Everyone envisions the opportunity of winning hundreds, thousands, or even millions in sports betting. While professionals are pulling these massive wins off, there are some issues consistent winners run into.
The more gamblers win, the more sportsbooks will pay attention. What many big-time winners fear is the chance of getting completely banned for winning too much.
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Can Sportsbooks Ban You For Winning?
Sportsbooks have the option of banning any person they want. They don’t necessarily have to give a reason either, since they are private companies. However, they tend to refrain from banning gamblers unless they are caught cheating in some way.
Why Would Sportsbooks Ban Winners?
Any consistent winner at a sportsbook is ultimately costing the company money. They don’t mind losing money here and there. If there were no winners, no one would place wagers. However, if there are any unfair advantages or exploits players are taking advantage of, they will look into taking action.
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Depending on the severity of the issue, there might be a warning given out first. Some people could be breaking rules or doing something wrong as an honest mistake. However, a lot of people who win consistently using exploits know exactly what they are up to in the first place. That’s why sportsbooks are not required to give any type of warning before issuing a ban.
What Gets People Banned From Sportsbooks?
There’s the thought process that sportsbooks will ban people simply because they are winning consistently. While there are a lot of conspiracy theories that exist with this, insiders say otherwise. There are thousands and thousands of consistent winners in Las Vegas alone, and this has led to people becoming professional gamblers.
When someone does get banned, they are doing something that raises red flags and ultimately forces companies to go through with it. These are a few of the major reasons why.
Betting for Third Parties
Some people who have been previously banned by sportsbooks will have someone else place the bets for them. Using a third-party and getting caught is a way for the existing ban to extend, and for the third party to be banned as well.
It’s almost always a huge red flag if a third party is putting down money for someone else out of nowhere. The person going through all that trouble must not be able to place their own wagers, and it becomes investigated right away.
Gaming the System
There are numerous methods that sports gamblers use all the time to try to game the system. Screen scraping is just one of them, but there’s always a new trick that people try to pull so that they can have better success.
Sportsbooks are in this industry and have a lot riding on it all. The last thing they’re going to do is let someone game the system and get away with it for too long. They are constantly looking for new trends to sniff out.
Keep in mind that there is nothing wrong with doing whatever possible to make smarter bets. In fact, there are some sports that are easier to bet on than others. This doesn’t fall under gaming the system.
Compliance Issues
Every sportsbook has to follow rules and regulations at all times. Their business becomes scrutinized, so they work with compliant customers. Make sure to do some research to be compliant with all the rules of a sportsbook. They can be found online or in the physical sportsbook for easy reading.
Remember that sports books are just like any other form of business out there. They have to report wins and losses. If a gambler isn’t compliant, it messes with their business.
Unprofessional Behavior
It makes no sense for someone to act inappropriately in a sportsbook if they are about to win money consistently. If anything, gamblers winning consistently should be trying to be as pleasant as possible with everyone who works there.
There will be some leeway with unprofessional behavior, but people who act completely out of line will eventually get banned. A lot of times this occurs when someone has had too much to drink or is under the influence of some type of drug. Couple that with a game not playing out favorably, and it’s a recipe for disaster.
Why Don’t Sportsbooks Want to Ban Gamblers?
The common saying that the sportsbooks always win is around for a reason. One of the main reasons why they never end up banning gamblers is because they know that they can eventually win money back from gamblers as a whole just by playing the odds.
It’s very rare to see any gambler win big one time and never place another bet. More than likely, they will continue trying their luck until they gradually start giving money back to the sportsbook. There are very few consistent winners, so the company is playing the odds.
Another reason why sportsbooks are very hesitant to ban gamblers comes down to them not wanting the reputation of being a sportsbook that is very hard to deal with. Word travels faster than ever, and customers have their choices of sportsbooks to go with. Big winners will not want to be with the option that has the quickest ban hammer.
Do All Sportsbooks Ban Gamblers The Same Way?
Every sportsbook is its own entity, so they have different rules and regulations that they follow. Some seem to be a lot more eager to ban suspicious behavior than others, which is well-known in circles where people are putting a lot of money down.
A sportsbook that is more of the recreational side of things is usually more likely to ban customers than more established ones. They rely on advertising and huge bonuses to bring in new customers to play. This means that they don’t do as much research on setting lines, instead opting to copy some of the first lines on the market. They have less protection against sharp, veteran bettors, and they can’t be taken advantage of for too long.
How Do Sportsbooks Handle Sharp Bettors?
Sharp bettors have the reputation of being the smartest people in the room when they put money down at sportsbooks. They are usually the ones making money consistently, and it would seem like that is a huge issue for companies.
There are some precautions that sportsbooks can take to fight off sharp bettors in the beginning. For example, having a lower betting limit on the first day with a new line can limit the damage done. Word travels faster than ever in the sports betting world these days, so a favorable line will always be taken advantage of to a certain degree.
The Public Relations Nightmare of Being Quick to Ban Bettors
No sportsbook wants to be known as the company that is very quick to ban players. All of a sudden, the money coming in dries up with so many options out there. Even though the industry is growing as a whole, the big players make up a pretty tight circle and word travels fast if one sportsbook is acting crazy compared to the others.
Instead of blaming sharp bettors right away, the most established sportsbooks are spending more time getting the lines right in the first place. This way, there’s less of a need to even think about banning anyone.
Why Sportsbooks Should Always Have the Banning Option
Place wagers and gamble the right way, and no reputable sportsbook is ever going to issue a ban. Plenty of gamblers worry about this being a problem, but few ever have to genuinely feel like it’s a reality.
With that said, sportsbooks should always have the opportunity to ban people who are taking advantage of a certain situation. Any type of cheating not only hurts them directly, but it can make it unfair for everyone else playing.
The next time someone says that they received a ban from a sportsbook for winning too much, chances are they are not telling the entire story. Something else likely happened that ultimately caused them to get banned from a major sportsbook. They just don’t want to necessarily go into those details.