Expert View of Intertops Sportsbook
It’s tough to find a betting site more worth your trust more than Intertops. They took first ever online sports bet way back in 1996. They have a sterling reputation and usually have the fastest withdrawal speeds for betting sites accepting bets from Americans.
More About Intertops Sportsbook
Intertops Sportsbook Summary
Intertops is the world’s first and oldest online sportsbook. The bookmaker formed in 1983, long before internet wagering became available. Intertops.com launched in 1996 as the first online sportsbook.
They took a wager from a Finnish bettor Jukka Hunkavarra on Jan. 17th, 1996 which was the first bet ever placed at an online sportsbook. Hunkavarra profited just a few dollars, but online betting was born. Intertops was also the first sportsbook to premier a mobile betting site in 2000.
Today, they base out of Antigua and Barbuda. Licensed and regulated by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission. Intertops has more of an international clientele compared to other US-facing sportsbooks. Their site translates to German. They also offer support in several languages, including Italian and Polish.
For several years, Intertops was an invite-only sportsbook for Americans. Existing US-based players could invite players, but didn’t accept new sign-ups through their website.
In February 2015, this changed. Intertops reopened sign ups and are allowing players to create accounts from inside the United States. It’s unclear how long their new policy will continue, so if you’ve been waiting to sign up at Intertops, it might be best to take advantage.
In addition to their online sportsbook, they offer an online casino and poker room.
A Personal Opinion on Intertops
What We Like About Intertops
They’ve been in business since the begging of time! A sportsbook that has been around this long and has a track record like Intertops is a rare find. They’ve operated an online sportsbook for 20 years and have been in business since the early 1980s.
Intertops hasn’t made many headlines in their long history and that’s a good thing. They have paid players in a timely fashion. The sportsbook has never had a player complain over a single slow-pay or no-pay in their long history.
They offer loads of promotions around the year and have an excellent support staff. The security and peace of mind of knowing that you will get paid are the sportsbook’s primary attribute. There might not be a safer bet online for US-based bettors than Intertops.
One of their best promotions offered starts with the NFL season. Players can get a free $500 for placing $5,000 or more in wagers throughout the season. They can calim the promotion if they sign up at the beginning of the year.
What We Don’t Like About Intertops
While being paid is not a worry, Intertops is slightly behind the times with their markets and their overall odds are nothing special. They have a half a dozen or more promotions running throughout the year, but even with their stake back promotions, bettors will still find better odds at competing sportsbooks.
They used to have a host of propositions for just about every sport but have cut back those markets. Their teaser odds, once excellent, are now not worth much.
Promotions galore is excellent, but when it comes down to it, their first-time deposit bonus is a huge drawback compared to other sportsbooks. It’s much smaller than most and comes with a below average rollover.
What Bettors Are Saying About Intertops
Despite their long history, Intertops isn’t one of the most talked about sportsbooks with U.S. players. Perhaps it should be, but a Reddit thread dedicated to the book only has one comment, but it’s a positive one. One thing is for sure, they’re an honest bookmaker, and they always pay quickly.
Intertops Sportsbook Tip
Intertops is an excellent starting point for your sports betting career. Their odds are sharp, but they have plenty of promotions throughout the year; they also have a great Welcome Bonus. They are pretty much the safest place to bet online.
Intertops Deposits and Withdrawals
Tons of Banking Options
Intertops has a large list of deposit options for players around the world. Bettors from outside the United States can go with reliable e-wallets, such as Skrill and Neteller, and a host of other choices. US bettors have a strong list of deposit and withdraw choices as well.
Intertops takes deposits from all major credit cards. This includes MasterCard and American Express, in addition to the most common deposit option, Visa. However, they don’t offer bank wire as a deposit option for US-based clients.
Fast and Reliable Payout Options
For payouts, checks will be the most popular option. They process checks up to $3,000, and they arrive in about a week’s time. It’s cost $50 per check withdrawal. Players are not entitled to free monthly check or payout; although others sites offer this option.
Bank Wires
Bank wires are available for withdrawals. These come with the same processing fee as checks but take slightly longer to process, about two weeks. There will be additional fees charged by your bank for accepting the wire.
Intertops Bitcoin Payouts
Intertops began accepting the crypto-currency, Bitcoin, in December 2015. Deposits and withdrawals are both free. Players can deposit up to $2,500 via Bitcoin, and have a maximum withdrawal of the same amount. Payouts process in 48 hours or less.
Withdrawal speeds at Intertops sportsbook are not elite, but they are in the upper echelon of bookmakers servicing US players. There shouldn’t be any fears regarding getting payment. They’ve never even slow-paid a player.
Intertops Sportsbook Bonuses
Intertops has several different options when it comes to a Welcome Bonus that players will receive when they sign-up. The bonus is valid for the first deposit only. Depending on your bankroll size, there are several options.
200% up to $50 Bonus
If you deposit $20, you will receive a free bet token of the same value. That comes with a 16x rollover. There’s also a 200% Bonus up to $50 that comes with an 8x rollover.
You get the 200% up to $50 bonus using the bonus code: ROOKIE200.
100% up to $100 Bonus
They also have a 100% Bonus up to $100 that has a 6x rollover.
You get the 100% up to $100 Bonus using the bonus code: ROOKIE100.
50% up to $200 Bonus
Finally, we have a 50% Bonus up to $200 with a 4x rollover. If you can afford it, we highly recommend this bonus. You will receive the largest bonus offer available, along with the smallest rollover.
Deposit codes may change with bonuses, but as of mid-2017, they have been using the bonus code ROOKIE200 for their 50% Bonus up to $200. The bonus credits your account after the rollover is completed.
$20 Free Bet
For those depositing smaller amounts, bettors can opt to take a free $20 risk-free wager instead of any of the Deposit Bonuses. After placing their first wager, customers can fill out a form to get their free $20 wager. They will receive this bonus whether their first bet wins or loses.
However, this $20 Bet Token has a lengthy 16x rollover. We recommend any of the Welcome Bonuses when picking a bonus, but neither are strong options concerning sign up bonuses offered at other sites.
Thursday 10% Reload Bonus
Intertops does offer a 10% reload bonus on Thursdays, up to $50. This comes with a 6x rollover, which is a better rate than the above bonuses. However, players must have a balance of $200 or less and must not have requested a withdrawal in the last 28 days.
Intertops Sportsbook Highlights
Large Assortment of Markets and Odds
Intertops, perhaps more than any other sportsbook servicing US players has a large percentage of their clients from other parts of the world. Their list of available sports reflects the international clientele they cater to in addition to their North American players.
In 2015, Intertops updated their betting software in a big way. They are now neck and neck with most other sportsbooks online regarding software. Their new client offers many options for players while being user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing. Users will also have the choice to use the older interface.
US bettors will have all their favorite sports, and just about every major worldwide sport is covered. There are markets for just about every soccer league in the world, European basketball, snooker, volleyball and a host of other options.
They’re a lot similar to 5Dimes in terms of their expansive betting menu of sports and leagues, but they don’t have quite as many betting options. Teasers, parlays, round robin wagers and a large assortment of half-time and quarter bets are all available.
Intertops’ live betting options are quite large from a game-by-game perspective. They have just about every soccer contest in the world available for betting and a host of other sports. US-facing sports aren’t as widely available, however. This is likely due to the large amount of foreign bettors on their balance sheets.
They upgraded their live betting interface. It works well, but there are few markets other than live point spreads and totals. There are much superior live betting options in the US market for this reason alone. Their platform is still more than adequate, but it’s not an elite choice.
Intertops is generally in the sharper realm of online sportsbooks. Their teaser odds use to be something to look for, but now they’re now around the industry average. The same goes for propositions. The sportsbook used to have 20 or more props per NFL game but have cut these back drastically.
Some of their future markets may have some value that bettors won’t find elsewhere, but for the most part, Intertops doesn’t have anything that screams value. Their markets, for the most part, are rather efficient.
Betting Limits
Intertops doesn’t have a page that lists their betting limits per sport, but after we spoke with support, we found that they accept a $2,000 maximum bet or ($2,200 to win $2,000) on most major markets. This classifies them as more a recreational sportsbook, rather than one that caters to professional type, high limit bettors. Their promotions also reflect this position.
Major markets likely qualify as all major professional sports leagues in the United States, including the NHL and NCAA basketball and football. This also includes major professional soccer leagues, such as the English Premier League, Spanish Primera, Bundesliga and Serie A. Of course, the Champions League, UEFA Cup and international competitions will also qualify.
Lesser known sports in European and North America would qualify as smaller markets, along with many proposition wagers, futures, and half-time bets. Limits here can vary wildly. Some sports may have a maximum of $500. Propositions may be even lower.
Intertops allows a minimum bet of $1.00 for all of their markets, so small-time, low stakes bettors will also be able to wager to their heart’s content.
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Customer Support Staff
Their staff is among the most knowledge online. Their email responses are usually within a few hours or less and live chat wait times are usually no more than a few seconds.
If You’re Looking for Safety…
While Intertops might not offer the excellent odds or the larger list of markets they did in the past, they’re one of the safest options in online sports betting history. Few sites will ever sniff their track record and legacy as one of the pioneers of online sports betting.
Their promotions are still worth checking out. They’re not a sportsbook to “attack” for inefficiencies for the most part. That, of course, doesn’t downgrade them from a safety standpoint. Wager with confidence, as you will get paid at Intertops.
- Their longevity is unmatched in sports betting markets.
- No slow-pays or no-pays on their record.
- Plenty of year-round promotions, in addition, to deposit and reload bonuses.