Top-Rated Live Betting Sites For In-Play Sports & E-Sports Betting
The top live betting sites give you access to a wide range of markets to bet on while the action takes place. If you love gambling based on the eye test, you’ve come to the right place. Our team of experts has picked the top platforms for live wagers based on several key factors covered on this page.
We also explain how we made our choices for the in-play sportsbooks and what criteria you might use to select based on what’s important to you. In addition, we explain how the whole thing works and what markets are available.
100%
up to €122
- Great live sports betting
- Many banking options
- Variety of live dealer games
100%
up to $200
- Massive amount of markets
- Pioneer in Esports betting
- Statistics on site to help bettors
Our Favorite 5 Sportsbooks For In-Play Betting Analysed
We pick the best live sports betting sites based on coverage, odds, and other factors we explain later on this page. Each sportsbook has strong and weak sides, so we highlighted their main advantage to help you pick a suitable option.
- Bovada – Our Overall Favorite Site For Live Betting
- BetUS – Preferred Site For InPlay Betting on US Sports
- BetOnline – Top Choice For Live E-Sports Betting
- Everygame – Highest-Rated App For Live Bets
- SportsBetting.ag – Recommended Live Betting Platform For Cryptocurrency Depositors
Comparison Table Of Recommended Live Betting Websites
We’ve compared our recommended sportsbooks and shown in the table below their bonus, live betting features, and minimum bet amount for in-play bets.
Live Betting Site | Welcome Bonus | Min Live Betting Stake | Exclusive Live Betting Promos | Join Now |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bovada | 50% up to $1,000 (75% up to $750 for crypto) | $0.50 | No | Join Now |
BetUS | 100% up to $2,500 (150% up to $3,750 for crypto) | $1 | No | Join Now |
BetOnline | 50% up to $1,000 (100% up to $1,000 for crypto) | $1 | Free $50 first live bet | Join Now |
Everygame | 100% up to $500 (50% up to $1,000 with crypto) | $1 | No | Join Now |
SportsBetting.ag | 50% up to $1,000 (100% up to $1,000 for crypto) | $1 | Free $50 first live bet | Join Now |
How We Choose & Review Betting Sites
We start our evaluation based on certain factors that cover all online sportsbooks. From there, we look into the ins and outs of the in-game betting experience. Here are some of the factors that we prioritize:
Live Betting Coverage
We recommend sites that offer live markets on popular sports, such as soccer, football (pro and college), tennis, and many others. On top of that, we love sportsbooks that go deeper into more obscure sports to give their users as many opportunities as possible.
Competitive Live Betting Odds and Lines
We like to see that there are competitive lines for spreads, totals, and moneyline. We like to see around 5% margins for mainstream sports and markets and 7% for less popular options.
Special Live Betting Markets
The live betting experience should ideally offer up at least some betting opportunities that you couldn’t get with pre-game bets. For example, we like to see unique markets, like next player to hit a home run in baseball, or first team to a certain number of points in basketball.
Fast and Easy-to-Use Live Betting Console
Timing is critical when you’re betting live. For that reason, we look for sites like Bovada that make the betting process seamless and keep lines constantly updated.
How To Choose a Sportsbook To Register With
You should be thinking about what’s important to you in terms of your live betting experience. That will help you choose the in-game bookmakers that fit what your needs. Read on to find out some of the factors that might end up being important to your decision.
What Live Sports Do You Want to Bet On?
If you’re looking to wager on popular leagues like the NFL, just about every live betting site will offer you lines. You should instead be focused on suitable bonuses, odds, and payments as the deciding factors. On the other hand, if you’re looking for obscure sports that might not be as popular to US audiences, you should look into a site like Bovada, which has the best overall variety of live sports available to bet.
What Device Do You Want to Use for Betting?
All bookmakers on this page are great on a computer and have at least decent apps. However, if you’re interested in mobile live sports betting, look for a site like Everygame. Their interface and control setup make live betting easy, even on the small screen of a phone.
What’s Your Budget for Live Betting?
If you plan to operate on a fairly small budget, look for bonuses that are easy to attain. For example, the 50% welcome bonus up to $1,000 at BetOnline is available with a deposit of only $20. If your budget is bigger, aim at more lucrative bonuses, like the 100% up to $2,500 at BetUS, or a site like Bovada that has a very generous rewards program.
How Does Live Betting Work?
Live betting allows you to wager during the action of a game or match as it’s taking place. The bookmakers will keep updating the odds during the event, based on what’s going on. As an example, a football team that’s a favorite to win on the moneyline might become the underdog for live betting purposes if they fall behind 14-0.
When you make live bets, you have to be prepared for a bit of a delay before your wager will be confirmed by the site. That’s because something can happen as you’re making your bet that can greatly affect the odds. As a result, sportsbooks enforce a 5-10 second delay before your bet gets confirmed in order to give themselves chance to react to updates and key moments in the match.
In addition, you’ll find that some markets may no longer be available as the game progresses if they’re too one-sided based on what’s happening. For example betting markets on the first half or quarter of a match will no longer be available as the time progresses towards those intervals.
For a more in-depth look, check out our guide to live betting that offers more information on the types of markets, how everything works, and more.
Types of Live Betting Markets
The main live betting markets generally are the same as the markets you can find before the game. However, there are also some markets that are unique to the live betting experience, as you can see below. Let’s start with the more familiar options.
Traditional Betting Markets
These are the markets that you’ll usually find before the game as well. For more info, check out our page on the different types of sports bets. Here are a few of the most common traditional live betting markets:
- Moneyline betting: You bet which team will end up winning the game.
- Totals betting: The oddsmaker sets a line for how many points will be scored in the game, either by one team or by both teams combined. You bet if the actual score will go over or under that number.
- Spread betting: A spread is a handicap placed on the underdog in a game. You bet on whether the other team will cover the spread.
Unique Live Betting Markets
These are markets that you won’t generally find when you’re betting on the game before it starts. That makes them unique to the live experience. Here are some examples from popular sports.
Sport | Unique Live Betting Markets |
---|---|
Football | • Next touchdown scored • Race to a certain number of points |
Basketball | • Second-half winner • Next basket scored |
Hockey | • Player who scores next goal • If goalie will be pulled |
Baseball | • Inning by inning lines • Will pitcher pitch complete game |
Soccer | • If player with yellow card will get second to be ejected • Which team will get the next corner kick |
Tennis | • Who will win next set? • If there will be a tiebreaker |
Boxing | • Will there be a knockout in a particular round? • Will a fighter make it past a certain round? |
Most Popular Sports for Live Betting
Your expertise in a certain sport should guide you to what live bets you’re going to make. However, there are certain sports which, in general, provide a little bit more to bettors who are wagering while the action is taking place.
- Football: Because the sport is so popular, you’ll find a much wider range of markets compared to other sports. The odds also tend to be more competitive. Learn more about NFL in-game betting on our page dedicated to the topic.
- Basketball: There are thousands of basketball games, both professional and college, played every year in a variety of leagues. The quick pace of the game also offers many live betting opportunities.
- Soccer: Like basketball, there are many different soccer leagues taking place all year long. Interest in the sport is also high, which means you can usually find plenty of markets, especially at sites with a more international flavor like Everygame.
- Tennis: Tennis tournaments generally follow one after another and include plenty of matches just about every day. The sudden twists and turns of a tennis match make it ideal for live betting because you can often hit big odds if your timing is good.
These sports are available at all our recommended live betting sites. For more obscure sports, we suggest trying Bovada, which features an excellent selection of non-mainstream opportunities for live gambling.