Introduction:

When you first enter an online bookmaker it can be quite daunting. Numbers seem to be flying around, banners are flashing at you, and you don’t know where to start. But the beauty of online bookmakers is you get access to sportsbetting 24/7 without having to leave the comfort of your own home. What’s more, you can go from being a complete novice to a proficient punter within a very short space of time. Like everything in life it just takes a little practice.

If you’re new to sportsbetting and you need a helping hand, follow our simple guide to placing a bet and you’ll be picking winners in no time:

Your first job is to choose a bookmaker or “sportsbook” that suits your needs as a punter. There are many reputable online bookmakers available that offer odds on a whole range of sporting markets to many customers worldwide. It’s important to understand that whilst the various bookmakers offer odds on the same kind of sports, some stand out as being particularly good at certain things. Some bookmakers are known for offering great odds on specific sports, some for sheer entertainment value and others for the generous bonuses they offer their customers.

To help you choose the right bookie for you, we’ve put together a review section which gives you a brief overview of what each site has to offer and what it is best at.  

Once you’ve chosen your online sportsbook its time to open an account. Opening an account is really easy. Simply click on “open new account” fill in your name and contact details, choose a user name and password for your account and give details on your deposit/withdrawal method. After completing the online application form, new customers are usually sent a confirmation via e-mail. You are then ready to deposit funds into your new account.

There are many different ways in which you can deposit funds into your sportsbook account. Payments can usually be made using major credit cards such as MasterCard and Visa and major debit cards such as Switch/Maestro, Visa Delta, Visa Electron, and Laser.

In addition to these, there are many other deposit methods available to the customer. You can use online payment providers such as NETeller and Firepay, set up a wire transfer, send a personal cheque or bankers draft or use e-cash (such as moneybookers).

Payment methods vary between bookmakers and it is important to check before setting up an account. You can see what payment methods are accepted at your chosen bookmaker by checking out the Account info table in the bookmaker reviews section.

The beauty of online bookmakers is that many of them will give you a free bet as a welcome gesture when you make your first deposit. So for example if you deposited and staked £10 on a sporting event the bookie would match your £10 bet giving you a total stake of £20. If you won you would receive the prize money for the stake of £20 rather than £10. It’s that simple. To see the list of free bets currently available to new customers click here.

A betting market is just the name given to a particular sporting or special event that you can place bets on. Bookmakers usually display their main betting markets such as football and horseracing down the left hand of their web page. Bookies will also sometimes display their most popular markets prominently on their main page so that customers can quickly access them.

Online betting is enjoyed by millions of customers worldwide and is a truly international past time. To reflect this online bookmakers offer an extensive range of world sporting markets to the punter:

Athletics, American Football, Baseball, Basketball, Bowls, Boxing, Cricket, Cycling, Darts, Football, Formula One, Golf, Greyhounds, Handball, Horse Racing, Ice Hockey, Motor Racing, NASCAR, Rugby, Snooker, Table Tennis, Tennis, Speedway, Volleyball and Winter Sports are just some of the sporting markets currently available to online sportsbook customers.

Sports such as horseracing and World football are by far the most popular sports to bet on at the moment and as a result receive the most in-depth coverage by the bookmakers. Whatever sport you wish to bet on you can be sure that there will be a bookmaker out there that will offer odds on it.

Once you’ve chosen and clicked on a betting market (e.g. football), you will usually be taken to a sub menu where you can choose the specific event/match you want to place a bet on (e.g. World Cup Final). Many sites have in depth coverage of sports

There are many different types of bets you can make at an online bookmakers. The simplest bet to make is a win bet that gives you a return if your selection wins an event outright. However, there are a whole host of other exciting bets you can make at an online bookies and it’s part of what makes the past time so enjoyable. You’ll find that some sportsbooks even have own exclusive betting types such as Totesport’s famous placepot and scoop6.

Most bookmakers have a bet calculator available to customers which allows you to calculate the winnings you will receive if you place a particular bet or group of bets. For more information View our betting types guide

Once you’ve chosen the bet you want to make it’s very simple:

Placing a bet usually involves simply checking a tick box, typing in how much you want to bet and confirming your bet. The funds for the bet are then automatically taken out of your user account. Any winnings you receive will be automatically deposited back to your account once the event has finished.

Withdrawing from online bookmakers is quite simple. Very often customers can transfer funds from their sportsbook account directly back to their debit/credit card. In some cases for security purposes the bookmakers will send their customers a cheque through the post. Alternatively if a customer is using an online payment system such as NETeller, they can transfer funds to this account from their sportsbook. Before you open a new sportsbook account remember to check deposit and withdrawal options as standard.