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Reputation Do they
have a reputation for honesty and fair play?
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Are they endorsed by
the leading independent gaming organization?
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Have you read a
number of bad reviews about them online?
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Do you have any
friends who use them?
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Financial Stability
Bottom line is 'will they pay?' How can you
tell?
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Do they disclose
their finances? If so, are they profitable?
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Do they maintain an
escrow account equal to the total of players
accounts on deposit? Hint: What are their
bonuses like?
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Most sites offer
bonuses for new players but do the bonuses
seem too good?
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A site offering 100
or 200% of your deposit in cash bonuses
(especially to get large deposits) - is a
potential sign the company is in financial
trouble. Often, they need a cash influx to
payoff outstanding obligations.
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Location Are they
legal and licensed by the government under
which they operate?
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Does location affect
their accessibility and server uptime?
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Does the country they
operate in have 'real' regulations?
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Is Customer Service
email AND telephone contact information
prominently displayed on their web site?
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Do they offer
wagering help and registration assistance 24
hours, 7 days a week?
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Do they have a good
track record for dispute resolution?
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Security - Do they
employ the latest state-of-the-art security
technology to ensure the safety of your
online transactions?
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What is their policy
with respect to the security and privacy of
your personal information?
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What can I do to
protect myself? Make my sports betting
experience safe and secure? Read press
articles as opposed to reviews - reviews are
usually written by the sportsbook's
marketing team.
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Test run the software
by joining and playing for free - most
sportsbooks offer this facility. Lets face
it, you don't want to loose money because
you don't understand their system.
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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.
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Find out if the
sportsbook is independently audited. If they
are audited they are MORE likely to be
legit.
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How long has the
operation been online - three to four years
is usually a good marker as a minimum.
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Test out the customer
services to see if they meet your standards
or the standards they promise you. If their
customer service is non-existent or they
don't answer your concerns you should look
move on to the next one.
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If you know about
betting already, then check some of their
odds and lines - are they in keeping with
what you would expect?
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Some less scrupulous
sportsbooks offer very attractive prices to
lure unsuspecting bettors. Find out if the
sportsbook is part of a larger group of
companies. Sometimes this means added
solidity. The larger the institution the
more stable secure they will be.
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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 criteria
above is critical but the more research you do
will go along way towards finding a reliable
secure book. If you have already have an account
with a sportsbook watch out for lapses in
customer service and slowness of payment - these
are tell tale markers that the company could be
in trouble.
