BEST BOOKMAKERS 2020

Who is the best bookmaker for me?

That’s a tough question to answer. Luckily for you, there is absolutely no shortage of possibilities. As more and more people have access to the internet, it logically follows that a veritable parade of online sports-betting providers will climb over each other to get your business. In the past decade or so, we here at Bettingformat have seen an almost exponential growth in the number of available online bookmakers. In efforts to outdo each other, bookies have opened the floodgates of betting markets like no other time in recorded history. In order to retain current customers and attract new players, bookmakers have enacted any number of loyalty and welcome programs in their portfolios. How does one make sense of this beautiful, dense jungle of opportunities? How does one overcome the paralysis-by-analysis of having so many options? The enlightened reader (read: you) finds his or her way to Bettingformat! We help you navigate the dizzying array of betting providers by subjecting the most promising candidates to a rigorous testing regimen in order to provide you with rock-solid, impartial advice to assist you in your search for a new bookie. We strongly encourage you to consult our bookmaker reviews before you invest your time, money and trust in a bookmaker.

What are Bettingformat’s criteria for evaluating bookmakers?

We took a long, hard look at every bookmaker on our website and put them through their paces to ensure you a pleasant wagering experience. We’ve found that bookmakers often differ wildly on matters ranging payback percentages to payment options all the way to user-friendliness. After thinking long and hard about the most important criteria, we assembled a list of testing points and applied it to each and every bookmaker on our site.

The bookmakers were evaluated by the following criteria:

Betting Offers

We scrutinized the bookmakers with an eye on their betting markets and betting variants. We wanted to know which sports, leagues, betting markets and special betting opportunities each betting provider has on offer. We were interested not only in quantity, but also in the quality of the betting offers.

Live Bets

Live bets are becoming increasingly popular and as such bookmakers have trotted out innumerable live betting options. Some of the bookmakers do it better than others, so we decided this was an important testing point for our evaluation. We looked at the ease of placing live bets and the responsiveness of the bookmakers’ online platforms.

Livebetting at 22bet

Gambling Odds

Of course, gambling odds is one of the most decisive factors when considering a bookmaker. We track the bookmakers’ odds to see who’s giving the most favorable odds and who’s being a little tight-fisted when it comes payback percentages. We also want to know if a bookmaker’s attractive odds are a one-off or if they consistently offer favorable betting-lines or if they tend to specialize on certain sports.

With Bettingformat's odds comparison feature, you'll never miss the best odds!

Betting Bonus

Almost all bookmakers offer bonuses for new customers. Typically, these come in the form of matching funds on initial deposits or betting bonuses for new customers. All too often, these bonuses are little more than lip-service and are practically impossible to win. That’s why we’ve included betting bonuses into our bookmaker evaluation criteria – we highlight bookmakers whose bonuses are attractive AND achievable.

User-friendliness

What’s the point of having the best odds on interesting betting markets when you literally can’t figure out WHERE TO PLACE THE BET!? This hair-pulling dilemma has motivated us to examine the interface of the bookmaker’s website and, when possible, their app. We look for clarity in the optics, ease-of-use and intuitiveness on the bookmaker’s platforms. We ask and answer the fundamental question: Is it easy to place a bet or not?

Payment Methods

No money, no fun. That statement may be the truest of truisms when it comes to sports betting. We emptied and then filled our wallets, credit cards, cryptocurrencies and vouchers all to determine how to make that process seamless for you. Interestingly, there always seemed to be more ways to DEPOSIT money rather than COLLECT money. That might be the second truest of truisms in betting! We investigated all the money-moving possibilities from direct deposit via PayPal to your friend Mike promising to pay us back next week. We’ll take PayPal in that situation. In our bookmaker reviews, we present both deposit and withdrawal options available from each bookmaker to help you avoid any nasty surprises.

Customer Service

This is the one facet of our review that most people would rather not think about. Customer service is usually associated with something going wrong and nobody has time for that. We admire those of you who chose to resolve issues by reading through our FAQs or by arguing in online forums. Sometimes even the best of us need expert support – enter the customer service department. In our survey, we tested customer service centers on criteria such as accessibility, service times, competence and language support.

Which bookmakers have the best bonus offers?

Most bookmakers offer bonuses that with some skill and luck, you can convert into actual money. Typically, we see two types of bonuses quite frequently – the no-deposit bonus and the welcome bonus. The first category of bonus bets is called the no-deposit bet (also known as the free bet). A bookmaker will simply add an amount of money directly into your betting account. You can read more about these bets by following the link below.

Professionalism

We stake our reputation on the bookmakers we endorse, so you’re not going to find a dud in this respect on this site. If our basic requirements of security and trustworthiness are not met, we discontinue the test and drop the bookmaker. In our reports, you’ll find information about where the bookmakers are licensed, legal considerations and relevant organizational background.

The second category of common bonuses is the welcome bonus. These offers come in all shapes and sizes with the most common being a pledge by the bookmaker to match some significant percentage of your initial deposit. Many of these offers have eye-popping, shouty numbers associated with them, something along the lines of ‘200% of your first deposit!’ All too often, the terms and conditions of these welcome offers make them practically impossible to win. We look behind the curtain and give you the straight information if a bookmaker’s offer is too good to be true. We know the sting of unpleasant surprises and we’d like to help you avoid them!

Summary

After assessing each bookmaker on the eight points explained above, we present our findings in the form of a compact summary. We do this to ensure our reports are comprehensible and each bookmaker is measured and represented equally. You can always read the full bookmaker reports by simply clicking on the ‘Review and experiences’ link to the right of each bookie in the list above.

Our Bookmaker test review for 1xbet:

Which betting provider offers the best gambling odds?

The odds are the beating heart of any profitable bet, so it’s no great surprise that bookmakers would love to coax you into placing bets that favor THEM and not YOU. Thankfully, you are prepared for this because you know about our odds comparison feature. We compile and impartially feature the most lucrative betting-lines from over 70 bookmakers to help you make the most profitable decision. You could spend half a day jumping from bookmaker page to bookmaker page looking for the best odds, or you could click over to our odds comparison page and get a bird’s-eye view of the best odds. Our odds comparison feature is updated in real-time so you’ll know you’re seeing the best possible price-to-payout option available at any given time. Give it a try! As always, GOOD LUCK!

Bookmaker Comparison

As a special feature provided by Bettingformat, you can also compare two bookmakers of your choice in a head-to-head comparison. At a glance, you’ll see how each bookmaker rated in the categories important to you. Again, you can always find supplemental information in our bookmaker reviews.

Bookmaker Comparison

What else goes into the evaluation process?

We would like to point out that our bookmaker reviews are updated to reflect improvements (or backslides) on the bookies’ sites. The subject of a snapshot today could look radically different in 5 months, so we review and update our reports to maintain an accurate depiction of the bookmaker. We feel that the best overall bookmakers are the ones who score strongly across all categories. What’s the benefit of fantastic betting markets when the odds are pathetically low? This is exactly why the overall ratings are so important to consider in your search for a sports-betting provider. Choosing the right provider is half the battle. You’ll also want to know when is the right time to strike and place your bets. That’s where our odds comparison feature comes in handy – our experts offer their betting advice along with a continuously updated overview of the current best betting-lines. You are by no means limited to just one bookie in life, so it can REALLY pay to enroll with a few reputable bookmakers. Our experience and your wits make for a devastating one-two punch!