• International Sports Betting
• Sports Betting Info
• International Sports Betting Sites

The Malta Gaming Authority [MGA] has yanked the regulatory license of several sports-betting sites operating there after the sites were linked to a major Mafia-controlled structure that was the target of a series of raids and arrests in Italy on Friday. The Italian raids resulted in 23 arrests, including an alleged Mafia figure widely known as the “betting king” in Sicily, Benedetto Bacchi. The Maltese regulatory action strips licensing from any and all sites operated by Phoenix International Ltd., a central ownership entity in the targeted operation.

Benedetto Bacchi, Sicily’s “gambling king,” being led away after his arrest.

International Sports Betting – Unregulated Markets. Unregulated markets is a term we will define as a country where companies host online sports betting sites and betting online for citizens is either not legal (a gray area) or criminalized in some form. However, if a market is unregulated, it doesn’t mean it’s not a viable for sports. BizVibe’s largest sports gambling companies list is led by International Game Technology, generating USD 4.69 billion as the largest sports betting company in the world by revenue. The top 3 is then rounded out by GVC Holdings, and Bet365. Here are the best sports betting sites by location: International Bookmakers and Gambling sites. Shakespeare has once said “All the world is a stage, and all men and women merely players” If you want to be welcomed to the world’s online gambling stage, you need to embrace the idea of playing and betting at international betting sites. SportsLine brings you premium real-time sports betting information, Las Vegas odds, picks and projections. Bet on your favorite sports with confidence. This is in part down to the focus it places on international events and global sports like football. This is a site which even caters to U.S. Players which not all sportsbooks online can boast. The in-play betting is another nice touch here and allows you to profit from things changing after play has begun.

Bacchi, 46, reportedly controlled over 700 betting shops in Sicily and across the Italian mainland, with a focus on the traditional Mafia-controlled locale of Palermo, in Sicily. The shops were unlicensed by Italian authorities and operated in a legal grey area, but the investigation was able to link the chain of shops and its business practices to several different alleged crimes, including money laundering, fraud, mafia association and other offences.

Friday’s raids resulted in the immediate closure of at least 40 of the 700 betting shops allegedly cntrolled by Bacchi. Each of the shops featured “data transmission centres,” or CRTs, video terminals that linked directly to online sites operated by Phoenix International. Those sites included online domains such as B2875.com, Bsport24.com and B28sport.com; the sites, now offline, appear to have offered a combination of English- and Italian-language online wagering.

Those sites are highly unlikely to return. A brief message posted at one of the English-language sites, B2875.com, read as follows:

Due to unforeseen circumstances Phoenix International Limited has ceased all gaming operations with immediate effect , No new registrations and new deposits will be accepted as the licence MGA/CL2/1163/2016 has been temporarily suspended, We kindly ask the players that have registered accounts and funds in their account to proceed in requesting for a withdrawal accordingly. Only limited accessibility to the website is allowed with player balance visualisation and the necessary steps in order for a withdrawal to be requested . We thank you in advance for your support and understanding.

“Unforeseen circumstances” indeed, though it’s far from the first time Mafia-controlled betting sites have been taken down by Italian authorities or Maltese regulators. A similar major bust occurred back in 2015 involving BetuniQ and several other sites, and there’s even a connection between that crackdown and this one, involving prominent Maltese lawyer David Gonzi.

Gonzi, the son of former Malta Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, had business ties to both the 2015 BetuniQ busts and Friday’s Phoenix International-related raids via his GVM Holdings company, which has provided fiduciary services to connected business entities in both instances. Gonzi and his company were cleared of criminal wrongdoing in the BetuniQ matter, and Gonzi already issued a statement asserting that his company’s association with the Bacchi-controlled operation ended in October of 2016.

“The shares in the company have since that date been held directly by the shareholder,” declared Gonzi. “GVM Holdings is a licensed fiduciary company providing fiduciary services in terms of the Trusts and Trustees Act. I hold a one third-shareholding in GVM Holdings and was appointed as the third director of GVM Holdings on the 2nd December 2014. As from December 2015, GVM has been winding down its activities and has since sent termination letters to all its clients.”

The MGA announced its termination of regulatory approval for the Phoenix International sites later on Friday, just hours after news broke about the arrest of Bacchi and the raids on the betting-shop chain. According to the MGA:

The Malta Gaming Authority (hereinafter the ‘Authority’) is hereby notifying that Phoenix International Limited, remote gaming licence MGA/CL2/1163/2016, has been suspended as of 2nd of February, 2018.

Phoenix International Limited has thus been directed to indefinitely suspend all gaming operations, cease to register new players or accept any deposits on the Licence and to submit all data and documentation requested by the Authority.

Furthermore the Authority hereby notifies that any websites operated by Phoenix International Limited, or associated with Phoenix International Limited, and which make reference to the Authority or the above-quoted licence is not approved to be operational by the Authority. Due to the suspension of the licence, Phoenix International Limited is therefore not authorised to continue conducting gaming by means of distance communications under an Authority licence.

Online betting is an extremely convenient way to make money with your sports knowledge and hot tips. If you’re someone who knows how to pick winners, it’s time to start making some real money for those picks. Thankfully, you can start turning that profit without ever leaving the house. Below, we have a list of the best betting sites available in your area that offer the most trusted, reputable, safe, and complete online betting experience possible.

These sports betting sites are just the tip of the iceberg. In the remainder of this guide, we’re going to cover a ton of different online sportsbook options as well as some crucial information to your success. Here’s a quick look at some of the information we’re going to cover. Feel free to click and jump ahead to the section that most interests you or scroll down and check things out in order.

Online Betting Sites by Country

Not every sports betting site in the world offers their services to every corner of the globe. In fact, some of the best online betting sites like to laser-focus their service to specific countries or regions. This allows them to offer bets on the most popular sports for that country, bonuses that fit that country’s tendencies, and ultimately, just a better all-around experience for a unique bettor base. If you’re looking for the top online betting sites that offer services to your country, check out the links we’ve provided for you below.

Best Betting Sites by Sport

Got a particular sport that you’re an expert at? Looking for specific sports to bet on? Did your sport’s season just end and is it time to find action and value elsewhere? Whatever the reason may be, many of you here are probably looking for the best sports betting sites offering action on a particular sport. While most of the reputable betting sites offer action on all major sports, many of them specialize in particular sports.

What does this specialization look like? It typically means that online betting sites are offering more bet types on that sport, more games, more leagues, and better promotions targeted at that sport. Basically, it’s going to seem like they’re playing favorites with a particular sport, and we are okay with that. If you are really looking for the best sports betting sites broken down by the sport they do best, check out the links we’ve provided for you below.

Top Sports Betting Sites by League

Each popular sport out there has it’s “top of the line” league, its main event. In every sport, there is one (sometimes two) leagues that stand out above the rest as the best places for bettors to make money. If you’re a highly-specialized sports bettor who has come here looking for the best action on a particular league, you’re in luck. The links below will take you to a sports betting site broken down by the league they offer the best action in.

Much like the sport-specific sites, these online betting sites will offer more bets, cover more games, and have more specialized bonuses for the games within these leagues. If you bet on sports and you’re ready to get into the real money betting action on a particular league, check out the links we’ve provided for you below.

Popular Sporting Events to Bet On

Whether it’s a major championship, the culmination of a tournament, or an iconic event, there are many special dates on the sports betting calendar to get excited about. The air just seems a little more refreshing when you wake up and it’s Super Bowl Sunday, or any day in March (March Madness), or even the morning of the Daytona 500. These are just a few examples of some of the busiest times for sportsbooks, both in person and online.

What does it mean when sportsbooks are busy? Well, besides lines at the brick and mortar spots, it means a ton of amateurs looking to place some bets will be pushing the lines in silly directions. This means incredible opportunities for you to make a killing. But you can only turn that serious profit if you’re wagering with a trusted sportsbook.

Different online betting sites seem to take major sporting events at different levels of seriousness. Some go nuts for certain major events while those same sites might ignore another major event. If you’re looking to bet on some of these events, you need to know which sites cater to them. The links below will tell you just that.

Best Online Sportsbooks By Type

Some of you out there might care more about the features of the sportsbooks you choose than the sports or events it specializes in. As long as they are a highly trusted betting site that covers major sports, you’re happy. That is, as long as they excel with the unique want or need that you have. Below, we have the site categories broken down by their area of expertise. These are the sites that absolutely blow away the competition when it comes to these elements of their product. The rest of their sportsbook is still great, but these are the areas they absolutely shine in.

What Makes These the Best Online Betting Sites?

We don’t just hand out our best online betting site recommendations loosely. Just because you offer sports betting action and have some cool graphics does not automatically make you a viable candidate. We have a very intensive and thoroughly mapped out process that we use to review every site. There are numerous areas of criteria that we check and recheck to ensure that we’re giving an honest view of what all our recommended sites have to offer.

What we would like to do now is give you a small glimpse into what that process looks like. Below, we have the top seven criteria that help some betting sites stand out above the rest.

Diverse Action Offered on Many Different Sports

Most bettors love to bet on sports of different levels and varieties. Whether you are a recreational bettor or a seasoned professional, you most likely have several different sports you like to bet on. Even if you’re glued to one sport, there are very few bettors we know that don’t throw at least a little action on major events like the Super Bowl or the World Series.

Because of this fact, it’s important that the best sports betting sites online cover a diverse range of sports and offer a diverse range of bet types. We want to be able to bet on all of the major sports out there as well as the less popular sports. We want to see coverage of a lot (if not all) of the games within those sports, not just the TV games.

Additionally, we want to be able to make a lot of different wagers on those games, matches, and races. Sure, picking winners can be a profitable way to approach betting, but there are so many other ways that you can turn predictions into cash. The best online betting sites that we’ve recommended are at the top of their game when it comes to diverse action.

Site Security, Trustworthiness, Industry Reputation, and Fast Payouts

If you think about it, online gambling sites are a lot like banks. They hold people’s personal information and large sums of their money. What does this mean? It means that they can potentially become targets of thieves and hackers much like banks always are. In order to combat this threat, they need to be on the attack when it comes to site security.

All of the sportsbooks that have made our lists are on the cutting edge of web security. They utilize technology, dedicated teams, and several other methods to keep you and your money safe and sound.

But security is not the whole equation when it comes to how the site is run. We’re additionally looking for bookmakers that can be trusted and have a positive industry reputation. Ask yourself:

• Do they take care of their customers?
• Are they fair?
• Are their games fair?
• What does the industry have to say about them?
• Do they payout winnings? If so, how quickly?

All of these questions are where we begin our research when we are looking to determine the best online betting sites available. Thanks to a refined process, we’re confident that the sites you see on this page are the best in all three of these categories.

Competent and Accessible Customer Service Options

There will be times during your sports betting experience where you are going to need help. This might be something as simple as having a promotion explained to you or as complex as helping you move money across the world into your account. Whatever the issue is and no matter how big or small, you want to be able to get effective help quickly.

When we are working to determine the best sports betting sites, we take a deep look at the availability and efficiency of the site’s customer service. Can you get ahold of someone quickly? Do you have several different options to reach them? Is the person you first speak to able to help you with your problem? If not, does your more complex problem get escalated properly and fixed?

International Sports Betting

We would hope you never need customer service help, but that is just not realistic. The online sports betting sites we’ve recommended here have high-quality customer service teams that you can reach 24/7/365 from many effective mediums.

Juicy Bonuses and Expansive VIP Rewards Programs

This is definitely not the first thing we look at when picking out sports betting sites to recommend, but it is something that we certainly do not ignore. Sportsbooks compete for your business aggressively. The most common way that they do this is through bonuses, free stuff, and VIP rewards programs. A quality online sportsbook will have bonuses to help get you in the door and promotions to help keep you loyal. Basically, you should be getting free stuff and kickbacks at all times with whomever you decide to bet with.

The sites we’ve recommended on this page understand the importance of enticing new bettors and rewarding loyalty. When you choose one of these sportsbooks, you can be confident that you’re going to get a great bonus right out of the gate. Additionally, you can be confident that if you continue to bet with the sportsbook, you will be rewarded appropriately.

Because it is much easier to track your play online, you will get much more rewards and bonuses at the online betting sites than you would at a land-based sportsbook. Sure, they won’t have a waitress coming around bringing you free drinks, but you can take the free cash they throw your way and buy a lot of drinks for yourself if you want to.

Quality Mobile Betting Platforms

Our recommendations contain sportsbooks that offer incredible mobile betting platforms. Don’t forget that there are many ways to bet online. If you are looking for somewhere that you can bet at home, in the office, on the bus, or anywhere else on the go, these are the online betting sites you’ve been looking for. You can make all of your real money bets as long as you have a smartphone and a connection to the internet.

Continuous Innovation and Forward-Looking Management Team

The best betting sites we’ve recommended here are not resting on their laurels. They are run by management teams who strive to be on the cutting edge of the industry. They are constantly looking for the newest technology, the most innovated processes, and ways they can improve your online betting experience. This means new sports covered, creative, and always changing bonuses, growing VIP programs, and a user experience that is constantly getting more and more convenient.

How to Get Started Betting on Sports Online

Some of you here might be brand new to betting on sports online. If that’s you, welcome! Online sports betting is an incredibly convenient way to make your real money wagers without having to drive all the way to the sportsbook or casino. While this way of betting is extremely convenient, it may seem a little overwhelming at first. You may not know where to start, what certain terminology means, how to read the odds, or even what strategies to employ.

That’s okay. Everyone has to start somewhere. If you’re ready to get started right way, check out the resources we have for you below. These guides have all been created with bettors like you in mind. We’ll walk you through all the details you need to know about how to bet online. And we’ll make sure to do it in a way that isn’t confusing or overloaded with complex and unnecessary concepts.

Placing Your First Bet Online

The first place you should stop if you’re absolutely brand new to betting online is right here. We’ve put together a comprehensive betting guide to walk you through all the steps to get started. We’ll discuss picking out the best online betting sites for you, deciding what game or event to bet on, choosing the type of bet you want to make, and how to make all of that happen. By the time you get to the end of this guide, you will be fully equipped to make your first real money sports bet online.

Sports Betting FAQ and Terminology

“I’ll take the under on the circle game as long as the line doesn’t shift thanks to the late morning action from the sharps.” Yeah, if that sounded like Greek to you, that’s okay. Much like other professions, sports bettors have a tendency to talk in jargon. Once you learn the lingo, it makes things easier. But it can also seem like a foreign language to new bettors. In the first guide linked below, we’re going to walk you through all the important terminology that you need to know. If you want to be able to understand the experts (and sound like one yourself), this is the guide for you.

Got some specific questions about sports betting? Check out our frequently asked questions guide. As the name says, we cover the most frequently asked questions we hear from new sports bettors. This is a great spot to get some valuable information about the entire sports betting process from start to finish.

Understanding Sports Betting Odds

You paid attention in statistics and your other math classes in school, right? Yeah, we didn’t either. Unfortunately for us “math lovers,” sports betting revolves heavily around math, stats, and calculations. Sure, you can try and pick winners while ignoring the odds at the best sports betting sites, but you’re going to leave yourself at a pretty big disadvantage. If you’d like to get a good introduction into how to understand sports betting odds, check out the links provided below now.

Additional Online Sports Betting Resources

We’ve already covered a lot about betting on sports online, but there is still so much more to learn! One of the great things about online sports betting is that there is endless information you can use to increase your chances of winning. Below, we’ve collected all of our additional resources for beginners. These guides will help you get from where you are right now, into the sports betting action, then hopefully cashing out big winners sometime soon.

Sports Betting Strategy Guides, Articles, and Resources

The one thing we haven’t directly addressed yet in this guide is how to win. Sure, everything else we’ve covered will help you win. Choosing a reliable sports betting website helps increase your chances of winning, and so does knowing how the bets work and how to bet properly. But the one thing that will have a big impact on your profit level that we haven’t discussed yet is strategy.

In the guides linked below, we will dive into the foundation of sports betting strategies. If you want to do more than just be in the action, this is where you want to start spending your time. These beginner strategy guides will also feed into our more advanced strategy guides as well.

Online Sports Betting Legality and Laws

One of the most popular questions that we get from sports bettors all over the world is: “what online betting sites are legal in my area”? The follow-up question to that is also whether or not online sports betting is legal in their state, country, or region. In most areas of the world, online sports betting is completely legal. There are some areas where you do see some restrictions, but for the most part, these restrictions are not on the individual sports bettor, but the sportsbook themselves.

If you’d like a more in-depth look on the legality of sports betting in your area, check out the links we have provided for you below. We’ll take a deep dive into the law books and give you our opinion of what they mean and how they affect you. Most of you will have no issues whatsoever (including those of you playing from the US). But for those of you that need to see it clearer, the link below will help answer all of your questions to the best of our ability.

Tips for Picking out the Best Sports Betting Sites

1. Test the Mobile Interface If You’re Planning to Bet On the Go
2. Join Multiple Online Betting Sites to Shop Lines
3. Stick to the Sportsbooks We’ve Vetted
4. Test Out the Steps of Making a Bet
5. Make Sure They Have Banking Options You Like
6. Know That You’re Never Married to an Online Betting Site

Sports Betting Info

Picking out a sports betting site is a big deal. Why? Well, making the wrong choice can set you up for failure and potentially put a big dent in your bottom line. On the flip side of that coin, making the right choice about your betting site can set you up for success and give you the best opportunities to make the most money.

The fact that you are here looking for advice on the best sports betting sites is already a huge step in the right direction. But maybe you’ve gotten this far in the guide, and you haven’t made a decision yet. What we’d like to do is give you a few quick tips to try and help you make that final decision.

Tip #1 – Test the Mobile Interface If You’re Planning to Bet On the Go

If you’re only going to bet from your desktop at home, this will not be important. But if you’re like most sports bettors, then you will want the ability to bet from anywhere. You never know when the lines are going to change in your favor or when you’re going to get a hot tip minutes before the start of a game. Make sure that you take a few minutes to check out the mobile platform of the site you are going to use. Most sports betting sites in this day and age have incredible mobile and desktop platforms that are seamlessly integrated (meaning you can jump back and forth between the two when it’s convenient).

Tip #2 – Join Multiple Online Betting Sites to Shop Lines

Having trouble deciding between two betting sites? You can join both of them. If you’ve read the strategy sections linked from this guide, you know that shopping your betting lines is a must-do practice if you are serious about making money from sports betting. Thankfully, online sports betting makes this practice much easier logistically. So, if you are stuck between a few options, you’re actually probably in a much better spot than you think. Just join both! It does not cost anything extra to join multiple sites.

Tip #3 – Stick to the Sportsbooks We’ve Vetted

We’re not the kind of people to ever tell you what to do. You’re all adults, and you are certainly smart enough to make your own decisions. That being said, we would like to advise you of something based on our experience in the online sports betting industry: Stick to the sportsbooks that we’ve vetted. We do not call these the best sports betting sites for the heck of it. We do that because these sites are safe, secure, and will offer you the type of experience you are looking for.

If you choose to go outside of the recommendations we’ve laid out here, you open yourself up to some danger. It’s very hard for the untrained eye to spot betting sites that are not looking out for your interests. By sticking with our recommendations that have already been fully vetted, you guarantee that you’ll have a safe and secure sports betting experience.

International Sports Betting Sites

Tip #4 – Test Out the Steps of Making a Bet

Something that you may not know about online sportsbooks is that you will have full access to the entire site even prior to making a free account. This means that you can get the ultimate feel for what betting there would be like if you were an actual member. At most sites, you can search through the different bets, check out the odds, and you can even build betting tickets. The only thing that you’re not going to be able to do without an account is actually submit the bet. But you will be able to do everything up until then.

Take advantage of this. Make sure you are comfortable with the betting process. Make sure you fully understand how things work and ensure it all works for you. If everything is to your liking, then you can go ahead and make your account and get to making some real money bets!

Tip #5 – Make Sure They Have Banking Options You Like

One of the big perks of choosing to wager with an online betting site is that you’re going to have access to a lot of great banking options. This will make the deposit and withdrawal process much smoother. That being said, not every site is going to have the same banking options.

Make sure you take a minute and see what options they have for deposits and what options they have for withdrawals. You don’t need multiple banking options for both options, but you need at least one good one that you are a fan of.

Tip #6 – Know That You’re Never Married to an Online Betting Site

When choosing a site to join, you are not obligated to stay there. No matter if you have made 1,000 bets or 0 bets, you can leave whenever you want. All you have to do is withdraw your money and you are gone. What does this have to do with picking out the best betting sites for you? Well, don’t overthink the process. If you find something you like, give it a try for a few weeks. If it’s a good fit, awesome! If it turns out not to be the best fit, no big deal. You can always pick up and go somewhere else. It’s not like buying a car or a house where you are stuck with your purchase. You have a lot of freedom that you can exercise at any point in time.

Recent Sports and Sports Betting Blogs

Want to stay up to speed with all the latest happenings in sports and the sports betting industry? This is a key to success with your bets. Picking out a trustworthy online sports betting site can only take you so far. You will need to stay up to date with the latest news so that you can use those sites to make your masterful picks. Check out the latest sports blogs below!