Best Live Betting Sites and In-Play Sportsbooks Dec. 2024

Top live sports betting sites reviewed

Editor's Note: bonuses are for U.S. residents only. Bonuses are current offers and are subject to change.

When seeking out the best live betting sportsbook, you'll need to consider a variety of factors – and this isn't a one-size-fits-all setup. Some sites are stronger in some live betting aspects and weaker in others. And some offer a more balanced approach to live betting, not among the industry leaders but firmly in the next tier.

We cut through the clutter to help identify the best live betting sportsbooks in the business, based on how they rate in a number of different categories. Here are the best of the best:

BetMGM for best live betting experience

Today's sports bettors don't just want competitive lines, functional interfaces and strong bonuses. They want a quality live betting product, one that adjusts lines seamlessly and offers as many betting markets as possible (especially in popular leagues like the NFL and NBA).

Few sportsbooks come close to BetMGM when it comes to providing fans with everything they need to get the most out of their in-game wagering experience. Not only does BetMGM provide a veritable trove of in-game options across all games, it also gives customers access to valuable statistics that are updated quickly.

There's also the matter of BetMGM's quality of live odds, which ranks in the top tier among all major U.S. sportsbooks. When the tech is sound, the odds are good and the site is tossing in bonuses like comprehensive stats in real time, that's an unbeatable combination.

See more info on our BetMGM bonus code page.

Caesars for best live betting promos

It was once much, much higher (up to $5,000 in welcome bonuses at one point), but Caesars still offers the most lucrative sign-up promo in a competitive U.S. legal sports betting industry.

New app users receive a bonus bet in the equal value of your first wager up to $1,000 if they lose their first bet. They also get 1000 Tier Credits + 1000 Reward Credits, which can be used toward any number of redemption options including sportsbook wagers, table and slot games, hotel stays, dining, shopping and entertainment, among others.

PointsBet for best live betting 

Any sportsbook app worth considering takes its live betting product seriously. Significantly more money is wagered on mobile devices than at brick-and-mortar venues.

Enter PointsBet, which boasts an incredible rating of 4.8 out of 5 based on more than 25,000 App Store reviews – the highest of any major U.S. sportsbook. Even more impressively, PointsBet has won over the normally fickle Google Play crowd with a 4.7 rating based on 7,000 reviews.

From its easy-to-navigate menus to its standout interface to an impressive selection of live betting markets, PointsBet is the gold standard among sportsbook apps for in-play bettors.

We go into more detail on the best live betting sportsbook apps below.

FanDuel for live streaming

Live betting markets have become table stakes for any reputable sports betting site in the United States – but live streaming is where sportsbooks can separate from the pack.

Where that is concerned, no live sports betting app does it better than FanDuel. Customers can choose from hundreds of live streaming options, each accompanied by a healthy market of live bet opportunities. The quality is fantastic, and the number of live streams is immense.

For the majority of sports bettors, convenience is critical. And FanDuel combines live betting and live streaming better than any other sports betting site available.

DraftKings for live betting beginners

If you're just starting out on the road to live betting prominence, you want a sportsbook that not only offers a quality product, but has plenty of experience with onboarding new players.

Several sportsbooks fit the bill, but few can compare with DraftKings. Having already welcomed millions of first-time players into its daily fantasy sports property, DraftKings promo code has one of the highest levels of expertise when it comes to beginner bettors looking for guidance and ease of use.

Live betting promos

Caesars: $1,000 on Caesars

New bettors or those looking to add a sports betting site to their portfolios should give Caesars a first crack based on this terrific bonus alone!

If your first qualifying wager loses, Caesars will credit you a bonus bet equal to the value of your first wager up to $1,000.

See our Caesars Sportsbook promo code for more details.

bet365: Bet $5, get $150 in bonus bets

bet365 is another terrific live betting site, with odds refreshed insanely quick as every play unfolds. You can also follow the action via clever game trackers and even live streaming on select games. Make your first bet on bet365 of $5 or more to unlock $150 in bonus bets, which can also be used to make additional live bets. See our bet365 bonus code for more details. 

FanDuel: Bet $5, win $150 in bonus bets

New sports bettors can sign up with FanDuel, make an initial deposit of at least $5, and place their first wager of $5 or more on any sporting event. If it wins, you'll get $150 worth of bonus bets that you can divide up any way you like. 

Looking for more bonuses? Check out our BetRivers bonus code, Hard Rock Bet promo code, and Borgata promo code pages. For more details, take a look at our full guide on the best sportsbook promos.

Live betting sites summary

What to consider when choosing the best live betting sportsbook

Bettors should put at least as much effort into finding the best live betting sportsbook as they do into making their actual wagers. Here are some of the most important factors to consider when choosing the right live sports betting site:

Sport & league availability

It can be a real drag to discover that the sportsbook you use doesn't have a great selection of in-play betting markets for your favorite sports. While most major sports betting sites offer live betting across the most popular sports in the U.S., coverage of secondary sports and leagues varies significantly from one sportsbook to the next.

Live sports betting has exploded in popularity over the past couple of years – and if your primary sportsbook has failed to respond to this growth with a commensurate increase in live sport and league offerings, it might be time to look for another.

Quality of live betting odds

Sport variety matters, but you also want to get the best live betting odds possible – and it pays to shop around. Some sports betting sites might feature a stronger menu of live betting markets, but if they're offering subpar odds compared with the competition, that's worth considering.

The majority of notable sportsbooks allow you to sample their live odds markets on desktop prior to signing up, so you don't need to commit to a sports betting site without first seeing where they rank in quality of live odds.

Number of unique markets

A big part of what makes in-play betting so fun is the sheer number of wagering opportunities at your fingertips – so it makes sense for new players, or those looking to add to their sportsbook portfolio, to seek out sports betting sites that have the most live odds markets.

The truth is, you might not avail yourself of every unique live betting market a sportsbook offers – but wouldn't you like to at least have the option? And using that logic, if Sportsbook X offers 20 unique live betting opportunities for a specific NFL game while Sportsbook Y has just 10, aren't you more likely to favor the former over the latter?

Ease of use

People have enough complications to deal with in their daily lives. They'd rather not have to endure those same struggles when choosing the right live sports betting site.

Marquee sportsbooks have generally done well to keep things simple for both new and more experienced players, gearing their interfaces and menus to make it quick and easy for players to make their live wagers. But there's certainly room for improvement across the board when it comes to finding specific live betting markets and getting those bets in before odds shift.

We go into more detail on this topic below.

Extra promos & bonuses

The overwhelming majority of sportsbooks offer welcome or sign-up promo geared toward enticing sports bettors to sign up. But what happens once that initial bonus is gone?

Live betting enthusiasts like maximum bang for their buck – so it's worth shopping around for sports betting sites that offer the widest range of one-time and ongoing promos, bonuses and boosts. Even if these sportsbooks don't necessarily lead the pack in other categories, they're worth your consideration based on bonus bets and/or enhanced odds alone.

Live streaming

Being in on live betting action is infinitely more fun when you can watch the game(s) you're betting on – and sportsbooks across the spectrum have improved a great deal in this regard.

Those who frequent live betting should be looking for sports betting sites that not only offer high-quality live streaming, but also have a large available menu of streaming options. Not only does live streaming connect you to the action, it can also yield information that can help you make more informed live bets.

Best live betting apps

When seeking out the best app for betting on sports, you should consider a variety of factors – and the live sports betting app experience needs to be near the top of the list.

Whether you're a once-per-game live bettor or the type who likes to fire dozens of in-game wagers each night, you need a sportsbook app that not only delivers what you want and need, but does so consistently and without making you feel overwhelmed.

Key factors here include:

• App responsiveness
• Load time between screens
• Ease of use/design
• Menu layouts
• Live streaming speed/options

Here are three sportsbooks that feature the best live sports betting apps:

BetMGM betting app

We would have been satisfied with either BetMGM or the No. 2 option here, but we lean slightly toward the world's most famous lion for the all-around value it provides to live sports bettors.

BetMGM offers a veritable buffet of in-play betting options for the majority of major professional sports and leagues, and arranges these opportunities simply enough for even first-time bettors to easily find what they need. Add in the inclusion of helpful betting trends and stats for most matchups and strong quality of odds, and BetMGM's hold on top spot is well-deserved.

PointsBet betting app

We might have BetMGM slightly higher on this list, but it's clear that PointsBet is the people's choice based on its lofty App Store and Google Play ratings. And those laurels are well-earned given PointsBet's commitment to providing a high-quality live sports betting experience.

PointsBet's live betting interface is among the best in the industry, lauded for its simplicity and sleek design. And there's plenty more to like, as well, from the volume of available live betting markets to the competitive odds and tons of fun promos.

FanDuel betting app

FanDuel Sportsbook might be a touch below the top two sports betting sites, but users can count on FD delivering the goods in all areas of live sports betting.

In addition to providing users with a simple live betting interface and a wealth of in-game betting markets, FanDuel is comfortably the industry leader when it comes to live streaming. No sports betting site in the U.S. does a better job of giving its customers the option of watching the games they're betting on right there in the app.

Live betting odds

We acknowledge that not every bettor reading this primer has a full understanding of how live sports betting odds work. Here's a breakdown of the most important features of live odds:

They reflect the expected result

As the narrative of a matchup begins to take shape, the main live odds tend to reflect what has happened so far. For example, if Team A takes a big lead over Team B, Team A is usually made a heavy live betting favorite, while Team B will become the big-time live underdog.

That said, oddsmakers don't readily abandon expected game script. If an underdog takes an early lead, that team doesn't necessarily become the favorite automatically. The disparity in skill between the teams still factors into live odds movement.

They move quickly

You'll need quick fingers to become a successful live bettor. Sports betting sites waste no time updating their live odds after every notable play in a given matchup; some sports, like baseball, at least offer a little time between line moves, while others, like basketball, move quickly.

Still, being lightning-fast doesn't necessarily guarantee that you can even make the live bet you want. Oddsmakers will protect themselves between certain live line updates by initiating a countdown of several seconds between when you make the bet and when it is finalized. And if the line changes before the clock hits zero, your previous bet is no good.

They vary between sportsbooks

No two sports betting sites are completely alike – and that's especially true when it comes to the live sports betting experience.

While the majority of sports betting sites are close to one another in terms of quality of live odds across the major professional sports, there are opportunities to find edges. Maybe one book doesn't adjust its odds as quickly as the others. Or perhaps you see one site offering five cents lower juice on prominent live lines. As always, it pays to shop around!

How we rate and review live sports betting sites

Sportsbook Review relies on experienced members of the sports betting industry to walk through each sports betting site to analyze the fundamental features, promos, sign-up process, terms and conditions and more, relying on first-hand experiences to best inform live bettors. 

We then track these features and weigh them for each competitor in the crowded live betting market to see where each sports betting site stands compared to the industry average in features such as promos, betting app user ratings at the App Store and Google Play, and quality of odds, among others.

When evaluating a sportsbook's overall viability, we seek out the answers to several important questions, including (but not limited to):

• Which sportsbooks offer the simplest deposit and withdrawal process?
• Which sports betting sites have the most intuitive and easy-to-use interface?
• Which sportsbooks provide the best live betting experience?
• Which sports betting sites boast the widest range of live betting markets?
• Which sportsbooks have the highest quality of live odds?

Here are the three most important factors that help us separate the top sportsbooks from the lower tiers of sports betting sites:

Simple Sign-Up Process

New customers do not want (nor do they have the patience for) a long, drawn-out sign-up process. And while verification of user data is critical for sports betting sites, those processes can't come at the expense of sign-up simplicity.

Sportsbooks need to ensure that they don't send new customers fleeing before they even get a chance to experience the site. Thankfully, many permit prospective new users to at least explore the app or desktop site before actually signing up and making an initial deposit.

Between geo-targeting issues (what do you mean I'm in the wrong state?), technical problems upon submission of verification documents (what do you mean you didn't get my driver's license scan?) and other niggling issues, the sportsbook sign-up process can be a frustrating one. So we rightfully elevate sites that minimize these frustrations for new

Consistently Competitive Odds

Bonuses, promos and boosts are nice ways to capitalize on one-time offers and bolster your bankroll – but players want more long-term gratification. To that end, the best thing a sportsbook can do is offer the best live odds in the industry.

We place a great deal of value in sportsbooks' willingness to buck the trend of 30-cent live spreads, moneyline, totals and props vig on live markets. A -113/-113 two-way live total line might not seem like much of a gain over the industry standard, but in the long run, it could mean significant gains for even a recreational bettor.

On the flip side, sportsbooks that routinely juice standard live lines 25 or 30 cents are doing their players a major disservice. And we make sure that our audience knows which sports betting sites are guilty of doing this.

Quality Customer Service

The live betting experience at a particular sportsbook won't be the same for every player. Stuff happens, right? And when it does, players need to know that they're going to have a positive customer service experience.

Our ratings reflect the importance of sports betting sites taking customer service seriously. We expect customers to receive timely responses to their queries. We value sportsbooks that make an effort to resolve problems satisfactorily. And we place high regard on sports betting sites that are accessible 24/7 – after all, their sites happily accept bets at all hours of the day.

Customer advocacy is our No. 1 priority – and when it comes to recommending a sportsbook to our users, we value a sports betting site's quality of customer service as much as anyone.

Live betting tips & strategies

It's one thing to understand how and where to make a live bet. But you probably want to actually become good at it – and we're here to help you with that!

Here are some basic strategies for mastering the art of in-play sports betting:

Monitor Trends

Not all trends are useful for sports betting – in fact, most can be dismissed. But they aren't all noise; finding trends that are more predictive than others can help you identify valuable live betting opportunities.

Does Team X play better in the first half than the second? How tired is Team Y after playing four games in six nights? Does Team Z tend to perform better against teams with certain lineup or personnel formations? The more you know, the better prepared you'll be for your live bets.

Shop Around

Have you noticed a theme? As we've said numerous times already, shopping around is the best way to ensure you're getting the best value on your live sports wagers.

Having said that (repeatedly), it's next to impossible to monitor live lines on multiple sports betting sites at the same time, especially if you have only one or two mobile devices. So look for trends here, as well: Which sites consistently offer the best odds? Which ones are the most reliable overall? Use your research to inform which apps you use, and how often.

Narrow Your Focus

It might be tempting to try and make as many live wagers as possible – but this is a dangerous practice for two main reasons.

First, if you spread yourself thin, you risk making too many in-play wagers that lack the depth of research required to be successful. The other significant issue is that excessive live betting can drain your bankroll much faster than you had intended – and if you're struggling, you might be more inclined to chase those losses impulsively.

Only live bet what you can comfortably manage, both in terms of volume and actual dollars.

It's Not How You Start ...

One of the easiest ways to ingratiate yourself into the live betting experience is to capitalize on good teams that get off to bad starts.

In a standard hockey game, for example, a -200 pre-game favorite might move to -120 or higher if it surrenders the first goal. This is often a great buying opportunity, since you're getting the team that oddsmakers had as a hefty favorite going in. If talent wins out, you have yourself a winner at a much better price than before the match started.

Sportsbooks by category

Sports bettors can check out the top sportsbooks for specific sports, leagues, playoffs, and categories:

Sports betting by region

Online sports betting can differ between regions. SBR offers the latest insights and scoop on developments and updates specific to your region below.

U.S. States News

Each state has its own sports betting development and updates. Stay informed about the latest news in your state.

North Carolina sports betting is launching in early 2024 so keep an eye on expected North Carolina sports betting apps and North Carolina sportsbook promos.