The Open Championship takes golf back to its roots.
The Brits claim they invented the sport, so it’s only fitting the final major on the main-tour’s circuit be held in Great Britain. The 151st annual event will take place at Royal Liverpool Golf Club from July 16-23, 2023.
The Open can be a culture shock for golf fans and bettors who watched and wagered on the first three major tournaments played in scenic locales under perfect conditions. Great Britain can be chilly even into the summer, and links golf, which is the standard at the Open and unlike the parkland courses in the United States, requires an entirely different style of play.
Still, the major tournaments are always worth wagering on. But if you want to get in on the action but are unsure how, here’s a look at the best places to bet on the Open.
Benefits of Betting on the Open Championship Online
The Open Championship is one of the marquee sporting events on the calendar, which means sportsbooks create boosts and promotions entirely centered around the tournament.
But because Scotland carries a 5-8 hour time difference, depending on what U.S. time zone you are living in, betting in person at a sportsbook can be especially tricky. The tournament generally tees off in the middle of the night in North America and is done for the day in the early afternoon.
But if you’re in a state where online betting is legal betting on the Open can be convenient no matter where you are. Your bed, bathroom, living room or office can be your sportsbook where you can place your wagers instead of neglecting your duties and hanging out in a sportsbook — especially during Thursday and Friday mornings.
Plus, with online sports betting, users can cash in on lucrative new-player bonuses like risk-free bets or first-deposit matches that give bettors extra playable funds just for signing up and depositing a small amount of money.
Best British Open Betting Sites
The Open Championship is great to bet online, but here are a few of our favorite sites.
BetMGM Sportsbook
BetMGM is a partner with the PGA Tour and is one of the most widely available online sportsbooks in the United States, which makes it an exceptional option for British Open betting. BetMGM will give users exceptional odds on a variety of props plus will also offer boosts each day of the tournament.
The BetMGM Online Sportsbook has a valuable livestream option for bettors interested in following their wagers and offers odds on futures like which player will win the Open at all times of the year. Plus, BetMGM users can accrue awards on the sportsbook’s loyalty program with every bet.
DraftKings Sportsbook
The DraftKings Online Sportsbook is a great option for golf betting, since it is the most widely available online sportsbook in the nation. DraftKings centers elite promotions around marquee betting events like the Open Championship and empowers bettors to create their own profit-boosted same-game parlays or offers parlay insurance to bettors whose parlays fall short by only a single leg.
Plus, DraftKings has great welcome bonuses like bet-and-gets or a first-deposit match that give new users ample time to play with the site. DraftKings has one of the most user-friendly interfaces anywhere too.
Caesars Sportsbook
Caesars Sportsbook is a great option for golf bettors because of its own deal with the PGA Tour, plus it is backed by popular British-based sportsbook William Hill, which Caesars purchased in August 2021.
Golf gamblers have no shortage of available options with the Caesars Online Sportsbook, and each wager comes with competitive odds. Plus, Caesars offers boosts and promos centered around the Open, which makes it elite for major-tournament betting, and will do boosted cross-sport parlays where bettors interested in both golf and baseball can get great odds on a two-leg specially curated parlay.
Plus, every wager comes with Caesars Rewards, the company’s VIP loyalty program, where bettors can earn points that can be redeemed for hotel and dining credits, free bets and much more.
FanDuel Sportsbook
FanDuel Sportsbook is the No. 1 online sportsbook in the United States and has a partnership with the PGA Tour, offering live streaming, props, parlays and more, which makes it a great option for all of your golf-betting needs.
The FanDuel Online Sportsbook is constantly revolutionizing the online sports betting game with innovation like same-game parlays, which it invented and has since become the standard with sportsbooks nationwide, and letting bettors withdraw and deposit with Venmo, which it is the only online sportsbook to do.
Plus, FanDuel has elite odds and a plethora of props, promos and boosts that make it an exceptional option for bettors of all sports.
BetRivers Sportsbook
The BetRivers Online Sportsbook is probably the most informative sportsbook, which makes it the perfect option for new and unseasoned sports bettors. Users can find trends, tips, a helpful glossary of terms and also historical data about each player’s performance at St. Andrews so they can make the most informed decision on their Open Championship wagers.
Plus, BetRivers has one of the best and most consistent new-player offers, a 100 percent first-deposit match up to $250. That bonus doubles a new user’s playable funds from the start without breaking the bank.
How To Pick the Best Open Betting Sites
All the sites listed above are great options for Open Championship betting. But you’ll want to pick a sportsbook that is best suited for your playing style. Here’s a look at some of the criteria to consider.
- Markets: You want to bet on the game, prop, parlay or general wager that you want to bet on. If an individual sportsbook doesn’t offer that you’ll want to find one that does.
- Welcome bonuses: Welcome bonuses are the gift that keeps on giving for sports bettors. Elite welcome bonuses, like first-deposit match or bet-and-gets, can lengthen a new user’s ability to play for weeks — or even months — without needing to deposit a second time. That gives you the bettor the best bang for your buck.
- Odds: The best odds provide the biggest profit. Sometimes it’s that simple.
- Functionality: Bettors should want to get their wagers in as quickly as possible, especially those live bets that cause odds to change lightning fast. The best online sportsbooks allow gamblers to log in securely and quickly and place a wager just as fast.
- Boosts: Odds boosts are a way sportsbooks distinguish themselves, since most odds are standardized and all the best sportsbooks provide comparable markets. Boosting props like a player to hit a hole-in-one can lead to a greater payout. If one sportsbook has those odds at -110, but a different sportsbook has it at +110, that is a substantial difference.
- Deposit/withdraw methods: Cashing out shouldn’t be hard, and we shouldn’t have to wait weeks to get our money. Find the sportsbook that makes turning your winnings into cash as quickly as possible.
Best British Open Bets You Can Make
The Open Championship can be bizarro-world for golf bettors, since strange things tend to happen. Here are a few best bets to consider in the tournament’s leadup.
- Multiple Players to Win. We generally don’t advocate hedging, lest we agitate the gambling gods, but betting on more than one player to finish atop the leaderboard is just smart given the long odds of betting players to win. If you place five $10 bets on five different players to win at roughly +1500 and one happens to win that would net a $150 profit on $50 worth of bets. Pretty great ROI.
- Cut Specials: Some sportsbooks will provide bet-and-gets if any of three highly ranked players makes the cut, bettors who wager $5 or more will get $200 in credits for a site. These are great options for bettors who are trying to build a bankroll and learn a new site.
- Finishing Positions: Are you a Rory McIlroy fan but aren’t sure he will win at Royal Liverpool? Maybe bet him to finish in the top-10 or top-5 at shorter odds. Is there a longshot player who you think has a conducive playing style to links golf? Maybe take him to finish in the top-20.
Live Betting on the British Open
The Open Championship, like most golf tournaments, is perfect for live betting since odds are constantly evolving based on betting patterns and what happens on the course. Live betting, or betting on an event while it is in progress, is unique to online sportsbooks since brick-and-mortar sportsbooks don’t allow the practice.
Live betting is fun and is especially good for live betting since, as stated above, the tournament is in full swing when most bettors in North America wake up in the morning. That creates the perfect, albeit groggy, conditions for live wagering.
Plus, given the treacheries of links golf — like the weather and the pot bunkers, especially the famous greenside one on No. 17 — no lead is safe. That makes live betting a potential gold mine.
Betting Site Offers to Keep in Mind
Betting apps and websites offer a slew of new-user bonuses. Here are some of the best.
No-Deposit Bonus/Free Bet
No-deposit bonuses are typically reserved for the online casino space, but some apps do periodically offer them to new users or bettors upon sign up.
Free bets are a horse of a different color entirely as some sportsbooks will give wagers to loyal users to bet on things like the Open Championship. Bet365 is one of the premier free-bet givers, and BetMGM has been known to provide loyal users with bet credits as well. These are great to take advantage of since free bets can be used just like your own funds without the risk.
First-Deposit Bonus
The first-deposit bonus is the king of sportsbook bonuses since they can double your playable funds without needing to put out more money than you’re comfortable. The only drawback is there is typically only a finite amount of time to wager your bonus funds, but if you are a regular player that shouldn’t be too tricky.
DraftKings offers a great first-deposit bonuses to new users, and each is among the most widely available sportsbooks in the nation.
Bet & Get
Bet and gets are among the most popular new-user bonuses in recent days, and they are a great option for bettors interested in trying out a new site without needing to deposit their entire bank accounts.
Bet and gets are when an online sportsbook offers a new user up to $200 in credit for signing up, depositing a small amount of money (usually $10 minimum) and placing a small wager. Some bet-and-gets require bettors to gamble on likely occurrences, like for either Scottie Scheffler or Patrick Cantlay to make the cut, but others will simply give gamblers the site credit just for placing a $5 bet.
With bet and gets, credit is typically doled out as a certain number of free bets, sometimes five $40 wagers or 10 $20 bets, that need to be used within 7-90 days of signing up.
Risk-Free Bet
Risk-free bets are great for bettors who are interested in putting out a lot of money on a wager that may or may not hit. Risk-free bets are wagers that are reimbursed if they are unsuccessful, and the best risk-free bets are those that are reimbursed in site credit instead of a second wager.
Although risk-free bets are popular among sportsbooks, since reimbursing a bettor with a second free wager that pays out only in profit is more lucrative than give people bonus funds that only need to be played through once, they aren’t the best new-player bonus for gamblers. Don’t get me wrong, having a safety net on my first bet is great, again especially if it pays out in site credit that I can use as I would my own dollars, but the potential to lose hundreds of dollars, or more, on just two bets isn’t conducive to my betting style.
Where Can I Legally Bet on the Open Online?
You can bet on it with a plethora of apps if you’re planning on attending the 151st Open in England — including great options like Unibet, bet365, Betway and Caesars. But if you’re locked to the United States, here are your options for online sports betting.
- Arizona
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New York
- Nevada
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Tennessee
- Virginia
- Washington D.C.
- West Virginia
- Wyoming
Why You Should Avoid Illegal Betting Sites
Online sports betting became legal in the United States in 2018, which was a huge win for bettors. New betting states crop up every year, and with them come scores of new-player bonuses, competitive odds, and elite options for all of your sports gambling needs.
With that infrastructure in place in more than 20 states, there is simply no reason to place your money in offshore betting sites with their crooked odds, inconsistent customer support and lack of boosts and promos. Even if you don’t live in a state that offers online sports betting, there is undoubtedly one nearby, and you can play as long as you’re within the state’s borders — you don’t even need to be a resident.
Choose More Than One Open Championship Betting Site
Having playable funds in more than one online sportsbook is integral, since it enables you to shop for the best odds and peruse the boosted props that best suit your playing style. Plus, taking advantage of each site’s welcome offer only lengthens your ability to play, and frankly is a must.
Sportsbooks don’t just give their funds away, and the new-user offer is typically the best you’re going to get from each since they aren’t in business to lose money. Take advantage of each and enjoy the fun responsibly, of course.
