BetMGM vs. DraftKings: Which Sportsbook is Better in 2024?

When you ask experienced sports bettors to name two of the best online sportsbooks in the industry, odds are BetMGM Sportsbook and DraftKings Sportsbook will be the two names they mention. Both of these online sports betting sites are among the most recognizable online wagering brands players use and trust.

This is the case for many reasons that will be discussed in greater detail throughout this piece. Some of these reasons include the number of states in which the two brands are legal in and how quick they are to establish a presence in each new state that launches online sports betting.

Other aspects, such as the brand’s welcome offer, also played a significant role in our breakdown. Check out a few important details on each brand below before we get started:

The BetMGM Sportsbook bonus code currently up for grabs offers a 20% deposit match worth up to $1,500 in bonus bets (use the bonus code PHILLY1500).

This means the maximum amount of cash you can deposit that’ll be matched is $7,500. Any amount you get matched will then be subject to a 10x wagering requirement that has 30 days to be met.

That’s not all however, as a second sign-up bonus is also available instead in most states with bonus code INQUIRERMGM. This code unlocks a first bet offer up to $1,500 paying your stake back in bonus bets if your first wager loses.

The DraftKings Sportsbook promo code offers first-time players $250 instantly in bonus bets after depositing $5 and submitting a $5 first bet. This is also a pretty good deal for new players as you don’t need to wait for your first bet to settle before having access to ten $25 bonus bets.

Both BetMGM and DraftKings offer signup bonuses that involve bonus bets, which is consistent throughout the online sports betting industry. Offering bonus bets in some form to new users after signup is on par with the welcome offers currently available at FanDuel and bet365, among others.

When directly comparing these two offers, DraftKings gets the nod due to how quickly you receive guaranteed bonus bets, whereas it’s a little trickier on BetMGM.

That all being said, welcome bonuses change often. Both sportsbooks can and will change their welcome bonus from time to time, meaning the tables could be reversed if BetMGM strengthens its new-user offer at some point.

After looking at each welcome bonus offered by the two online sportsbooks, promotions for returning customers is the next area that is important to consider when trying to determine which sportsbook is better.

Both of these sportsbooks run consistent promotions for returning customers. Overall, DraftKings has more ongoing promotions than BetMGM. But this is another area that can change at any given moment, depending on the sports calendar.

Below are different promotions you’ll come across with each sportsbook. While the concept of these promotions match up similarly, they do differ in certain ways. Therefore, it’s always important to read the terms and conditions of each promotion to make sure you know how to correctly apply it.

You can count on BetMGM and DraftKings whether you’re looking to fulfill your sports betting needs on desktop, iOS, or Android. For that matter, most major sports betting apps are available on iOS and Android alike.

Having a reliable mobile app is pivotal in order to compete in the ever growing online sports betting industry. There are many factors that go into having a reliable app, but having great ratings from players is arguably the most important as that’s the first area most new users look at.

After ratings, having an easy-to-navigate user experience is important, as well as having an app void of technical errors and one that offers enough content to keep users engaged. More info on the BetMGM Sportsbook app and the DraftKings Sportsbook app are detailed below.

Users who’ve reviewed the BetMGM Sportsbook app have left positive reviews for the most part. On iOS, BetMGM has a 4.8-star rating from over 100,000 reviews. There is a notable drop in their ratings on Android, however, as they have a 4.4-star rating with over 20,000 reviews.

Our experience with the BetMGM Sportsbook app was a good one. The fonts are easy to read and navigating the app wasn’t too difficult. BetMGM makes it easy to find odds boosts, popular Same Game Parlays, and more for each game.

That said, certain areas, like live betting, were a bit harder to find. Rather than there being a dedicated tab for live betting, you have to go through an extra step to find that category.

Load times were fairly quick, but weren’t quite instantaneous like they are over at DraftKings. If you only use BetMGM, you may not even notice the small lapse in response time. But compared to DraftKings, it’s a noticeable difference.

Ultimately, BetMGM offers a well-run app that we recommend to all sports bettors. Although there are a couple areas where improvement wouldn’t hurt, there’s a reason why the app is rated so highly.

For starters, the DraftKings Sportsbook app passes the test of having good user reviews with flying colors. Their Apple App Store rating is 4.8 stars from almost 600,000 reviews. On the Google Play Store, users have left a 4.7-star rating, from over 100,000 reviews.

The DraftKings app is very easy to navigate. If you’re new to sports betting, this is the most user-friendly app you will find. Although it may appear like a lot to navigate on the surface, the way DraftKings lays out their app makes sense after spending a few minutes on it.

It’s easy to find the betting markets you want to bet on. After you click on your market, you’ll see all the available promotions at the top of your screen. Once you see a promotion you want to use, it takes just one more step to add it to your betslip.

The app is super fast, with no lag time issues evident during testing. Live betting, accessing your banking options, and checking out promotions for DraftKings Casino and DraftKings DFS are also incredibly simple on this mobile app.

In general, it’s not hard to see why this app got the stellar reviews it did on iOS and Android.

Both BetMGM and DraftKings have a deep selection of betting markets that include the four major North American sports, college sports, and many sports that are popular in other countries. The following sports are available on both BetMGM and DraftKings:

That is an extensive list of betting markets available at both sportsbooks. But one of the things that differentiates these books is some minor and less popular sports to bet on. In terms of unique betting markets, there might be a few niche sports such as badminton that only one sportsbook might offer, but for the most part, both BetMGM and DraftKings offer the same markets.

Similar to how it’s important to have a diverse amount of betting markets, it’s just as important to have a healthy amount of bet types available.

In addition to standard betting markets like spread and moneyline, having prop bets, an easy parlay-building system, and futures bets are very important. Both sportsbooks offer the following bet types:

Both sportsbooks are among the best at offering a deep selection of futures markets. Additionally, you can count on all kinds of prop bets for each game including those surrounding a specific team or player.

BetMGM and DraftKings rank as two of the best sportsbooks you can find when it comes to having competitive odds.

When looking at moneylines and spreads for NFL games, BetMGM will have the better odds for some games, while DraftKings will have the better odds for others. When adding up which of the two had better odds for the NFL, the results ended up equaling out.

The same thing can be said for the NBA. During testing, MLB and NHL were the two leagues with the most differential between games in terms of moneyline markets.

The next area these sportsbooks were closest in was banking methods. BetMGM offers one more deposit method than DraftKings, but DraftKings requires just a $5 minimum deposit compared to the $10 required by BetMGM.

Below are a list of deposit methods shared by each online sportsbook:

The number of withdrawal methods each sportsbook has is identical. The difference is BetMGM requires a minimum withdrawal amount of $20 while DraftKings lets you withdraw as little as $1. Identical withdrawal methods shared between BetMGM and DraftKings are listed out below:

As two of the leading names in the online sports betting industry, these sportsbooks have partnered with major names in the sports world to promote their product.

BetMGM has partnerships with a massive number of NFL teams headlining their list of partners. Other than NFL teams, they partner with a half dozen MLB teams, the Philadelphia 76ers, and NASCAR’s Richard Childress Racing team.

DraftKings’ list of partnerships is even more impressive, with partnerships across all four major North American sports leagues. Below is a list of each league and which teams partner with DraftKings.

Before DraftKings became one of the leading sports betting options in North America, they were one of the country’s first daily fantasy sports platforms. They launched their daily fantasy sports (DFS) service on MLB’s opening day in 2012.

It didn’t take long for their DFS contests to catch momentum among sports fans. They’ve remained one of the most played platforms in the DFS community despite questions being raised over whether they’re a form of betting or not.

There are many reasons why DraftKings DFS is as popular as it is. For starters, its contests encompass a lot of betting markets, including non-major North American sports like League of Legends and NASCAR. There are also a bounty of different contests available, with some sports (NFL and NBA) having more than others.

DraftKings also offers a large number of promotions each day for their DFS players to utilize. The app runs smoothly and has a 4.9-star rating on the Apple App Store with over 500,000 reviews.

BetMGM and DraftKings both have rewards programs that give users rewards and perks for wagering on any of their offerings.

BetMGM Rewards automatically enrolls new users in the system. Customers can play their way into one of five tiers, with Sapphire being the first tier and Noir being the final tier which is invite only.

Some of the perks are a birthday bonus bet, an anniversary bonus bet, access to premium customer support, and more.

The DraftKings rewards program is called Dynasty Rewards. Like BetMGM, new users are automatically enrolled in the program after signing up.

Dynasty Rewards offers different weekly and monthly promotions to utilize. Users also receive a weekly prize chest that comes with better rewards depending on the user’s tier level.

Every sportsbook has the responsibility of having responsible gambling resources easily accessible to players. These resources are expected to include tools to gamble more responsibly as well as ways to reach out for help if you or someone you know may have a gambling problem.

These sportsbooks both take responsible gambling seriously and make the process of accessing these resources very easy. Simply click the “RG” logo in the top right corner of your screen on DraftKings and the top left corner of your screen on BetMGM to get started.

Both platforms give you the ability to impose deposit limits on your account. There is also a self-exclusion tool which lets users lock themselves out of the sportsbook for a certain amount of time.

BetMGM and DraftKings take responsible gambling seriously and offer industry-leading resources to those who want to take a break from sports betting.

Both DraftKings and BetMGM have solid customer support teams always available to help customers with any issues that arise.

BetMGM has a 24/7 live chat box or an email address you can contact with any inquires. Just click the “Help & Customer Care” box on BetMGM to find their FAQ page and “Contact Us” link at the bottom that shows you where to click to get in touch with the customer support team.

If you’re looking to contact DraftKings customer support, it’ll be a bit more difficult. You have to scroll to the bottom of their web browser to find the “Get Help” tab.

DraftKings only has an email address to contact for you to get your issue resolved, as there’s no live chat box or phone number. But the service is at least available on a 24/7 basis.

Everything that’s been debated and analyzed up to this point begs the overarching question of which sportsbook is a better option for most players.

Ultimately, we at the Inquirer give DraftKings the slightest nod over BetMGM. You’ll be hard-pressed to find two online sportsbooks that mirror each other as similarly as BetMGM and DraftKings, making it hard to compare them. As similar as they are, DraftKings is just slightly ahead of BetMGM in a few categories.

In terms of their similarities, both mobile apps have phenomenal reviews from players. Both platforms came out nearly identical when calculating which has the better odds. Both customer services operate 24/7, and the banking methods are almost exactly the same.

Lastly and most importantly, both platforms do a great job with their promotion of responsible gambling.

We give the DraftKings Sportsbook app the nod here in part due to its quicker response times. DraftKings also gets a slight edge in having smaller minimum deposit and withdrawal amounts. The last point in their favor is offering a few more unique betting markets than BetMGM such as e-Sports and awards shows.

BetMGM’s customer service gets a point in their favor due to the multiple ways to contact them and the process being simpler than DraftKings. But in terms of promotions for returning customers, DraftKings is clearly better.

When it’s all said and done, you can’t go wrong with picking either BetMGM or DraftKings. The good news is new users can check out both sportsbooks and get a pair of introductory offers before deciding which is the right one for them. Sign up for one or both of them today!

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The Inquirer is not an online gambling operator, or a gambling site. We provide this information about sports betting for entertainment purposes only.