Because of the incident called the pandemic of 2020, every establishment deemed non-essential has been ordered by their local governments to close.
This is due to the lockdowns and restrictions being held to prevent people from going out unnecessarily and to avoid further infection. Unfortunately, one of the types of establishments that have also received the notice to close is bookies.
As bettors, this is heartbreaking since our hobbies will be put on hold. However, that was not the case online. On the internet, there are countless online bookies that we can go for if we want to continue betting on our favorite sports.
For some reason, some sports are still ongoing even though the pandemic is in full swing, and not betting on them is a massive waste for bettors worldwide.
Also, due to the sudden rise in popularity, multitudes of online bookies have suddenly popped up due to the rising demand. While that all sounds good, not every one is playing fair.
There are some bookies out there that are out-and-out scams, and you might be their next victim. Luckily, they are pretty spot on as long as you know the signs. Here are some surefire signs that an online bookie is a scam.
Strange Bookie Name
This might sound trivial, but most of the time, scam bookies have too strange names. Have you ever heard of SportsbookAction25, VIPBetZone, and BetIslands? If not, then you should know that they are real ones that have been exposed in the past.
After being exposed, they aren’t seen anymore online. They either closed their operations down or changed their name. But what do their names have to do with anything?
Simply put, their names have one thing in common: they do not sound legit. In many cases,
their owners don’t have a good handle on English, and if you’re wondering about it, many of these scam bookies are not from the US. Although don’t get us wrong, plenty of US-based scam bookies are floating around the internet.
Low-Quality Design
Any online bookie that looks like a 6th grader designed them should be under tough suspicion.
A site’s homepage is essential since it’s the page visitors usually have under the first impression, and if it’s terrible, there’s very little chance that they’ll be back or pry further. In the case of scam bookies, it’s usually because their owners are looking for a quick buck.
They instantly vanish once they get you to deposit some money in their accounts. Another reason for the poor design is that the owner doesn’t have enough money for a professional to do it.
If the owner lacks the funds to have his website properly designed, how do you think they’ll pay you back your winnings?
Unrealistic Bonuses
One of the main pulls that online bookies have is their bonuses and promotions. As a bettor, you want to take advantage of these bonuses to pad your bankroll or have a discount on your bets.
These bonuses and promotions can maximize your winnings, after all. Unfortunately, though, scam bookies also use this trick. They will also offer bonuses and promotions to get people to register on their sites.
However, you should look out for bonuses and promotions that are too good to be true.
These extravagant bonuses should raise some suspicions as they seem to be trying too hard to get more people to bet on their site. Usually, a legit bookie will have some sort of catch regarding their bonuses.
For example, for them to give you free money on your account on your first-time registration, you must deposit the required money in your account first.
If you don’t, then you’ll not get your free money. In the case of a scam bookie, if you can get your free money without any sort of requirement, then that should be a red flag.
Little to No Customer Support
As criminals, these scam bookies don’t want to hear it from their players or the government. That said, they will make it hard for their players to communicate with them.
That said, scam bookies usually have no customer support on their site, no email, no hotline, and nothing. If they do have some way to let their players contact them, it will either be answered by no one or the method doesn’t work.
While the customer support of a betting site is not the deciding factor whether the online bookie is a scam, it’s still advisable not to deposit your money on a site that doesn’t have customer support.
This is very important since if you have any frustrations you need help with in the future, you’ll most likely not get any answer.
Bad Reviews
Before registering as an online bookie, you might want to visit some feedback sites about online bookies. Usually, you can get testimonies out there regarding a specific online bookie.
If people are happy with an online bookie like Fanduel, you should see several ratings feedback on multiple feedback sites. Not only that, if an online bookie is a scam, you’ll indeed find someone talking about how they were robbed of their winnings or deposit.
However, one thing you should note is that paid reviews exist. This is when online bookies pay several people to put a good word about them on review sites. You should also take note that people can also be sore losers.
Even though the online bookie is legit, they will whine about being robbed of their money and saying that the bookie is rigged.
Final Words
There are tons of online bookies out there on the internet. And while most of them are legit, and the scammers are the minority, it doesn’t mean you should be complacent when picking out a bookie.
Always be suspicious of everything and make sure that your money is safe all the time.
Remember that even though an online bookie doesn’t have all these signs, it can still be a scammer.
