What is a bookmaker? A bookmaker is a company that makes bets for you. They offer odds (odds = probability) and give you the possibility to make bets on events such as sports matches.
A bookmaker is very similar to an insurance company: When you bet with them and win, they have to pay you money, and when you lose, they make money.
Typically a bookmaker needs to earn more money than they pay out, which is why it is important for them to also charge a fee on bets. Some bookmakers have fixed odds, which means the fee doesn’t change with the odds or chance of success (‘fixed’ here means that you can’t choose your own odds).
Other bookmakers have variable odds, which means the fee is dependent on the odds of success. These bookmakers typically have a larger variety to choose from when it comes to betting because they offer both fixed and variable odds.
How Do You Find The Best Bookmaker?
Now that you know what a bookmaker is, let’s look at how to choose the best one for you.
The most important thing when it comes to your bookmaker is safety, some bookmakers are more secure than others. This safety is also what makes a good bookmaker great: They don’t lose bets because of their own mistakes or bad odds.
To find out if a bookmaker is safe, you can look at the following:
i). Reputability
Do they have a good reputation? Is there any proof of them taking bets without paying out, or doing anything illegal? Do they offer a bonus on your first bet? Will they give you your money back if your bet doesn’t win?
There are many ways to find these bits of information, but the most reliable information comes from forums and review websites like smartbettingguide.com. This is because it is mostly people with a personal experience of a bookmaker who shares their opinions about them, rather than people trying to sell something (like with ads).
Above all, make sure you read reviews and watch out for scam websites. A good way to do this is by reading the consumer reviews on websites such as Trustpilot. This is a website where people can share their opinions about almost any company, so you’ll see the best and worst of almost every bookmaker on there.
ii). Calculate The Benefits You Get
Another good way to find a bonus is by using a bonus calculator. A bonus calculator tells you what you need to bet in order for your winnings to become larger than the cost of the initial bet you had to make in order to get your bonus.
You can also use these formulas to calculate how much money you’ll win (or lose) with different odds, but it is important to remember that we are talking about probabilities here, not certainties. This means that there is a chance the result is wrong, or that your winnings will be capped at a certain sum of money.
How To Choose The Best Bookmaker For You?
Choosing the best bookmaker for you can be difficult because there are so many factors to consider: How much do they charge per bet and odds/bonuses; settlement times; supported countries; supported languages; payout limits, etc.
You should also look at what you want to bet on when choosing your bookmaker. There are many types of bets offered in the online betting world, but if you have no idea where to start, here is a list of some popular options:
- Head-to-Head – Where you pick one participant in a match to win.
- Double chance – Where you pick one participant to win, or the game ends in a draw.
- Over/under – Sometimes called totals betting. This is where you predict whether there will be more (over) or less (under) of something than you expect.
- An outcome – Where you pick one of two available outcomes. The most common are predicting the right time for something (e.g., first/second half, full game), or guessing which team will win (or if it will end in a draw).
These bets seem simple, but there is actually quite a lot of variation. For example, you can bet on a soccer match being won by more than two goals, or by exactly two goals. But you can also bet on a match being won with over/under one goal. In some cases, the bookmaker will add time to your options (so there are three possible outcomes).
There are many other types of bets, but if you are a beginner these are the most important ones. They all have many subtypes that have different odds and payouts. You can also combine two or more of them into a single bet (e.g., betting on a little-known mid-level soccer club to win against one of Europe’s top teams).
There are many different UK, USA and European bookmakers available to choose from. Some of them can be difficult to use because they don’t support the language you read or speak. Others might charge fees for withdrawals, etc., so it is important that you look around before deciding on which one is best for you.
You should also check what payment methods are available, whether your country is supported, what bonuses are offered and if the bookmaker supports live streaming.
Some bookmakers also have so-called “cash-out” options where you can either accept or reject any offer to cash out your bet before the start of a match (or as it is happening). These options mainly exist so people who prefer to bet on very specific things (such as the first/second half, or an outcome) can do so.
Choosing the best bookmaker for you can be difficult because there are so many factors to consider: How much do they charge per bet and odds/bonuses; settlement times; supported countries; supported languages; payout limits, etc. Researching more is the key to making the best decision.
The Ideas Plus Business Editorial Team is led by Adeyemi Adetilewa, a Digital Marketing Consultant. If you’re interested in writing for Ideas Plus Business, read this article first.