The Rotowire team of sports betting analysts is reviewing sports betting apps every day based on five categories of 21 sportsbook features to give you the best comparison of what each sportsbook has to offer.
2025 Rotowire Sportsbook Review Testing & Survey Participants
- Adam Thompson
- Blake Weishaar
- Brandon Justice
- Cody Kutzer
- Chris Farley
- Chris Dierkes
- Grateful Keg
- Greg Peterson
- Matt Perrault
- Max Staley
- Nick Whalen
- Rob Pizzola
- Tyler Shoemaker
- Tyler Huntington
Rotowire Sportsbook Rating Methodology
| Category | What It Covers |
|---|---|
| User Experience | How smooth and intuitive the app feels—from logging in to finding and placing bets. |
| Promotions | The bonuses, promos, and rewards that keep users engaged and coming back. |
| Betting Functionality | The nuts and bolts of betting: markets offered, ease of placing and tracking wagers. |
| Features | Special add-ons like parlays, cash-out options, live streaming, and unique tools that set an app apart. |
| Other Measures | The practical stuff—payments, withdrawals, customer support, and responsible gambling options. |
User Experience
- Login Process: How simple and hassle-free it is to get into the app. A smooth login means fewer password resets, fewer security hiccups, and a quicker path to placing a bet.
- App Performance/Speed: How fast the app responds when you click around. Bettors want instant updates, especially with live lines, so lag or freezing can be a deal-breaker.
- Navigation: How easy it is to move around the app and find what you're looking for. A well-designed layout helps bettors quickly jump between sports, leagues, and bet types.
- Search Functionality: The quality of the in-app search tool. Strong search means you can type in a team, player, or market and get results right away, instead of scrolling endlessly.
Promotions
- Welcome Bonus: The "sign-up perk" that sportsbooks use to grab attention. In 2025, this could be "Bet & Get" bonus bet offers, deposit matches, profit boosts, or no sweat bets. Operators are getting creative, using welcome bonuses to attract new players in many different ways.
- Promo Frequency: How often regular players get new deals, boosts, or short-term specials. Frequent promos keep things exciting and give bettors more reasons to come back.
- Loyalty Rewards: Ongoing benefits like point systems or tier levels that reward consistent use. These can add extra value over time, especially for heavier bettors.
- Profit Boosts: Special offers that bump up potential winnings on certain bets. For example, a 20% boost on a parlay payout gives bettors more upside without increasing their risk.
Betting Functionality
- Available Markets: The range of sports, leagues, and betting options on offer. A strong app doesn't just cover NFL and NBA—it also has niche sports, prop bets, and international leagues.
- Editing a Bet Slip: Whether you can tweak your wager after building it. This flexibility is helpful if you want to swap a team, change a stake, or adjust a parlay before finalizing.
- Placing a Bet: The actual process of locking in a wager. The best apps make this quick and seamless so you can act fast, especially if odds are moving.
- Viewing Open Bets: How clearly the app shows your active wagers. Good design means you can check pending bets, track potential payouts, and cash out if needed without digging.
Betting Features
- Unique Features: Special tools or extras that make an app stand out. Examples include custom bet builders, stat integrations, or personalized dashboards.
- Odds (Fairness): How competitive the lines are compared to the wider market. Bettors notice when odds are sharp or if they're consistently worse than rival sportsbooks.
- Same Game Parlays: The ability to combine multiple outcomes from a single game, like picking the winner, a player prop, and total points all in one bet. It's a fan favorite, especially for football and basketball.
- Cash Out Process: How easily you can settle a bet before the game ends. A smooth cash-out lets players lock in profits or cut losses without friction.
- Live Streaming: Whether you can actually watch the game inside the app. Having live streams available adds to the experience and makes in-play betting more engaging.
Other Measures
- Payment Options: The variety of ways to fund an account—credit cards, PayPal, Venmo, bank transfers, and beyond. More options mean more convenience.
- Withdrawal Speed: How fast winnings hit your account after a bet settles. Nobody wants to wait days to cash out their money.
- Responsible Gambling Tools: Features that help players stay in control, like deposit limits, self-exclusion options, or reality checks on time spent. These are increasingly important as the market grows.
- Customer Service: The quality and availability of support when things go wrong. Bettors value quick responses, helpful agents, and multiple contact options like chat, email, or phone.
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