Innumerable online betting sites can make choosing where to play tricky, especially if you’re after somewhere that’s good for both sports betting and top casino gaming. If you want some tips on what to consider when searching for the best online casinos, just consult our handy guide.
The Sports Side
First up is the sports betting side of an online casino site that also has casino games. Sometimes people think these are all pretty much the same, but there can be substantial differences. These come in various areas where some online casinos with sports sections do significantly better than others. The number of sports covered can vary wildly. If you’re into football or the US major leagues, F1 or tennis, you should have access to markets at pretty much every online casino. But other sports can be missing, so if you’re a rugby fan looking at a Canadian online casino then you might find it’s simply not covered. The extent to which this matter depends on the sport or sports you’re into.
But it’s not just sports being covered or not, it’s also the depth of the markets available. A golden example for Britons would be football (soccer to those across the pond). The average EPL match will have around two hundred or so individual markets on offer, or should. The same goes for Euros or World Cup matches, although you can just bet on England to do well overall rather than look at individual markets (two top 4 finishes in the last two tournaments make them one of the most consistent teams in the world). If you’re just after basic win markets then these should be up at pretty much every site, but if you want more detailed betting opportunities then you need to browse carefully. On a related note, some bookies allow bettors to ask for specific markets to be put up if they aren’t already there, which is a nice bonus. There’s also a chance that a minority sport in one country might have mispriced odds, so a Canadian betting on the major leagues is likelier to find excessively generous odds at a European site than a North American one.
Another important matter is considering the best odds. For the biggest sports, these don’t tend to vary too much, but if a betting site is offering shorter odds than elsewhere then that’s akin to browsing the job markets and finding an identical job with only 95% of the pay. This can vary a bit, and it may even be worth signing up at a couple of sites to take advantage of whichever has the best odds at differing times.
Canada, Australia and Other Country-Specific Concerns
Surprisingly, geography can matter quite a lot when selecting an online casino. This can include restrictions on banking methods, with Interac being highly popular with Canadians but unavailable elsewhere. Likewise with POLi for Australia and New Zealand. This can work in reverse too, with the popular e-wallets in the online gambling market like Skrill and Neteller – both not available in Canada.
These restrictions can also apply to software developers, which is why US-focused casinos tend to favour RTG casino software, whereas European sites often have access to multiple major contributors like Microgaming, Netent and IGT casino software. Domestic online casinos in Canada are somewhat rare, but players from Canada are welcomed at most international casinos, and CAD is often a supported currency (AUD is slightly less commonly supported).
One of the top legal Canadian online casinos that caters to players from BC and MB is Playnow Casino, which has games by NetEnt, Microgaming, and IGT and is the best choice for online casino players from Canada.
The Casino Side
There’s also the casino games side of a site to consider. This is a little different as there are multiple major, and small, software developers providing an array of slot games, and a smaller selection of table games in both regular and live dealer formats. While some sites remain single developer, a lot of the best have games from multiple providers (sometimes even dozens of them) which can build a games catalogue of thousands rather than hundreds. Slots are the biggest draw and have the most games, though whether you opt for gigantic prizes from progressive jackpots or prefer to focus on getting the most bang for your buck with high RTP (return to player) slots is up to you.
Card games and roulette remain popular options and come with various differing rule sets and two main formats. These are regular games, which involve playing against the computer and live dealer, which integrates the convenience of playing from home or on the go. Note that not all sites will have a live dealer section. In addition to this, some casinos also offer virtual sports (commonly racing games and soccer), video poker, and bingo. Once again, what’s right for an individual player depends on their own particular interest. There’s a lot of variety, so don’t be afraid to take your time and browse the market.
Trust and Reputation
A lot of the above is quite subjective because the right sports betting casino for someone who loves slots and soccer might not be the place for a rugby and blackjack fan. However, trust and reputation is a much more objective matter, and if you can’t trust a site, you should not play there. But how do you find out if an online casino is kosher or ropey?
The first thing to do is check the bottom of the page, as almost all casinos with licences clearly indicate this at the base of every page. Some licences are worth rather more than others, with the UK Gambling Commission and Malta Gaming Authority top-tier, and Curacao rather less impressive. Second, if you’re thinking of signing up at a site just check forums or review sites and see what people are saying. If it’s been blacklisted for slow payouts, then it’s a site to miss, regardless of how tempting the bonuses might seem. Also, consider how customer service can be contacted, and whether support is available 24 hours a day (which matters a lot because if you’re an Australian or Canadian playing at a European casino the time differences can be significant).
Banking Methods
Winning’s delightful but it only really counts when the money is in your hand/bank account. Because of this, having a wide selection of supported financial methods is important, as both personal tastes and geographical restrictions can limit banking options (Interac, for example, is popular in Canada). Other methods (such as cryptocurrency) can be used pretty much everywhere.
Be aware that some sites are slower than others at processing withdrawals (it may not come as a shock that deposits tend to be rather quicker), and some online casinos attach processing fees (such fees can also come with particular methods inherently, a cost that does not change regardless of which site you pick).
Some casinos pursue a carrot rather than stick approach when it comes to encouraging players to use certain methods and avoid others, with special bonuses or improved match bonus rates for using certain banking options, such as Bitcoin promos in the USA or Interac advantages for Canadians.
Bonuses and Promotions
On both sides of a sports betting online casino there will likely be promotions aplenty to tempt you. Match deposit promos can double your bankroll, and free spins/free cash are always appealing. However, you have to bear in mind the other side of the balance sheet regarding terms and conditions. These primarily come in the form of wagering requirements and the withdrawal cap. The latter is an upper ceiling on bonus cash and associated winnings being withdrawn and might be around £100. Obviously, the higher this is the better.
The reverse is true for wagering requirements, which has 30x the value of a promotion as standard, and lower is better. The 30x refers to the total sum that must be bet prior to withdrawal so £10 in free cash with that rate would need total wagers of £300 to be made before withdrawing anything). This matters because a very onerous wagering requirement such as 200x for a free cash promo of £30 is much worse than a £10 free cash offer with a 30x wagering requirement. The higher requirement both increases the amount of time it takes to satisfy it and also worsens the odds of having any money to withdraw at the end. Don’t focus just on the flashy headline figure, look at the detail.
There can also be some unique sports betting bonuses/features that make betting somewhere worthwhile. These can be similar to casino promos (free bets, for example) but often more distinctive, such as getting your stake back on an accumulator bet if just one leg fails to come off. These promos may be sport-specific so, once again, the value of such promotions will be contingent on what your own particular interests are.
That ends our concise guide to finding the best sports betting online casino for you. There’s a lot to check, so take your time browsing the market to find the right place.
