BetMGM vs DraftKings: Determining The Better Sportsbook

BetMGM vs DraftKings
BetMGM vs DraftKings
BetMGM Sports Review
Risk Free First Bet Up To $1000
New Customer Offer
DraftKings
20% Deposit Bonus, Up To $1000

DraftKings and BetMGM Sportsbook are two of the most well-known online sportsbooks in the country, and their brand lives up to the hype as we review each of them. In a back-and-forth battle, these online sportsbooks seemingly won every other category.

Find out which came out on top through our BetMGM vs. DraftKings comparison below.

Now, let's see which of these two major sportsbooks is superior.

Topics We Covered in This Article

  • USA Flag Icon
    Where Can You Play?
  • Sign-Up to icon
    How Easy to Sign Up?
  • Coupon Icon
    Promotions and Bonuses
  • Order List of Markets Icon
    Available Markets
  • Green Graphs Icon
    Best Betting Odds

Where DraftKings and BetMGM Are Legal

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DraftKings Sportsbook and BetMGM are two online sportsbooks that have been available since the beginning of online legal sports betting in 2018.

Below, we’ll look at all DraftKings states and BetMGM states:

DraftKingsBetMGM
Arizona

Arkansas

×

×

Colorado

Connecticut

×

Delaware

×

×

Florida

×

(horse racing only)
Illinois

Indiana

×

Lowa

Kansas

Louisiana

Maine

×

×

Maryland

Massachusetts

×

Michigan

Mississippi

(retail only)

×

New Jersey

New York

New Hampshire

×

Nebraska

×

×

Nevada

×

North Carolina

×

×

Ohio

Oregon

×

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

×

×

South Dakota

×

×

Tennessee

Virginia

Washington

(retail only)

West Virginia

Wyoming

We gathered detailed articles regarding DraftKings legal states and BetMGM legal states.

🏅 Winner: DraftKings

DraftKings
20% Deposit Bonus, Up To $1000

Bonus and Promotions

Coupon Icon

Bonuses and promotions provide players with a value that enhances their bet amount, payout, bankroll, or a combination of all three. Let’s see how DraftKings and BetMGM compare.

DraftKings Sportsbook

  • Welcome Bonus: Receive a 20% deposit bonus worth up to $1,000. The bonus funds you receive will be placed into a pool you draw off in $1 increments per $25 wagered in cash.
  • $5 NBA SGPX Bonus Bet: Opt in and receive an SGPx bonus bet.
  • Bet $5 on NBA SGP, Get $10 Bonus Bet: Opt-in and receive a $10 bonus bet when you wager $5 or more on an NBA Same Game Parlay.
  • NBA Daily Stepped Up SGP: Build an NBA SGP and get up to a 100% profit boost.
  • NHL Stepped Up Parlay: Receive a profit boost based on the number of legs you add to every NHL parlay.
  • NHL No Sweat SGP: When you bet on a three-leg NHL Same Game Parlay, you’ll receive a bonus bet back up to $10 if you lose.

BeMGM Sportsbook

  • Welcome Bonus: At BetMGM, you’ll receive a $1,000 risk-free bet, meaning your first bet can be made while knowing that if you lose, you’ll get it back as a free bet. You’ll get a single free bet if the bet is less than $50. If the bet is over $50, you’ll get five free bets equal to 20% of the wager made.
  • Score Up To $50 in Free Bets: Get a $5 free bet for each mission you complete and an extra $25 free bet if you complete all five.
  • Refer-A-Friend: Receive a $50 bonus when you recruit a friend to BetMGM using your exclusive link, and they wager $50 in cash.

BetMGM vs DraftKings Winner: When it comes to welcome bonuses, BetMGM Sportsbook wins easily. The DraftKings Sportsbook welcome bonus is among the worst in the industry, whereas BetMGM has a risk-free bet. In terms of existing player promotions, DraftKings has more offers, and the quality is excellent amongst multiple sports.

🏅 Winner: BetMGM

BetMGM Sports Review
Risk Free First Bet Up To $1000
New Customer Offer

Sports Coverage

NFL Ball Icon

We all know both sites will have NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL betting, but what other, more niche sports do each offer?

DraftKingsBetMGM
Aussie Rules

×

Baseball

Basketball

Boxing

Cornhole

×

Cricket

Cycling

Darts

E-Sports

×

Football

Formula 1

×

Golf

Hockey

Lacrosse

MMA

Motorsports

×

NASCAR

×

Rugby League

Rugby Union

Snooker

Soccer

Table Tennis

×

Tennis

Volleyball

×

DraftKings vs BetMGM Winner: As you can see, this is quite close, but DraftKings gets a slight edge due to offering sports like Table Tennis, Volleyball, and Cornhole.

🏅 Winner: DraftKings

DraftKings
20% Deposit Bonus, Up To $1000

Variety of Markets

Order List of Markets Icon

Having many ways to wager on your favorite sports and teams makes for a more enjoyable experience. We all want to bet on our favorite teams in any way we can.

DraftKingsBetMGM
Moneyline

Point Spread

Total

Props

Futures

Teasers

Round Robin

Parlay

Same Game Parlay

SGPx

×

DraftKings vs BetMGM Winner: DraftKings and BetMGM have the same bet types, except Same Game Parlay Extra at DraftKings. This allows you to parlay together multiple Same Game Parlays. By having this method and BetMGM not having it, DraftKings wins.

🏅 Winner: DraftKings

DraftKings
20% Deposit Bonus, Up To $1000

Sign Up Process

Sign-Up to icon

It may not be something you think about, but creating an account as quickly as possible and getting into the action is important. Which site is faster?

  • DraftKings Sportsbook: When you click “Sign Up” at DraftKings Sportsbook, it’ll start by you providing your email, username, password, phone number, and agreeing to terms and conditions. After this, you’ll then make a real-money betting account where you’ll provide information such as your date of birth, address, and last four digits of your social security number.
  • BetMGM Sportsbook: The first step in creating a BetMGM Sportsbook account is providing your email. Alternatively, you can start the process by registering with your MGM Rewards, PayPal, or Yahoo! Sports account. After you’ve picked which method, the next page will open and ask for your password, then your name, last four digits of your social security number, and other personal details.

BetMGM vs DraftKings Winner: Both processes are pretty fast in terms of time to complete, but BetMGM has multiple ways to start the process, and it’s broken up amongst multiple pages making it easier to complete.

🏅 Winner: BetMGM

BetMGM Sports Review
Risk Free First Bet Up To $1000
New Customer Offer

Features

Computer File Icon

The online sports betting landscape has numerous platforms you can play at. Thus, these sites need features that set them apart, creating a unique selling point(s).

Let’s check out what each has.

DraftKingsBetMGM
Same Game Parlay: Create a parlay using events from a single game.One Game Parlay: Create a parlay from a single game.
Cash Out: Exit a bet prematurely to salvage some of your original wager or to take what the current winnings are without risking it.Cash Out: Same concept as DraftKings.
Betting Pools: Pick a contest, pay an entry fee, make predictions and win based on how correct you are.Live Streaming: Watch some international contests such as soccer, tennis, cricket, and more.
DraftKings Social: A social media-like platform in which users can share bets they’re making or form groups for you all to connect and discuss options with.Edit My Bet: Add, swap, or remove a selection from a parlay. You can also edit the amount you want to bet.
Odds Boosts: Receive daily odds boosts on events from (potentially) any sport.Easy Parlay: This page is dedicated to streamlining the moneyline, point spread, and total betting odds.
Odds Boosts: Same as DraftKings

DraftKings vs BetMGM Winner: The live streaming is great for those who want to bet on international sports, but DraftKings wins out here with the betting pool and social media platform where you can connect with other bettors.

🏅 Winner: DraftKings

DraftKings
20% Deposit Bonus, Up To $1000

Betting Odds

Green Graphs Icon

If you’re in a state with multiple online sportsbooks, one of the best things you can do is odds shop to make sure you’re getting the best odds for whatever you want to bet on.

Below, we’ll look at the odds for each sportsbook, but remember this—odds are can also be based on the amount of betting action each wager is receiving.

  • DraftKings Sportsbook: At DraftKings Sportsbook, you’ll tend to, across the board, find some decent odds on underdog wagers. From our research, this ranges from five to 30 points of line value. When looking at the favored team, these are usually on par with the competitor regarding odds and the point spread number.
  • BetMGM Sportsbook: As mentioned, the odds here for the favored team are usually quite similar. For example, the point spread odds are right around -110, giving or taking five points in either direction. However, the underdog line value tends to be less lucrative at BetMGM.

BetMGM vs DraftKings Winner: When it comes down to it, the odds and line value here are quite similar. However, BetMGM does tend to offer less-lucrative odds for underdogs, giving DraftKings a slight edge, especially if you want to bet on an underdog on the point spread or moneyline.

🏅 Winner: DraftKings

DraftKings
20% Deposit Bonus, Up To $1000

Live Betting

Live Soccer Ball Icon

Have you ever been going about your day only to look up at the clock and realize, “Oh no! The game I wanted to bet on has already started!”

With BetMGM and DraftKings, you can wager on that game as it’s in progress, though odds shift rapidly as the game evolves.

  • DraftKings Sportsbook: The DraftKings Sportsbook live betting page has a menu for each sport that is currently live, followed by the current score and odds for each bet type at that time. When you click on the game you want to bet on, a page will open with all the available bet types, the box score, and the stats for the game.
  • BetMGM Sportsbook: Like DraftKings, BetMGM has a live betting page with a menu for currently live sports. However, you’ll notice that as the game progresses, the different bet types will get highlighted with green or red, indicating a change in the odds for those bet types. You’ll see all the bet types and the box score when you click on the game. To the right, you’ll see live updates about what’s happening in the game and statistics from that game.

BetMGM vs DraftKings Winner: We give the edge to BetMGM here thanks to the live in-game tracker, which updates what’s happening in the game. We also like the red and green highlights indicating a change in those odds.

🏅 Winner: BetMGM

BetMGM Sports Review
Risk Free First Bet Up To $1000
New Customer Offer

Live Streaming

Live Soccer Ball Icon

Can’t find the game you want to watch on TV or your favorite streaming service? The sportsbook you’re playing at might have live streaming available.

  • DraftKings Sportsbook: Live streaming is not offered here.
  • BetMGM Sportsbook: After logging into your account, you’ll see a media section on the right side of the page. Here, you’ll find a drop-down menu that shows what games you can watch, filtered by the sport. Once you click on the event, a video box will appear with the game.

BetMGM vs DraftKings Winner: Since DraftKings doesn’t have live streaming, BetMGM wins by default.

🏅 Winner: BetMGM

BetMGM Sports Review
Risk Free First Bet Up To $1000
New Customer Offer

Mobile App

Holding A Mobile Phone Icon

With online sports betting launching in 2018, the ability to wager from a mobile app has been a go-to method for placing bets. Let’s check these mobile apps out.

DraftKings Sportsbook:

When you open the DraftKings Sportsbook mobile app, you’ll first notice an account icon in the upper left-hand corner. You can click on this icon, and here, you’ll find a menu with links to the Help Center, rewards, the welcome bonus deposit bonus tracker, and more. You’ll find various menus on the homepage to navigate the sports, upcoming games, promotions, and more. Along the bottom of the app is a menu with links to the homepage, live betting, your bets, a list of the sports offered, and rewards/promotions. There’s no lag when using this app, and everything is quite responsive.

DraftKings App

BetMGM Sportsbook:

The BetMGM Sportsbook app starts with a search bar at the top next to a collapsible menu for the available sports. Below are two more menus—one for sports/live betting and another for the available promotions. As you venture down the homepage, you’ll see the most hyped upcoming games and a series of suggested One Game Parlay bets. As you proceed to the bottom of the app, you’ll see links to the homepage, promotions, and your account. Right above this is the betslip. When you log in, you can click on the account icon and find links to the Help Center and more.

BetMGM App

DraftKings vs BetMGM Winner: We give a slight edge to BetMGM here as there is a search bar at the top of the app and a link to the promotions page. The link at the bottom of the DraftKings app says Rewards. Though this also features promotions, new players may not be aware of that.

🏅 Winner: BetMGM

BetMGM Sports Review
Risk Free First Bet Up To $1000
New Customer Offer

Deposit Methods

Deposit Methods Icon

When it comes to funding your account, the more options, the better. What do DraftKings and BetMGM offer?

DraftKingsBetMGM
Visa

MasterCard

AMEX

×

×

Discover

PayPal

Online Banking

MGM Rewards Mastercard

×

×

PayNearMe

VIP preferred

BetMGM Gift Card

×

Bank Wire Transfer

Play+ Card

GAMEON Card

×

DraftKings Gift Card

×

Venmo

×

BetMGM vs DraftKings Winner: While DraftKings may have fewer payment methods, the ones it doesn’t have are BetMGM-specific methods and a third-party gift card. However, DraftKings has an option like Venmo, which is a modern version of PayPal.

🫱🏻‍🫲🏼 Winner: Draw

BetMGM Sports Review
Risk Free First Bet Up To $1000
New Customer Offer
DraftKings
20% Deposit Bonus, Up To $1000

Customer Support

Help Bubble Icon

It may not be something you initially think about, but if something happens when you’re playing, and you need help, you want to get help as soon as possible.

In what ways can you get help at DraftKings and BetMGM?

DraftKingsBetMGM
FAQ

Live Chat

Email

Phone

×

×

Mail

×

DraftKings vs BetMGM Winner: Like payment methods, the more options for customer support, the better. With that thought process, DraftKings wins with that additional customer support method—a mailing address.

🏅 Winner: DraftKings

DraftKings
20% Deposit Bonus, Up To $1000

Overall User Experience

User Experience Icon

Lets take a look at the user experience of both sportsbooks and understand the differences between them:

  • DraftKings Sportsbook: DraftKings Sportsbook provides multiple ways to deposit funds into your account, an easy-to-use mobile app, multiple existing player promotions, and a large library of prop bets. The experience here is top-notch for new and veteran players alike.
  • BetMGM Sportsbook: BetMGM Sportsbook offers players one of the best welcome bonuses on the market today, but there aren’t many promotions for existing players. The mobile app is excellent with a search bar at the top, suggestions for One Game Parlays, and also has a reasonable pool of prop bets as well. This is another top-notch sportsbook.

Strengths and Weaknesses

DraftKings Sportsbook

Strengths
Weaknesses
Same Game Parlay Extra tool
Large library of single-player prop bets
Many ways to deposit funds into your account, including Venmo
Numerous sports to wager on, including niche markets like Cornhole and Volleyball
Multiple existing player promotions
DraftKings Social platform allows bettors to connect with each other and offer advice
The welcome bonus is one of the least lucrative, offering a low percentage match and a “bet and get” nature to it.

BetMGM Sportsbook

Strengths
Weaknesses
The $1,000 risk-free bet is one of the best welcome bonuses out there today
Easy Parlay tool makes it easy to build parlays
Live streaming for international markets
Live updates on the live betting page
Great library of single-player prop bets
Very few existing player promotions

Our Final Verdict

Medal Icon

When comparing BetMGM vs. DraftKings Sportsbook, you’re stacking up two titans of the online sports betting industry.

When the question of “which is better? BetMGM or DraftKings” is asked, we give the slightest edge to DraftKings.

The welcome bonus is not good, no, but other than that, you’re getting an excellent site. BetMGM is also nearly flawless, but the lack of promotions for existing players and not having as many payment methods, sports options, or single-prop bets to choose from make BetMGM rank just under DraftKings by the slimmest of margins.

DraftKings & BetMGM Alternatives

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