Legal soccer betting is available in most states today via licensed sportsbooks and mobile apps.
On this page, BettingUSA explains in simple terms where it is legal to bet on soccer online, ranks the best soccer betting sites, and discusses everything fans need to know to get started.
Readers in states that lack legal soccer betting have alternatives in daily fantasy sites, including some that are remarkably similar to full-fledged wagering. BettingUSA will also discuss those alternatives for readers who do not have access to licensed soccer betting apps.
Best Soccer Betting Sites
21+ to Play, T&Cs Apply. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER
Live Soccer Betting Odds
States With Legal Soccer Betting
Sports betting is already legal in most states, and it is almost certain most of the remainders will follow suit in time.
Readers can refer to the following map for a brief overview of where online soccer betting is legal. Click or tap any state for more information about the legal landscape there.
Map Key
- Blue: Online/mobile betting is legal
- Green: Land-based sportsbooks only (no online betting)
- Red: Soccer betting coming soon; legislation fully passed but waiting for implementation
States with Legal Sports Betting
In the shrinking number of states where online sports betting has not been legalized, soccer fans can usually participate in daily fantasy sports contests.
DFS sites like DraftKings and FanDuel provide wide soccer coverage, spanning multiple leagues and contest formats.
Best Soccer Betting Apps
Where a bettor chooses to give action can have an enormous impact on their sports betting experience. Luckily, the widespread legalization of online sports betting has significantly improved the quality of mobile sportsbooks available to US bettors.
State-level regulatory commissions hold licensed operators to high standards of conduct and do not issue licenses to low-quality sportsbooks. As a result, bettors can ward off most problems concerning trust and integrity by simply sticking with licensed sports betting apps exclusively.
Bettors who want to ensure fair treatment, easy deposits, and fast withdrawals will find licensed operators their best bet.
However, there is still a great disparity among legal US sportsbooks with regard to online soccer betting in particular. Soccer bettors should seek sportsbooks that provide the following:
- Extensive league coverage
- A big betting menu covering numerous wagering formats
- Fair odds and respectable house limits
- A strong desktop and mobile betting interface
- A high-value welcome bonus for new customers and quality recurring promotions
- A generous loyalty program
- Extensive reach, meaning it’s available in more than a few state markets
Players will naturally gravitate toward the biggest sports betting brands because they provide in-depth soccer coverage. However, it’s important not to rule out mid-tier and smaller books that often offer better pricing and more promotions.
Here’s a look at the soccer betting apps that tick off the most boxes:
DraftKings Soccer Betting
DraftKings Sportsbook offers the best overall package for soccer bettors, and it’s not particularly close. The nation’s second-most popular sports betting app provides markets for over 70 soccer leagues, spanning the entire globe and covering dozens of smaller niche leagues and international competitions. It’s also available in nearly half the U.S., and its footprint will only grow over the next few years.
Every game, whether it be a high-profile English Premier League contest or a midseason Bulgaria First League game, receives the full DraftKings treatment, with the number of available bets averaging over 150 and often soaring past that number.
Still, most sportsbooks provide extensive league coverage. What really sets DraftKings apart is its pricing. The vigorish on popular wagers like 3-way moneylines, draw (no bet), totals, and select props are industry-best, as is its in-play moneyline pricing.
The DraftKings soccer betting interface is also a strong point, with bets compartmentalized into intuitive categories and sub-categories, and alternative spreads and totals condensed into an easy-to-use rolling toolbar.
Topping things off is a relatively strong promotional schedule, a multitude of same game parlay options (with odds displayed), and a highly rewarding player loyalty program. The only real drawback is the prop pricing, which is not terrible but no better than the industry norm.
Every soccer bettor should include DraftKings Sportsbook in their rotation.
Caesars Sportsbook Soccer Betting
Caesars Sportsbook is a giant in the sports betting industry, so it’s hardly surprising that its soccer betting menu is massive. Bettors will find markets across more than 60 leagues and events, and Caesars offers an average of 140-150 betting options per game.
The vigorish on 3-way moneylines and draw (no bet) wagers tends toward the lower end, hovering right around 5.5%. Caesars also offers highly competitive pricing on totals, spreads, and select props.
The Caesars Sportsbook bonus changes on occasion, but all past instances have been offers that should appeal to soccer bettors. Typically, the current Caesars betting bonus provides a combination of immediate returns plus tie-ins to Caesars Rewards, which gives new customers a significant boost in its highly-rated loyalty program.
Add it all up, and Caesars Sportsbook is a solid home for bettors. However, the app has yet to integrate same game parlays into its soccer betting menu, and the in-play vigorish is on the high side, clocking in at around 8.5%.
BetRivers Soccer Betting
The soccer offering from BetRivers is something of a mixed bag, but the highs exceed the lows.
BetRivers Sportsbook covers fewer leagues than its closest competitors and doesn’t offer as many bets. The in-play vigorish is astronomical, coming in at around 9% on live moneyline wagers, and there is too much emphasis on juiced-up same game parlays and Quick Picks.
That being said, the pregame vigorish is significantly lower than average, and BetRivers has respectable prop pricing. It also sports a highly functional and modern interface that makes finding and placing wagers a breeze. Not to mention, it’s available in most legal sports betting states, making it one of the more accessible online sportsbooks.
BetRivers’ tech is provided by Kambi, which also powers other legal US sports betting sites.
When it comes to customer kickbacks, BetRivers is one of the most generous sportsbooks. Its promotional menu is long and varied and the iRush Rewards program is extremely lucrative, especially to VIPs. Particularly, the monthly VIP Calendar offers soccer bettors thousands of dollars in value, spanning deposit matches, bet & get promos, point multipliers, and other special perks.
FanDuel Soccer Betting
Rounding out the top five is FanDuel Sportsbook, which is currently the sports betting industry’s market share leader. Despite its esteemed status among bettors, FanDuel’s soccer betting options are merely “good.”
FanDuel doesn’t offer a wide range of soccer bets, sticking mostly with the basics. Players will find standard moneyline, totals, spreads, and common props like “First to Score”, but not too many niche wagers. This strikes as odd considering FanDuel is operated by Flutter, which also owns some of Europe’s largest sports betting brands.
However, FanDuel does have respectable soccer coverage, with over 60 leagues represented. Also, moneyline and in-play pricing are competitive, lagging just ~1% behind FanDuel’s fiercest competitors. However, the totals and spread pricing can be a turn-off, soaring as high as 9%.
FanDuel doesn’t have an exciting sports betting loyalty program, but it offers a fair cashback rate. Its recurrent promotional schedule is pedestrian, as is its welcome bonus for new customers.
Overall, FanDuel Sportsbook is a decent choice for soccer bettors, but it feels like the app is resting on its laurels due to its industry-leading status.
Is BetMGM a Good Sportsbook For Soccer Betting?
BetMGM Sportsbook is one of the biggest names in sports betting and is known for offering more betting variants than nearly any other book. It’s also acclaimed for taking its own positions at times, opening up opportunities for line shoppers to find some fantastic odds.
However, soccer doesn’t really appear to be BetMGM’s strong point. The pregame lines are certainly not bad, but there are better options. Prop pricing is mediocre, and in-play vigorish is extremely high. Also, BetMGM doesn’t display the odds for its same game parlays, which feels a bit predatory. Bettors have the right to know what they’re getting into, especially on formats where the vigorish is often 20%+.
BetMGM does have some other high points though, like its integration with MGM Rewards, extensive league and bet coverage, spot bonuses, and quality promotional offers (even if there aren’t too many targeted soccer promos). It’s worth checking out during major events like the FIFA World Cup and Premier League final, but generally speaking, it’s a better online sportsbook for other professional sports.
Soccer Betting Bonuses and Promotions
Fans can claim two types of soccer betting promotions from legal online sportsbooks.
First are welcome bonuses, which soccer betting sites offer to new customers who sign up for accounts. Welcome bonuses provide the most value, but they are one-time-only offers. Fortunately, fans in most states have access to multiple licensed betting sites and can claim welcome bonuses from each.
Second are recurrent soccer betting promotions that are open to existing customers. Fans who keep accounts open with several soccer betting apps can find regular promotions such as odds boosts, enhanced parlays, and bet insurance, often tied to games involving their local MLS teams or high-profile events such as the FIFA World Cup.
In all cases, it pays to understand how the various types of soccer betting bonuses and promotions work in order to take full advantage of them. Read on for overviews of the three main categories of soccer betting bonuses for new users, followed by explanations of the most common promotions for existing customers.
Second Chance Soccer Bet Promos
Most soccer betting sites offer second chance bet promotions to all new customers. Although the details of each offer vary, the basic idea is that new users can register and place their first wager on any soccer market to qualify.
If the first wager wins, the bettor collects their winnings, and nothing else happens. However, if the wager loses, the sportsbook refunds the customer with a bonus bet of equal size to use on the soccer market of their choice. The maximum refund also varies but is usually around $1,000.
The advantage of these promos is that they give fans a chance to bet on soccer online and get a refund if their first wager doesn’t pan out. On the other hand, the downside is that betting sites usually pay refunds as bonus bets instead of cash. Additionally, second chance bet promos don’t benefit customers who place first bets that win.
Bet and Get Soccer Bonuses
“Bet and get” soccer bonuses reward new customers for signing up and placing their first cash wagers. The average bet and get promo awards a flat bonus to all new customers for signing up and placing a minimum qualifying wager.
For example, a sportsbook might offer $100 in bonus bets to anyone who registers, deposits, and places a first cash wager of at least $10. The size of the offer varies, but most soccer betting apps award something in the range of $100 to $200 in bonus bets.
Bet and get bonuses are inevitably smaller than other types of new customer promotions, but they offer two advantages. First, all new customers receive bonus bets, not just those who place first wagers that lose (as with second chance soccer bet promos).
Second, bet and get soccer betting promotions have favorable risk-vs-reward ratios. The qualifying wager for a typical bet and get bonus is usually $10 or $20, while offering upwards of $200 in bonus bets. That’s very little upfront risk for a sizable reward.
First Deposit Soccer Betting Bonuses
First deposit soccer betting bonuses give site credit or bonus bets to new users upon registering and funding their accounts. Typically, the size of the customer’s first deposit determines how much they receive in bonus bets or site credit.
Soccer fans can tell they’re looking at a first deposit bonus when the sportsbook’s headline offer uses language like “100% up to $200.” In that case, a bettor who deposits $100 will receive $100 in bonus funds they can use to bet on soccer games online.
The advantage of first deposit soccer betting bonuses is that all new users receive a bonus, regardless of the outcome of their first wager. That’s in contrast to second chance bets that only pay when bettors lose their first wager.
The biggest disadvantage of these types of soccer betting promotions is that they usually have low match rates or low maximum caps. For example, a sportsbook may offer 20% up to $1,000 or 100% up to $200, but fans will almost never see a 100% up to $1,000 sportsbook bonus. Additionally, first deposit bonuses may encourage some soccer bettors to deposit more than they’re comfortable losing, a big no-no in responsible gambling.
Note: Some soccer betting sites require customers to enter promo codes when registering or depositing to claim their welcome offers. See BettingUSA’s big list of sports betting promo codes for more information.
Recurrent Soccer Betting Promotions
Legal online sportsbooks don’t issue as many soccer betting promotions as they do for other sports, but fans will have the best luck at high-profile sportsbooks with big marketing budgets.
Bettors should also check for soccer betting promotions near the start of the MLS season, during the MLS Cup Playoffs, and during the men’s and women’s World Cups.
- Soccer Odds Boosts: Soccer odds boost promos give customers tokens to use on all soccer betting markets or short-term boosts on specific wagers. For example, a sportsbook might temporarily increase the odds on a star player scoring at least one goal in his next game from -150 to +100.
- Stepped Up Soccer Parlays: These soccer betting promos give customers bigger payouts based on the number of legs in the parlay. For example, a common theme for enhanced soccer parlays is to give 3-leg parlays a 20% payout boost, 4-leg parlays a 25% boost, and so on.
- Bonus Bets for Every Goal: Another popular type of promotion during major soccer events like the World Cup and MLS Playoffs is to invite customers to place a wager on their favorite team to win the competition outright and give them a bonus bet for every goal their team scores along the way.
- Random Soccer Bonus Bets: Some soccer betting sites occasionally issue bonus bets to all customers who log in on a specific day, usually for no particular reason. The best way to catch these soccer betting promotions in time is to open accounts with a few online sportsbooks and opt in to promotional e-mails and alerts.
- Free Soccer Betting Pools: DraftKings hosts frequent free-to-enter soccer betting pools with thousands of dollars in guaranteed prizes. Fans can launch the DraftKings app, visit the “Pools” tab, and use the filter to find all upcoming soccer betting pools. Each pool features different rules, but the basic format involves answering prediction-style questions about an upcoming game to win a cash prize.
- Free Soccer Betting Bracket Contests: Occasionally, online sportsbooks host free World Cup bracket contests that offer substantial prizes to fans who can predict the outcomes of matches during the Men’s and Women’s World Cups. For example, BetMGM hosted a World Cup bracket challenge during the last FIFA Women’s World Cup, featuring a $250,000 perfect bracket prize and a guaranteed $50,000 top score payout.
How to Bet On Soccer Online
Soccer betting is straightforward, and bettors with experience in other sports will have no problem getting started.
The best starting point for anyone completely new to sports betting is to understand how moneyline bets work and expand outward from there.
In-Play Soccer Betting
In-play soccer betting takes traditional wagering and turns up the intensity a notch by allowing fans to place short-term wagers throughout the match.
Live betting provides a more compelling experience because fans can watch games live and place rapid-fire wagers from start to finish. Fans can also use in-play betting to hedge their pregame positions or jump on opportunities later in the game.
Online sportsbooks close their pregame markets when a game begins and switch to live betting with real-time soccer odds. From there, customers’ options range from standard full-time soccer bets such as who will win to short-term wagers such as who will score the next goal.
Due to the fast pace of games, don’t expect legal soccer betting sites to offer nearly as many in-play bets as they do pregame. Also, because in-play odds are far less efficient, online sportsbooks tend to compensate by increasing the juice.
Watch Live-Streaming Soccer While Betting On Soccer Online
Soccer is an excellent fit for in-play betting because the best sportsbooks cover dozens of events every day. Some of the most popular betting apps also provide live-streaming broadcasts so customers can watch the action on-field while placing their soccer bets.
BetMGM Sportsbook, DraftKings, and BetRivers are three of the best options for fans who would like to watch games live as they bet. Each provides numerous soccer streams every day at no cost for customers who have verified and founded accounts.
Most sportsbooks are limited to streaming smaller, international events for now, but it is likely just a matter of time before they acquire broadcasting rights to higher-profile matches.
Major Soccer Betting Events
Soccer is the world’s most popular sport, with rabid fans from nearly every part of the globe, and hundreds of teams representing their homelands. It follows that there are a lot of major betting events, and the best sports betting apps cover them all.
During special events, sportsbooks tend to offer more promotions and bigger odds boosts, presenting great opportunities for value-hunting bettors. They also give bettors a chance to wager on a wider array of props and futures, similar to how the Super Bowl offers many more betting variants than a regular NFL game.
Keep an eye out for these soccer events:
- FIFA World Cup: The granddaddy of all soccer tournaments, the World Cup is played every four years and the winner boasts the ultimate bragging rights during their reign. The next Men’s World Cup is scheduled for June – July 2026 and will feature 48 teams competing across three host cities. The Women’s World Cup begins July 20, 2023.
- UEFA Champions League: This league pits Europe’s top-division clubs against one another in a round-robin group competition followed by a double-legged knockout stage, and the grand finale. The finals usually take place in late May or early June.
- UEFA European Championship: Otherwise known as the Euro, this tournament is considered the world’s second most prestigious soccer event, only trailing the World Cup. Like the Cup, it takes place every four years, in even-numbered years between Cups. The next tournament is scheduled to begin on June 14, 2024.
- Copa America Finals: A competition of South America’s finest, the Copa America Finals consists of 16 teams and will be hosted by the United States from June 20 – July 14, 2024.
- Copa Del Rey: An annual staging that pits 115 Spanish teams against one another in a brutal six-month season, with the winners guaranteed a spot in the UEFA Europa League group stage.
- Africa Cup of Nations: A celebration of African soccer, the Cup of Nations consists of 54 eligible teams, with 24 of them competing in the biannual tournament. The next event will take place in 2025, with a location yet to be determined.
- Olympic Games: Although the Olympics aren’t considered as prestigious as the World Cup, it’s an opportunity for younger and second-string players to represent their country and potentially bring home gold.
- MLS: Major League Soccer is America’s professional soccer league. Despite its meager beginnings, the MLS has grown into a well-regarded league that now consists of 26 American and three Canadian teams. The MLS Cup is the culmination of the annual league, and the championship match typically takes place in late November or early December.
World Cup Betting Guide
Soccer fans in the US have only experienced two World Cups since the Supreme Court overturned the federal sports betting ban in 2018, and just one where there were more than three states with operational sportsbooks.
Between the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, more than twenty additional states legalized sports betting to make the tournament accessible to a significant segment of the US population. Now, World Cup betting is within reach of more people than not, and online sportsbooks pull out all the stops whenever the tournament approaches.
Every four years, online sportsbooks roll out new World Cup betting promotions and expand their soccer markets to court new customers and reactivate established bettors. As a result, World Cup season is a great time to be a soccer bettor.
Soccer fans can read more and find the latest World Cup betting promotions in BettingUSA’s guide here:
Tips for Betting On Soccer Online
Soccer is a well-known sport with fairly simple rules. However, just as soccer teams employ a bunch of different strategies to win, bettors must do the same if they hope to become more profitable.
Here are a few simple soccer betting strategies to get you started:
- Know the house rules: All legal and licensed soccer betting sites are required by law to post and abide by their house rules. Soccer rules tend to vary a bit more between sportsbooks than other sports, so it’s recommended that bettors read through them before placing wagers. For instance, FanDuel Sportsbook has rules regarding where the Home Team is listed, when bets are settled, and how bets on players who don’t participate in the game are handled.
- Always shop around: Most states with legal sports betting have launched multiple, if not dozens, of soccer betting apps. Take advantage of this by downloading as many as you feel comfortable managing. By simply pairing the best line on one side of a bet with the best line on the other side, bettors can often reduce the effective house edge from 5-6% to 1-2%. That’s obviously not enough on its own to make you a winner, but it’s a big head start.
- Know the sharp lines: Most US soccer betting sites copy lines from sharp sportsbooks, but sometimes they’re slow to react. If a line on a non-sharp sportsbook varies from the line posted by a sharp betting site, it may be worth sniping.
- Keep up with lineup news: As a general rule, lineups are posted on social media about an hour to 75 minutes before a game starts. Over time, bettors can use this information to anticipate lineup trends. Also, if a lineup differs from expectation, you may be able to get a wager in before the sportsbooks adjust their lines.
- Bet smaller markets and exotic props: There are so many smaller market soccer games offered by sportsbooks, that it’s nearly impossible for them to post sharp lines for all of them. It’s well worth considering following 1-2 smaller markets and seeing if you can eventually outsmart the books. The same goes for exotic prop bets that sportsbooks may price incorrectly due to their obscurity.
- Know when to place in-play bets: Soccer is a fast-moving sport, but momentum and scoring develop very slowly. It’s therefore not in a bettor’s best interest to place in-play bets during the first few exchanges, as not enough time has passed to establish a position, and the in-play vig will be higher than if you just placed an equivalent pregame wager. Instead, wait until patterns emerge and look to different books to see if any are offering favorable odds.
- Take advantage of promotions: One of the easiest ways to get a temporary edge over the house is to cash in on soccer betting promotions. This doesn’t mean blindly claiming every promo, as some promotions only offer marginal value. However, promotions that offer significant profit boosts, or provide a deposit match with a low wagering requirement are often worth exploring.
How Legal Sports Betting Impacts MLS
The legalization of sports betting provides new opportunities for Major League Soccer, both directly and indirectly.
For one, MLS stands to gain increased viewership and new sponsorship opportunities. Most industry studies focus on the other major US sports, but it takes little imagination to extrapolate their findings.
For example, a Horowitz Research study conducted in 2020 concluded “sports bettors tend to be more fans of sports overall, and heavier viewers of sports.” The study also found that more than 70% of sports bettors say they are more likely to travel to a jurisdiction where sports betting is legal.
The findings translate to increased viewership for MLS, more ticket sales, and better advertising contracts for its broadcasts. Additionally, MLS can benefit directly from sports betting by partnering with sports betting operators.
Major League Soccer was an early adopter in that regard. In 2019, MLS named MGM Resorts International its official gaming partner.
Later that year, MLS became the first league to authorize sales of jersey sponsorships and stadium naming rights to sports betting operators. MLS officials explained the benefits in clear terms in a press release:
Major League Soccer is proud to partner with MGM Resorts to bring existing and new fans close to our sport in innovative and immersive ways. MGM Resorts is a leader in sports betting, and they recognize the progress of our league and the growth of the sport in the United States and Canada. Together, we will deliver cutting-edge data and analytics to MLS fans, and fan engagement will be the driving force behind every initiative in our partnership.
Individual soccer teams also have much to gain. For example, D.C. United named FanDuel its exclusive sports betting sponsor in 2020 and established plans to launch a retail sportsbook at Audi Field in 2021.
The legalization of sports betting could ultimately provide massive financial rewards for MLS, but the league must also tread with caution. One need only look to the UK, where sports betting has been legal for decades, for a preview of potential stumbling blocks.
Sports betting and soccer are closely intertwined in the UK, where nearly half of the 20 biggest Premier League clubs have sold jersey sponsorship rights to sportsbook operators. Additionally, commercial breaks are dominated by sports betting advertisements.
The preponderance of sports betting advertisements and sponsorships in UK soccer has prompted the UK Government to consider banning such agreements. As lawmakers increasingly express concerns about problem gambling and the potential for corruption, UK soccer faces a difficult situation.
MLS Position On Sports Betting
MLS foreshadowed the position it would take on sports betting a full year before the Supreme Court issued its impactful decision.
In March 2017, MLS Commissioner Don Garber told GeekWire the league was already actively investigating the potential impacts sports betting would have and what opportunities it may present:
We have a project going on now to really dig in deeply and understand it. I’ll be the third commissioner (along with NBA’s Adam Silver and MLB’s Rob Manfred) in and say I’m very open to understanding how we can get more engaged in this market in a way that I think if done properly, can be regulated and managed and controlled. I’ll join the chorus of saying it’s time to bring it out of the dark ages. We’re doing what we can to figure out how to manage that effectively.
That statement made it clear early on that MLS recognized the reality of the situation: sports betting was already happening despite prohibition, so lawmakers might as well regulate it to ensure consumer safety, responsible gambling, and support integrity efforts.
The Supreme Court overturned the prohibition the following year, and MLS issued this statement in response:
Although Major League Soccer is supportive of today’s Supreme Court decision, we also believe that it is critical that state legislatures and other regulatory bodies work closely with the professional sports leagues in the United States to develop a regulatory framework to protect the integrity of each of our respective sports. We look forward to being a part of that process.