As a sports bettor, one of the worst things that can happen to you is having your account limited by a sportsbook. Being limited can mean reduced betting maximums, reduced or eliminated promotion amounts, restricted access to certain markets, and in the worst case, complete account closure. Because specific criteria for limiting sports bettors are not public knowledge, we can’t tell you exactly how to not get limited by sportsbooks. However, through our experience and the experience of our top users, we can tell you some tips and best practices for avoiding limits as long as possible while maximizing your profitability.
Why Do Sportsbooks Limit Accounts?
The only way sportsbooks remain profitable and in business is by mitigating their own risk. Basically, they need to make sure that they are always maintaining an advantage over you. If a sports bettor is consistently winning and beating the book, then the analysts at that book will see them as an unprofitable and risky customer. In fact, even if a bettor is not profitable but exhibits patterns known to be profitable in the long run, they can be identified as a risky customer. The result? That sportsbook will limit them to regain the advantage and stop losing money.
The best way to avoid sportsbook limits, or at least delay them, is by thinking like a sportsbook. What do they see as risky behavior (risky for themselves)? What actions would make you look like a sports bettor who is gaming the system? If you were in their shoes, what would your criteria be for limiting bettors? You need to avoid doing all the answers to these questions.
How to Not Get Limited by Sportsbooks: Top Strategies
The ideal sports bettor from the book’s point of view is the casual bettor who is looking for some extra action while watching their favorite game. They aren’t putting too much thought into it, they are betting largely based on emotion, hype, and superstition, and they have a pretty high chance of losing. You want to look like this type of casual or recreational sports bettor as much as you possibly can.
Here are some ways to do that:
Bet on popular markets - Generally speaking, focusing on the more popular sports and markets, like the NFL or NBA, will help you stay under the radar and avoid getting noticed by traders working at the sportsbooks. The reason is that these markets attract a lot of betting action, so your activity won’t be as conspicuous. Tennis and small NCAAB/NCAAF games, on the other hand, have much less action, so your wagers will be more obvious.
Don’t consistently wager the maximum bet - Always betting the max bet may stick out to sportsbook traders. Wagering 70% to 80% of the limit, or even significantly lower on books that have extremely high limits, instead of 100% may help convey the idea that you are just a recreational sports bettor and keep you under the radar longer.
Never place arbitrage bets at the same books - Arbitrage betting is not illegal, but it is frowned upon by sportsbooks and, if they think you’re doing it, they will likely limit you. If you do engage in arbitrage betting, then it’s important to do so subtly by placing the opposite bet at a different sportsbook than the original bet. Betting on opposite outcomes at the same book just minutes apart will set off red flags.
Avoid betting on obvious book errors - Once in a while, a sportsbook will make a mistake in their posted lines. We recommend not betting on the clear errors. For example, if every book but one has the moneyline for a game near -250, but one book has it at +200, then it is likely a mistake. If you see a massive arbitrage opportunity, and it seems too good to be true, it likely is. Sportsbooks are much more likely to limit you on egregious error lines, and, although unlikely with live betting, there is a chance that they may void the bet.
Round your bets - Betting to the exact dollar and cents is the type of behavior that may make you more likely to get limited. Rounding your bet up or down to a whole dollar amount will help you look less conspicuous. That’s why the DoubleDown Odds arbitrage screen rounds your bet amount for you, so you don’t have to do the mental math yourself. It’s one of the platform’s many features that helps you avoid limits!
Don’t withdraw or log out too quickly - We suggest that you do not withdraw funds immediately after hitting a sign up offer. Leave money in your account and place some more bets before you withdraw. By leaving money in your account for up to a few weeks, your account will look less suspicious, as sportsbooks track deposits and withdrawals. It’s also good practice to keep withdrawal amounts on the lower end, with $5,000 as the maximum you should withdraw as a good rule of thumb. The idea is that larger withdrawals trigger reviews, and a review of your account is the last thing you want, even if you think you’ve avoided bad behavior. It’s also a good idea to not always log in, immediately bet, and then log out. Browse around a little bit, to make you look more like an average sports bettor.
Avoid beating the closing line value (CLV) - The closing line value is the value of a bet relative to where the line closes. For example, if you placed a bet on a line for +140, but when the line closed right before the game started it was at +110, you “beat CLV”. Consistently beating the closing line value is a sign to the book that you will be a profitable sports bettor in the long run, meaning you are a risk to them. In order to mitigate their risk, they’ll likely limit you. We recommend live betting, because you can’t beat the closing line value, and limits are more likely to come slower than with pre-game bets.
Bet on main lines - Through our experience and the experience of our top users, we’ve found that betting on moneylines, spreads, and totals, particularly on large market games, is one of the most effective methods for delaying limits.
What to Do If You Are Limited
Unfortunately, once you are limited, there isn’t much you can do. You can attempt to reach out to the customer support at the particular book, but it’s unlikely that you’ll convince them to lift the limit or even provide a reason why they limited you. Your best bet is to follow the strategies above about how to not get limited by sportsbooks in the first place.
As an advanced sports bettor, you will likely get limited at some point. But if you follow these strategies, then you may be able to delay it for as long as possible. You can also join our discord to get the latest knowledge around limits for each book, as well as some generalized best practices for delaying limits even more while live betting.
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