How to Spot a Dubious Online Sports Betting Site
A lot of people are going to bet on the Super Bowl this Sunday. Sports betting is legal in some form in 30 states, and the American Gaming Association predicts that 31.4 million Americans will put a total of $7.61 billion into the game.
But before you join the crowd, take a few minutes to make sure you’re not being scammed or misled. As Carmen Million of the Better Business Bureau puts it, “everyone wants to get on board, everyone is excited about it, but you need to take the time and research before you invest.”
Here are some things to watch out for in order to avoid online sports betting scams.
Determine if and how you can bid in your state
Gambling laws vary from state to state, so check the legality before placing any bets anywhere.
If you live in a state where sports gambling is illegal, you should not bet. Even ” social gambling ” is illegal in some places, so unless you fully understand the intricacies and accept the risks of illegal (or semi-legal) gambling, don’t bet on the Super Bowl… or anything.
Bet only at state-approved bookmakers
If you live in a state where sports gambling is legal, you can try to avoid illegal and criminal betting scams by evaluating betting sites and apps individually. But instead of using this defensive approach, play offensively: use “white” sportsbooks that have been approved by your state’s gaming board.
Go to the Action Network website , click on your state and choose from a list of established online and in-person bookmakers that will accept your bet.
If you plan to wager on a site or app that has not been approved by your state’s gaming committee, do not do so. It could be a scam, and even if it’s not a direct collection of money, it could be illegal. So ignore all gambling-related ad pop-ups, email spam or random texts and make a proactive choice by choosing a “safer” bookmaker.
However, government-approved gambling operations are not guaranteed not to be shady – after all, shady and gambling has a long history and not all bookmakers are equally ethical.
Look at the site’s reputation
Before investing in any bookmaker, check out a consumer-facing website like the Better Business Bureau or Trust Pilot to see what other users have to say about them. Stay away from reputation and review sites run by the gambling industry itself.
The devil is in the details
Gaming sites and apps often offer promotions or bonuses, especially for new users and for big games. But like any promotional offer, it can be deceiving. If this sounds too good to be true, you’re probably missing something, so read the fine print in bonus offers and other incentives carefully.
Here are some examples of dubious and/or confusing offers from betting sites courtesy of New York Attorney General Letitia James .
- Despite their name, “risk-free” bets are often not without risk. Instead, “no risk” could mean that the money you lose becomes site credit that you can only use to place other bets.
- Sites that offer “sign-up bonuses” to new users often require them to play some amount of their own money before they can access those bonus funds, sometimes to ridiculous extremes – for example, a site offering $1,000 that can be receive only after you wager $25,000. Money.
- Some sites penalize players for using offers and promotions in a strategic way, even labeling compliance with the rules as “suspicious behavior”.
Make sure you can withdraw your money
Some users of gambling sites report being penalized for allegedly having an “unfair advantage” or “irregular gambling patterns” and sometimes gambling sites freeze their winnings for these reasons. Sites usually reserve the right to restrict user activity without warning, but whether those users really deserve it depends on the situation and point of view.
The exact definitions of betting tactics that are considered suspicious or incorrect vary from site to site, so you should be aware that gambling companies can and do freeze people’s money for a variety of reasons, and trying to “unfreeze” them can be bureaucratic, hassle-free, and even in court. (All that said, good luck!)