BetMGM Review

BetMGM Sportsbook Review

BetMGM was a household name long before the legalization of online sports betting in the U.S. With deep roots in the Las Vegas casino and resort business, the shift to operating as one of the most popular betting sites in the country was a natural transition.

We know that BetMGM is willing to spend top dollar on utilizing A-list celebrities like Jamie Foxx with their in-your-face promotional campaigns, but does the overall quality of the product hold up to all the fanfare? Before signing up, we will walk you through everything you need to know about the BetMGM sportsbook, casino, and betting app.

BetMGM Quick Facts

BetMGM Locations

BetMGM has made itself one of the most widely-available sportsbooks in the country, lending to its stance as a dominant industry leader. Currently, you can find BetMGM available in:

• Arizona
• Colorado
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Louisiana
• Maryland
• Michigan
• Mississippi
• Nevada
• New Jersey
• New York
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Tennessee
• Virginia
• Washington D.C.
• West Virginia
• Wyoming

Residents of Ohio and Florida can bet on horses online using the BetMGM Racebook, though locally-regulated online sports betting is not permitted in those states. BetMGM has announced plans to launch its sportsbook in Ohio when the state welcomes locally-regulated online sports betting in early 2023.

BetMGM also exists in some states that offer retail casinos but not online sports betting.

• In South Dakota, BetMGM retail sports betting is available at Tin Lizzie Gaming Resort in Deadwood. 
• BetMGM partnered with the Puyallup Tribe in Washington State to offer the largest sportsbook in the Pacific Northwest: EQC Sportsbook at Emerald Queen Casino.

BetMGM also launched in Ontario, Canada, in 2022 as the province was the first in Canada to welcome locally-regulated mobile sports betting.  

As an industry leader, BetMGM will continually be one of the first sportsbooks offered in regions accepting legal online sports betting. Their tie to 20+ international resorts makes them one of the most accessible gambling destinations worldwide. 

Sports Leagues to Bet On

BetMGM covers pretty much every sport under the sun that you would be interested in betting on. You’ll see pretty standard odds at BetMGM powered by Entain’s software. They will open the market occasionally or be one of the first books to offer lines on major sports, so at times you can get an early advantage with them. 

NFL Betting

Like most sportsbooks, BetMGM relies heavily on their NFL betting options to be a flagship of their overall platform. As an official partner of the NFL, BetMGM should easily be one of your top-3 options for NFL betting. In total, there are over 130 different NFL bets you can make on a single NFL game.

You’ll find standard spread, totals (over/under), and moneyline markets for both full games and the first half. 

BetMGM offers a robust selection of alternative spreads and totals compared to some betting sites. There are 30+ alternative half-point options here, while some books stop around 10-12 options. You can also choose winning margins like Chiefs by 1-6 or Chiefs by 7-12 at more favorable odds, but those are higher-risk bets. 

You’ll find loads of touchdown props at BetMGM, including lines for the first TD, anytime TD, and the last TD, along with multiple TD markets.

NBA Betting

BetMGM is an official sports betting partner of the NBA, making it a key book you should consider placing your NBA bets at. Aside from the standard spread, total, and moneyline betting options, you’ll find a massive selection of player and team props throughout the NBA season.

NBA Futures markets are mostly available year-round, and the offering of markets is extensive. Aside from NBA Finals Championship lines, you’ll find odds for divisional winners, exact outcomes per division (first place and second place), and odds on awards like Regular Season MVP, Rookie of the Year, and more. 

The quality of the NBA futures odds at BetMGM stand pretty close to competitors like FanDuel and DraftKings, but they aren’t generally the best amongst the most popular U.S. betting sites. At the time of this review, I found that BetMGM only had the best line for two teams to win the NBA Championship, while FanDuel had the best line for eight different teams. Most notably, BetMGM didn’t have the best odds for any top-12 teams expected to win the championship, meaning they were hanging fat lines on long shots. 

College Football

If it’s college football betting markets you seek, you’ve come to the right place. You’ll find markets with moneyline, spread, and total plays for most Division I games on any given Saturday during the season. You can also find a large assortment of quarter-by-quarter or halftime plays. Depending on regulations in your region, you can also wager on team and player props.

In total, you’ll find at least 20 different betting options for a single NCAA football game at BetMGM.

College Basketball

You’ll find one of the industry's most robust college basketball betting markets at BetMGM. Futures bets are available year-round. Marquee games and smaller markets during the regular season are also covered well. BetMGM kicks things up a notch like most sportsbooks when March Madness tips off.

NHL Betting

BetMGM offers a healthy number of hockey betting markets every day during the season and into the Stanley Cup playoffs. In addition to moneyline, puckline, and total plays, bettors have access to team and player props, along with period-specific betting markets. You’ll often find regionalized promos and odds boosts supporting your favorite local team.

MLB Betting

As an official partner of Major League Baseball, you’ll find a high-quality selection of baseball betting options at BetMGM. You can bet on standard spreads, totals, and moneyline bets for the full game of just the first five innings. There are promoted “One Game Parlay” options, which are the same as high-risk same-game parlay offerings. 

BetMGM also offers a solid prop selection for MLB, including betting on which team will score first, if the final score will be odd or even, and more. In total there are about 75 different bets you can make on a single MLB game at BetMGM.

Other Sports Leagues

BetMGM has a solid list of other sports and events to bet on. They are an official sponsor of the PGA Tour, so golf fans with find substantial selections here. Those include special props like a popular player to birdie on their first hole, and live betting options like who will lead after the current round that is in play.

UFC betting is another secondary market that BetMGM covers quite well. You’ll see over 15 different bet types for popular fights with options like whether or not a fighter will win within 60 seconds, which round a fighter may win in, and the method of victory (KO, TKO, submission, etc.).

The A-Z list at BetMGM includes Alpine skiing, badminton, baseball, basketball, biathlon, boxing, cricket, cross-country skiing, cycling, darts, football, Formula 1, golf, handball, hockey, lacrosse, MMA, NASCAR, pool, Rugby League, Rugby Union, snooker, soccer, table tennis, tennis, volleyball, and water polo. 

They also have a “specials” section that features cross-sport parlays. There is also an “Entertainment” section where you can bet on things like the Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

Online Betting Experience

BetMGM offers an average browsing experience on their desktop, app, and mobile platforms. Some users report it to be slower functioning than rivals such as DraftKings and FanDuel, but that can be subjective to individual users’ internet speeds. I had no issues with pages loading abnormally long while running at internet speeds of about 100 Mbps.

Website Experience

The website layout for BetMGM isn’t bad, but not relatively as smooth or well thought out as someone like FanDuel. BetMGM confusingly offers its sports menus in two places on the homepage by giving you a top menu running left-to-right and a left navigation menu running top-to-bottom. It all sends you to the same place, and it feels a bit odd and like a waste of space to have it in both places.

More primary navigation space is also taken up on your right menu by a media section, your bet slip, and “mini games.” The media and mini-games section will fold up if you don’t wish to see them, but you can’t close them off your screen to expand your primary browsing screen, which keeps things tight and cramped. 

On the plus side, BetMGM offers a search feature, which is convenient as this is a fundamental feature missing in many books. Unfortunately, it can be unreliable, making specific bets like player props harder to find.

Mobile Betting and Betting App

BetMGM offers one app regardless of location, while their online platform offers separate platforms per state. Mobile alerts for games you have action on is a favorite feature for users. Their mobile app has a 4.8 out of 5 on the Apple App Store and 4.3 out of 5 on Google Play/Android for the sportsbook.

BetMGM offers a separate app for their online casino if your state allows it. They also provide state-specific poker apps in New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania while powering the poker and casino platforms for Borgata and partypoker.

Live Betting

Live betting and live streaming are critical areas for many users, and BetMGM generally seems to excel here. Their odds can be some of the best on live betting. They also have a wide variety of in-game player props, which not all sportsbooks feature. Their user interface isn’t the best, but it becomes easier to get around if you consistently use their platform.

Casino, Poker, & Other Gaming Options

Given its roots in casinos and resorts, it shouldn’t be a surprise that BetMGM offers one of the best online casino platforms in the industry. They were even named Casino Operator of the Year in 2021 and 2022 by SBC, the largest news publisher in the betting and gaming industry.

Where top competitors like FanDuel and DraftKings hang their hats on their DFS platforms to help give them a unique edge, sites like BetMGM and Caesars have shifted more focus to their casino products.

BetMGM Poker and partners Borgata Poker, and partypoker took New Jersey’s top position in online poker in late 2021. It reported over $1 million in the month of September 2021 alone. Online casino games are still one of the most significant sources of user complaints, which is pretty standard amongst all sportsbook platforms that offer games like slots and roulette, so play at your own risk.

BetMGM launched its first horse-racing app in Ohio in November 2021 that lets users bet on races at over 200 tracks worldwide. While betting on sports teams isn’t legal yet in the Buckeye State, betting on horse racing is.

BetMGM History

BetMGM was born from a partnership between MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) and London-based Entain Plc (LSE: ENT). BetMGM’s parent company, MGM Resorts International, has been known for its gambling expertise in the U.S. for more than 30 years. That experience has translated well with the evolution of iGaming as BetMGM is the largest iGaming operator in the country.

The company expanded into the sports betting industry in July 2018 when it partnered with the UK gambling operator GVC Holdings. The two sides formed a joint venture called Roar Digital in January 2019. Together, they launched the BetMGM Sportsbook app in New Jersey in August 2018. Also, the online sportsbook helps service the retail-based Borgata Casino in Atlantic City.

BetMGM projected net revenue of $1 billion for Fiscal Year 2022 while increasing its long-term U.S. market share guidance.

Customer Ratings & Reputation

BetMGM has a generally favorable reputation amongst casual bettors. They’re a leading sportsbook in the U.S. and have a wealth of experience in gaming, thanks to their foundation in casinos and resorts.

The biggest problem you will run into with BetMGM is that they quickly limit bettors who get hot, making it a better betting site for casual players than experienced bettors. This is a trend amongst the major sportsbooks in the industry where they like to sort out the sharps or anyone lucky enough to go on a tear and cater to the more inexperienced crowds. 

Customer Service

This is one of the most glaring issues with BetMGM, and it is shocking they haven’t made a more convenient way to connect with their players yet. Their live chat feature is difficult to find on their website. They offer an array of customer support emails per state depending on your issue, and they have no phone number. 

Even in app store reviews, you see most sportsbooks have at least bots with automated responses to customer complaints. BetMGM offers none. It’s an unfortunate downside that is surely hurting customer retention in a fiercely competitive landscape.

BetMGM Contact

• 24/7 Live Chat
• Phone: Not Available
• Email: BetMGM has unique emails per-state for customer support. They are all formatted as support.(state initials)@betmgm.com. For example, support.nj@betmgm.com.
• Twitter: @BetMGMSupport

BetMGM Legal Betting

Individual state gaming regulators monitor BetMGM in regions where it is legal to operate.

Responsible Gambling

The legal age for sports betting in most states is 21+. This is subject to regional regulation. Please play responsibly. BetMGM complies with the rules laid down by the regulating bodies in the states in which it operates.

Here are a few resources to help ensure you are gambling responsibly.

• National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG): The NCPG has over 50 years of experience assisting people and families affected by problem gambling. You can call or text them (1-800-522-4700) or join their 24/7 Live Chat.
• Center for Problem Gambling: The Center has been funded by the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) since 1996. They are committed to serving anyone affected by a gambling addiction. Treatment is confidential and provided regardless of a person’s ability to pay. Their gambling counselors have significant experience working with problem gambling and include therapists who are Nationally Certified Gambling Counselors.
• BeGambleAware.org: Offers free, confidential help and support to anyone worried about gambling for themselves or others.
• Gambling Therapy: A global service provided by Gordon Moody offering free emotional support and advice to anyone affected by gambling.

Why Choose BetMGM?

BetMGM is an industry-leading betting site for a good reason. They offer one of the best sportsbook platforms in the U.S. for casual, everyday sports fans. They frequently offer engaging ongoing promotions that are accessible for the average bettor to take advantage of. The live betting platform at BetMGM is also on par with their competitors like Caesars and FanDuel.

On top of their sportsbook offering, BetMGM has put extensive consideration into their online casino and poker, making this a one-stop-shop for people just looking to play for fun without a huge investment stake. The addition of an online racebook for horse racing fans gives even more reason to play here, especially for sports fans waiting for their states to regulate online sports betting.

If you are a sharp bettor, you know you aren't going to be welcome here. Even if you don't consider yourself a sharp bettor, if you are continually finding an edge against BetMGM, you will most likely be limited at some point. For this reason, it's always good to have accounts at competing sites to make sure you can always get some money down where you want, when you want, and to ensure you're always getting the best odds.

All-in-all, BetMGM is in the elite tier of betting sites for the average sports fan.