How to Place a Sports Bet

An obviously important part of sports betting is the actual
placing of wagers with a bookmaker. This is a simple enough
process that involves first of all making your selection and
then choosing how much to stake. That is pretty much all there
is to it, but there’s a reason why our beginner’s guide
includes an entire article dedicated to the act of placing a
bet.

As part of the process, you also have to choose how and where
to place your bet, because there are a number of
different ways to bet with a bookmaker. You can do it over the
telephone, for example, or use the Internet. In some parts of
the world, there are bookmaking shops you can visit to bet in
cash, and many casinos have sportsbooks where you can do the
same.

In this article, we briefly explain each of the different
methods for placing wagers with a bookmaker.

Telephone Betting Services

Telephone betting services are available at many bookmakers.
Using them is very straightforward: you just make a call to your
bookmaker and let him know the details of any wagers you wish to
place. He will confirm the odds for your wagers at the time.

Typically, you’ll be expected to pay for your wagers using
a debit or credit card. There may be alternative payment methods
available, and some bookmakers will even offer credit to
customers.

Bookmaking Shops

Bookmaking shops are very common in some regions, such as the
United Kingdom. To place a bet in these shops, you simply go up
to the counter with a completed betting slip and hand your cash
over. The cashiers will confirm the odds if they aren’t already on
display in the shop.

To claim a payout for a successful bet, you must present your
winning betting slip to the cashier. You’ll usually be paid
out in cash unless you have won a huge amount, in which case an
alternative method may be used.

Casino Sportsbooks

Sportsbooks in casinos are essentially the same as bookmaking
shops, just the location is different. They are very common in
Las Vegas casinos, because Nevada is the only American state offering
legalized gambling on all major sports.

You’ll find sportsbooks in pretty much all the big casinos in
Vegas, usually with lots of big screens showing all kinds of
sporting events. These screens are also used to display odds and
lines for upcoming events.

Online Bookmakers

The easiest way to place a bet these days is to use a betting
site or online bookmaker. Ever since the first sites started
online at the end of the 20th century, Internet sports betting
has become incredibly popular. There are now hundreds of
bookmakers on the web used by millions of people around the
world.

These online bookmakers are incredibly easy to use. Once you
have opened an account and have deposited some funds, you can
place any bet you want with just a few clicks. Most betting
sites cover a huge range of sports and events, and some are very
competitive in terms of the odds and lines they offer. They even
offer bonuses and rewards just for depositing and betting with
them.

For more information on sports betting online, including our
recommendations for the top betting sites, please see our
dedicated section on the subject.

Now that you know about the different ways to place bets, it’s time to learn more about other fundamental aspects of sports
betting. The next article in this beginner’s guide covers a very
important topic: odds.