Bookmakers are a fast-growing segment of the entertainment industry. While in their beginnings they offered services exclusively in brick-and-mortar establishments, with the development of the Internet they moved primarily to the online world. The main services that can be availed from these companies include sports betting, cultural and political events, online casino gaming and lottery betting.
There are several factors to consider before choosing the ideal bookmaker. The first step you should take before registering an account with any of the companies is a detailed research of the existing entities. Due to the large number of companies operating in the online world, you can use the SlothBet.com website as a springboard to better navigate this market.
Don’t be tempted by the first bonus offer you come across. This is just one of many factors you should consider when making your decision. Our many years of experience have taught us not to jump to conclusions. We have translated all our experience and knowledge into reviews of bookmakers, which should help you in the decision-making process. Our analysis of what distinguishes high-quality bookmakers from low-quality, i.e. fraudulent ones, includes several parameters. Among the most important are the ones listed below.
⚽ Sports offer
An obvious part of the offer of all bookmakers are the globally popular football, basketball or tennis. However, such an offer would satisfy only a few people, so most companies offer around 30-35 sports, including less popular ones such as floorball, futsal or water polo. Today, political (elections) or cultural events (the Oscars) are also a common part of the offer. Most bookmakers also respond to the growing popularity of esports with their offer. Some companies have even gone further and you can find with them sports specific only to a certain part of the world, for example sumo, kabaddi or surfing.
🏆 Offer of league competitions and tournaments
Of course, no one will be surprised to find listed odds for Premier League football, NBA basketball or tennis Grand Slam matches. But there are bettors who specialize in betting on lesser known and lower competitions. When browsing the offer of most bookmakers, you can come across, for example, tennis tournaments of the ITF or UTTR circuit, the 5th English football league or the Australian women’s basketball league. Then again, there are companies where you come across competitions you didn’t even know existed, such as the Myanmar Women’s Football League.
📊 Markets available
The offer of the most common types of bets (match result, over/under on the number of goals or both will score) is not lacking at any betting office. But the better ones offer a much wider selection of bets. There are alternative handicaps, bets on the number of games in tennis or statistical bets on the number of shots, number of fouls, goals/player points, etc. For the highest football competitions, you can expect up to over 200 types of bets, including bets on the percentage of ball possession, the number of cards, corners or fouls . But the offer differs from competition to competition. It is understandable that the English Premier League will offer more betting opportunities than the Brazilian 3rd league. The same is true of other sports, the offer in NBA basketball will be much more varied than in the case of the Philippine league, etc.
📈 Rate amounts and rate levels
The essence of odds betting is the amount of the odds. The higher the rate, the more you earn. So a great tactic is to have an account with several bookmakers and bet with the one that offers you the best odds. Unsurprisingly, the better the bookmaker, the higher the odds will be. The high level is mainly in the main markets of major sports competitions. It is not difficult to come across a 98% payout on the main Premier League market or a 96% payout on the winner of the match in the tennis Grand Slam final. The more marginal the competition and the market you are betting on, the lower the odds will be.
You can also recognize a good bookmaker by the amount of the margin. The equation applies here: lower margins = higher rates. The best bookmakers also offer a wide range of odds advantages and offers, such as matches with a zero margin, return of the deposit in case of a 0-0 draw, early payout of winnings when the team leads a football match by two goals, etc.
📶 Live betting
In the case of live betting, there is a noticeable difference between good bookmakers and average ones. The best ones make sure to offer high enough odds, a large number of competitions with many markets (lots of alternative handicaps, point-to-point bets, etc.). The better companies have a sufficient offer of live streams, quick acceptance of live tickets (2-3 seconds) and fast payout of winnings.
📱 Mobile betting (app)
At a time when 7 out of 10 punters use a mobile phone to bet, it is important that bookmakers offer responsive mobile sites. The best ones also develop their own mobile apps available for both iOS and Android. Thanks to fast and clear apps, the bettor can bet his ticket in seconds without needing anything other than his mobile phone.
📺 Live streams
One of the other major factors to consider these days is the online streaming offering. The offer of the best companies is incredibly varied. Popular football competitions such as Serie A or Bundesliga are a matter of course. But some bookmakers also provide broadcasts from less attractive competitions and tournaments.
💸 Cash out
For many bettors, cash out is an indispensable functionality. The best bookmakers therefore make sure to offer it, including partial or automatic cash out. Also important is how quickly the cash out request is accepted. In addition, cash out should be available until the last seconds of the match.
🎯 Bet Builder
Not all bookmakers offer the Bet Builder service. But the best ones make sure to offer it in a wide range of markets. This tool allows punters to create a ticket consisting of a combination of tips from the same match. As an example, let’s take the Premier League football match between Manchester City and Manchester Utd. Thanks to Bet Builder, you can place, for example, the result of matches, a bet on the number of corners and a bet on the goal scorer on one ticket. Some companies even offer this option as part of live betting.
📜 License
We get to the security section. An important factor when it comes to the bettor’s safety is the license that the company operating the bookmaker has. The most trusted operators are usually licensed by regulators such as the UKGC, MGA and GLA. The above authorities do not license fraudulent companies, so you are safe as a bettor. Another popular regulatory body that licenses good companies is the Curacao Gambling Authority.
🗣️ Experience of punters
Bettor confidence increases proportionally with fewer negative experiences from other bettors. The most trusted companies receive less negative feedback than the untrusted ones. This is caused by the fair solution policy, i.e. that they have high efficiency in fairly resolving disputes with their clients. Comments from other punters are available with each of our reviews.
🛑 Limits of successful bettors
Let’s be realistic. Bookmakers want to make money first and foremost. It is therefore no surprise that successful bettors are often limited. The analytical department of a bookmaker can detect a good bettor within a few bets. The vast majority of bookmakers that focus on recreational bettors react by limiting deposits. However, there are exceptions where successful bettors do not expect limits, or it is not such a drastic restriction that it would completely discourage a successful bettor.
💁 Customer support
The satisfaction of the bookmaker’s clients can be determined by the quality of its customer support. If insufficiently trained workers are hired for these positions, long queues will form in the online chat. Employees who are not very willing to change will make punters reluctant to deal with anything with support and prefer to change the company.
Key support features include 24/7 support, ability to communicate in multiple world languages, and speed of problem resolution. Quality bookmakers offer several channels that can be used to communicate with support, e.g. online chat, phone, e-mail or contact form.
