These are good times for online sports betting. Sites are becoming more powerful, more usable, and more fun. But that doesn’t mean gamblers can just settle for what’s out there. It’s just as important as ever to find the absolute best sports gambling site for you.
Whether you’re looking for easy payouts, epic welcome bonuses, or a killer mobile site, we’ve got the best in-depth sportsbook reviews you’ll find. This is a complete in-depth review of 5Dimes and MyBookie with everything you need to know about these two top betting websites.
If you want to get deeper into either site, you can also find individual reviews of 5Dimes and MyBookie.
This just has to come first. All the great features and welcome bonuses in the world don’t count for much if you don’t feel like you can trust a site. How can betting websites earn your trust? First of all, from a history of being reliable and responsible. How do these two sites do there?
The History of 5Dimes
5Dimes isn’t the oldest of the best sports betting sites (some of which got started in the mid-’90s), but that doesn’t mean it’s a spring chicken. Founded in 2000, 5Dimes has been rising in the ranks to become one of the top sites out there for 17 years. That means the site has a long track record of honest operation you can rely on. Good marks here.
The History of MyBookie
At first glance, MyBookie seems like a baby compared to 5Dimes. It was only founded in 2014. But there’s actually a lot more to this story. While the MyBookie.ag site was only created in that year, the team running the site has been in the online sports betting business for more than 20 years.
With a combination of being run well since 2014 and an experienced management team at the helm, that means there’s no reason to trust MyBookie any less than 5Dimes.
Everyone’s Favorite: The Welcome Bonus
What was once a luxury is now basically standard for all of the best sports betting sites. If there’s no welcome bonus, why bother? The good news is that competition has been making these bonuses better and better lately. Let’s see how 5Dimes and MyBookie do.
5Dimes Welcome Bonus
5Dimes’ welcome bonus is solid, but not amazing. They’ll throw in a 50% bonus on your first deposit up to $520. If you don’t want to do the math, that means that if you make a $520 deposit, you’ll start with a cool $780. This is still nothing to scoff at, but it can hardly hold a candle to what MyBookie has to offer.
MyBookie Welcome Bonus
What makes MyBookie’s welcome bonus so special? Safe to say, it’s probably the most generous in the business. They offer an incredible 100% bonus on your first deposit – up to $1,000. Yes, you read that right. If you deposit $1,000 to start, you’ll be able to begin using the site with a full $2,000 in your account. That’s a serious bit of cash to get started with. Honestly, we’re impressed.
But that welcome bonus is still, sadly, just a one time deal: what about the day-to-day usability of these two sites?
How Do These Sites Rank for User Friendliness?
What exactly do we mean by usability here? This breaks down to everything from the style of the site to whether it’s easy to navigate, loads quickly, has good customer service, etc. Basically, everything connected to making everything from placing your bets to checking lines.
Is 5Dimes User Friendly?
Let’s start with the website. We can’t ignore it, 5Dimes’ site is looking more and more dated these days. Fortunately, this doesn’t make it particularly difficult to use, but it definitely also feels like you’re traveling back in time to perhaps 2007. We’re still crossing our fingers that 5Dimes sees some serious updates soon.
But as far as actual usability goes, we don’t have nearly as many complaints. For one, 5Dimes works with a number of digital currencies, including bitcoin and eWallets. That makes both depositing and withdrawing far easier.
There’s also live chat. This may not sound like much but it’s a big deal. Sure, both 5Dimes and MyBookie have phone numbers you can call, but you can’t beat the convenience of onsite live chat when you’re having trouble with something.
In spite of the older site design, 5Dimes does extremely well in this category.
What About MyBookie’s Usability?
There’s no denying that MyBookie is easier on the eyes than 5Dimes. Its design is modern, user-friendly, and dare we say stylish. Still, compared to other sports betting sites, this is all pretty standard.
While MyBookie performs far better than 5Dimes in terms of design, it falls behind in the world of payments and customer service. Obviously, Visa and Mastercard are accepted, as well as bank transfers, money transfers, and cashier’s checks (if you’re still using those).
What’s missing here are those digital currencies. It’s about time every online sports betting site supports bitcoin, at the very least. To be fair, MyBookie does allow you to make deposits with bitcoin, but you still can’t use it for payouts. On the positive side, MyBookie also doesn’t have the processing fees for credit cards that some sites have.
All of this brings us to the all-important payout. Because you eventually need to get your hard earned winnings back.
Getting Your Winnings Into Your Pocket
Once again, 5Dimes shows us why it’s a top sports betting site when it comes to its withdrawal policies. It offers debit card, person-to-person transfers, bank wires, money orders, and bitcoin. Importantly, while P2P transfers, debit cards, and money orders may have withdrawal limits, bank wires and bitcoin don’t. That means the two most convenient options for most people also have no withdrawal limit. Nice!
As mentioned, MyBookie sadly doesn’t allow you to withdraw with bitcoin. That leaves only more expensive options like bank wire, Western Union, or Moneygram. It’s not a total dealbreaker, but there’s no denying that getting your earnings isn’t nearly as easy at it should be here.
Be Aware!
One unique restriction of MyBookie is their policy against “sharp” betting. In layman’s terms, that means professional bettors. The policy states that MyBookie is only for casual gamblers. You might be wondering how they tell the difference. In short, if you’re winning too much, this may raise red flags for MyBookie. The fuzziness of this term definitely leaves questions, but for the vast majority of casual players, it’s unlikely to affect you.
For more clarity, here’s the exact wording of their policy:
“MyBookie is a world class sportsbook that caters specifically to recreational gamblers. We do not accept wagers from professional bettors, sharp side movers, syndicate or propositional players. MYB reserves the right to deny action or payments at any time. If any of these activities occur, then all plays will be void and the original funds will be sent back to the player.”
Loyalty Programs
5Dimes has a pretty solid set of loyalty programs. There are 8 major programs and lots of other loyalty features, but these are the highlights:
- Reduced Juice: This is the standard rewards program that everyone who joins 5Dimes is automatically enrolled in. This means you get access to reduced juice lines the day of the sports event. In case you don’t know, a reduced juice line is essentially when you’re able to risk less and win more on bets.
- Reload Rewards: There are also 50% reload bonuses on sportsbooks for new players and on the Matchplay casino.
Besides these two main loyalty programs, there are lots of other offers you can check out on the site.
MyBookie’s loyalty program is much simpler. There’s a 25% reload bonus for established players, 10% on reloads for everyone else, and a 10% bonus for referring a friend.
Mobile Sports Betting
With every passing year, a killer mobile site or app is becoming more and more standard. In this case, both 5Dimes and MyBookie have opted for a mobile site instead of a dedicated app. While a few years ago that would have meant that your mobile experience would be fairly limited, the latest HTML5 advancements mean that mobile sites are almost as powerful as apps.
As a result of these advancements, mobile sites these days can do almost everything the regular site can. That’s true for 5Dimes, where you’ve got full functionality. For MyBookie, the situation is almost the same, though online poker and a few casino games aren’t available. For more info on the MyBookie site, you can check out our full mobile review.
What About Casino Games and Other Extras?
Both sites offer tons of casino games and online poker options. These tend to have their own bonuses and special offers, so they’re definitely worth checking out.
Say Hola to Language Compatibility
This is pretty straightforward. MyBookie is only offered in English, while 5Dimes also offers a Spanish version.
Summing Up: The Pros and Cons of MyBookie and 5Dimes
Ultimately, there’s no denying that both of these sites are great choices for anyone looking for a top online betting site. When it comes to choosing between the two, it’s mostly about asking yourself how much you care about bitcoin payouts and modern site design. Take a look at the full breakdown and decide for yourself:
5Dimes Advantages
- Very generous welcome bonus
- Plenty of casino games
- Exclusive lotto options
- Virtual currency support
- Simple interface
- Live chat
- English and Spanish language versions
- Loyalty scheme
- Wide variety of niche sports
- Mobile friendly
5Dimes Disadvantages
- Not the fastest at posting lines
- Somewhat dated site design
MyBookie Advantages
- Excellent customer service
- Amazing welcome bonus
- Great loyalty program
- Casino games and poker options
- Well-designed and user-friendly site
- Fully functional mobile site
- Live chat
- Mobile friendly
MyBookie Disadvantages
- No pro players
- No payouts through Bitcoin
