you see odds showing Detroit Lions favored to win against the Baltimore Ravens, think twice before jumping on that obvious of a bet. 

If the verification process is too complicated, this can be another red light. We all want to be safe, but this is often a way for them to delay and eventually deny payouts. Does the ID verification process make sense? Have others had problems?

We have deposited and withdrawn from our favorite sites. If we recommend it, you can rest assured: it is a legitimate gambling site.

Responsible Gambling

Responsible gambling means betting within your budget and within control. Like so many enjoyable things, they are best enjoyed in moderation. Let’s look at some strategies and resources to keep you gambling responsibly.

One way is to set a budget. Having a Bitcoin wallet or other account that is separate for your gambling helps. This way, you can transfer your entertainment budget into this account. You will not accidentally go over budget this way. 

Self-assesment

If you are concerned about having gone beyond your limits, you can always take a self-assessment. Intertops offers a good one, but there are many around the web.

  • Most sportsbooks, such as Bovada, offer voluntary self-exclusion.
  • You can write to most legitimate sportsbooks or online casinos and request self-exclusion.

Your exclusion can be for the whole website or just a section like casino. Also, it can be permanent, or for a limited time.

The choice is yours.

Protecting Your Identity

Whenever we disclose our name, address, and billing information, we should be concerned about where that information is going. 

The legit online sportsbooks we recommend will take care of your data. However, even the biggest and most secure places are not perfect. What are some things you can do to protect yourself even more?

One way to is to deposit with Bitcoin. Bitcoin uses decentralized blockchain technology. This means that they do not need to comply with the same KYC (know your customer) protocols as traditional banks.

This means that you can remain anonymous in many Bitcoin transactions. It will be difficult for the IRS or anyone else to track your winnings. 

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are great at protecting identities. This is a great little trick to keeping you betting safely. Plus you get bigger bonuses at a number of sportsbooks, like Bet DSI.

About the Author

Chris Boline
Chris Boline

As a devout aficionado of sports, Chris Boline has carved a career within the athletic realm. A skilled scribe, he boasts a decade-long portfolio that encompasses coverage of the NBA G League, the Los Angeles Chargers, football in the Mountain West Conference, and basketball. Beyond his professional pursuits, Chris is deeply invested in his community and dedicates his leisure hours to serving on boards, collaborating with community organizations, and cherishing the company of loved ones.

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