How to Place a Sports Bet

An obviously important part of sports betting is the actual placing of wagers with a bookmaker. This is a simple enough process that involves first of all making your selection and then choosing how much to stake. That is pretty much all there is to it, but there's a reason why our beginner's guide includes an entire article dedicated to the act of placing a bet.

As part of the process, you also have to choose how and where to place your bet, because there are a number of different ways to bet with a bookmaker. You can do it over the telephone, for example, or use the Internet. In some parts of the world, there are bookmaking shops you can visit to bet in cash, and many casinos have sportsbooks where you can do the same.

In this article, we briefly explain each of the different methods for placing wagers with a bookmaker.

Telephone Betting Services

Telephone betting services are available at many bookmakers. Using them is very straightforward: you just make a call to your bookmaker and let him know the details of any wagers you wish to place. He will confirm the odds for your wagers at the time.

Typically, you'll be expected to pay for your wagers using a debit or credit card. There may be alternative payment methods available, and some bookmakers will even offer credit to customers.

Bookmaking Shops

Bookmaking shops are very common in some regions, such as the United Kingdom. To place a bet in these shops, you simply go up to the counter with a completed betting slip and hand your cash over. The cashiers will confirm the odds if they aren't already on display in the shop.

To claim a payout for a successful bet, you must present your winning betting slip to the cashier. You'll usually be paid out in cash unless you have won a huge amount, in which case an alternative method may be used.

Casino Sportsbooks

Sportsbooks in casinos are essentially the same as bookmaking shops, just the location is different. They are very common in Las Vegas casinos, because Nevada is the only American state offering legalized gambling on all major sports.

You'll find sportsbooks in pretty much all the big casinos in Vegas, usually with lots of big screens showing all kinds of sporting events. These screens are also used to display odds and lines for upcoming events.

Online Bookmakers

The easiest way to place a bet these days is to use a betting site or online bookmaker. Ever since the first sites started online at the end of the last century, Internet sports betting has become incredibly popular. There are now hundreds of bookmakers on the web used by millions of people around the world.

These online bookmakers are incredibly easy to use. Once you have opened an account and have deposited some funds, you can place any bet you want with just a few clicks. Most betting sites cover a huge range of sports and events, and some are very competitive in terms of the odds and lines they offer. They even offer bonuses and rewards just for depositing and betting with them.

For more information on sports betting online, including our recommendations for the top betting sites, please see our dedicated section on the subject.

Now that you know about the different ways to place bets, it's time to learn more about other fundamental aspects of sports betting. The next article in this beginner's guide covers a very important topic: odds.