|
|
|
Atletico Sport Aviacao, Angola Champions
The side is from Luanda, capital of Angola, and one of the major players in the Angolan league. The current champions won the 2004 season title by a three point margin over Sagrada Esperanca. How have they fared over the years. From what is...
Improve Your Game with Sport Performance Sunglasses
Sunglasses are fundamental in protecting the eyes from harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays and eye damage. With the popularity of almost every imaginable outdoor sport such as snowboarding, skiing, mountain biking, rock climbing, kayaking and golfing to...
The Feeling Of Tandem Skydiving
Tandem skydiving is an excellent way to experience this popular extreme sport. People, though, have a number of fears about skydiving. One myth is that you can't breathe while you're free falling. That is certainly not true, otherwise jumpers...
Wenger and Mourinho at it again!
Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho's personal attacks are
beginning to overshadow the game.
On Saturday the showdown between Chelsea and Arsenal was a
cracking game of football. Whoever you support, and I support
neither, Arsenal were...
What You Need to Know Before Buying a Pedometer
Question: What's small, weighs about an ounce, and comes in dozens of different models? Answer: a Pedometer. Would you have guessed it had I mentioned this item can help you lose weight, decrease your chance of diseases like hypertension, diabetes,...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
“How to Choose the Right Sportsbook!”
So you have decided to start betting online – or maybe you just want to find a new trustworthy sportsbook – what do you need to look out for?
Well I am in a position to speak from some experience – I did at one time hold accounts with about sixty bookmakers in Europe, UK, Australia and offshore – the latter catering mainly to the US market. I have had at least three online sportsbooks go broke on me – luckily my losses were kept to a few thousand dollars – that may sound a lot but it could have been a lot worse.
It is not that easy finding a reputable sportsbook – partly because the web is populated by website owners who will sing the praises of a sportsbook or casino simply because they earn revenue from signing up customers via an affiliate program. Often these website owners know nothing about betting, do not hold accounts with the sportsbooks they are advertising and have not researched the companies they are involved with.
You are keeping your money in an account online. Therefore you should think of the sportsbook you are considering as a bank – a place that you intend to keep funds long term.
So what do you look for:
1.Read press articles as opposed to reviews – reviews are usually written by the sportsbook’s marketing team.
2.Test run the software by joining and playing for free – most sportsbooks offer this facility.
3.Find out if your funds are insured or separated in ESCROW accounts so that if the sportsbook company goes under – your funds are still safe.
4.Find out if the sportsbook is independently audited.
5.How long has the operation been online – three to four years is usually a good marker as a minimum.
6.Test out the customer services to see if they meet your standards or the standards they promise you.
7.If you know about betting already, then check
some of their odds and lines – are they in keeping with what you would expect? Some less scrupulous sportsbooks
offer very attractive prices to lure unsuspecting bettors.
8.Find out if the sportsbook is part of a larger group of companies. Sometimes this means added solidity.
9.What are the deposit and withdrawal options and the associated charges. These vary quite a bit from book to book. Options should be available that are ‘free’ or where the sportsbook absorbs the charges. But ask yourself ; “how easy is it to get access to my money and how much does it cost?”
Not all the above are critical – but help towards finding a secure book.
If you have already have an account with a sportsbook watch out for lapses in customer service and slowness of payment – these can be signs that the company could be in trouble.
The UK has a number of established books including William Hill, Ladbrokes, Coral, and Victor Chandler. I also like SportingBet (www.SBSportsbook.com) who take US customers and cater for global sports markets.
I would say that US bettors are at most risk since they are generally forced to bet at offshore sportsbooks due to legality issues. The offshore books with whom I work are top grade but it is in the offshore environment that problems occasionally occur. It is, therefore, critical that those customers put in the research before signing up.
Happy betting!
About the Author
The Author has been a professional sports bettor and trader for seven years. He runs his own sports betting and trading service at: www.arbitrage.ws as well as helping to advise a number of sportsbooks:
www.vipsportsgroup.com
www.sbsportsbook.com
www.betonenine.com
www.betongameday.com
- all of which are leaders in the online sports betting and gambling industry.
|
|
|
|
|
|