Be Bookmaker
- Bookmaker is one of the oldest gambling sites in the world. The history of the company goes back to 1985 (its first betting site opened in 1996), and nowadays www.bookmaker.eu is known as one of the most legitimate U.S.-friendly gambling operations. Bookmaker is best-known for its sportsbook, but the site also features an online casino (powered by Digital Gaming Solutions) and an online poker.
- English Language Learners Definition of bookmaker: a person who decides how likely it is that an event will occur (such as the winning of a race by a particular horse) and receives and pays off bets about it See the full definition for bookmaker in the English Language Learners Dictionary.
- The main factors that go into a bookmaker's overall rating are bonuses and promotions, banking and payout speeds, key features, security and trust, and customer support.
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A bookmaker, bookie, or turf accountant is an organization or a person that accepts and pays off bets on sporting and other events at agreed-upon odds.
History[edit]
The first bookmaker, Ogden, stood at Newmarket in 1795.[1]
Range of events[edit]
Bookmakers in many countries focus on accepting bets on professional sports, especially horse racing and association football (soccer). However, a wider range of bets, including on political elections, awards ceremonies such as the Oscars, and novelty bets are accepted by bookmakers in some countries.
Operational procedures[edit]
By 'adjusting the odds' in their favour (paying out amounts using odds that are less than what they determined to be the true odds) or by having a point spread, bookmakers aim to guarantee a profit by achieving a 'balanced book', either by getting an equal number of bets for each possible outcome or (when they are offering odds) by getting the amounts wagered on each outcome to reflect the odds.[2] When a large bet comes in, a bookmaker may also try to lay off the risk by buying bets from other bookmakers. Bookmakers do not generally attempt to make money from the bets themselves but rather by acting as market makers and profiting from the event regardless of the outcome. Their working methods are similar to those of an actuary, who does a similar balancing of financial outcomes of events for the assurance and insurance industries.
Legality[edit]
Depending on the country, bookmaking may be legal or illegal and is often regulated. In the United Kingdom, since 1 May 1961, bookmaking has been legal and has even been a small contributor to the British economy, with a recent explosion of interest with regard to the international gaming sector industry. However, gambling debts were unenforceable under British law until the Gambling Act 2005. Many bookmakers are members of IBAS, an industry organisation used to settle disputes.
Bookmaking is generally illegal in the United States, with Nevada being an exception due to the influence of Las Vegas. In May 2018, a United States Supreme Court ruling struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992, which prevented individual states from legalizing bookmaking.
In some countries, such as Singapore, Sweden, Canada, and Japan, the only legal bookmaker is owned and operated by the state. In Canada, this is part of the lottery programme and is known as Sport Select.
United Kingdom gambling industry[edit]
The first bookmaker in the United Kingdom is considered to be Harry Ogden, who opened a business in the 1790s, although similar activities had existed in other forms earlier in the eighteenth century.[3][4]
Following the Gaming Act 1845, the only gambling allowed in the United Kingdom was at race tracks. The introduction of special excursion trains meant that all classes of society could attend the new racecourses opening across the country. Cash flowed to the bookmakers who employed bodyguards against protection gangs operating within the vast crowds.[5] Illegal betting shops were fined, but some, like Bella Thomasson, ran betting businesses that the police appeared to turn a blind eye to.[6]
Top 100 Bookmakers
In 1961, Harold Macmillan's Conservative government legalised betting shops, with tough measures enacted to ensure that bookmakers remained honest. A large industry has grown since. At one time, there were over 15,000 betting shops. Now, through consolidation, they have been reduced to between 9,100 and 9,200 in 2013.[7] The group of the largest bookmakers in the country, known as the 'Big Three', comprises William Hill, Ladbrokes, and Coral.[8]
Improved TV coverage and the modernisation of the law have allowed betting in shops and casinos in most countries. In the UK, on-track bookies still mark up the odds on boards beside the race course and use tic-tac or mobile telephones to communicate the odds between their staff and to other bookies, but, with the modernisation of United Kingdom bookmaking laws, online and high street gambling are at an all-time high. A so-called super-casino had been planned for construction in Manchester, but the government announced that this plan had been scrapped on 26 February 2008.
Internet gambling[edit]
Although online gambling first started in 1994 when the licensing authority of Antigua and Barbuda passed the Free Trade & Processes Act, bookmakers did not get involved until 2001. They were forced to act when research at the time found there were eight million online players worldwide.[9]
With the arrival of the World Wide Web, many bookmakers have an online brand, but independently owned bookmakers often still maintain a 'bricks and mortar' only operation as the software and hardware required to operate a successful online betting operation are complex and their costs are quite prohibitive; other bookmakers operate 'skins' or 'white label' websites, which they purchase from one of the large firms. The main websites require bets to be from countries where Internet gambling is allowed and from people over 18 years old. Some small bookmakers and startups purchase software from specialised white label solution providers. Since gambling products have a high conversion rate from one niche to another, most online betting websites also feature other gambling products such as poker, live dealer casino games, lottery, bingo, slots and other casino games. Controversially, the explosion in Internet gambling is being linked to a rise in gambling addiction, according to the UK's help and advice organisations for addicts, GamCare and Gamblers Anonymous.
Increasingly, online bettors are turning to the use of betting exchanges such as Betfair and BETDAQ, which automatically match back and lay bets between different bettors, thus effectively cutting out the bookmaker's traditional profit margin also called an overround.
These online exchange markets operate a market index of prices near but usually not at 100% competitiveness, as exchanges take commissions on winnings. True wholesale odds are odds that operate at 100% of probabilistic outcomes.
Betting exchanges compete with the traditional bookmaker. They are generally able to offer punters better odds because of their much lower overheads but also give opportunities for arbitrage, the practice of taking advantage of a price differential between two or more markets. However, traditionally, arbitrage has always been possible by backing all outcomes with bookmakers (dutching), as opposed to laying an outcome on an exchange. Exchanges, however, allow bookmakers to see the state of the market and set their odds accordingly.
With the increasing number of online betting exchanges, betting exchanges are now providing free bet offers in an attempt to lure customers away from the competition. These free bets are generally based on the size of the deposit made into the gambling account. For example, if a customer made a deposit of $20, the betting exchange would deposit an additional $20 for the customer to use.[10] Free bet rules vary depending on the betting exchange.
Some bookmakers have even taken to using betting exchanges as a way of laying off unfavourable bets and thus reducing their overall exposure. This has led to insecurity from some TABs in Australia, state-run betting agencies that attempted to deny Betfair an Australian licence by running unfavourable ads in the media regarding the company. When Tasmania granted Betfair a licence despite these efforts, the Western Australian state legislature passed a law that specifically criminalised using betting exchanges from within the state; however, the law was later ruled to be unconstitutional. As a result, internet gambling in Australia required a new legal framework. The Interactive Gambling Act 2001 regulates the online gambling market in Australia, together with all its amendments. The last amendment was introduced on 13 September 2017. This bill states that online casinos, online poker and live betting is illegal in Australia. The Australian Communication and Media Authority (ACMA) is the regulatory body that is in charge of all supervising online gambling activities. Online sports betting is legal, however.[11]
Bets are also taken via phones, using email and SMS text messages,[12] though poker and other sports are more suited to other media. As technology moves on, the gambling world ensures it is a major player in new technology operations.
Most televised sports in the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe are now sponsored wholly or partly by Internet and high street bookmakers, with sometimes several bookmakers and online casinos being displayed on players' shirts, advertising hoardings, stadium signs and competition event titles. Sponsors are especially highlighted in the football category since football fans present a significant percentage of the target group the bookmakers serve.
Many of the bookmakers are sponsoring some of the major football teams in the major European football leagues,[13] although Werder Bremen are currently fighting the German courts for the freedom to continue featuring bookmaker Bwin on their shirts, as Germany and France take action against online gamers. For example, as of 1 January 2020, Germany bettors will not be able to bet more than €1,000 a month. The latest amendment of the ITG states that. New online sportsbook laws are expected in the near future in Germany, as this law is only temporary: the expiration date is set to be on 20 June 2020.[14]
The situation is not that strict in France, however. Online sports betting in France is divided into two sections: Autorité de Régulation des Jeux en Ligne (ARJEL) regulates online sports betting, while online horse betting is regulated by the law 'Decree 2010-498 from 17 May 2010. International bookmakers are allowed to enter the French market, thanks to the Law No. 2010-476 from 12 May 2010.[15][16]
With the recent banning of tobacco sponsorship[17] and the significant commercial budgets available to the gaming industry, sponsorship by car manufacturers, alcoholic drinks, soft drinks and fast-food marketers is being rapidly replaced by sponsorship from gaming companies in the Far East and Europe.
The United Kingdom's Gambling Act 2005 introduced a new regulatory system for governing gambling in Great Britain. This system includes new provisions for regulating the advertising of gambling products. These provisions of the Act came into effect in September 2007. It is an offence to advertise in the UK, gambling that physically takes place in a non-European Economic Area (EEA) or, in the case of gambling by remote means, gambling that is not regulated by the gambling laws of an EEA state. The Gambling Commission is the body that makes sure all sites and operators follow the new restrictions. In addition to the Gambling Act of 2005, according to the new gambling bill, online gambling sites are only allowed to offer services within the United Kingdom, if they are registered at the UK Gambling Commission.[18]
The situation is more confused in the United States, which has attempted to restrict operators of foreign gambling websites accessing their domestic market. This resulted in 2007 in a ruling against the US government by the World Trade Organization.[19] However, common online gambling laws in the United States still don't exist - it differs from state to state. All forms of online gambling are illegal within the states of Utah and Hawaii, while the states of Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey took a different approach: almost all forms of online gambling are legal in these states. These are the only US states where online casino sites can be legally registered. It is important to mention that Native Americans have their own gambling legislation - the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988. However, they need their state's approval in order to be able to offer their services online.[20]
See also[edit]
- Bookies – a German film
References[edit]
- ^Barrett, Norman, ed. (1995). The Daily Telegraph Chronicle of Horse Racing. Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Publishing. p. 10.
- ^Cortis, Dominic (2015). 'Expected Values and variance in bookmaker payouts: A Theoretical Approach towards setting limits on odds'. Journal of Prediction Markets. 1. 9.
- ^Munting, Roger (1996). An Economic and Social History of Gambling in Britain and the USA. Manchester University Press. p. 89.
- ^Vamplew, Wray; Kay, Joyce. (2005). Encyclopedia of British Horseracing. Routledge. p. 50.
- ^Dick Kirby, The Race Track Gangs, The Peeler issue 7 July 2002, 'Friends of the Met Police Museum'
- ^'Thomason, Ann Arabella [known as Bella Thomasson] (1874–1959), bookmaker'. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/56685.
- ^Gambling Commission Gambling industry statistics April 2009 to September 2012
- ^Vamplew and Kay, p. 51.
- ^'A history of online casinos: infographic'. rightcasino.com.
- ^'The Most Common Sportsbook Bonus Types'. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
- ^Communications. 'Interactive Gambling Act 2001'. www.legislation.gov.au. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
- ^'Betfred.com Chooses OtherLevels' Platform to Power Their Mobile Marketing Campaigns'. Market Watch. 28 July 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
- ^'A Look At Bookmakers Sponsoring Football Clubs'. ReliableBookies.com. 19 March 2013. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
- ^'Entwurf eines Dritten Staatsvertrages zur Änderung des Staatsvertrages zum Glücksspielwesen in Deutschland (Dritter Glücksspieländerungsstaatsvertrag)'(PDF). Landtag Nordrhein-Westfalen.
- ^LOI n° 2010-476 du 12 mai 2010 relative à l'ouverture à la concurrence et à la régulation du secteur des jeux d'argent et de hasard en ligne (1). Legifrance. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
- ^Décret n° 2010-498 du 17 mai 2010 relatif à la définition des courses hippiques supports des paris en ligne et aux principes généraux du pari mutuel. Legifrance. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
- ^Holman, C D'Arcy; Donovan, Robert; Corti, Billie; Jalleh, Geoffrey; Frizzell, Shirley; Carroll, Addy. 'Banning tobacco sponsorship: replacing tobacco with health messages and creating health-promoting environments'. The British Medical Journal. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
- ^'The Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act 2014'. UK Gambling Commission. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
- ^'WTO rules against US gaming ban'. BBC News. 30 March 2007. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
- ^'Public Law 100-497-OCT. 17, 1988: An Act to regulate gaming on Indian lands'(PDF). Government Publishing Office [US]. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
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Bookmaker is one of the oldest gambling sites in the world. The history of the company goes back to 1985 (its first betting site opened in 1996), and nowadays www.bookmaker.eu is known as one of the most legitimate U.S.-friendly gambling operations.
Bookmaker is best-known for its sportsbook, but the site also features an online casino (powered by Digital Gaming Solutions) and an online poker room (runs on the second most popular US poker network called Winning Poker). The majority of their customers, however, are there specifically because of the sports betting. They offer one of the top choices for sportsbooks in all of US Betting.
Below we take a completely unbiased look at Bookmaker.eu and tell you exactly what we thought including the good and the bad. Anything that we felt you needed to know, we tried to cover in this review.
What’s Good
Early Lines
Bookmaker’s tagline is “Where the Line Originates” and for a good reason: they’re generally the first site to post betting lines for baseball, basketball, football and other American sports. (Bookmaker’s biggest competitor, Bovada, is known for being one of the slowest sites to post lines.)
Track Record
As mentioned above, the roots of this betting site go back around 30 years, and they’ve been online for almost 20 years. They’ve gone through multiple changes in ownership and customers have been directed from one domain to another, yet they’ve never had significant delays in payout times or such. Bookmaker’s customers have always been able to rely on getting paid.
Professionals Are Welcome
The second major difference between Bookmaker and Bovada is their stances regarding professional bettors (or those who take betting more seriously and actively look for +EV opportunities). Bookmaker welcomes all types of players from recreational bettors to professionals, while Bovada favours recreational players and actually shows different betting lines for educated bettors (they may also lower maximum betting limits for skilled bettors to something like $1 or $10).
High Maximum Betting Limits
Bookmaker not only gives every customer a chance to bet the same amount of money regardless of their level of skill, but their maximum betting limits are high to begin with.
What’s Bad
Slow(ish) Payouts
While Bookmaker.com has a strong history of delivering payouts, the time it takes for them to deliver payouts is longer than their biggest competitors, like Bovada and BetOnline (these two sites deliver check payouts in around a week; it takes around a month for Bookmaker to do the same).
Payout Fees
While Bovada allows one free check payout per month, Bookmaker charges $50 per check payout. If you’re dealing with amounts of less than thousands of dollars, this charge takes a relatively big chunk out of your withdrawal amount. (You can use BetPoints to purchase free payouts, but then again that doesn’t equal free since the points can also be converted to cash and merchandise.)
Sharp Lines
While Bookmaker.eu is known for posting lines early, they’re rarely the best lines you’ll be able to bet on. So while Bookmaker doesn’t shy away from professional bettors and the like, they can afford not to due to offering sharp lines.
Banking
Deposits
Bookmaker charges zero fees for processing deposits unlike some other top US gambling sites like BetOnline (6% per deposit) and Bovada (4.9% per deposit).
You’ll find all Bookmaker.eu’s U.S. eligible deposit options below along with minimum and maximum deposit limits for each deposit method:
Payouts
Bookmaker offers a double-edged sword for its U.S. customers: a long, strong history of delivering payouts on-time, but on the other hand, relatively slow check payout times (around 3 weeks) and a $50 fee for check payouts.
You’ll find Bookmaker.eu’s U.S. eligible payout options below along with information on minimum and maximum withdrawals limits and fees. In addition to these methods, Bookmaker also allows debit card withdrawals for regulars (contact their customer support to find out more):
Bonuses
Deposit Bonus
First-time depositors get a 50% bonus up to $300 (in other words, you get the maximum bonus by depositing $600). Wagering requirements are 10x for sports betting and 40x for casino players.
All deposit methods except for Neteller qualify for the Bookmaker.eu bonus.
To qualify for the deposit bonus, you must enter the bonus code found here when making the deposit. If you’d rather not use the bonus offer (and therefore avoid having to complete any wagering requirements in order to withdraw your winnings), just leave the bonus code field empty when depositing.
VIP Program
Bookmaker’s VIP/Rewards Program is called BetPoints Rewards. The more you play, the more BetPoints you accumulate and the higher you place in the VIP system. The higher your VIP level, the higher the rate you accumulate BetPoints with.
You can use BetPoints to:
- Convert them into cash.
- Purchase gift cards, frequent flyer points or merchandise.
- Initiate free cashouts.
By depositing $300+, you automatically qualify for the Gold level, and by depositing $900+, you automatically qualify for the Platinum level. To get to the Diamond level, you need to earn 300,000 BetPoints in a 12-month period, which then gives you an access to VIP customer service, 2 free debit payouts per month and the highest rate of accumulation for BetPoints.
Sportsbook
Bookmaker is known for publishing betting lines early (a positive thing) but it’s also known for offering sharp lines (a negative thing). You’ll likely find betting lines for whatever games you want to bet on earlier at Bookmaker than at any other site, but then again, the odds are likely worse than what some other sites are going to offer a few days later.
High-stakes bettors can go to town at Bookmaker, considering their Thursday-to-Sunday betting limits for NFL sides ($50,000), totals ($20,000) and moneylines ($20,000). NBA has smaller limits ($10,000 and $5,000), as well as NHL ($5,000). The minimum betting limits for all sports and leagues is $1.
To my knowledge, Bookmaker.eu has the highest betting limits out of all US-friendly gambling sites. All of the limits can likely be negotiated even higher by contacting their customer support.
Bookmaker provides a strong selection of games and betting options for its US customers. Football, basketball, baseball, hockey, tennis and golf markets are all heavily covered.
They cover soccer to a decent extent as well with betting lines for 13 soccer leagues around the world:
As mentioned, this site is heavily focused on American betting markets, which is one of the reasons I recommend other options for customers outside of the US). I recommend 5Dimes for US customers looking to bet on foreign markets.
Still, I consider Bookmaker.eu a top-5 sportsbook for Americans.
Casino
Bookmaker’s casino software is powered by Digital Gaming Solutions. It features all the usual games you’ll find on any casino (blackjack, roulette, craps, video poker, etc.) and a decent range of slot machines.
Certified Fair Gambling audits the casino software on a monthly basis. You can find monthly reports of the audits at www.bookmaker.eu which include payout percentages. They look good – on the surface, at least – but as I attempted to research on Certified Fair Gambling, their website was offline.
You can play at Bookmaker Casino with mobile devices as well, although the selection of mobile casino games is much smaller. Still, it features all the “classics” – blackjack, roulette, slots and the like – and is likely a sufficient option for most mobile gamblers.
Poker
Bookmaker Poker is a part of the second most popular U.S. poker network (Winning Poker, formerly known as Yatahay Poker) and therefore offers plenty of games for Americans. As mentioned, this site has a long history of servicing its US customers with respect, so just based on player traffic and reliability (the most important factors for Americans), Bookmaker is a top-3 US poker site.
For players outside of the US, here are the best sites.
They feature the common poker game variations like Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo and 7-Card Stud. They also have a decent amount of tournament action, so you’ll likely find a decent selection of games to play unless you’re into more obscure poker games only.
According to their website, Bookmaker Poker’s rake is at 5% (with a maximum rake cap of $3), and apparently this goes for all stakes (usually poker sites have different rake structures for different stakes). A 5% rake across the board is high, but there are only a limited amount of US-friendly poker rooms available, and all of the top US poker sites have high rake structures relative to poker sites only accepting players from outside of the U.S.
Customer Service
You can contact Bookmaker.eu via phone (their sportsbook has a toll-free number for USA and Canada), e-mail or live chat.
But the real question you and I want an answer for is: is the customer service any good? Are they helpful? Are they friendly? Are they reliable?
I’ll go with “yes” to all of those questions.
Based on my experiences – and based on the impression I’ve gotten from online forums – Bookmaker’s customer support is helpful and does its best to help you, especially with deposits and cashouts (US customers often have problems with moving money to and from gambling sites).
Conclusion
Bookmaker is a top-5 recommendation for Americans. It’s rare to find gambling sites that accept US customersand have strong track records. In fact, it can be argued that Bookmaker.eu has the strongest track record in the U.S., however, slow(ish) payouts, sharp lines and a $50 check payout fee lowers their grade.
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This review was made by: LegitGamblingSites.com Rating: 4.3 out of 5