Best Bitcoin Sportsbook
The use of Bitcoins as an alternative payment system has become increasingly popular as more and more companies find an online presence. Bitcoin itself was developed as a kind of “virtual” currency, or cryptocurrency, which could be used to make transactions, and is completely decentralized.
As a result, the supply of bitcoins has no ‘single repository or administrator’ and the production of new bitcoins is regulated by an algorithm – the advantage is two-fold: on one hand it is not subject to the sort of inflation and deflation that occurs with other fiat currencies, and secondly it is not subject to government seizure.
And now – whatever your favorite sport is – you can bet on it with bitcoin – worldwide. Badminton, Baseball, Basketball, Boxing, Cricket, X-Country, Darts, E-Sports, Football, Golf, Handball, Hockey, Horse Racing, Ice Hokey, MMA, Motosport, Olympics, Rugby, Skiing, Snooker, Table Tennis, Volleyball, Wintersports, Wrestling or thousands of other sport events.
What To Look For In A Sportsbook Site
As a currency that is based entirely online, it has become a preferred reward system for many sportsbooks. These sportsbooks act essentially as interactive forums where individuals can lay bets on the outcome of different sports, ranging from anything to golf and wrestling to league-oriented professions like soccer and football. With increased competition, and a growing familiarity and popularity with online gambling, it’s no wonder that it has fostered numerous bitcoin betting sites and bitcoin casinos like the top 10 gambling sites , each of them trying to draw in customers.
Of course you can bet on all your favorite sports events with bitcoin:
- NCAA March Madness
- NFL Football
- NBA basketball
- MLB baseball
- English Premier League
- Spanish La Liga
- French Ligue 1
- German Bundesliga,
- UEFA Champions League
- UEFA Europa League
- Italian Serie A
- Indian Premier League cricket
- Pakistani cricket
- Australian cricket
- Twenty20 cricket
Why use Bitcoin for Sports Betting?
There are a number of reasons that some of the top online sportsbooks have begun – often exclusively – to use Bitcoins as their preferred currency system. For one, because it is all ‘virtual’, the majority of major banks don’t recognize Bitcoins as legal tender. As a result, using Bitcoins allows users and providers to avoid legalities concerning gambling laws – in certain countries or states where betting and gambling is illegal, Bitcoin is not subject to the same circumscriptions. The same all other types of gambling and betting with bitcoin or other crypto currencies, like the ones tested at sites like Luckycoiner.
The virtue of being completely online also opens up two other benefits: one, the efficiency of making transactions is streamlined and almost instantaneous. This bodes well for sportsbooks since often times their method of wagering can be time-based. Because of its peer-to-peer system, it also means that there are no fees such as those attached to credit cards, and the fees that are present are paid by the purchaser rather than the vendor.
How to start with Bitcoin?
In order to get started with Bitcoin you’ll first need to get an E-wallet to ‘store’ your Bitcoins.
Generally this is equivalent to a digital wallet. To actually acquire currency, one can either receive Bitcoins in the form of payment for goods or services from other users, barter for new Bitcoins from friends, or buy them outright from certain bitcoin exchanges ( more here ) using your own bank account.
Afterwards, it’s as easy as transferring a set amount from your E-wallet to your profile or account with an online sportsbook of your choice.
Tips For Selecting A Sportsbook That’s Right For You
Because of the influx of online sportsbooks, it can often be difficult to know which ones are reputable and which ones aren’t. In general, some of the top Bitcoin Sportsbooks have managed to attract a loyal and growing number of patrons by carving out a niche for themselves and offering better odds, variety of betting options, and usability than their opponents.
Some more popular ones include Nitrogen Sports and Cloudbet, both which have a vast number of different sports available for newcomers to gambling and tested veterans alike. But when it comes to gambling – whether on future games or live – variety is just one of several things to take into account before signing up with a sportsbook.
The grade of a given sportsbook is contingent on a number of factors, with sites like CloudBet, Sportsbook.io, and Betcoin Sports receiving the highest accolades by the Sports Book Reviews.
So what makes a good sportsbook?
What are the odds?
To begin with, it’s always prudent to prowl around and check the odds. These are basically the chances you have of winning a given wager, and it can often be a bit confusing to those who are new to betting since the odds can differ wildly according to what game you’re playing, how much time is remaining to make a wager, and what kinds of wagers are available.
For example, some football pools use Asian handicaps that have five different wagers:
Win, Lose, Tie, Half-Lose, and Half-Win. Knowing which odds are the best, compared to other sites, and knowing how to use the wagers to your advantage go hand in hand. As with all betting, there is also the matter of minimum and maximum wagers, and regardless of your proficiency with online betting this should play a role in your decision.
Minimum and maximum wagers?
As a general rule, it’s a good idea to avoid minimum wagers of more than 0.001 Bitcoins unless you have some prior experience, and this is more or less the standard across the board. In terms of maximum payouts however, it can vary anywhere from being unlimited to $50,000, all the way down to $5000 a week.
Knowing your own skill level, and having some idea of your overall ratio of success will enter into your decision about which sportsbook you most closely identify with.
Welcome Bonuses for Bitcoin Betting
Another consideration is bonuses. A number of sites – most notably Cloudbet – will even offer welcome bonuses for users signing up for the first time. For example, a site may offer a full bonus up to 0.5 Bitcoins, so if you deposit any amount within that range they will match it. Some sites also offer free bets, where you can make a wager without having to put down any currency.
There are also bonuses related to whether or not you refer friends who also sign up, and bonuses that reduce the juice – this is a term that refers to the amount a given sportsbook will charge you when you make a bet on something – thereby giving you a slight edge.
Fishing around sportsbooks to see what sorts of bonuses are available, and how they translate into earnings for you, is a good way to weed out which sites have a proven track record and which are scams.
Security And Reliability
Obviously another important factor is security. Because of the volatility of Bitcoin as a currency, and the fact that it has no drawback or refund policy, this means that many shady organizations have taken advantage of the inherent ‘honesty policy’. In order to counter this, the better online sportsbooks have nearly all taken measures against fraudulent activity (even in the case of some introducing a DDoS shield to protect against cyber-attacks).
Cold Storage
Some sites even have a ‘cold storage’ where deposits are stored offline and secured with keys to prevent them from being manipulated or stolen. A two-step authentication process is in place for most sportsbooks as well, which involves a username and a passcode in conjunction with SSL encryption. Checking out the FAQ’s of different sites to see what sort of security is offered will give you a better idea of how safe your Bitcoins are.
Anonymous or fully registered?
When you’ve found a sportsbook you think you’d like to be a part of, the next step is registering. In some cases – such as with Nitrogen Sports – merely visiting their site will open an anonymous account, while other sites may require a username and valid e-mail. Still those data can be fake, as long as you have access to the email address you use for the signup. This is pretty much the same as at trading sites that don’t claim user ID’s, which is only possible when people want to transfer cryptos only to and from the platform and no fiat money.
Generally the sites that have been around the longest tend to be the ones that are the most trusted, and you can always do a little digging to see when a sportsbook came online which can give you a pretty good idea of how trustworthy they are. However, avoid any site that asks for personal or bank/credit card information, especially if it’s being advertised as a Bitcoin sportsbook!
The Pros and Cons of Bitcoin Sports betting
The Pro´s:
The pros of using a Bitcoin Sportsbook have already been alluded to, and include the ability to make lightning fast transactions in real-time using up-to-date metrics on live sports. Because Bitcoin is all online, you don’t have to wait for payments to go through, as would be the case for other institutions (especially if you were working across one or more currency exchanges/countries).
There is also the anonymity granted by using an E-wallet, and the limited amount of personal information needed to sign up for these sportsbooks, which can give some peace of mind.
The Con’s:
The cons, however, are related to the same thing: Bitcoin can be a risky and volatile venture, and for individuals new to using it there are a number of pitfalls. Gambling is something you have to be an expert in, in order to win more often than lose, similar to trading. Each is something you can learn more or less. Even if gambling or online betting isn’t strictly illegal in your country or state, it is illegal in the United States to run and operate an online sportsbook.
Therefore, the majority lie outside the US – caution should be exercised when registering with a site whose URL is a “.com”, as these are more likely to be scams. There is also, of course, the unpredictability of gambling itself. While there is a degree of skill in the betting pools, especially with league sports, a greater portion of the outcome is based on luck, and every player needs to be cautious and aware of this.
Bitcoin Sportbook Conclusion
Gambling on sports can be a fun – and sometimes easy – way to make money and interact with other players who are just as enthusiastic. The rise of virtual currency in the form of Bitcoins represents a revolutionary way to bet online, by putting a huge selection of your favorite sports at your fingertips and challenging you to guess and deduce the outcomes of games in a safe and secure environment.
While there always risks associated with betting, part of its charm lies at the crossroads where skill and luck meet – ultimately it comes down to being informed, understanding the rules and process of each sportsbook, and being cognizant of the stakes: what you’re willing to lay down, whether you can afford to, and what your chances are.