Summary

MGM is a name you are likely to have heard of due to its close association with gambling destinations such as Las Vegas and Macau and the famous boxing fights at the MGM Grand down the years. However, today I’m going to run you through all you need to know about BetMGM Sportsbook and why I think it stands out from the crowd of the ever-expanding world of betting sites in the United States.

Why should you choose BetMGM Sportsbook?

The BetMGM sportsbook has a lot to live up to due to the brand behind the name, and they certainly provide a consistent experience across the major US sports, as well as a range of markets for more niche offerings such as lacrosse.

The range of markets is sizable as they break down the game into specific areas, and the odds are good value, but they don't stand out from major competitors. However, BetMGM thrives when it comes to price boosts and promotions as they reward loyalty with regular offers, including holiday-specific boosts such as the recent Thanksgiving 10% parlay boost on football, which I'm sure the Dallas Cowboys let many people down on even though it's supposed to be "their year". Through weekly promotions like the Money Monday Club where you can receive $10 if you placed $50 in wagers the week before, there is plenty of value to be had at BetMGM.

Bonuses

If you're a new customer at BetMGM Sportsbook, you can expect to receive a welcome offer of up to $1000 after signing up. I found the offer for the New Jersey website but do check whether it applies directly to your state. I believe that it covers the entire US, although that is dependent on whether sports betting is legal where you are based.

Important fact: you have seven days to claim the offer after registering before it expires. Once you register the clock is ticking.

Now for the offer itself. If you lose your first bet with the offer, BetMGM has you covered for the sum of the stake up to $1000. Therefore, a $1000 bet will be refunded into your account as free bets if your selection loses, which is convenient for anyone bold enough to use their first bet on the Lakers superteam this season. For sums greater than $50, your free bets will be broken down into quantities of 20% of the entire amount and refunded within 24 hours of the end of the event that was bet on. A $1000 refund will be broken down into five payments of $200, while a $40 bet will be returned as that sum outright.

This is a good offer as it compares favorably with major rivals such as DraftKings because their large welcome offer has 25x wagering requirements in contrast to BetMGM's 1x, but it isn't the best on the market. FanDuel has the same welcome bonus, although the free bet isn't split into smaller components, so it can be used in its full amount which is preferable.

BetMGM's offer does give you the chance to make serious cash with your first bet. However, if it loses, you get your money back as free bets, so it’s not risk-free as mentioned in the promotional material and that should be considered when deciding how much to deposit. I found it simple to use across the sportsbook on their major markets for NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL, so you should not have a problem either.

One of the things I noticed about BetMGM's promotions was their referral offer, presenting you with $50 for recommending a friend to their sportsbook, which is a great way of getting a free $50.

I think loyalty is a key attribute that should be recognized by all betting sites. BetMGM does this as they reward the loyalty of customers that bet frequently with them. If you bet $50 a week across the sportsbook you receive a $10 free bet. I would like to see a bit more on that free bet, but it is pretty decent compared to other betting sites. They also offer a $25 risk-free bet on the first touchdown scorer. It allows you to have freedom on an NFL wager, especially if you love the sport as much as I do!

Depositing and Withdrawing

Now comes the checklist part of my breakdown of BetMGM. You will need to enter the following information to register an account with BetMGM, otherwise, you cannot bet.

• Name
• Age
• Address
• Email
• Phone Number
• Social Security Number

Once you have entered this information you will then be asked to enter your financial information to allow you to deposit funds, which can be achieved through a variety of methods. These can include:

• ACH e-check
• BetMGM online Play+
• Cash
• Credit card
• Debit card
• Online banking transfer
• GameOn
• PayNearMe
• PayPal
• Promocode
• Skrill
• VIP Preferred

You will be asked for a minimum deposit of $10 during the transaction process, although this could be higher based on your chosen method. The majority of these transactions are instantaneous for the different methods, although Skrill payments may take up to 24 hours to process.

I think there's a fair amount of coverage of a variety of payment methods. It certainly seems to be in line with a number of betting sites and allows you to get down to business very quickly.

According to the BetMGM Sportsbook site, you will be able to use the following methods to withdraw funds from your account, with the minimum amount required being $20.

Withdrawal method	Expected time
Visa	Within 24 hours
Paypal	Within 24 hours
Bank Transfer - VIP preffered	2-4 business days
Bank Transfer - Online banking	2-4 business days days
Bank Transfer - Instant banking	2-4 business days
Prepaid Card	Within 24 hours
Cage - (NJ, MI & MS)	Within 1 hour
Skrill - (NJ)	Within 24 hours

BetMGM Sportsbook appears to promote safe gambling to protect its customers. They provide their users with the opportunity to limit their betting stakes by putting a deposit cap on their accounts. Users can also take time away from gambling by clicking the time out button on the website or app or even to close their accounts. However, these tools can all be found on other major sites such as DraftKings. FanDuel goes even further as they have a third-party exclusion request for anyone worried about someone’s ability to limit themselves, so BetMGM Sportsbook needs to do more to protect players.

In the event that you do have an issue with BetMGM, I discovered that they have solid customer support options. They have a 24/7 live chat to contact them regarding issues or through email.

The Mobile App

To be clear, I have an Android phone and have used the BetMGM Sportsbook app on that device, where I found it to be lacking compared to competitors such as FanDuel.

I did find the app to be reliable, which allowed me to bet freely. Most features were relatively easy to find such as markets and the deposit and withdrawal functions. However, speed is an issue as the app can be really slow to load, and the overall functionality does need to be improved, which echoes the criticisms on Google Play Store. Hopefully, this will be improved quickly to allow Android users a smoother betting experience as the iPhone version ranks quite highly among betting apps, with a score of 4.8 out of 5.0, and is among the best in the market, so they clearly know how to produce a well-designed app. A key topic you should be aware of is the fact that mobile betting is not legal in all parts of the United States. Therefore, you need to know whether it is legal to download and bet. Mobile betting is legal in Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, Ohio (horse racing), Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington DC, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Betting Options

Diversity and Parlays

One of the aspects of BetMGM Sportsbook I appreciated more than most was the diverse range of markets not only for the major US sports, but also on soccer, tennis, cricket, rugby, and Aussie rules football. You don't find that range of depth across many betting sites, including DraftKings.

I would recommend BetMGM on the strength of their odds boosts for the NFL alone. They provide a great range of offers as was evident on Thanksgiving. Those boosts are always provided over the course of the season, as well as on the NBA, NHL, and MLB.

I particularly enjoyed their parlay insurance for NFL parlays over four games, which offers you money back if one of your selections fails. There's nothing more frustrating than a parlay that loses because of one team, usually the Cincinnati Bengals... Shakes fist. These are also available for college football, NBA, and Premier League betting, the latter especially appeals for those soccer lovers.

Special Features

BetMGM provides streaming for select NFL, NBA, and NHL games on a daily basis along with other major leagues from around the world.

Cash-out options are available only in New Jersey and West Virginia, which allows the user the option to withdraw winnings from a potential successful bet before the end of the contest(s) that their wager involves.

Its range is currently restricted, but I hope that this will become commonplace in BetMGM’s offerings across the United States. It is a common feature that is provided by their competitors and they should be aiming to match them across the board.

Vig/Juice Comparison

When it comes to juice levels, BetMGM is similar to its major rivals as they seem to average around 4.5% across the moneyline, total, and spread markets across the NBA, NFL, and NHL. Moneyline betting on the NBA is where they provided the best value as the vig levels drop to 4.2%. However, anyone looking to bet on total markets for hockey should probably look elsewhere as the juice level rises to a steep 5.7%.

As you can see, this isn't an area where they stand out as they aren't the best option for any of the markets, so they don't provide good value overall. This is certainly something they need to improve on if they want to be a more attractive option.

What Other Betting Products Do They Offer?

BetMGM also provides a casino and poker product as part of their online offerings. You can find these readily available online and through the App Store and Google Play Store. If casino games and online poker takes your fancy then BetMGM provides excellent offerings on their website and app.