The world of sports and betting certainly moves quickly, and it can be a real challenge to keep up with the latest developments. Comparison sites are one of my favorite ways to make sure that I know what’s actually going on, but you need to make sure that you choose a reputable source of information before you take their word as gospel.
I like to check whether a site is credible by looking at the expertise of their team and selection process. I always come prepared with a list of factors to check before I rely on a site!
What should you look for in a comparison site?
Here are the things to check out about a comparison site before you decide whether it’s worth using:
- Quality of content: The first thing I’ll be looking at is the quality of the site’s content. I want to see that they know what they’re talking about when it comes to the latest news, and that their reviews are unbiased and answer all my questions.
- Team expertise: I think the experience of the team behind a comparison site is one of the most important things when it comes to determining whether it’s worth using. They should have plenty of experience. I love to see that the experts are players themselves, as they give the best insights.
- Range of sportsbooks: There should be a variety of sportsbooks to choose from to make sure that everyone can find the right option for themselves.
- Selection process: Having loads of sportsbooks available doesn’t mean a thing if they’re not carefully selected, which is why I always look at how a comparison site picks the sportsbooks they include.
Now that we know what we’ll be looking for from our comparison sites, let’s see how three of the very top options measure up. I’ll be giving each a mark out of five stars depending on their performance; let’s dive in!
1. World Sports Network – Best overall 4.9/5 stars
I found it really handy that World Sports Network (WSN) includes a clear ‘Betting News’ heading at the top of their page that took me straight to the articles on their site. It’s always really disappointing to see that a news page is only updated every few months, or that their most recent article is from years ago. I’m pleased to report that it’s not like that at all at WSN as they publish multiple high-quality, informative articles daily. I was equally impressed by their reviews, which comprehensively covered everything I wanted to know, but also included tables and graphics to ensure that they were readable and not overwhelming.
When it comes to the range of sportsbooks on WSN, I’m pretty sure that everyone could find the right option for themselves. There could always be more of course, which is my only complaint. Some of their dedicated sport pages, such as the one for the MLB, only offer five top options, so I would like to see a few additional included. However, I knew given their extremely thorough selection process that these really were the top options on the market.
The team themselves test out sites and make sure to revisit their ratings monthly, so bettors are getting the most up to date options, which I would love to see more comparison sites start doing. When it comes to selecting sites, they consider factors such as user experience, features, bonuses, payment options and customer support to choose the best sportsbooks.
How does WSN stand out from competitors?
One of the most impressive things at WSN is their expert team, which includes a specialist for just about every sport you could possibly wish for. You’ll find some of the most trusted voices in the industry, such as Tanner Kern, a respected sports journalist who has a degree in the subject, alongside years of experience. Tanner also works at one of the leading sportsbooks, so he knows exactly what to look for from a top option.
I was equally impressed by Reid Spencer, who has spent a whopping 48 years in the industry. To date, he has the most individual experience of any team member for any site I’ve ever reviewed. He’s a font of knowledge and one of the leading voices in NASCAR betting.
2. OddsShark – Always up to date 4.7/5 stars
I was quite amazed when I looked through OddsShark to see the sheer volume of articles they churn out every day. I counted 13 different NFL articles all written on the same date! I thought that they surely would have to sacrifice quality for these numbers, but I was impressed to see they remained detailed, insightful and informative. Their reviews are also highly detailed and cover everything I wanted to know, from step-by-step guides on signing up to a site, to a table displaying all the different payment methods.
It’s little wonder that OddsShark’s content is as high-quality as it is when you check out the team behind the site. Combined, they have decades’ worth of experience, with the knowledge of experts like Tony Farmer, who is also a keen bettor himself. I also found there was a wide range of sportsbooks to choose from, and I loved being able to filter platforms based on the sport or the area I was in. I’d also recommend you make the most of their how-to guides, which cover getting started in sports betting, the different types of wagers and what to look for from a worthwhile sportsbook.
Why did I deduct a few marks?
One of the things that I felt let OddsShark down a little bit was that I found it difficult to locate their rating guidelines because they don’t have a separate page. I carefully read through their reviews and saw that they consider things like customer service, experience, security and bonuses. Although they cover all the factors I would expect to see, it was pretty annoying that their guidelines were so hard to find.
3. Bookies.com – Well-selected options 4.4/5 stars
It quite literally couldn’t be any easier to locate the news at Bookies.com as there’s a blue-circled heading clearly visible at the top of the page. They’re super comprehensive in their coverage and you can find basically every sport on the planet, whether you’re after football, golf, basketball, soccer or baseball. All their content is thorough and well-written, with their reviews mentioning factors such as payment methods, licensing and bonuses.
Although Bookies.com author profiles were a bit of a challenge to find, once I did, I was relatively impressed by their experience. The team includes James Stoddart, who is a keen bettor himself, and a big sports fan, so he knows exactly what to look out for when it comes to picking a worthwhile sportsbook. You can see this reflected in the impressive variety of sportsbooks they offer, which you can filter in terms of your state or the sport you’re after.
I must also mention that Bookies.com has the most thorough selection process of any of the sites on our list. They consider everything you could possibly ask them to, ranging from bonuses and loyalty programs to the range of sports and user experience. It was also great to see them consider whether the provider has an app, as that’s something I tend to look for personally to make my life easier.
Where did I take marks off for Bookies.com?
I was pretty confused when it came to locating the reviews of sportsbooks at Bookies.com as they’re not linked on their top list and don’t have a separate section. After a good bit of experimenting, I found that you can access them by clicking on the offer found alongside a sportsbook, which seemed like a pretty convoluted system to me.
Which comparison site would I recommend using?
In my mind, we’ve got a bit of a runaway winner in World Sports Network, as they excelled across all four of our criteria. I’d have no hesitation in recommending them as the comparison site to use to keep up to date with betting news as they produce frequent, high-quality articles.
When it comes to finding sportsbooks, their expert team and thorough selection process ensures they only offer the very top options. Whichever of their wide variety of options you choose, you know you’ll have a great time because of how carefully they’re chosen. If, like me, you sometimes feel left behind by betting news, I’d recommend giving WSN a try to get back up to speed!
