The online betting world is filled with predators that are waiting to yank your hard earned money right out of your pockets. How can we spot these scams?
Even in todays Internet and its higher communication level, there still exist a good number of sports betting outfits that you want to stay away from. Today, we are going to look at ten tips that can help you stay away from danger and bet more safely online.
Tip One: Who Are They?
The first thing you should do before spending even £1 at an online sports book is research. Look for their company information and see where they are located. Do they have a phone number? If not, move along. If they do, give it a call.
Tip Two: Search Engines
Before spending any money, take a moment and visit one or two search engines like Google, MSN and Yahoo. Type in the name of the site and see what comes up as well as the company name. If you find blogs and forums of people condemning the site, better avoid it.
Tip Three: Contact Email
One good move would be to locate their email address on the website, or the contact form, and drop them a quick message. Let them know that you are thinking of signing up and ask them a question or two. See how long it takes them to respond. If you don’t get any response for some time, leave.
Tip Four: Cash-out Time
Good sports books will process your payment within 24 hours. Theres no reason or excuse to wait longer. This one is tough to know. Using Tip Two can help your research.
Tip Five: Bonuses
Most online sports books offer some sort of bonus and that’s great. However, you have to watch out for the places that offer bonuses that seem too good to be true. Read the bonus terms to see what you must do to qualify and withdrawal the bonus. If there is no data on the bonuses, the place might be a scam.
Tip Six: Betting Lines
This one is pretty simple. Rogue sports books will sometimes alter their lines to seem really favorable to the general public. Look at the lines from some other sports books and make sure they are somewhat similar. Most sports books will have various lines, but they will all be pretty close in terms of odds offered.
Tip Seven: Deposit Methods
Look for sports books that offer many different options of betting. Stay away from any online gambling source that only takes cash, check, money order and Western Union. Reputable sports books will take deposits from 3rd party financial services like Neteller, Skrill or PayPal.
Tip Eight: Deposit Amounts
Walk away from any sports book that asks for a large initial deposit. Good sports books will let you deposit as little as £10. Places asking for huge initial deposits are the ones you need to stay away from.
Tip Nine: Small Deposit Practices
As a general rule, you should refrain from depositing a large amount of money into any sports book. Deposit the amount you will bet for a couple days and work with that. Once you feel comfortable with the sports book or if you know they are legitimate, you can deposit as you wish.
Tip Ten: Bonus Checking
If you are working towards a bonus, make sure you check the bonus status (or points) after each bet conclusion. Software is known to fail and make errors. This does not mean the sports book is trying to cheat you. If you discover an error, contact the sports book at once.
There you have it. Follow these ten tips and have a safer online gambling experience. These tips will help keep you out of harms way and let you concentrate more on the fun part of sports betting online and winning. Good luck.
