How to Avoid Shady Sportsbooks

Nowadays, it is easy to find on the internet numerous articles about the best betting sites (SportsBooks) for US players and read the objective. And sometimes unobjective reviews about those operators.

But our team of writers at Game Advisers portal decided to write an article! In which we will talk about shady sportsbooks sites… Whose sole intention is to mislead the bettors and eventually to take their money.

Here is the list of things that you should look for. And some tips on how to avoid the most obvious betting scams.  

The current situation for the US players in the sports betting market

Since The US Supreme Court overturned PASPA regulation, the situation changed for the US bettors. As they are available to place online wagers in individual states. Still, many bettors have problems playing online as they don’t have many options, and they must seek alternative solutions.

One of the solutions is to register at offshore sportsbooks who have an unproven track record and shady gambling licenses. Also, this situation has incited the appearance of the number of scam betting sites that offer their services to the bettors.

Registering at those sportsbooks can be extremely dangerous to bettors, as there is no guarantee that the bettors will be given the fair treatment at those sportsbooks.

Eventually, bettors may lose their money, as this type of scam sportsbooks often disappear from the web without any notice… And leave their customers without their funds. These sites are going to be the focus of our article.

Look for the warning signs

There are numerous traps from scam web sites just waiting for reckless bettors to fell into. If you are careless and don’t pay attention, sometimes clear signs that something is wrong may pass unnoticed. For that reason, we made a list of suspicious things that you should look at when you decide to register at some unproven or new sportsbook.

shady sportsbooks

A flashy website with many “perfect” offers

You should be aware that shady sportsbooks and betting sites would do anything to gain your trust. And make you deposit your money at them, so don’t take anything for granted. Most of them will try to look respectable and trustworthy. And mostly have nice looking sites with plenty of unrealistic offers.

In some cases, they will have tutorials on how to make your first deposit! And will offer an incredible welcome bonus, but those bonuses come with impossible wagering requirements that bettor needs to fulfill in order to claim their winnings.

If you want to know more about bonus offers and realistic wagering requirements, you should read our Essential Things About Bonuses article. 

So, if some sportsbook offers you, for example, a 500% matched bonus on your first deposit… You should leave that sportsbooks site as soon as possible because it is a trap.

Aggressive marketing can be a clear sign of scam site

This sign is connected to the previous one. Those shady sportsbooks will not offer just amazing bonuses, and they will offer to the customers VIP schemes, where it is possible to enter the betting syndicate to make extra profit from sports betting.

On top of that, they will most probably offer you perfect betting software that will help you improve your betting result in the long run. Here you need to stop and think about these offers for a minute.

Why would any respected sportsbook offer to their customers a chance to join the betting syndicate, or try to sell the betting software? 

Respectable and licensed sportsbooks live from their customers and their losses. And they don’t want to improve customers betting performance by any means.

Lack of betting license and constant changing of rules

One of the most important things that you should look at every sportsbook is to check whether they hold a valid license issued by the authorizing body. Respectable sportsbooks just love to show their licenses, and usually, they have this information at the bottom of their pages. Gambling licenses show to the bettor if some betting site is reliable, and lack of the license is a definite sign that something is not right.   

Also, shady betting sites tend to change their rules in order to avoid paying the bettors their winnings. This might be the biggest problem with scam sportsbooks. As players can’t get any help, and their hard-earned money gets frozen, usually forever.  

Conclusion

As you may see, there are many traps bettors can fall into while searching for the perfect sportsbooks. But, if they manage to follow some basic strategies, and take some time to think about every sportsbook, they will be able to determine if some sportsbook is good and reliable enough.

In this article, we wrote about the most common scams that you can see on the internet. But it is essential to be careful and selective when you decide where to register and where to place a deposit.

If you want to know what are the best online sportsbooks at the moment… You should visit Scoresandstats betting review page, and choose one of the sportsbooks from our list.

FAQ

Is it illegal to bet on a fixed match?

Yes. Betting on a fixed match is illegal if you have the information about the outcome. If you are unknowingly placing a wager on the game that is fixed, you technically didn’t do anything wrong, but your account will be closely inspected by the sportsbook, and there is a good chance that your account will be limited, or even temporarily suspended.  

What is the best deposit method for US players?

This is one of the most intriguing questions for all US bettors. Because of the US federal government’s laws, regulations, and banking restrictions, funding the betting account for US players can be a bit tricky. Nevertheless, several banking methods can help the US players make safe and fast deposits to their favorite online sportsbooks. The fastest and the most reliable payment method without any doubt is to use cryptocurrencies and crypto sportsbooks. The great thing about Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies is that US bettors can transfer their funds electronically and anonymously.

Can I withdraw a bonus bet winnings?

Every single sports betting bonus comes with certain terms and conditions and wagering requirements. Bettors are not able to withdraw their winnings right away, as they need to fulfill all the wagering requirements first. After the bettor manages to meet those requirements, he or she is able to move their bonus money to a real money account and to withdraw those funds.