It’s a sad reality of the modern betting world in the United Kingdom that bookmakers and online casinos will limit, or even close, the accounts of people who are too successful. This might seem like it goes against the spirit of working with an online gambling operator, but the truth is that they can close your account for any reason they see fit. Winning lots of money off them will definitely fit into the category of being a good reason to limit your wins.
The good news is that there are certain things that you can do to avoid a bookmaker choosing to limit your account, even if none of them are cast-iron guaranteed to work. A lot of it is about being sensible with your betting, only betting round numbers, for example, and not exploiting weak lines at every single opportunity. You might still get banned or have a limited account, but it’s likely to take longer before that happens.
Why Bookies Close Betting Accounts
There are a number of reasons why a bookmaker might chose to close or limit a betting account, which might seem strange to people new to the betting industry. In truth, it is a bit strange but they do it anyway. The main reason why is that bookies don’t like punters who know what they’re doing. The entire business model of betting firms to attract losing bettors, so if you’re someone who knows how to win then they will be wary of you.
You might think that placing a bet is little more than a contest between you and the bookmaker, but the reality is a little more complex than that. Bookies have no desire to lose money, so if a punter displays a knowledge of a market that appears to be better than theirs then the company in question will either limit their account, allowing them to only place bets of small amounts like £2, or close it completely.
The fact that emails that are sent to punters having their accounts limited or closed often refer to it as being a ‘business decision’ is telling. Bookies hide behind their terms and conditions when they do this, which essentially gives them carte blanche to whatsoever they wish. Their ‘decision is final’, leading many bettors to figure that bookmakers simply aren’t playing fair just because they are losing money.
Of course, in some instances the decision to close an account may be based around suspected fraud, duplicate accounts, claiming multiple offers or contravening their terms. More often than not though accounts are limited simply because people win more often than not or because people use too many promotions.
How To Avoid It Happening To You
Ultimately, if you consistently win hundreds or thousands of pounds with a bookmaker without them getting much back off you then you’re going to be in a position where they will decide to close your account.
They have no desire to be losing money on a regular basis, so there’s not much that you can do to stop them. What you can do, however, is make certain decisions that will allow you to keep your accounts open for longer.
Rotate Your Accounts
Most punters have several accounts with different betting companies, which is a good way of allowing yourself to make sure that you get the bets odds on any given event. One thing that you should do is keep a note of which accounts have seen you winning the most and which have resulted in losses.
Once you have that information, you can rotate your accounts in order to balance your bets.
Bet Late
The invention of betting exchanges means that a lot of bookmakers no longer trust their own prices. When they post their prices the night before a horse race, for example, they don’t really know whether the odds they’ve offered are about right.
When it comes to ten minutes or so before a race, however, the exchanges will have settle down and bookies will be more confident in their prices, making this the best time to bet even if you won’t necessarily get the best prices.
Place Long Odds Bets or Accas On Occasion
Modern day betting accounts are monitored by computers that have algorithms in place to alert the bookmakers to customers that are consistently successful. What they don’t want is someone that is consistently shrewd with their betting and never makes any mistakes.
As a result, occasionally throwing in a bit of a daft bet, such as a 10-leg accumulator on football matches, will keep the algorithms at bay for that bit longer.
Don’t Bet Precise Amounts
One of the things that bookmakers really don’t like is customers using matched betting techniques. This is where you spot a discrepancy between the odds of a bookmaker and the odds on an exchange that will guarantee you a profit whatever the result.
Usually, the way you do this is by placing a precise bet, such as £21.67. You can avoid being picked up by a bookie’s matched betting filters by always betting round numbers, such as £22 or £30.
Don’t Move Money Around Too Much
What a lot of customers might not realise is that most bookmakers have to pay a fee every time you deposit money into your account or withdraw money from it. As a result, bookies are not happy when a customer is constantly moving money around between their betting account and their bank balance.
If you can limit your movements to once or twice a week, you’re more likely to avoid having your account closed for longer. Although at the same time do not leave large amounts in an account as that money is not afforded the same protections as with a bank, gambling companies are not financial service providers.
Use Betting Exchanges
One of the major options available to punters is to use a betting exchange for the vast majority of their bets. Betting exchanges aren’t traditional bookmakers and don’t make money in the same way as them. Instead, they charge a commission to the winner of a bet that is placed person-to-person, meaning that they make their money regardless of who wins.
Placing bets with them regularly, especially if it’s a big bet, will keep you from being limited or banned for much longer.
Don’t Overuse Offers
Bookmaker offers are a great way of being able to place a bet without putting too much at risk. It’s common for bookies to offer something like a Free Bet on a major football match, say, but if you’re the sort of person that takes advantage of every single offer that you encounter then you’re going to anger your betting company pretty quickly.
That doesn’t mean that you should never use them, but you should box clever and user them sparingly.
Don’t Be Rude To Customers Services
It’s quite a good moral in general life not to be rude to people who work in customer facing roles, but in the world of betting it is especially true if you don’t want your account to be closed down. The people running the online chats or answering emails have plenty of power, meaning that just as they could issue you with a free bet if you’re polite to them, so too can they flag your account up to be limited or even closed if you’re rude to them.