Sports betting has always been one of the most popular hobbies among fans of sports. Many historians believe, that since the days of Ancient Greece (and perhaps even earlier), people have been placing bets on their favorite athletes, and sporting events.

Throughout history, the most popular betting sport has been horse racing, as it is one of the oldest, and most enduring sports in the world. However, in the late 19th century, horse racing was supplanted as the most popular betting sport by football.

Today, football remains the most popular betting sport, not just when it comes to land-based bookies, but also online betting shops. Online betting has been around since the late 1990s, and has only been exponentially growing in popularity since. The popularity of these sites is owed to the fact that they are a lot more accessible than land-based sports shops, and because of the diversity that they offer to their user base. For example, www.novibet.ie, not only functions as an online betting site, but as an online casino as well, as you can see from the link.

It is worth mentioning that online betting, though around for 2 decades, is still a rather new phenomenon. New punters are moving away from land-based sportsbooks, and onto online, and in this article we are going to offer a few tips for people new to the world of online betting.

Look for Licensed Websites

The most important thing, is to look for a licensed and regulated website. Unfortunately, due to the recent nature of online betting, many websites are not regulated, and often times function without a license. These sites are to be avoided, as they can’t be trusted to deliver a fair return on your deposit. In fact, often times, they are simply scams.

However, once you discover a website that works with a proper license, and is regulated by a top authority, you will have a much easier time of betting than if you were to stick to land-based bookies. Look for top authorities like the Malta Gaming Authority , or the Great Britain Gambling Commission.

Check out the Terms of Service

Before you register with a website, even a licensed one, make sure you take a look at the terms of service that the website provides. Sometimes, the terms of service will reveal that the website is slanted against the player, and sometimes, you might just find that a website you’ve found is not the right fit for you. So, before you start betting or gambling online, always be sure to check out the ToS of the website you’ve chosen.

Look for Bonuses

Many online betting sites offer quite a few, hefty bonuses. Whether they be welcome bonuses, betting bonuses, or something else, make sure that, before you register with a website, you are aware of the types of bonuses they dole out, and how good these bonuses are. Welcome bonuses are often times the most enticing to new bettors, as they are awarded simply for registering an account with a website.