So You Want to Bet Online

If you're a sports fan, and perhaps even dabbed with the big board in Vegas, you've probably at one point or another played around with the thought of betting online. It's easy, you can do it from the comfort of your own home and there are more wagering options than hairs on Vlade Divac's chest. Of course, if you're new to the online gambling thing or just new to this crazy online idea in general(what is this inter-net you speak of?), there are a few things you should keep in mind.

The Convenience of Wagering on Sportsbooks Online

Gone are the days of neighborhood bookies, thousand dollar limits and drives to Vegas just to get a halftime line. With the internet, you can place large action on an array of different wager types, from NFL lines to the over/under on sequels to "Under Siege," all while wearing your pajamas. And yes, "Under Siege 3" is in production. Did you think anything can stop Steven Seagal from making terrifically horrible movies? There's nothing like turning to USA and seeing Steven Seagal toss swords at escaping villains from second story windows.

Sportsbook Money Transactions

Money transactions depend on the site. For the most part, every site offers third party cash exchange services, as well as credit and bank transactions. However, each site puts different bonuses and deposit limits depending on the method. Things like, "NETeller deposits grant you a 20% bonus, credit card deposits come with a $1,000 fee." Needless to say (but I'll say it anyway), each sportsbook has their own preferred method and they try to steer you toward it. I have my own preferred method, it's called spending money you don't have and praying you win.

Diverse Sportsbook Betting Options

Online sportsbooks offer the most betting options in the world. On top of lines for all major sports, you have game props, futures, if bets, action points, teasers, cross sport parlays, chimps on roller skates; basically action in any way imaginable. Theoretically, you can probably take a game, bet on every quarter, every player and every team prop and the coin toss. Which reminds me of one Super Bowl where I did just that and twenty minutes into the game my head exploded.

Make Sure Your Sportsbook is Legitimate

Remember when Mike Tyson bit off Evander Holyfield's ear and every boxing commission in the known universe deemed him mentally incapable to fight? That's what regulatory agencies do; when someone goes bananas and starts biting ears off, they set the rules to make sure it doesn't happen again. Gaming commissions are also built on the same concept of anarchy prevention.

These rules, of course, are under state and federal law, which have absolutely nothing to do with internet sportsbooks, because they are based offshore Consequently, there is no single gaming commission overseeing the industry. So if Mike Tyson was an internet gambling manager, he could bite your ear, your neighbor's ear and eat Lennox Lewis' children and still keep his job. In other words, make sure your sportsbook's legit before mortgaging your future.