Bookmaker or Sportsbook – What’s the Difference?

Bookmaker is the general term for a betting establishments in the UK and Europe whereas Sportsbook is more commonly referred to for a place to bet online for players from the USA and South America.

Europe and the UK in particular is known for it's liberal laws on gambling. You only have to walk down any UK high street to be aware of a wide range of bookmaker shops like Ladbrokes, Williamhill, Coral or Betfred.

Every high street has at least one. They also have strong online presence and are known betting brands worldwide.

It's part of the British culture that gambling is tolerated from betting on horse racing, the “Sport of Kings” to placing an accumulator bet on six football teams on a Saturday afternoon.

Sportsbook is the generic term for online bookmakers originated from the US like Bodog, SBG Global and WagerWeb.ag I mention these three because they have withstood the anti gambling laws that were introduced a few years ago.

Effectively banning the ability to deposit into an online sportsbook from the US. Sportsbooks got around the ban by setting up offshore in places like Costa Rica and introducing e-wallet style payments like Neteller and Moneybookers.