Despite the US undergoing a sports betting boom period, with more than thirty states allowing their residents to indulge in this pastime at local operators, many Americans still opt to use the best offshore gambling sites. Not only that, but the popularity of these platforms is continuously growing since more Americans than ever have taken an interest in this activity and are discovering the upside of using internationally-regulated betting apps.
Even with this state of affairs, a significant portion of the US population is wondering, is betting offshore illegal, and are offshore sports betting sites safe? These questions and a few more frequently asked ones get answered in the subheadings below.
What Are Offshore Sports Betting Platforms?
They are sports betting sites licensed in a foreign land, operating as a registered legal business according to that country’s laws. They also have attained approval from a designated government body to offer internet gaming and betting services to residents of that territory and internationally. That means that they have gotten vetted for legitimacy to be active in this industry and get continuously monitored regarding if they are following laws and established business practices. That ensures that they are offering a fair service.
The Legality Behind Overseas Sportsbooks
Specific countries and US states, like Georgia, for example, do not allow business entities to run online gambling services from within their borders, ones that provide sports betting to their citizens. That is something that does not get allowed per Georgia’s laws, which do not say anything about this activity being illegal (in general) or prosecuting those who use overseas sportsbooks.
It is vital to note that no federal law exists targeting bettors who choose to use offshore betting sites. So technically, offshore gambling is not illegal in the United States. A few states outright forbid residents from accessing these platforms, but most don’t.
Offshore Sportsbook Licensors
The ranking of the top offshore sportsbooks gets explained in detail in the subheading after this one, but a crucial gauge in evaluating the quality of these sites is what regulator they use. Most have licenses from and headquarters in regions like Latvia, Panama, Costa Rica, Antigua, and Curacao. These are territories with lax tax laws that seek to boost their economies by attracting foreign gambling operators to establish businesses on their soil, employing locals, and paying various regulatory fees.
Curacao has four regulators operating under a master license supplied by this country’s government. These have the right to issue sub-licenses to operators they deem worthy of providing betting services from Curacao to a global user pool. Two from this bunch, eGaming Curacao and Gaming Curacao, are organizations active in the online gambling sector since the mid-1990s. Both feature many of the licensing measures that renowned European regulators implement. So, they are quite credible, and for those pondering – what rules do offshore betting sites have? They follow many of the same ones that US and European brands do.
What Defines a Decent Overseas Sportsbook?
Aside from a trustworthy gaming license, the best offshore gambling sites boast a quality reputation, state-of-the-art security protocols, competitive odds, a vast range of banking options, an extensive selection of betting markets, attractive promotions, and premium customer support.
No one thing gets priority over everything else. Each area has almost equal value, and a high-end site should excel in all the mentioned departments.
Pros & Cons of Offshore Sports Betting
The chief benefits of using overseas betting apps are:
- Â Â Â More generous bonuses.
- Â Â Â Niche sports markets.
- Â Â Â Cryptocurrencies get accepted.
- Â Â Â Better betting options.
- Â Â Â Better wagering limits.
The main drawbacks of utilizing overseas betting apps are:
- Â Â Â Disputes get handled under foreign laws.
- Â Â Â Less user protection.
- Â Â Â American sports odds may be weaker.
The Best Offshore Sportsbooks
According to various veteran bettors’ analyses, the best internet sportsbook not licensed in the US are BetUS, Bovada, MyBookie, and BetOnline. Many gamblers get surprised to find out that yes is the answer to the question Is BetOnline offshore? Confusion on this topic arises from Commission.bz, principally advertising its skin, SportsBetting.ag to American sports wagering fanatics. However, today, the company markets both platforms to US gamblers, and BetOnline is one of the rare offshore sportsbooks accepting users from all fifty US states. It is also noteworthy that it has the most massive betting limits in the overseas betting sphere.
To Wrap Up
Are offshore sports betting sites safe? The choices rattled off above are, and the same applies to other higher-end picks like CloudBet, 10Bet, and Nitrogen. Every brand mentioned in this article has functioned in the online gambling industry for at least a decade, amassing decently-sized user pools who trust them. US-regulated sites are terrific options for residents of states that have them, but offshore ones should not get dismissed as inferior because they are not.
