Sports betting has become one of the most popular forms of gambling, beaten only by lotteries in many countries worldwide. Thousands of bookmakers offer access to this fun pastime, offering odds on hundreds of sporting events and a varied selection of sporting types.
As sports betting has grown, online casinos have joined the bandwagon by offering sports betting options alongside their casino offerings, such as slots and table games. This has resulted in all-in-one websites that cater to almost all gamblers’ needs.
While this has provided added convenience for players, there are some distinct ways in which these two types of operators work. These differences have led some gamblers to question whether placing sports bets with a bookmaker or online casino is better. We’ll try our best to answer that.
Bookmakers
It is widely believed that bookmakers originated in the United Kingdom, with the first appearing in 1795. While sports betting existed before this, the industry was informal, and often, single people would accept bets from bettors rather than established operators.
The first online bookmaker appeared in 1996 and revolutionized how players could place bets on upcoming events. Since then, the sports betting market has been flooded by numerous operators, each tempting players with unique sign-up bonuses and access to large sports categories.
These bookmakers are best known for hosting large markets that feature more types of sports and forms of bets than anywhere else. These range from mainstream sports like football, rugby, and cricket to lesser-followed sports like darts and surfing.
Focusing on sports, these websites often provide competitive odds that entice gamblers. They also offer a range of resources to help those placing bets make a decision, including infographics, statistics, analytics, and, in some instances, even tips on how to place bets.
Another specialty of bookmakers is support for in-game betting, which allows players to place wagers on games as they happen and change. This exciting form of betting requires bookmakers to provide extensive tracking systems and resources to ensure each bet is logged and accepted as it is placed.
Online Casinos
In contrast to bookmakers, who focus on sports, online casinos cater to a wide range of gambling wants, with preference given to casino games. These games include table games, video poker, live dealer games, and slots.
The world’s first online casino appeared in 1994 and set the stage for a global industry expected to reach $220 billion in worth by 2029. This value is contributed to by thousands of operators who provide players with the best games and entice new gamblers with promotions and offers, such as 121 free spins for real money.
With the growth of sports betting during the last decade, many online casinos have sought to diversify offerings beyond just casino games and have evolved to accept sports bets. This is done through the main casino website but using specialized software provided by developers like SportingTech and NSoft.
The inclusion of sports betting has made online casinos a one-stop-shop for bettors who enjoy placing wagers on events and trying their hand at casino games. However, because the main focus of these websites is still to operate as an online casino, they feature some drawbacks.
Bookmaker vs. Online Casino
Some of the most significant drawbacks of placing sports bets using an online casino include:
Limited Betting Options
Because online casinos focus more on providing the latest casino games, sports book options are often neglected. This leads to betting libraries with significantly fewer sports types and betting options than those offered by dedicated bookmakers.
While all mainstream sports are generally covered, gamblers looking for more niche sports will likely be unable to find them.
Distractions
Placing sports bets and playing casino games in one place is incredibly convenient. However, this can also lead to distractions for those who would like to focus solely on sports betting. With online casinos offering many bonuses and promoting new games, these players can easily be distracted by casino games and spend money they were planning to bet on games instead.
Resources
With sports betting being secondary to games on online casinos, many websites lack the same resources offered by dedicated bookmakers. These include detailed statistics, match analysis, and odds tracking. All these things are common on sports betting websites and help players make more accurate betting decisions.
Support
One of the hallmarks of a good online casino is exceptional customer support. Many of the best sites have dedicated support teams trained to handle any customer query. However, for online casinos that also offer sports betting, training for dealing with betting queries may not be as extensive, leading to slightly less efficient and helpful support.
Promotions and Bonuses
Many online casinos have a reputation for offering incredible bonuses and offers that reward players for signing up and playing games. However, most of these promotions are commonly geared toward casino game players and might not be as beneficial to players looking simply to place bets on upcoming events.
In contrast, bookmakers offer promotions specifically tailored to those looking to place sports bets. As such, claiming these is often much more beneficial and can lead to greater rewards.
Odds
The final drawback is that online casinos often offer less attractive odds for sports bets than those found on dedicated bookmaker websites. This is because, unlike bookmakers, who commonly have in-house teams to calculate the best odds, online casinos often use algorithms instead, which can sometimes not be as accurate and lead to less-than-desirable odds.
Verdict
The move of online casinos to accept sports bets has made sports wagers more accessible to millions of gamblers and provided added convenience by having everything in one place. This is perfect for gamblers who enjoy playing the greatest casino games and placing an occasional sports bet.
However, dedicated bookmakers remain the best option for serious bettors who enjoy scraping through analytics and statistics before placing an educated bet. Doing so provides better odds, more resources, fewer distractions, and a more extensive list of available sports and bets.
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