Betting is serious business. And the World Cup is a serious tournament. What all of us need to combine those two passions, football and betting, is a reliable bookmaker with good odds, lots of side bets, some free bets, live betting, and generally a lot of action. Of course, the bookmaker also needs to be reliable when it comes to payments and when it comes to settling disputes. To identify these you’ll read some sportsbook reviews and find what’s best for you. So, what matters when choosing a sportsbook?
Bet selection
The first and the most important aspect of any sportsbook is bet selection. We need a bookmaker that has those bets we normally want to take, and doesn’t force us to choose something else only because our desired bet isn’t offered. So, the more, the merrier. You don’t want bookies that strangle you by not letting you choose your favorite bet, one example is Bet365, a poor fit for anyone who wants to bet that a tennis player will win at least one set, for the simple reason that they’re not offering that type of bet.
Design and feel
Again, an often overlooked part of any bookmaker is how do you feel while playing there. In a strategic game such as betting, that involves a lot of thinking, decisions, psychology, and a lot of other intangibles, the simple choice of color on a website may mean the difference between you winning or losing. We all know that we tend to do better at some bookmakers and can’t win a bet on others, and it’s no accident. Stick to the one where you’re winning and don’t try to “win back” the money from a book where you’re losing.
Live betting, Cash out
In modern age, live betting is a must-have, as well as the cash out feature that lets you abandon a bet by taking a partial loss, or lets you cash out your winnings early by surrendering only a few percent of your wins. This allows for flexibility in your betting, and again, it’s the same argument – we don’t want a bookie that strangles us. If you want to cash out, you need to be able to.
Reliability and reputability
You don’t want to play at a bookmaker where you’re not sure you’ll get your money when you win big. Read bookmaker reviews, trust other players when they same some bookie is no good, and be wise. But also dare to explore new bookmakers, just because they’re new doesn’t mean they’re not reliable. Often times, these sportsbooks will go out of their way to keep you as a customer, in shape of bonuses and other retention offers.
We didn’t say much about the World Cup actually, but these are the traits which you want in a bookmaker that will get the honor of you placing your World Cup bets there. As far as we’re concerned, the best bookmaker for the World Cup is Betfair Sports. This one ticks all of the above boxes, offers a huge selection of bets, and is as reliable as a bookmaker can possibly be.