So you have been following your favorite sport for a while and have thought about using an online sportsbook to bet on several of the games. You probably went online and did some searches and found a whole lot of sportsbooks, each claiming to be the top, and after that become confused and overwhelmed at the sheer range of choices around. You looked at the pros and cons of each one, and after that you probably started getting second thoughts because you’ve heard that you will find some companies online that are less than reputable. And you could be right. The final thing you want is to bet money with some company that will not pay you if you win.

So what steps can one take to choose a legitimate online sportsbook?

The first thing is to make certain the company covers the sport(s) you want to bet on. Not everybody offers every sport. This probably sounds obvious, but it’s worth mentioning.

The second thing you want to do is ensure the site you are considering is financially stable. Consider it like this; with all the money which is being transferred into and out of this kind of organization, you want to make sure they have enough assets to stay in business. It’s similar to like a bank. Would you get an account at a bank that was running out of cash? If the company is public you may check their books. If they are not public, you can still try and find out how long they have been in business and speak to people and see should they are honest and prompt with their payouts.

Number three: check their reputation online. If you’re reading this article then you are probably already comfortable going online. Find some active sports betting forums and see what people there have to say. Pay attention to who the reviews are blog post from files.hcuc.edu.gh and try and screen for fake reviews (some companies put up fake positive reviews to try and make themselves look great).

Finally, start small. You could be used to making big bets, but when you are working with a new sportsbook for the first time, it’s better to make use of a small sum of money just in the event something goes wrong. Once you feel comfortable dealing with them you may start betting more if you want.

Remember that betting on sports should only be done with money you may afford to lose, and if you feel like you may have an issue, there are organizations that will help.