Complete Guide to Real Money Betting Sites in 2024

The world of sports betting can be inviting, fun and financially rewarding. The latter part is where real money sports betting comes in, as you can convert your sports betting knowledge into major profit by making the right bets.

Betting on sports is thrilling by itself, but with a range of betting sites online, bettors can put their hard-earned cash on the line for a chance to make more money back.

Doing so should never come without a little hesitance, however, as not every sports betting website you’ll stumble across is worth putting your trust into.

That’s what this page exists for; to break down real money gambling, and show bettors where they can safely wager real cash and potentially win big.

Brick and Mortar vs. Online Sportsbooks

The first thing to consider when you look at real money sports betting is where you plan on putting your cash.

No matter what you decide, safety and reputation should take precedence, as you never want to risk your cash with a site that has no intention of rewarding you when you win a wager.

Remember, you’re not just trying to win money by betting on sports; you’re risking your own cash to place that bet in the first place.

Online Betting is Convenient

While safety leads the way when dealing with actual cash being exchanged, people also bet online because it’s quick and easy.

Going to the casino or a sportsbook to place a bet gives you a type of atmosphere you won’t find anywhere else, but it also requires you actually going to these places.

Using sports betting sites allows you to place your bet, watch the sporting event you’re wagering on and get your winnings – all without ever leaving your house!

Shopping For Lines

Another huge benefit to real money betting sites is the ability to shop lines. Odds can be quite influential to how bettors wager their cash, as some sites offer more lucrative odds than others.

Shopping for these lines alone can be fun, as you can compare the top betting sites and locate the absolute best betting value.

For example, your main brick and mortar sportsbook may list the Patriots as -250 favorites. Your favorite sports betting site might have them at -225. Perhaps a third has them at -220 and so forth.

Maximizing betting value is key when it comes to sports betting, and it isn’t something you can really do in person at a sportsbook. When placing wagers in person, you’re left with the odds and wagers on hand. Betting money online gives you numerous options to consider.

Real Money Betting Options Available

Speaking of options, the world of sports betting is wide open. There isn’t really a limit on what types of bets you can place or which sporting events you can wager on.

Before you actually place a bet, be sure to read up on what wagers are available to you. This goes back to having a rolodex of betting sites to lean on, as some sites offer superior odds, but may not always necessarily offer the best list of wagers.

Finding that perfect middle ground is ideal when searching for your main go-to betting site.

Bettors have a litany of options available to them, starting with the basic wager types that pretty much every betting site offers:

These are some of the most basic sports wagers you’ll come across and you can find these for virtually every sport that you can bet money on.

In short, the point spread allows you to bet money on whether a team will win or lose by a given amount of points, the moneyline sets a price for you to pick a winner and the Total refers to the total amount of points scored in a given contest.

Totals can also be applied to player prop bets as well as other team futures (win totals, etc).

Another common wager type is live betting, which puts these common bets into play after a game has already started.

While most sports betting hinges to your knowledge about a game’s outcome prior to it starting, live betting is a totally different animal. Regardless, it can be highly profitable and is offered at basically every sports betting site you’ll encounter online.

Once you understand all of the different wager types and how to bet with them, you can use them freely in your sport of choice.

It’s suggested that you have a solid understanding of any sport you plan on betting on, while it can be easy to be coaxed into placing wagers on sports that you may know very little about.

Still, the NBA MLB NFL and NHL are arguably the most popular sports to bet on inside and outside of the United States.

However, there are even more betting genres for sports fans to consider wagering on, including soccer, golf, tennis, horse racing and cricket.

Again, the options are endless, as there are much more sports to wager on and there are even seasonal betting opportunities that roll around, specifically with the Olympics and other major events.

It also depends on what you consider a sport. Does it take athleticism to win at darts and dominate in esports or fantasy sports? No, but those genres are still technically regarded as sports betting categories.

Whatever sports you plan on betting on, just be sure you’re well versed in their rules and strategy so you give yourself a solid chance at profiting each time out.

Sportsbook Promotions

When you bet money on sports online it’s really all about options. It starts with where you bet, ensuring a site is trustworthy and reliable. Once you have those sites narrowed down, elements such as odds, wagers, banking options and promotions can help dictate where you decide to bet on sports.

We tend to favor betting sites that are safe, reliable, competitive in terms of odds and wager options and give back to their users.

The easiest way to do that is to reward users with deposit bonuses, a variety of free bets, unique promotions and really anything else that gives the bettor incentive to stay at that site and/or keep coming back.

Here’s an example of a few betting promotions bettors can take advantage of:

The list goes on, as each site operates in a unique way.

Most sites tend to offer the staples, however, and those tend to be some type of sign-up bonus, a deposit bonus, reload bonus, free bet, a refer-a-friend program and a member loyalty program.

These are all fairly self-explanatory, but the sign-up bonus rewards you for joining a site, the welcome bonus rewards you for joining a site and depositing and the reload bonus gives you a percentage of cash back based on how much you redeposit.

Risk-free bets allow paying customers to take a “free” stab at a wager, while referral bonuses reward you for telling friends and family to sign up at a given site and member rewards are handed out based on how often you wager.

For the most part, if you sign up at new sites, deposit, play and share your experience, you’re going to be rewarded quite a bit.

Top Real Money Betting Tips

Now that you’ve submerged yourself into the world of sports betting, you’re just about ready to actually find a site you like and place a bet.

The first step toward doing that, of course, is finding the site that is right for you.

Everything we’ve touched on should prepare you so you can properly gauge what that is, as no matter what site you look at they should always offer some combination of the following:

While all of this is important, the first thing to really consider is which sport you feel you’d be most successful in when it comes to betting. Try to choose your go-to site based on that and then sprinkle in these other important aspects the best you can.

Once you get going and you have a good feel for the site(s) you like and the wagers you’re conducting, make sure you track your results. The only thing worse than betting without knowledge or wagering on sites you shouldn’t is failing to keep tabs on your success.

The bottom line in real money betting will always be coming away with profit and working to ensure it’s also sustainable. Tracking how you bet, what you bet money on, why you win or lose and how you fare over time can go a long way in assisting you in becoming a more successful bettor and help you make money sports betting.

Lastly, don’t be afraid to look outside of yourself before you bet money online. You should strategize, find ideal betting websites, place wagers and ultimately win at a consistent rate. As much as you may know about a given sport, there is always more to learn and that’s especially going to be true when you tackle sports genres or make wagers you’re not accustomed to.

Lean on a plethora of sports betting strategy tools, many of which can be found right here on this site or via a variety of links we provide. Whatever you do, always work to be prepared so that you’re making educated wagers and maximizing value. If you can do that you should be well on your way to profiting on a regular basis.