Why Online Sportsbooks Will Limit Your Account

Online gambling, sports betting, in particular, has gained massive traction in recent years all over the globe. However, something that newcomers to this sphere do not know is that gambling companies do not let people become easily rich from indulging in this pastime. They have methods of stopping individuals from raking in the big bucks, whether through forbidden practices, utilizing legal but frowned upon tried-and-tested methods, or just being super knowledgeable about how to go about wagering on sports.

Likely, everyone knows or can assume that engaging in criminal activity like money laundering or underage betting will lead to account closure at any gambling site. Most will also ban gamblers who engage in arbitrage betting, do not complete KYC, use VPN services, incorporate restricted software, and duplicate accounts as a means to abuse promotions. Nevertheless, the topics of discussion here are the limits bookmakers set on users, why they impose these restrictions, and how to avoid them if such a thing is possible. So, let us get to breaking down this subject matter.

Bookies Do Not Like Successful Gamblers

That is a fact. According to some sources, only 3% of online bettors win over 55% of their wagers. So, the pool of gamblers that continuously win is small. Hence, those fitting in this group get usually classified as professional bettors. Though, legally, for someone to get categorized as such, they must list gambling as their primary source of income, stating that they rely on it for a living and have no other form of stable employment.

Most sportsbooks build a 3% to 5% edge into their odds, and when gamblers win more often than they lose, showing a clear tendency to do so, they put bookies’ bottom lines in danger. Remember, winning a couple of times is not a red flag, but showing a pattern of more wins than losses and consistently turning weekly/monthly profits is. In such situations, sportsbooks will impose stake limits, a general one, or for specific events to discourage a successful bettor from continuing wagering on those events. They may even remove certain markets, competitions, or sports from your user interface.

Naturally, the operator will cite an excuse because it has imposed restrictions on your betting entertainment on its platform, justifying reducing its financial exposure.

Regulators Can Impose Their Limits

Please note that, in some markets, betting/gaming sites must place deposit/bet limits to maintain regulatory compliance. In Germany, at writing, a €1,000 monthly deposit limit was still active. It stood despite online bookmaker and casino protests. So, operators cannot allow users to make deposits that surpass this sum within thirty days. In the past, betting sites had to employ a €1,000 stake limit and could allow exceptions that went up to €10,000, €30,000 in some cases. In July 2021, the limit rule changed from stake to deposit.

Be aware that depending on who licenses a given platform and from where it operates, you may face such default restrictions at no fault on the operator’s end.

How to Avoid Getting Limited

One rule of thumb is to avoid making bets that do not come up to rounded values. When most casual gamblers wager on a game/event, they usually put down $5 or $10, meaning rounded numbers. They do not bet $7.64 or $13.48 per market. When someone does this, a bookie instantly suspects arbitrage.

Spending loads of hours per week on a sportsbook, analyzing its odds is another sign of a professional bettor, as it implies odds comparing. Putting down money on unpopular sports and leagues is also something everyone should look to not partake in too frequently. It gets interpreted as an indication of a  bettor’s awareness of a bookmaker’s vulnerabilities regarding the odds of niche sports/events. Moreover, a bookmaker may suspect that the user, you, has some inside information regarding these.

Regular changes in betting patterns are also not welcomed. If the site software notices someone is suddenly laying down much more substantial amounts than usual. That will definitely draw the operator’s attention, and he will start wondering if there is a backstory to this, a reason for such an activity. Thus, limiting may become likely, as the hub will have suspicions that a bettor has gotten a tip may arise.

Another reason that does not get often discussed but we should mention is that bookies grow suspicious about high-rollers attempting to manipulate betting lines by making sizeable wagers. The worry of gamblers implementing automated systems can also lead to an account restriction.

A few more quality tips to remember are not withdrawing your funds too often, diversifying your activity across multiple bookies, not constantly wagering on the same markets, and getting familiar with a platform’s policies before betting. They should be available in a distinct T&C section titled Sportsbook Rules.

What to Do If You Get Limited

Once you notice that you have gotten a stake restriction applied to your gambling activity, you should immediately contact the support team through the live chat window or by sending an email. The email route is usually the better way to go because most sites’ chat teams will direct you to use this help avenue in these situations. So, you better go to it off the bat and save on time. In your message, request the reason for your imposed limit and ask that the operator provide proof of your offense.

If the site supplies flimsy evidence that you have broken any rules, tell them you will go public on popular forums and social media with your side of the story, complete with screenshots, and that you will contact their regulator, sending them your version of events. If that does not startle the Internet bookmaker, you should follow through with your threats. Reaching out to the gambling authority that licenses and oversees the involved bookie is unlikely to yield a desirable result, as most such organizations will only react in cases where payouts do not get issued.

Potential limitation usually gets mentioned as a discretionary right on most gambling websites’ condition pages. Hence, this is a case between gambler and operator and a hill that a bettor is unlikely to climb. Consequently, when you face a super restrictive limit, it is best to pack up and move to another hub. That is the reality of things

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