Bookmaker Betting Limits
Posted : admin On 3/31/2022We are obviously huge fans of placing your sports wagers online. Not only is it extremely convenient, but the bonuses and rewards you can earn will really boost your bankroll. We could go on and on about the all the advantages online betting has to offer, but we can’t fail to mention that there are also a couple of disadvantages.
There is a $20,000 limit, per horse per bet type for show bets. Any wager placed above this amount will be considered no action. If a track is on the betting menu, but not listed on the Horse Track Categories.
The disadvantage we will be focusing on for the purpose of this article is the fact that sports betting sites can track each and every wager that we place. While this might not sound like a huge disadvantage in and of itself, it’s what they do with this information that’s the problem.
Betting sites constantly analyze each customer’s betting activity to see what type of bettor they are. If a customer is deemed to be “low value” for any reason, then it’s likely that their account will be limited in some way. Some betting sites will even go as far as closing their customer’s account. Whether your account is limited or closed, this can be extremely frustrating.
- Betting market selection is one of the factors that most heavily impacts player experience at a bookmaker. Another major factor in an operator’s test review scores are betting limits. This factor is especially important for our comparison of the best online bookmaker without limits.
- One of the longest established bookmaking firms in the UK, not only do BetVictor offer the best odds on football and horse racing more often than any other online bookie, but they also have a good record of not restricting high staking, winning customers. If you bet large stakes on sports betting then the chances are you are struggling to find a bookmaker.
The limiting of betting accounts is nothing new. Even before the era of online gambling, bookmakers would restrict successful bettors from placing wagers with them. It has become more and more common in recent years though, and it’s no longer just proven winners who are affected. Betting sites have become increasingly prone to limiting or restricting the accounts of ANY customers whose betting activity they don’t particularly like.
Sometimes customers are limited for valid reasons. Other times they are not. Since betting sites don’t always have the time and resources to properly investigate each account, they tend to err on the side of caution. This results in sites applying restrictions on more accounts than they technically need to. These days a single “suspicious” wager can be enough to trigger some kind of restriction, and the end result is that a lot of recreational bettors are affected despite not doing anything wrong. This is harsh, especially when these people generally lose money through their betting.
This issue has been receiving a lot of publicity in the United Kingdom recently, where gambling is fully legalized and regulated, but it’s actually a problem for bettors all over the word. So why are betting sites so quick to limit the accounts of their customers?
We answer this question below, and also explain the different ways in which sites limit accounts. We provide some advice on how to prevent it from happening to you too. We can’t guarantee that your accounts will never be restricted, but our advice will certainly help you avoid it.
You’ve finally got the perfect betting system, your yield is consistent, the odds are readily available and you are building that bankroll!
All smooth sailing…
Then BOOM
You get whacked with a betting restriction by your bookmaker or even worse, a complete ban!
So now what? Let’s check out our options…
My Bookmaker has imposed betting limits, is my betting career over?
Absolutely not!
I don’t want to fool anyone, I won’t be talking you through the illegal methods of sidestepping bookmaker regulations. Those methods are risky, time-consuming and most importantly; unnecessary. We have easier, more effective and legal methods.
In our article here, The Illegality Of Betting Account Limits, we talk about how we believe account limitations and restrictions are in fact illegal. We are doing something about it, contesting it and making some ground. Join the fight!
But in this article, I’ll delve into how we can deal with the bookmaker betting limits while we have them.
Types Of Bookmaker Betting Limits And Restrictions
Not all limits are equal. First, let’s see what types of limits we are dealing with.
- Bet Size Limits
- Account Closures
- Voiding Bets
Bet Size Limits
The most common, and often coming out of nowhere, they can leave your bet sizing plan in a hole. This is the kind of limit we’ll be addressing most today.
As you can see above, this limit only allows for 40% of the preferred stake. Not only does that ruin your staking plan but it also destroys your opportunity to ever grow your bankroll effectively.
Not all bet size limits are the same, you may be limited to bet sizes of $500 and it may not be affected by it all.. right now. But again, that potential bankroll growth now has a limit.
You are also now in the firing line, you’re on a list. Keep beating the bookies and it may not be long until they lower those limits to the point of unusable.
Account Closures
Oh boy! You must have really scared the bookmakers to have them completely close your account. Kudos, and condolences.
See the picture above of my associate trying to log in to his closed account, it’s like he doesn’t even exist! Rare but not unheard of.
Voiding Bets
This is the most nefarious kind of bookmaker restriction. When you place a bet and it is automatically accepted then the bookmaker decides you have beaten them so they cancel it. That is dodgy.
This could happen for a few reasons:
- The bookmaker made a technical error with their odds: Not our fault, the bet should stand.
- The bookmaker made really poor odds calculations: We beat them fair and square, the bet should stand.
- You bet an uncharacteristically large and seemingly winning bet and they hadn’t yet limited your account: Absolutely not our fault and shame on them for considering this a viable option.
This type of limitation is always contestable and I implore you to contest it.
Making Money With Restricted Betting Accounts
Bookmaker Betting Limits Against
We have 6 strategies to mitigate the impact of account limits, they are:
- More Bookmakers
- Live Betting
- Betting Exchanges
- Betting Shops
- Betting Brokers
- ..Migrating
We’ll guide you through all 6.
More Bookmakers
Simple, open accounts with other bookmakers. If you are limited by one just go to another one right?
Yes, but there’s more to it than that. Every sports bettor should have accounts with as many legitimate bookmakers as possible, for 2 main reasons.
Firstly, it gives you the opportunity to shop around for the best available odds. That difference between $2.24 and $2.28 odds could be the difference between a profitable or a non-profitable system in the long run. We are working with small margins in sports betting or any type of investment. Respect them.
Secondly, It gives you the opportunity to spread your bets between bookmakers or even spread a single bet over multiple bookmakers. This is essential. Before you’re limited it can help you avoid limitations by doing smaller spread out bets and reduce your chance of being flagged as a big stakes winner. Then once you have been limited you can bet up to the limit on your restricted account and spread the rest of your bet across other accounts.
Open more accounts, trust me.
Live Betting
In many cases, your account limits for prematch bets will not be the same for live betting. Often the limits aren’t as strict, in some cases, they are gone completely.
This is purely because, well… most people suck at live betting. The bookmaker margins are higher, your reactions need to be quicker and your system needs to be watertight. It can be done.
There is a couple of options with using live betting to avoid those restrictions.
You can try to adapt and alter your betting strategies for live betting, creating a new strategy using the same principals or even creating a completely new live betting strategy, if you’re up to it.
The other option is to pounce on the opportunity to bet live on games that have just begun, or that have remained unchanged since the beginning. Same bets, often fewer limits.
It’s a strategy many successful sports bettors have delved into and adopted, it’s worth investigating.
Betting Exchanges
Betting Exchanges have exploded in popularity over the last few years. Stay tuned for a full explanation and breakdown of Betting Exchanges from us in the coming weeks
It’s a simple concept, essentially instead of betting against the bookmakers, you are betting against other bettors around the world. With the exchange taking a small cut.
The logic here is obvious, why would they limit you when you are not taking any money from them? They want you to continue betting big and often, they take their little cut and everyone’s happy. No limits, ever.
There is only one hurdle with using Betting Exchanges as your primary method betting method, bet availability. You can only bet on what is available and with no compulsion to have a wide range of markets available, you are relying on other people around the world to take up the bets.
Betfair specifically is the best in this area, having up to 90% of the betting exchange market share in many countries, the betting opportunities are certainly there if you’re willing to find them.
Betting Shops
Many countries around the world still have bricks and mortar betting shops. While they are often filled with recreational punters betting on their favourite coloured horse, they can also provide a great opportunity for successful bettors.
Usually, one bookmaker will have a monopoly on betting shops; In the UK you’ll find lots of Paddy Power, in Australia TAB dominates. This certainly restricts your ability to compare odds between bookmakers, but you will often find every market you can find online also in these shops.
The ability to bet completely anonymously is the biggest advantage here, no need for an account = less chance of being limited.
There have been cases of people being banned from bettings shops, but there is certainly an opportunity to use this method before they get onto you. The strictness of betting shops varies from country to country.
And hey, if they ban you from their shop just wear a fake moustache and a wig. Foolproof!
Betting Brokers
Betting brokers have popped up everywhere in the last few years. What they do is charge you a small fee to give you access to many bookmakers under one account, through the broker.
This lets you completely sidestep account limits because you have these betting brokers as mediators. Often they are putting on 1000’s of bets at once so your profitability fades into obscurity among all the rest of their clients. The betting broker will not limit you, they get their fee and are happy.
The catch-22 here is the relative lack of transparency and understanding about Bet Brokers, as well as adding a 3rd party to the betting process with access to your money. I think as the Bet Broker industry continues to evolve they will become a huge part of the betting landscape.
For now, I would say they are absolutely an option to look into, just do your due diligence.
..Migrating
Bookmaker Log In
Alright, alright. It sounds a little crazy.
But here at The Value Betting Blog, we know multiple people who decided to explore their betting options in different countries.
If you take your betting seriously and it has become a genuine income source for you, with a lifestyle in which you can travel, why not? Different countries often have completely different country-specific bookmakers. New bookmakers, no limits.
Obviously not for everyone, but also not to be dismissed.
Conclusion
Clearly, we can and will continue to find ways to not let bookmakers take advantage of us.
Being limited is not fair, it lacks integrity on the part of the bookmaker. So let’s fight it. Use the above methods, and let us know if you have any others in the comments below.
Bookmaker.eu Betting Limits
If and when you get limited, argue. Message them in live chat, get it in writing. Don’t feel sorry for yourself, use these methods to continue your betting investments. Then join us in opposing the bookmakers who continue with this practise.
Read about what we’re trying to do and our progress here. Then follow us on twitter for all the updates!