Sports betting is a form of gambling seen all around the world. In general, it's the act of placing money on the outcome of a sporting event. However, sports betting allows for more than just betting on who will win a game. You can bet on the scores, score differences, how many goals/points a player scores, who the first player/team to score is, and so on.
If you are someone who has never bet on sports, you may wonder if it's safe or even legal. First of all, to ease any worries, the basic answer is that online sports betting is legal and safe. The sports betting industry is huge. Worldwide, the industry has a market of more than $218 billion. With such a large market, there are plenty of highly trusted websites or smartphone apps where you can bet safely. All of the major sports gambling websites are certified or licensed, provide users with contact information for problems, and stipulate fees, payout methods, and more.
Although online sports betting is safe, there are some stipulations, so you should be sure you're taking precautions and using trusted sites. Keep reading to ensure you're following best practices to keep yourself protected!
The Risks of Online Sports Betting
You Can Always Lose Money Gambling
It's important to remember that sports betting is gambling. You're speculating with your money, and you cannot be certain that you'll get the outcome you expect, no matter the odds. Just like how online casinos offer sign-up bonuses, online sportsbooks may provide bonuses for you to join and deposit a certain amount of money. You need to be careful you don't deposit more money than you're okay with losing just for a bonus!
Hacking
When you sign up for an online sportsbook service, you're providing someone with your details. If you add your credit card, debit card, or bank information, you're providing them with even more sensitive information. Thus, you need to know exactly who is receiving this data. Furthermore, you need to be sure your information is going to be kept safe.
Account hacking is a real problem all over the internet—Facebook just had 533 million users' information exposed— not just online sports betting. However, in this industry, if someone hacks your account, they have access to your betting earnings and other sensitive financial information. Again, be sure you're on a reputable online sports betting site before signing up!
The Problem of Convenience
Once you've signed up for a betting website, placing bets becomes pain-free. In fact, betting is arguably too easy. With just a few clicks of the mouse and keyboard, you could be placing bets of tens, hundreds, or thousands of dollars. This can be a danger to your financial safety as you may be inclined to place more bets due to the ease of betting.
While you're online, be wise with your money and only bet what you're willing to lose.
Tips for Safe Sports Betting Online
Use Reputable Sites
As previously mentioned, you must find reputable sports betting websites. Some of the big names include sites like DraftKings, FanDuel, Bovada, and Bet365.
Before you commit to any platform, do your own research. You can read blogs, user reviews, smartphone app reviews, FAQs on each site, and more. This way, before you sign up for a site, you know what to expect in terms of payments, betting, previous customer complaints, and customer support options.
Use a Strong Password
With any website where you hold sensitive information, you should use a strong password. Create a unique password—one which you don't use for other sites—that includes upper and lowercase characters, numbers, and special characters. Furthermore, do not save this password through your browser or on the website. Rather, each time you log in, you should type your password in.
Change Your Password Often
Continuing with the password trend, you should change your password often! This can help ensure that you're as safe as possible with your data on your chosen platform. You can change your password once every three to four months for optimal security.
When you change your password, make it unique and from scratch. Don't just change a couple of characters. Make it brand new, so there is no overlap between your new and old password.
Don't Bet on Shared Devices
When it comes to accessing your sports gambling website and placing bets, you should only use your devices. Never get on a shared or public computer to bet online. You can never trust the security of shared devices as you don't know what others are doing on the device.
Be Careful on All Websites
The internet is an incredible place that provides us with endless information, but it's also inherently full of dangers. Some websites that are a bit sketchier can cause your computer to get a virus, or some downloads may be infected with unwanted programs. These programs or viruses can then allow hackers to access all the stored content on your computer. This includes files, emails, passwords, and more.
In short, be careful about the websites you visit and the things you download. Consider learning more about protecting your computer with antivirus software.
The Bottom Line
Online sports betting is legal and safe. Millions of people all around the globe bet online without any problems. If you're interested in starting to bet on sports online, take all of the above precautions to further ensure your online safety!
