Why Choosing the Right Sportsbook Matters
The difference between odds of 2.00 and 2.10 may seem small, but with 500 bets a year it can mean hundreds of euros difference in your final result. Choosing the right sportsbooks is one of the most direct ways to improve your ROI without changing a single pick.
Criteria for Choosing a Sportsbook
1. Quality of Odds (Margin)
The sportsbook’s margin (also called "vig" or "juice") is the percentage the house keeps on each market. The lower the margin, the better the odds and the harder it is to lose in the long term.
Sportsbooks with the lowest margins are:
- Pinnacle: the industry benchmark. Margins of 2-3% on main markets.
- Betfair Exchange: the most efficient exchange market in the world.
- Smarkets / Matchbook: other exchanges with good margins.
Retail sportsbooks (Bet365, William Hill, Bwin...) have higher margins (5-8%) but offer more exotic markets and a better user experience.
2. Betting Limits
If you bet big or win regularly, retail sportsbooks will limit or close your account. Pinnacle and Betfair do not limit winners. This is a critical criterion for serious bettors.
3. Market Depth
Do you only bet on football 1X2 or also on Asian handicaps, player props, tennis, basketball? Each sportsbook has different strengths:
| Sportsbook | Strong in |
|---|---|
| Bet365 | Variety, football, live betting |
| Pinnacle | Maximum odds, eSports |
| Betfair | Exchange, closing odds |
| 1xBet | Exotic markets, ACCA |
| Unibet | Tennis, Northern Europe |
4. Payment Methods and Withdrawal Speed
Check that the sportsbook operates with your preferred payment method and that withdrawal times are reasonable (ideally under 24h).
5. License and Regulation
In Spain, sportsbooks must have a DGOJ license. In the UK, a UKGC license. Only bet with regulated sportsbooks to protect your money.
How Many Sportsbooks Do You Need
For an active bettor, the ideal is to have accounts in 4-6 sportsbooks at the same time. This allows you to:
- Compare odds and take the best one in each market (line shopping)
- Not depend on a single sportsbook if they limit you
- Take advantage of welcome and reload bonuses
With Oddfolio you can manage the balance of all your sportsbooks in one place and immediately see where you have bankroll available to bet.
Conclusion
Spend time setting up your portfolio of sportsbooks before you start betting seriously. A few minutes comparing odds on each bet can add up to a lot of money in a year. And always record which sportsbook you bet with to detect patterns in Oddfolio.