Online sports betting has fanned out across the country at a rapid pace, with three more major states going live just since the beginning of the year.

You no doubt have seen the slew of sportsbook ads if you live one of these legal gambling states. But just how do you sign up for a sportsbook app? Which are the best? What promos can new users take advantage of? We have your full breakdown on how to bet Week 1 NFL games with legal sportsbook apps.

 

States Where Online Sports Betting Is Available

We’ve covered SEC betting states and Big 10 betting states. But what about the country as a whole? Here is a list of states with wide-scale online betting. By this we mean states that have an open ecosystem of leading sportsbook apps– not just lottery run operators, in-person only play, or one operator.

  • Arizona
  • Colorado
  • Indiana
  • Illinois
  • Iowa
  • Michigan
  • New Jersey
  • Pennsylvania
  • Tennessee
  • Virginia
  • West Virginia

All of these states will allow you to bet with multiple sportsbooks, including leading brands like DraftKings Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook, Caesars, and Barstool Sportsbook. Though not all are available in each state.

Depending on the jurisdiction, sportsbooks must apply for a license or find a casino partner to “skin” their app. Some states have limited licenses available, so we get a diverse set of sportsbook apps for most states.

 

Best Sportsbook Available in Most States

Of this list of states, three sportbooks are available in all of them: DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM. Caesars Sportsbook and Barstool Sportsbook are available in most.

Here’s how we would rank them, along with their Week 1 NFL betting offers for new users:

  1. FanDuel Sportsbook
  2. DraftKings Sportsbooks
  3. Caesars Sportsbook
  4. BetMGM
  5. Barstool Sportsbook

 

1) FanDuel Sportsbook

FanDuel Sportsbook

States: KY, OH, MD, MA, LA, KS, NY, NJ, PA, IN, IA, WV, MI, VA, CT

GET BONUS!

SIGNUP BONUS

BET $5
GET $150

GUARANTEED!

CLAIM NOW

FanDuel is offering 40 to 1 odds through a bet $5, win $200 on NFL Week 1 games promo. What makes FanDuel’s offer standout, however, is that the $200 payout is instant cash, which means new users who sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook here and place their first bet as a $5 moneyline bet on any NFL team this weekend will receive $200 in instant cash if their team wins.

This is better than most sportsbook signup offers because the bonus money is able to be withdrawn.

 

2) DraftKings Sportsbook

DRAFTKINGS SPORTSBOOK

21+ and present in NY, NJ, PA, CT, AZ, CO, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, NH, OH, OR, TN, VA, WV, WY. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.

CLAIM OFFER

NEW USER BONUS

BET $5
GET $200

BET NOW!

New DraftKings Sportsbook users can bet $1 to win $200 on any NFL game this weekend when they sign up here.

Simply place a $1 bet on any team to win this weekend and you’ll get $200 in site credit if they do.

https://twitter.com/SommerRay/status/1436408609726816259

 

3) Caesars Sportsbook

Love this Caesars offer. They are giving away a free NFL jersey to those who place $100 worth of bets on the NFL through September. This is in addition to their (ridiculous) $5,000 risk-free first bet offer.

You must use one of the links here depending on which state you are in.

 

4) BetMGM

BetMGM Sportsbook

STATES: LA, NY, AZ, MS, CO, IN, IA, MI, NV, NJ, PA, TN, WV, VA

GET THE APP

SIGNUP BONUS

1+ PUNCH LANDS!

$200 BONUS

BET NOW

BetMGM is making this a no-brainer for local sports fans. New users who sign up here can bet $10 on their favorite team and win $200 if they score a touchdown in Week 1.

 

5) Barstool Sportsbook

Barstool Sportsbook

States: OH, MD, LA, CO, IL, IN, MI, NJ, PA, VA, TN, AZ, IA, WV

GET THE APP
CODE: SOUTH1000
CODE: SOUTH1000
SIGN-UP BONUS

$1,000

NEW PLAYER BONUS

BET NOW

Barstool Sportsbook just lunched in a bunch of states, including Arizona, which means that unless you live in Iowa or West Virginia out of the earlier list, you can bet with Barstool.

While they offer a slew of in-app boosts and bonuses, their new player signup offer is fairly standard– $1,000 risk-free with promo code SOUTH1000.

 

How To Sign Up, Deposit, and Get Betting

Signing Up

Signing up for one of these sportsbooks to bet on the NFL is easy. Each will require personally identifying information (to verify age and comply with know-your-customer rules), geolocation access (to verify you are in a legal state), and agreement to a bunch of terms and conditions.

Information you should expect to provide online betting apps:

  • name
  • date of birth
  • address
  • phone number
  • email
  • drivers license number
  • social security number
  • bank account information

Note, not all sportsbooks will require all of this information, but some of the more invasive stuff, like drivers license and SS card, can be used in case a book is having trouble verifying your identity.

You don’t need to worry about privacy or abuse, as online sportsbooks are highly regulated and may not do nefarious things with the data they collect.

 

Deposit Methods

Getting money into and out of legal betting apps is fairly simple, though some credit card companies will routinely block gambling transactions.

Here all some of the options you may encounter:

  • credit card
  • bank account login
  • check (account and routing number)
  • PayPal
  • PayNearMe
  • Cash at Cage
  • prepaid card

We find online banking (if you don’t have two-factor enabled, which you should!) and account and routing number to be the most efficient for most people.

Some sportsbooks have introduced gift cards, which you can buy at a store and then activate in-app.

 

Betting

This is the fun part. All of these sportsbooks feature some sort of homepage which shows the most popular games of the day, a list of sports, any major promotions, and more.

You can expect to be able to bet on the spread, moneyline, total, and more. Here’s a list of the most common options:

  • spread
  • moneyline
  • total
  • parlays
  • teasers
  • props

 

The NFL season is an exciting time for bettors and with a large portion of the country open for online sports betting, and major states, including New York, on the horizon, now is the time to get started betting on NFL games.