Sports Betting Mobile Apps – – How to Bet Right from Your Smartphone

Sports betting has long been living in the shadows in the United States, but the times are changing. Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision to strike down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in May of 2018, states have gained the power to decide whether they want to legalize and regulate sports betting. For decades, Nevada has been the only state in the union with fully legal sports betting. Now, other states are getting in on the fun.

The rise of sports betting has naturally led to a burgeoning mobile sports betting industry, as well. Just about every legitimate gambling operator offers mobile betting options in addition to any land-based or internet operation that already exists. If you’re in a state that offers legal sports betting, you should have little issue finding the best sports betting apps available to place your bets.

Mobile sports betting is becoming an incredibly competitive industry, and more and more operators are popping up all the time. What are some things you need to know if you’re just getting started with your mobile sports betting career?

Finding the Right Site

As mentioned, you will likely have a bevy of options at your disposal if you’re in a state that offers legalized sports betting. Heading down to a real-life casino may make for a fun time, but not everyone has time to hit up a casino in the middle of the week. That’s where mobile betting comes in. Nowadays, you can place real, legal bets on your mobile device, and whatever winnings you earn will be credited to your account and available for withdrawal.

Finding the right site is the first step. Not all betting sites are created equal. Obviously, you will want to find a site that offers the kinds of odds you’re looking for. If you want to bet on the NFL, for example, finding a site that offers traditional betting options (point spread, moneyline, over/under, etc.) in addition to other options like prop bets, futures betting, and live in-game betting is likely important to you.

Different sites have different odds. While most odds for the same game will look similar, there may be slight differences from site-to-site. So, doing some line shopping in order to find the most competitive odds can be beneficial to your long-term bottom line.

Sites will also offer various bonuses to first-time and returning customers. These sites want your business, so they want to sweeten the pot in order to get you to sign up. Just about every competitive sports betting site offers a first-time deposit bonus, which means they will match your first deposit up to a certain percentage. You can then use those additional funds to place bets on the site. You can’t just withdraw the bonus money, but you can certainly withdraw whatever winnings said money helps you achieve. Sites will also offer “reload” bonuses for any additional deposits you may make, and some will offer bonuses for special events like the Super Bowl, World Series or World Cup. Some bonuses are more generous than others, so find a site that gives you plenty of incentive to join.

Download and Deposit

As mentioned, most sports betting sites offer corresponding mobile apps that you can download straight to your smartphone or tablet. You’ve almost surely used a smartphone if you’re reading this, so I don’t really need to tell you how to download an app from your phone’s app store.

After opening the app, you’ll be prompted to sign up for the site, or you can sign in if you happen to have an existing account. In order to start betting, you’ll need to fund your account. So, find the “deposit” icon that should be readily available on the app’s home screen. Legitimate sports betting sites these days afford users several options when it comes to depositing. The most common method by far is via credit or debit card. Just enter the pertinent information and your account should be credited with said funds instantly. Just about every major credit card (American Express, Visa, etc.) should work.

You may also use an eWallet like PayPal, Skrill or Neteller to deposit if you so choose. PayPal was essentially the original online e-money service, and it can be used to deposit or withdraw money in most markets that offer legal online betting. Cryptocurrency is growing quickly, and these days the best mobile sports betting sites do offer users the chance to deposit via Bitcoin if that’s your cup of tea.

Fast Payouts

So, you’ve deposited your money and you’re ready to roll. Now comes the fun part where you actually get to place your bets. The odds themselves should be easy to find if you’re using a top-tier sports betting app. All you have to do is select the game on which you want to wager and choose how you want to bet (point spread, etc.).

The best sites nowadays pride themselves on offering fast payouts to winning customers. So, if you place a winning bet, you can expect your online account to reflect those winnings incredibly quickly. The very best sites will pay out your winnings within a couple of hours of the game’s conclusion, while just about all of them will give you your money within 24 hours of your win. If your site hasn’t credited your account within 24 hours, you’ll probably want to find a better site.

More On the Way

If mobile sports betting is not yet legal in your state, you likely won’t have to wait very long until it is. As of this writing, 11 states are now accepting legal wagers. In addition to Nevada, the states with legal online sports betting are West Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Rhode Island, Delaware, Arkansas, New Mexico, and Iowa and Mississippi.

A handful of other states have signed legalized sports betting into law, but betting has not yet gone live. Those states are Montana, Indiana, Tennessee, New Hampshire, Illinois, and North Carolina. Washington D.C. fits into this tier, too. Several other states – including California, Ohio, Texas and Arizona – have started to see movement on the issue in recent months. Legalization could be coming in the years ahead.

Some states have been very slow, however. Alaska, Nebraska, Wyoming, Wisconsin, Idaho, and Florida all have laws in place that prohibit sports betting. Those laws would need to be amended or struck down entirely before legal betting would be allowed. None of the states have any bills in the works with plans to repeal those laws, so residents in those states may be waiting a while. Utah actually has an anti-gambling stance written into its own constitution, so any pro-gambling movement in Utah would go against decades of opposition to all forms of betting.

If sports betting isn’t yet legal where you live, you may not have to wait too long until it is.

Conclusion

Placing sports bets from your mobile device has never been easier than it is today. With the way legal sports betting is spreading across the United States, we are likely to see countless more sportsbooks and mobile apps pop up in the months and years to come. It won’t be long until sports betting is legal in the majority of the United States, which should make it all the more convenient for you to get in on the fun.