How to Bet Online for Real Money in 2024

No matter what sporting events you enjoy watching, whether it’s football, baseball, hockey, horse racing, or even esports, there are plenty of betting opportunities out there for you to take advantage of.

Real money sports betting online is extremely popular, and it’s easier than ever before thanks to advanced technology and increased internet access for people everywhere. And with how diversified some sports have made their available betting options, you can use your own knowledge to give you an extra advantage over other bettors.

Keep reading this page to learn more about real money sports betting, the top sports betting sites, different sports you can bet on, and much more information surrounding online sports betting!

Top Real Money Sports Betting Sites for 2024

Below is a list of our top real money sports betting sites that we recommend:

Each one of these sports betting sites listed above are guaranteed to provide you with a superior betting experience that will keep both your personal and financial information safe and secure.

How to Sign Up and Play With an Online Sportsbook

New to betting on sports for real money online? You may be wondering what the process looks like from start to finish. This is nothing to fear, and it’s actually quite simple if you have all the information you will need ready to go.

Signing up and betting on sports online for real money can be broken down into a few simple steps:

• Choosing a Sports Betting Website
• Creating Your Sports Betting Account
• Choosing a Banking Option
• Depositing Money
• Placing Your Bets

Choosing a Sports Betting Website

Choosing a sports betting site that best suits you is the first and most important step on your path to becoming a successful sports bettor. Not every online sportsbook is going to have the same bet types and betting odds on specific sport matchups. So, always make sure you shop around and compare the different types of bets and betting odds that each sportsbook offers.

Aside from the offered bet types and betting odds, there are some other factors you should consider when choosing a sports betting site:

• Banking options
• User interface
• Website security
• Betting promotions

To save yourself time, feel free to choose one of the sports betting sites we recommended above. They have each gone through our expert review process and are guaranteed to provide you with a safe and exciting real money online betting experience.

Creating Your Sports Betting Account

Once you have selected your preferred sports betting site or sites, you are ready to create your account. For this step, you will be asked to provide some basic personal information:

• Your full legal name
• Your birthday
• Your email
• Your phone number
• Your physical address
• Your desired account password

Once you have entered in all of the information the sports betting site is asking for, accept the terms and conditions (after reading them), and create your account.

Choosing A Banking Option

Now that you have created your account, you will need to choose a banking option that best suits you. Most real money betting sites provide a wide selection of these, including some of the more popular payment methods, such as:

• Cryptocurrency
• Credit cards
• Cash deposits

After you pick which banking option you will be depositing money with, the site will ask you to make your first deposit. You can always change your deposit method later on, so choose one that is most convenient for you at the time.

Depositing Money

Now that you have your desired deposit method selected, it’s time to deposit some money into your sports betting account. Depending on the deposit method you chose, you will need to provide additional details.

This includes details about your payment method along with how much money you want to deposit. Most sports betting sites have a minimum deposit that is allowed, which tends to be right around the $50 mark. They also have a maximum deposit allowed, which differs greatly between different real money betting sites.

With betting on sports for money, comes the natural chance of losing your bets, and consequently, your money. Therefore, you never want to wager more than you can afford to lose.

And you can always make more deposits when needed, so don’t feel like you need to make a massive initial deposit to get you started.

Placing Your Bets

You have officially selected a sports betting site, made an account, and deposited some money. All that is left to do is begin placing your bets!

When you enter your sports betting site’s sportsbook page, it should look similar to this:

The list of different sports that you can bet on is highlighted in red on the left. To begin filling out a bet slip, all you need to do is click into the specific sport you want to bet on.

For example, let’s say that you wanted to bet on some upcoming baseball games. You would click on the baseball section, which would open up another menu of different baseball leagues and specific bet types you can bet on.

For this example, we are going to open up the MLB sportsbook.

As you can see, the sportsbook immediately displays the different upcoming games (more on the site when you scroll down). It also shows the different types of bets that you can make.

Placing your bets is super simple. All you need to do is click on the box you want to bet on. For example, if you wanted to bet on the Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Nationals to win their games, as well as take the under on the game between the Chicago White Sox and the Detroit Tigers, then you would select the highlighted boxes:

Once you select your bets, they will be added to your betting slip where you will finalize the amount you want to wager on each one.

Once you’re all set, you can place your bets and enjoy watching the games! Be sure to check back into your sports betting account afterward to see how well you did.

Real Money Sportsbooks You Need to Avoid

Unfortunately, there are a lot of untrustworthy online sportsbooks out there that are looking to scam you of your hard-earned money. These sites are not real online sportsbooks and should be avoided at all costs when it comes to betting real money on sports. Here are a few examples:

In order to avoid these fake online sportsbooks, it’s important to know what some of the red flags are. After all, these sites are likely to go out of their way in order to appear real and trustworthy when they are anything but that in reality.

The first warning sign you should look for is the lack of information given on the site about where they are registered. If you can’t find this information on the site itself, then there’s no real reason to believe that they are operating legitimately.

Another warning sign is ridiculous offers that seem too good to be true. If an online sportsbook is claiming that they will hand out free money with no obligation from you, then you can assume it’s a scam.

The last warning sign we would like to point out is a lack of customer service. If an online real money sportsbook does not have a support page, email address, or customer service phone number for you to contact them with, then it is most likely fake.

If you see any signs like these on the real money sportbook that you are looking at using, it would be wise to avoid using them. To make this even easier, feel free to check out our list of blacklisted gambling sites.

Most Profitable Sports You Can Bet On

There are a ton of different sports that you can bet on online, however, they all offer different betting opportunities in regards to profitability.

Some of the most profitable sports you can bet on include:

• Football
• Basketball
• Baseball
• Esports

Popular Types of Sports Bets

When it comes to real money sports betting, there are many different bet types that you can choose to use. While some are more simple and designed for beginner bettors, others are more difficult to win but come with the added benefit of paying out more money.

Some of the most popular types of sports bets include:

• Moneyline Bets
• Total Bets
• Parlay Bets
• Prop Bets

Moneyline Bets

Moneyline bets are the most basic type of sports bet out there. When you place a moneyline bet, all that is required for you to win is to correctly bet on the winning team. There are no other factors involved in this type of bet other than how much you wager.

Moneyline bets can be found on nearly every sport: football, basketball, baseball, and even Esports. For a moneyline bet, each team in the matchup is given odds, with one team being favored to win and the other considered the underdog.

Team	Moneyline
New York Rangers	+115
Washington Capitals	-135

Betting on the team favored to win is a safer bet but does not offer a lucrative payout. Winning bets on the underdog are less common and return a larger payout for the risk.

Total Bets

Total bets, also known as over/under bets, are another popular and basic type of sports bet. For total bets, a projected total number of points, scores, or goals is given to a matchup by the online sportsbook. You then place your wager on whether you think the actual score will be higher or lower than the project points.

Team	Total	Odds
Kansas City Chiefs	49.5o	-110
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	495.u	-110

In this example, the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is given a projected total of 49.5 (half points are included to avoid the possibility of a push, or tie, where all bettors are returned their original wagers).

If you were to bet on the over for this game, then you would need the total score to be 50 points or higher. If you were betting on the under, you would need the total score to be 49 points or fewer.

The outcome of these bets can be affected by many external factors, such as bad weather, injured players, and even poor coaching decisions.

Parlay Bets

Parlay bets are a type of bet that requires you to place multiple wagers on the same sports matchup. To win your parlay, all individual picks must be correct and in order for this to happen they must exceed the projected odds set by the online betting sites.

Parlays with larger returns require a fair amount of risk for the bettor.

Prop Bets

Prop bets are one of the most exciting types of sports bets there is, and they add a unique twist to your viewing experience.

Prop bets are different for nearly every sport or match, but they can be anything from the total length of an NBA game to who will score the first touchdown in a football game. The possibilities are endless when it comes to prop bets, and that’s what makes them so much fun!

Live Sports Betting for Real Money

When trying to win money betting on sports, live betting is another exciting and popular type of sport bet. As the name suggests, you are making bets on aspects of the sport while the game, matchup, or race is being played out.

Live sports bets can be placed in real time and do not require any waiting or delay. This makes live betting an ideal option for bettors who want to place their wagers immediately after seeing the matchup, instead of having to wait until it is finished to see if they won. Live bets are also popular among professional sports bettors who are good at predicting outcomes and trends in specific sports.

Live betting is not offered at all sports betting sites. Those who do offer live betting may limit the type of live bets they accept, or only allow live betting on certain sports.

The live betting lines you see when placing live bets are constantly changing, which means you need to stay on your toes and get in position to make a bet while there is still a line that makes sense. There’s absolutely no guarantee that live betting odds will be available for much longer than what you see them.

If live sports betting interests you, take the time to learn more about it before jumping in and making real money bets left and right.

Sports Betting Odds Explained

If you have not spent much time navigating your way around a sports betting site, then you may be a bit confused when you see all the different numbers associated with a matchup. Luckily, we are here to help.

Whenever you are placing bets on a sports betting site, you may see individual or teams’ betting odds represented in one of three ways:

• American Odds
• Decimal Odds
• Fractional Odds

American Odds

American odds are the most common way for sportsbooks to display betting odds. These odds represent returns relative to $100 as the base wager. Here is an example of what American betting odds look like:

Team	Betting Odds
Atlanta Braves	-225
Colorado Rockies	+165

In this example, the Atlanta Braves are being given odds of -225, while the Colorado Rockies are sitting with odds at +165. Teams with the negative (-) betting odds are considered the favorite to win their matchup, while teams with positive (+) betting odds are considered underdogs.

Decimal Odds

Decimal odds are another way that online sportsbooks will represent returns. In sports betting, decimal odds are used to convert American odds into a fairer format. This is most common in Europe, Australia, and Canada.

Decimal odds are similar to American odds, only the numbers represent returns that are relative to a $1 bet rather than $100. This makes it easier to calculate your actual payout for winning bets.

Using the same example as before, here is what the decimal odds look like for the same matchup between the Braves and Rockies:

Team	Betting Odds
Atlanta Braves	1.44
Colorado Rockies	2.65

Fractional Odds

Fractional odds are mostly used in the UK and throughout Ireland, and the returns for them are considered difficult to understand. The fractional odds for the matchup above would look like this:

Team	Betting Odds
Atlanta Braves	4/9
Colorado Rockies	33/20

Sports Betting Bonuses

One thing that all sports bettors have in common is their love for betting bonuses. These sports betting bonuses can be extremely beneficial to bettors, and can help you capitalize on your winning bets while also recovering from your losing bets. And the best part is that all of the best sports betting sites on the market offer them.

For example, MyBookie is a great online sportsbook that offers some of the best and most popular betting bonuses, such as:

• Deposit Bonuses
• Reload Bonuses
• Cashback Bonuses

Deposit Bonuses

A deposit bonus is perhaps the most common sports betting bonus that real money online sportsbooks offer. A deposit bonus is when the sports betting site matches a certain percentage of your initial deposit in order to give you a bigger starting bankroll.

For example, say you made an initial $100 real money deposit at MyBookie and were given their standard 100% deposit bonus. They would match your $100, and give you a starting budget of $200.

Some sites even offer to match over 100% of your first deposit, with a maximum deposit limit that they will match. And while initial deposits are generally the only time an online sportsbook will match you fully, they have been known to run promotional deposit bonuses for specific types of payment methods, such as Bitcoin.

Reload Bonuses

A reload bonus is similar to a deposit bonus, only it applies to specific deposits that you make after your initial one. These bonuses are typically much smaller than initial deposit bonuses, and not every sports betting site offers them year round.

For example, MyBookie periodically offers a reload bonus to existing customers that offers to match 25% of any deposits worth up to $500. This is one way that an online sportsbook keeps you interested in betting and helps you fund your betting activity.

Cashback Bonuses

Cashback bonuses, which are also known as rakeback or rebate promotions, are a less common, but well received type of sports betting bonus. These bonuses are used to earn a percentage of your wager back on losing bets or based on the commission the sportsbook earned from your bet. Therefore, the more money you wager, the more you can expect to get back from a loss.

This is a great way for bettors to take a little extra risk on what could be a very profitable bet. It also helps to keep your bankroll from draining too quickly.

Real Money Sports Betting Apps

With the large number of people that are betting on mobile devices, it only makes sense for sports betting sites to create apps to make the experience even more convenient for bettors.

Using real money betting apps is not only a great way to quickly find your preferred sportsbook, but they also offer several other benefits as well, such as:

• Convenience
• Shopping for Lines
• User-Friendly

Convenience

Not everyone has the time to sit at a computer and shop, then deposit money into their sportsbook account. A real money sports betting app lets bettors log in quickly, find odds on which they want to bet, and make their wagers fast.

Shopping for Lines

One of the best things about real money sports betting apps is that you can quickly shop around for the best betting odds. This is especially true if you have betting accounts with more than one sports betting site and have multiple apps downloaded to your mobile device.

User-Friendly

Sportsbooks have made it so easy to use real money betting apps, even the most technologically challenged bettors can easily download and navigate through their real money sports betting app with ease. Find what you need, when you need it using sports betting apps.

History of Real Money Sports Betting Legality

The history of real money sports betting can be traced back as far as the 1800s when betting on horse races began to pave the path for sports betting as we know it today. While real money sports betting is easily accessible today, it has not always been the case.

Before sports betting became available for common citizens, only those who could afford to bet high amounts were allowed to do so. And even though sports betting was known to be happening, there was a lack of specific laws surrounding the practice. But it was still considered illegal throughout the 1800s and well into the 1900s.

Despite real money sports betting being around for more than a century, it wasn’t until the late 20th century that real money sports betting became available to anyone who wanted to place a bet.

The laws surrounding sports betting finally began to loosen in the 1960s with the passing of the Interstate Wire Act of 1961, which aimed to eliminate illegal bookie operations. This led to Nevada becoming recognized as the best state for real money sports betting — something they had publicly legalized in 1931.

As sports betting popularity grew in Nevada, other states became interested in legalizing the practice. This eventually led to the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) which banned sports betting throughout the US, with the exception of four states that had already established legal operations.

Fast forward to today, and more than two dozen states in the US have legalized sports betting – though some only allow for in-person betting rather than online. This still hasn’t stopped it from becoming one of the biggest industries in the world.

US Sports Betting

In the US, individual states have been making the decision to legalize sports betting. While some allow sports betting to take place in person and online, others only allow it to be done at a physical sportsbook.

Currently, these states allow for sports betting online:

• Arizona
• Colorado
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Michigan
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Tennessee
• Virginia
• West Virginia
• Wyoming

These states require sports betting to be in-person only:

• Arkansas
• Mississippi
• Montana
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• South Dakota
• Washington

Discover More About Online Betting for Money

Top Sports Betting Sites

Feel ready to take on the sports betting world? Check out this page to find the top sports betting sites to wager with.

Sports Betting Essentials

If you are looking for even more information on sports betting, then you have to check out our sports betting essentials page. It is equipped with all of the vital information you need to know to be a successful sports bettor.

Sports Betting Beginner’s Guide

Still new to sports betting? No problem! Check out our sports betting beginner’s guide to get started on the right foot.

Real Money Sports Betting FAQ