Online Sportsbook - Live Betting

Online sportsbooks work very much like regular sportsbooks when it comes to how the business is operated. Sportsbooks vary when it comes to minimum and maximum wagers; once you decide which level suits you and find a reputable site, you can set up an account and begin wagering immediately. Once an account is set up, the bettor chooses which game or games they wants to wager on how much to bet.

Choosing a sportsbook

Here's a quick and practical guide for the uninitaited on how to choose the right sports betting site.
Reputation

• Does the company have a reputation for honesty and fair play? Are they fully endorsed by the leading independent gaming organizations?
• Location
• Is the company legal and licensed by the government under which they operate? Does location affect their accessibility and server uptime?
• Customer Service
• Is the company’s email and telephone contact information prominently displayed on their web site and do they offer wagering help and registration assistance 24 hours, 7 days a week? Does this sportsbook have an excellent track record for dispute resolution?
• Security
• Do they utilize the latest security technology to ensure the privacy and safety of their players' online transactions?
• Trust
• Based on answers to the questions above, is this a company that your gut tells you is honest and trustworthy?

Types of Sportsbook Bets

There are many types of bets you can place with a sportsbook. Some sites may offer more betting varieties and combinations than others but here is a list of the more common types of bets used.


Straight bet or Single or Win bet:  This is the simplest and most common bet. These wagers require you to pick the outcome of an event. Your selection must either win, lose or draw for your wager to win.

Place:  A wager for place means you collect if your selection finishes either first or second.

Show:  A wager to show means you collect if your selection finishes either first, second or third.

Combination Bet:  Combinations cover from two to four selections to win in chosen order.

Over/Under Wagers:  You can bet on the total score of the game. You can bet the final combined score of the two participating teams will be “over” or “under” a specified total.

Daily Double:  Similar to an accumulator you select the winners of the first and second races on that day. You must place your bet before the start of the first race.

Jackpot:  Pick six winners in six races to share in a Jackpot prize. The rules and prizes will vary from race track to race track.

Parlay or Accumulator:  By combining different wagers from different sports you can increase your potential payout. All of your selections must win for a combination wager to win. Any ties take that game off of your combination and reduce your combination by one, which in turn will reduce the pay out. If your combination is reduced to a single game, that wager will be played as a regular, single selection wager.

Future:  A bet on a future event. At the start of each season, the sportsbooks give out odds for competitors to win a certain event. The odds change as the competition date approaches and in most cases get shorter, but if you win you get paid at the original odds that you took. This is possibly one of the most profitable bets if you have considerable knowledge of the sport that you are betting on and a good sense of judgement.

Exotic Bets:  Betting on unusual events. Some sports books post odds and take bets on a wide variety of other sports related events and activities. A few others will take bets on just about anything you can think of.

Proposition Bet or Prop Bet:  An offer of bets at odds and conditions chosen by the sportsbook, usually on 'Exotic' bets.