Best Offshore Betting Sites for US Players
In 2018, the Supreme Court lifted the federal ban on sports betting. The legislation made all forms of betting legal, including sports betting done on the internet. As a result, Americans now have the luxury to bet from the comfort of their homes instead of having to go to a land-based sportsbook every time they want to place sports bets.
What Is Offshore Betting?
By “offshore”, I mean those sportsbooks that don’t process their payments in the United States and thus are able to offer their services to US citizens legally. They are usually registered in some Caribbean country, whose operating license they carry. The preferred choice of offshore operators is the country of BetOnline.eu and Barbuda. This is where a majority of top-rated offshore sportsbooks are based, including MyBookie, BetOnline and others.
Speaking of the license, getting one in the Caribbean is not as easy as you might imagine. In order to become a licensed operator, a sportsbook needs to fulfill a set of requirements as decided by the gambling laws of the country. In most cases, those requirements are focused on ensuring fair play, as well as the security of players.
What this practically means is that an offshore sportsbook with a proper license is obliged by the law to do its business fair and square, which ultimately benefits us – the players.
With this in mind, there are literally hundreds of offshore sportsbooks out there and it’s pretty difficult to pick the right one which is where I come in.
Here are my picks for the best offshore betting sites available to US players:
BetOnline.eu
4.9
US Players Accepted
BetOnline.eu is one of the favorite offshore sportsbooks among American bettors. One of the main reasons for that is this operator’s user-friendly attitude. Customer support is available 24/7 and the players can reach them through several methods, e.g. telephone, live chat, etc.
Another thing that makes it good from the user perspective is that the website layout is pretty straightforward. Even if you’re a newbie in the world of sports betting, you shouldn’t get lost in BetOnline’s offer.
Speaking of the devil, the betting offer of this sportsbook is huge. Generally speaking, there are at least a few hundred games to choose from every day. The best thing is that BetOnline’s betting offer is made up mostly of sports popular in the United States, including football, baseball, basketball, and so on.
Still, none of that would probably matter much to bettors if the betting odds weren’t attractive. They are attractive, very attractive, especially when compared to those offered by US-based sportsbooks.
Bovada.lv
4.8
US Players Accepted
Boat parties, supermodels, luxury cars – these are the words that come to mind when discussing the founder of this sportsbook Calvin Ayre. Described as the original Dan Bilzerian, he founded a sports betting website called Bodog back in 2000.
Due to Ayre’s playboy reputation and some troubles with the law (all of which he was acquitted), his sportsbook received a lot of negative press. To deal with the problem, Ayre and his partners decided to rebrand Bodog as Bovada.lv in the early 2010s.
Since then, the sportsbook has become of the most trusted offshore operators. A big percentage of user reviews is very positive, especially in the last couple of years. In addition, Bovada.lv is offering pretty attractive betting odds, as well as some pretty attractive bonuses (e.g. $250 sign-up bonus).
And what’s Ayre been up to these days? The entrepreneur has said goodbye to the sports betting business and moved on to invest in cryptocurrencies. As of 2020, he is a cryptocurrency advisor to the government of BetOnline.eu and Barbuda.
SportsBetting.ag
4.6
US Players Accepted
SportsBetting.ag is a sister site of BetOnline.eu, which explains why these two sportsbooks are very similar. Not only do they look alike when website design is concerned but these sportsbooks also have almost identical betting offers.
What this means is that if you’re okay with what BetOnline.eu has to offer, you’re going to be fine with the offer of SportsBetting.ag as well. The same applies for all the other stuff regarding these two sportsbooks, including customer support, wager types, etc.
BetUS
4.5
US Players Accepted
You can tell from its name that this sportsbook is focused on the American market. It covers all the sports popular in the US. In addition, it also deals with props focused on celebrities, politics, and so on.
If you do a Google search on this sportsbook, you will see that not everyone thinks this is the best offshore sports betting site in history. In fact, some users have been vocal about the problems they had with this site.
Still, I think this sportsbook doesn’t deserve the bad rep. BetUS.com is a pretty decent operator that’s been in the business for a very long time.
Actually, it’s been around since 1994, which makes it one of the world’s oldest working online sportsbooks. It wouldn’t be able to stay in the business for so long if it weren’t doing its job the right way.
MyBookie.ag
4.4
US Players Accepted
It’s a consensus among bettors that MyBookie.ag has some really creative oddsmakers in the team. Their prop bets make this sportsbook stand out from the crowd.
Shocking – this is the word that best explains some prop bets offered by this sportsbook. See what we’re talking about:
- Is coronavirus going to kill more people than the black plague?
- Will a player solicit a prostitute during the Super Bowl week?
- Who will die first: Harvey Weinstein or Robert Durst?
- Total number of deaths by overdose at Coachella?
Believe it or not, all of the props above were at some point offered by MyBookie.ag. In addition, this sportsbook also sometimes lets the public suggest props of their own. If you think you have a good idea, you can pitch it to them via Twitter using the hashtag #MyBookie.
Xbet.ag
4.2
US Players Accepted
What makes this sportsbook a favorite of a big number of players from all around the world (US included) is that it gives away some very attractive bonuses. For instance, to congratulate the new players for choosing this sportsbook, Xbet.ag is awarding them with a welcome bonus of 100% up to $300.
The sign-up bonus is just the tip of the iceberg – this sportsbook has plenty of other bonuses and promos, including the reload bonus, refer-a-friend scheme, casino bonuses, and so on.
Apart from bonuses, the sportsbook also has a decent offer of games, all with pretty attractive betting odds. Most importantly, Xbet.ag has a good track record of paying out the players’ winnings. In fact, no major problems regarding this sportsbook have been reported by reliable sources.
Everygame (Formerly ‘Intertops’)
4.0
US Players Accepted
Even though it has a ‘.eu’ domain, which suggests it’s located within the European Union, Everygame.eu is actually based in BetOnline.eu and Barbuda.
Thanks to the license issued by the government of this Caribbean nation, the sportsbook has the luxury to accept offshore betting from US players. It’s been like that since it went online for the first time back in 1993, some 13 years after the launch of its land-based version.
The fact that it’s been around for so long is proof that Everygame.eu has been giving the bettors exactly what they want.
What they want are things like long odds on favorites, big bonuses, responsive support, and so on.
Is Offshore Sports Betting Legal?
More often than not, the operating license allows the offshore sportsbooks to accept players from the United States. With such license agreements, these bookmakers don’t have to care from which states their American players are coming from.
However, the players need to stay cautious. Even though the US Supreme Court has made sports betting legal on the federal level, it did leave room for changes. According to the current gambling law, each state within the US has the right to decide the legality of sports betting on its own.
So, if you are based in a state in which sports betting is forbidden, it means that you aren’t allowed to bet at any sportsbook, including those not based in the USA. Sure, some operators might let you register an account, but if you decide to bet, you’re at risk of getting in trouble with the law.
Offshore Betting Odds and Lines
Most of these sportsbooks are focused on the North American market. This is why everything about their platforms is tailored to the taste of American bettors. For instance, the betting odds usually come in the form of Vegas lines.
Sure, most operators let the players decide whether they want to change the setup and go with decimal or fractional odds.
Vegas Offshore Betting
Speaking of the odds, an important thing to remember is that they’re usually much better at offshore betting sites that at Vegas sportsbooks (ones physically located in Vegas such as Caesars, MGM Grand, Golden Nugget, etc.). There are several reasons why this is the case, starting with the fact that the gambling tax in the US is much higher than in the Caribbean countries.
Another reason is that most offshore sportsbooks belong to the category of the so-called soft bookmakers. In sports betting lingo, ‘soft bookmaker’ refers to a sportsbook that doesn’t change the initial betting odds drastically. In contrast, ‘sharp bookmakers’ adjust the odds based on which outcome the players are betting on.
As a result, the odds on big favorites are usually very short at sharp bookmakers. However, they’re really attractive at soft bookmakers such as those based offshore.
Using ‘Vegas’ Odds to Bet Offshore
Obviously, unless you’re geographically located in Las Vegas, you can’t bet Vegas lines. This, however, does not mean that you can’t make use of Vegas lines. You can use them as your source of valuable intel for making the right betting decisions.
If Vegas odds are dropping fast on a certain bet, it means that the oddsmakers in Nevada know something. There might be an injury of a crucial player or some other important news that came their way. News travels fast in Las Vegas, but that’s often not the case with many offshore sportsbooks, which don’t shorten their odds on favorites even if it’s very apparent that team/player is going to win.
Of course, odds shortening is not a 100% telltale sign of what’s going to happen in a game. Nobody can’t predict the future. However, by getting as much information about the game as possible, you can certainly increase your chances of winning.
That said, VegasOdds.com is an excellent destination for every bettor who wishes to get ahold of the latest sports news. This is also a place where you can learn about recent line movements. This is also where you can read in-depth reviews of top-rated offshore sportsbooks.
Offshore vs US Sportsbooks
Unlike US-based online sportsbooks, offshore betting operators don’t have licenses that are issued by US gaming authorities. This means that your country doesn’t have your back if something goes wrong. If an offshore sportsbook decides to deny you your payouts, the US government will not be able to help you.
Unless a sportsbook has a good track record when it comes to payouts, you should avoid it. Otherwise, there’s risk that you might end up with empty pockets despite winning at sports betting. This is the reason why sticking to trustworthy offshore sportsbooks is paramount.
To play it safe, the best thing you can do is to stick to most reputable sites, such as the ones I’ve recommended in this article.
