
Author:
Daniel Kornhauser
Last Updated:
04/30/2022
We’ll tell you straight that legal NCAAF sportsbooks are a rare breed. However, with the ongoing relaxation of US gambling laws where sports betting is concerned, we believe that more options will start to emerge very soon.
This guide will explain why it’s so challenging to find NCAAF sportsbooks, tell you how to avoid illegal betting sites and show you the fun side of betting on NCAAF games. We’ll also cover how we rate sports betting sites and give you our very own sportsbook recommendation.
We know that college football games play a huge part in the lives of folk right across the US and it’s not difficult to understand why you want to bet on them. Unfortunately, the reality is that your options for legal NCAAF sportsbooks are rather limited.
Since PASPA was overturned back in 2018 and control over gambling became a state-level responsibility, almost thirty US states have since opted to legalize sports betting. Of those states, eighteen also permit online sportsbooks to operate under license.
However, the bad news is that just seven US states currently allow you to bet legally on college sports like the NCAAF:
Residents of all other US states are sadly out of luck for the moment.
The good news is that gambling laws in the US can literally change overnight. There are already several bills up for consideration, including petitions from Ohio and California, together with numerous constitutional amendment requests. That means there’s hope for an increased number of NCAAF sportsbooks in the future.
Although that might all look a bit bleak to some of you, for those who reside in one of the seven states listed above, we can help you to track down the best NCAAF sportsbooks right away.
Here at TheGruelingTruth.com we have developed our own tried and trusted format for rating the top betting sites. Of the many features we include in our reviews, there are five standout aspects that are crucial to the safety and enjoyment of our readers.
Any sports betting site that is situated outside of the US, or that does not have a current US state-issued license, is illegal. If you were to use one, you would be committing a criminal offense.
That’s why our first task is checking each operator’s license for authenticity. You can usually do this for yourself, as most reputable sportsbooks will display their licensing credentials in a prominent position on their website.
Using an insecure website or mobile app is dangerous. By doing so, you lay yourself open to many potential threats ranging from damaging viruses to identity theft, it really is that serious. The operators we review will only get high ratings if everything is completely up to scratch in this section, and we are very thorough.
Our initial checks will ensure that all web pages have https:// verification, which means you can establish a secure connection between your device and the sportsbook. We also expect to find evidence of high-level SSL encryption for all sensitive data transmissions and financial transactions.
A part of our review includes a close examination of the operator’s full T&Cs. We know that only a few bettors will take the time to read through them and we fully understand why – they are long, boring and often written in legalese.
Our ratings here reflect the outcome of our scrutiny and will only be high if we don’t find any unpleasant surprises buried deep in a ream of text. Of course, we always recommend you do look for yourself as well, as sportsbooks often make amendments to their T&Cs without notice.
It’s something that few potential sportsbook customers consider in advance. But with the best will in the world, if there’s no option available for your preferred method, or using it will incur fees, then you need to know about it at the outset.
The top US sportsbooks usually get this part right in fairness and give you lots of different ways to fund your sportsbook account. The ideal scenario is a cross-section of payment options that include credit or debit cards, a selection of reliable ewallets and some alternatives you could use without needing a bank account.
Even at the best betting sites, things can occasionally go wrong, and if that happens, you’re going to need a way to resolve them effectively. We usually start this part of our review by visiting the operator’s FAQs. In our experience a well-populated self-help section saves you the stress of making a call or composing an email.
That said, a good team of support staff who are available 24/7 are worth their weight in gold. We like to find different ways to contact them such as a toll-free phone line, or live chat for urgent issues, but also an email address for less pressing queries. We also rate customer support highly when our tests show fast response times and a good level of knowledge.
Looking for low deposit betting sites with great promotions? Taking into consideration that there are only seven US states where betting on college sports is legal, you might think we’ve struggled to come up with a recommendation, but that would be far from the truth. There are some fantastic NCAAF sportsbooks operating out of those states and one is our standout favorite – it’s DraftKings.
The DraftKings sportsbook operates out of sixteen US states in total, including all of the seven states where you can bet on college sports. But that’s not the only reason for our choice. DraftKings is highly respected throughout the gambling industry and by its customers alike.
You’ll find the DraftKings platform incredibly easy to use and you can place even the most complex wagers without getting frustrated, a factor that makes it stand out clearly from other NCAAF sportsbooks. You’ll also have no trouble finding NCAAF betting markets here, DraftKings reigns supreme when it comes to prop betting.
It almost goes without saying, but DraftKings is fully licensed and consistently adheres to the many regulations imposed on it by different US states. It has one of the safest websites we’ve reviewed and also one of the top five bonus offers across the entire US.
If you visit us over at TheGruelingTruth.com, you’re likely to get a very pleasant surprise. Our website is filled with a whole library-worth of valuable material that covers every aspect of gambling you can imagine.
For current or prospective NCAAF bettors, who are lucky enough to live in a US state that permits such activity, there are numerous sportsbook reviews available. Browsing through those makes light work of finding the very best NCAAF sportsbooks.
When you’re ready to move on, you might also find that our betting strategy guides and tips pages can give your betting a real boost.
It’s tough negotiating the legal system in the US and the laws in place where NCAAF sportsbooks are concerned make it even trickier to select one than for other US sports. That said, we see changes being made to the laws in various US states, sometimes on a daily basis. The current trend indicates that they are relaxing gradually, but we can’t make promises.
However, there is some hope that more NCAAF sportsbooks will become accessible to US bettors very soon. It will bring a boost to college football, an increased revenue for the state that permits it and a whole load of pleasure to NCAAF fans.