Online Sports Betting vs. Landbased Sports Betting
For generations, sports betting was only available at brick and mortar locations. But, with the emergence of the internet and mobile platforms, sports betting have become more popular churning out billions of dollars as turnover every year, in fact, the industry has never seen a boom like this before. According to reports, online betting grew from 20 billion dollars to over 40 billion dollars annually from 2009 to 2016 and it is believed that this amount will grow into about 70 billion dollars within the next few years. Given the many advantages of online sports betting, you might think that landbased sports betting are no longer necessary but they also have their own unique and powerful advantages.
Everything you need to know about these two betting options will be critically analyzed in this article including their similarities and differences.
- Landbased sports betting is far more exciting than online sports betting
- Online sports betting offers you the best option for line shopping
- Online sports betting does not cost you anything extra
- Online sports betting is more convenient than landbased sports betting
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Online Sports Betting and Landbased Sports Betting Definition
Online sports betting is simply the act of placing wagers through the internet either via mobile apps and websites. It is quite a popular option, providing punters with numerous benefits, which will be examined below.
Landbased sports betting also known as offline physical locations where bettors go to place their wagers. This includes going to a horse track or bookie.
Online Sports Betting vs. Landbased Sports Betting Pros and Cons
When comparing these two betting options, there are numerous factors to consider. We will be considering the most popular attributes of the two options, comparing the pros and cons for each.
Betting Options
There is hardly a sports bettor who does not love to have wide range of betting options, different sports to bet on and various wager types. Unfortunately, landbased sportsbooks limit the number of sports that they accept wagers on. They don’t also offer as many wager types as online sportsbook for each sport.
- Available Sports
Most landbased sportsbooks accept wagers on only the collegiate and major professional sports. Only a few accept wagers on major international leagues. While online sportsbooks offer almost all sport you can think of, from football to NFL, NBA, MLB, cricket, horse racing, wrestling, cricket, darts, horse racing and so on. You can also place wagers on entertainment and politics at online sportsbooks, so you can access the betting markets that you passionately follow.
- Wager Types
Landbased sportsbooks typically accept straight bets like totals, spreads and moneylines. A handful of them accept teaser betting and parlay betting, while very few of them take prop betting and futures bet. For all other wager types, online sportsbooks is the real deal. Online sportsbooks offer every wager types you can think of, from parlays and multiple team teasers to extensive props and futures. Online sportsbooks also offer live betting which allows punters to bet on games that have already started. Landbased sportsbooks are not capable of this type of sports betting.
Advantage: When it comes to the types of wagers and the number of sports offered, online sports betting has an edge over landbased sports betting.
Line Shopping
Line shopping is very important to the success of any punter. It helps punters locate the sportsbooks with the best odds, maximizing their winnings and increasing their winning chances in the process. For example, if sportsbook A offers the L.A. Galaxy moneyline at +185 and sportsbook B offers it at +210. Any sharp bettor would opt for sportsbook B because you will earn more return by risking the same amount.
Bettors do not have the luxury of line shopping at landbased sportsbook. It will be bad business for landbased sportsbook to put their odds side by side with their competitors especially if the competitors’ odds are more favorable.
Online sports betting give bettors access to hundreds of sportsbooks which allows them to locate the best odds available. Without going into details about the strategies and advantages of line shopping, a full point or half-point could make a huge difference between a losing and winning bet. So put yourself in the best position of winning by finding the best line.
Advantage: Online sports betting offers you the best option for line shopping.
Sports Betting Environment
When we talk about sports betting atmosphere, environment and ultimate vibe, nothing beats the feel of a land-based sportsbook. These sportsbooks are popular for their overall atmosphere. What excites you most between being live at a horse track and placing online horse racing wager? Being live at a horse track beats online horse racing hands down.
Many brick and mortar sportsbooks offer their customers enough comfort and luxury by making them sit in plush chairs, order drinks, eat foods, watch other games and events, have face to face interactions with others and ultimately soak up the vibe. It is more than just betting, it is an awesome experience.
Although online sports betting allows you to stay in your own personal environment, it cannot be compared to the excitement that comes with being in a land-based sportsbook.
Advantage: Landbased sports betting is far more exciting than online sports betting.
Monetary Expenses
The monetary expenses incurred by placing wagers at brick and mortar sportsbooks are more than that of online sportsbooks. First of all, you have to consider the amount you will spend on transporting yourself to the sportsbook, how much money you’ll spend on foods and drinks if you intend to watch multiple events or games at the sportsbook, not to talk of the temptation to play some slots or table games. Before you know what’s going on, a $150 wager on the Eagles becomes a $400 wager once you calculate your travel expenses, the slots & table games including the food and beverages.
Playing from home would have cost you less.
Advantage: Online sports betting does not cost you anything extra.
Convenience
Online sports betting gives you all the comfort you need. You can place your wagers on the go from your mobile devices or from the comfort of your home on your desktop. You can also place your wagers whenever you want whether in the morning, afternoon or night. You are allowed to place your bets no matter the circumstances so far the lines are available. This, however, does not apply to land-based sports betting.
Landbased sportsbooks have operation hours and you cannot place your bets if there is no one there to attend to you. In addition, not all states in the US offer sports betting, so your offline betting options are limited.
Advantage: Online sports betting is more convenient than landbased sports betting.
Deposits and Withdrawals
The first thing most punters search for on online sites is the deposit and withdrawal methods, which offline bettors don’t take seriously. Land-based sportsbooks typically accept only credit cards and cash as forms of payment. But online sportsbooks accepts checks, bitcoins, PayPal, credit cards, debit cards and wire transfers to mention a few. Having many banking options is another form of convenience that online sports betting has over land-based sports betting.
In spite of its limited deposit options, landbased sportsbooks have a significant advantage over the online sportsbooks when it concerns withdrawals. You can present your winning ticket at the land-based sportsbook and get your cash on the spot but you will have to go through a withdrawal process that can take up to at least two days with online sportsbooks. These online sites do not also have as much withdrawal options as they have for deposits.
Advantage: Although landbased sportsbook have fewer deposit options, cashing out your winnings instantly is much easier with landbased sports betting.
Bonuses, Promotions and Rewards
Due to the fierce competition between online sports bookies, there are a lot of bonuses, promotions and rewards being offered to attract bettors. These bonuses range from no deposit bonus, first deposit bonus to referrals and reload bonuses. Some online sports bookies even offer free plays, allowing bettors to wager for free. Land-based sportsbooks offer fewer bonuses, some don’t even offer bonuses at all.
Advantage: Online sports bookies offer awesome bonuses and rewards, while most land-based sportsbooks don’t even offer rewards or bonuses.
Customer Service
If you have any issue or question while dealing with online sportsbooks, you will most likely be directed to their FAQ section. Some online sites have live chat or chat box feature where you can chat with an agent. There is usually no real person to person contact when reaching out to online sportsbooks’ customer support system. And if you are able to speak with a customer care agent, he may not speak your language.
Landbased sportsbooks usually have a real-life person to person contact. In fact, many landbased sportsbooks give bettors the chance to ask questions about things they don’t understand. Even when you don’t get the required or necessary answer, dealing with real people is still more fulfilling to FAQs and chatbox.
Advantage: Landbased sportsbook have real people helping out as customer support, while online sportsbook sometimes put you through little stress before you are attended to.
You don’t know the online or landbased sportsbook to trust? Never worry we’ve gone great lengths to supply you with the best sportsbook around. All you just have to do is to visit our sports betting comparison page and you will be on your way to becoming a millionaire.
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