Best Bookmakers In Iraq 2024

How to bet safely online in Iraq

In Iraq, you can bet safely on 5 ways:

1. Avoid unlicensed bookmakers

2. Confirm the security of the betting website

3. Use VPN

4. Practice responsible gambling

5. Use secure payment methods.

Avoid Unlicensed Bookmakers

Avoiding unlicensed bookmakers is recommendable because the online betting industry is filled with a lot of bookmakers, but not all of them offer legitimate services that benefit their customers. While some bookmaker websites might simply have poor features that make them substandard, others might go as far as scamming players.

There are independent gambling authorities that evaluate and give licenses to betting platforms that provide quality and safety. You need to ensure that any bookmaker that you choose is genuine and you can do that by confirming that the site has a valid license from a gambling body.

Curacao eGaming and the UK Gambling Commission are a few gambling regulatory bodies that manage licensing. When you bet with licensed betting sites, you can be certain that the bookmaker will treat you fairly and that you can withdraw your winnings without complications.

Confirm The Security Of The Betting Website

Confirming the security of the betting website is possible by using SSL encryption.

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption is an internet tool that helps to establish privacy and security between a website and an internet user. When you use online bookmakers with SSL certificates, the data that is transferred between you and the bookmaker is hidden securely.

Site security is important because if a bookmaker’s site has insufficient security, the platforms and its customers become vulnerable.

Hackers and scammers will not hesitate to take advantage of any weakness in a sportsbook’s website in a bid to steal money or personal information. 

You can also find bookmakers that go beyond the bare minimum by adding other security precautions like anti-fraud protection, session timeout, and two-factor authentication.

A VPN Can Be Helpful

A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is helpful because it performs 2 functions that are very important for online bettors in Iraq:

1. VPN hides your real IP address and gives you a new IP address as a replacement.

 2. VPN encrypts the communication between you and a bookmaker’s site.

When a VPN hides your real IP address, the authorities and other third parties will be unable to track you since the IP address they will see is not yours. In addition, if the new IP address is from another country, it will enable you to visit betting sites that are blocked for Iraqi players.

The encryption function of a VPN is similar to that of the SSL encryption explained earlier, as it safeguards all the data that you share with an online bookmaker. If you use a VPN while betting with a secure bookmaker site, then your safety is guaranteed.

Practice Responsible Gambling

Practicing responsible gaming is possible in 10 ways: 

1. Separate money for betting from money for daily or monthly expenses.

2. Never bet with more money than you can afford to lose.

3. Set limits for time spent betting.

4. Set limits for money spent betting.

5. Never exceed the betting limits you set.

6. Pause frequently when betting.

7. Avoid betting when you are in a bad mood as you can make bad decisions.

8. Never bet when you are not sober.

9. Make sure that you understand the sport that you’re betting on.

10. If you lose a bet, do not place another bet to try and win your money back. Let it go.

Gambling addiction, also known as Problem Gambling, is very dangerous because it can affect your finances, your family, and your personal life if you do not work on it.

Depending on the individual, online gambling can even be more addictive than physical gambling since you play from the comfort of your home.

Only Use Secure Payment Methods

Using secure payment methods in Iraq is possible if you:

1. Avoid using payment methods that are easy to track such as debit/credit cards and bank transfers so you can stay anonymous

2. Practice using cryptocurrencies, prepaid cards, and eWallets because they are more reliable than bank-related options

3. Visit only bookmakers that have strong security measures to minimise risk of being prosecuted since it is an illegal activity.

Online betting sites offer bettors a lot of options for depositing and withdrawing money, but not all these methods are secure or ideal for players in Iraq. You should ensure that whatever payment option you choose is secure so that you will not compromise your financial information.

What are the Best Sports Betting Bonuses In Iraq?

There are 7 types of best sports betting bonuses in Iraq:

1. Welcome bonus

2. Deposit welcome bonus

3. No-deposit welcome bonus

4. Reload bonus

5. Free bet

6. Risk-free bet, and

7. Cashback Bonus.

Welcome Bonus

Welcome bonus is a type of bonus that online bookmakers often give new players a bonus right after they create an account. The welcome bonus is the most common bonus type, as most sportsbooks grant it to players.

You cannot withdraw welcome bonus after you receive it, but you need to place a bet with it first. The betting site will likely specify the kind of bet you need to place with the bonus, and if you win the bet, you can then withdraw the winnings.

There are two types of welcome bonuses that bookmakers offer - deposit bonus and no-deposit bonus.

Deposit Welcome Bonus

Deposit welcome bonus is a bonus you need to make a deposit to your betting wallet after creating an account with the sportsbook. Minimum required deposit for activation is required for welcome bonus and maximum deposit bonus that you can earn from an offer.

Also, the value of the deposit bonus that you get from a betting site is a percentage of your deposit. For example, if you have a 200% deposit bonus and you deposit $100, you will receive a bonus amount worth $200, apart from your original $100 deposit.

While the deposit welcome bonus often applies to first deposit, bookmaker extend the bonus to more than just one deposit, including first few deposits.

No-deposit Welcome Bonus

No-deposit bonus is bonus that does not require you to make a deposit for you to gain the bonus. No-deposit welcome bonus is usually in the form of free cash, and all you need to do is join the bookmaker’s site as a new member.

The no-deposit welcome bonus is less common than the deposit welcome bonus as most sportsbooks prefer to reward players after they have already made a deposit.

Reload Bonus

Reload bonus is bonus that rewards old players for depositing and placing bets on betting sites in the past.

A reload bonus is also a percentage of your deposit amount and the bookmaker would require that you place a bet with the bonus before you can withdraw the subsequent winnings.

Free Bet

Free bet is a bonus amount of cash that an online bookmaker gives a player to place bets on a sports event. With a free bet, it is easy for players to bet on sports without need to spend their own money.

There are 2 ways that a player can receive a free bet bonus from an online betting site:

1. Free bets can be a welcome bonus for new players, a deposit bonus for returning players, or a reward for placing a bet with a minimum amount of money.

2. Free bet often comes with a wagering requirement, meaning you have to bet with the money for you to withdraw winnings. Also, bookmakers often have requirements for using a free bet, such as the number of odds and the exact sporting event to use it for.

Risk-Free Bet

Risk-free bet is a bonus that refunds your wager if a bet you place is lost. A risk-free bet is a mirror of free bet because both bonuses allow players to bet on sports without actually losing any money even if the bet is lost.

The difference between both bonus types is that a free bet gives you cash to place a bet while you need to use your own cash for a risk-free bet, with the benefit of your cash being refunded if you lose.

If you receive a risk-free bet, it is a perfect way to place bets with high odds, since you will get a refund even if the best is not won.

Cashback

Cashback is a bonus whose purpose is to relieve the burden of losing money when betting online with a sportsbook by refunding you a percentage of your wagers. Cashback is usually valid for bets lost within a period of time and for wagers that you won, too.

Cashback works on 3 following steps:

• A bookmaker gives you 10% weekly cashback for your losses.

• All your wagers during the qualifying week add up to $500 and your lost wagers are $200.

• You receive cashback worth 10% of $200, which is $20.

What are the Most Popular Sports In Iraq?

Most popular sports in Iraq are:

• Football

• Basketball

• Kickboxing

• Wrestling.

Football (Soccer)

Football is a sport with the largest audience in most countries in the Middle East, including Iraq. Sports fans in Iraq pay a lot of attention to football, at both local levels within the country and international football tournaments outside the country.

The Iraqi Premier League is the foremost football competition in the country, containing 20 clubs that compete to win the league and qualify for the Iraqi Super Cup. Al-Zawraa is the most successful club in Iraq, winning the league title a record 14 times.

On the international scene, the Iraq men’s national football team represents the country in competitions, and they have seen a decent amount of success over the years. The Iraqi national team appeared in the 1986 World Cup and also won the AFC Asian Cup in 2007.

The most recent success of the Iraqi men’s national team is winning the Arabian Gulf Cup, which is a football contest between eight Arabian countries - Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen.

The Iraq Football Association is the official organization that regulates both the national team and the Iraqi Premier League. Some notable Iraqi football players include legends like Hussein Saeed, Ahmed Radhi, and Raad Hammoudi.

More recently, Iraq produced the young midfielder Zidane Iqbal, who played for the English Premier League team- Manchester United.

Basketball

In Iraq, basketball is a sport that has a large following among sports enthusiasts due to how competitive and exciting the game is. There are 2 major tiers of basketball in Iraq:

1. The Iraqi Basketball League

2. The Iraq men’s national basketball team.

The Iraqi Basketball League is a local contest within the country and contains 14 different teams playing against each other. Al-Karkh is the most successful basketball team in Iraq, winning the league title a whopping 13 times.

The men’s national basketball team of Iraq competes regularly in international basketball tournaments. Some of these tournaments include the Olympics, Asian Games, West Asian Championship, FIBA Asia Cup, and Pan Arab Games.

Kickboxing

Kickboxing is a sport that has a strong influence in Iraq, as a lot of citizens pay attention to local and international kickboxing contests. Iraq is a regular contender in the Arab Kickboxing Championship.

Riyadh Al-Azzawi is the most notable kickboxing athlete that Iraq has produced over the years. He started out as a young kickboxer in Iraq and as his career progressed, he won the Arab Kickboxing Championship and moved out to London.

Riyadh Al-Azzawi went as far as becoming the World Champion of the World Kickboxing Network (WKN) in 2008 and is still a great source of pride for the country today.

Wrestling

Wrestling is another combat sport that has a lot of fans in Iraq and it is regulated by the Iraqi Wrestling Federation. Iraq has a solid international presence, with Iraqi athletes competing in several Olympics tournaments over the years.