CHOOSING A BOOKMAKER (BOOKIE)
Key things to consider before choosing an online bookie
The online gaming industry is such a crowded one that it can be confusing knowing which site to actually choose. With bookmakers and online casinos constantly bombarding us with advertising, where large welcome offers & various promotions are being offered, it can be tempting just to sign up after seeing one of these ads with the lure of 'FREE' bets/bonsues. However, spending a bit of time in choosing the right site will pay dividends in the long run, as there really is a surprising difference between bookies.
Here we consider some key questions you should ask of any bookie before handing over any of your debit card details.
Is the Bookie/online casino reputable?
This is perhaps the most important question of all. When joining a site you’ll want to know that the funds you deposit to the site are safe, that your financial details are safe and that you’ll actually be paid out when you win. You can feel completely at ease in this regard at the majority of bookies and particularly those that have been in the industry for a long time (or have the money to sponsor a big football team!). Key pointers to a reputable bookie include being licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). Many of the known sites that advertise on TV or sponsor sports teams will tick all of these boxes. If unsure about a particular site, take some time finding out a little more about them.
How good is the initial welcome offer?
This is an important question, as your bankroll will be given a very welcome early boost. Bonuses will generally come in two forms – a free bet, or a bonus based upon a percentage of your initial deposit. Obviously you’ll want to choose a bonus which gives you the most ‘free’ money, however you should ensure you know the full details behind the bonus, so always read the ‘terms and conditions’. Some bonuses may have a wagering requirement (particularly online casinos), where you’ll have to gamble the total amount of your deposit AND the bonus a certain number of times. There is also likely to be minimum odds that your qualifying bet needs to be laid at, plus you need to be aware that most bonuses will have an ‘expiry date’ - there is nothing more disappointing than missing out on a bonus, due to not being aware of the small print.
How good are the Reload/ongoing offers on the site?
Some bookies will have a wide range of offers available across a number of sports. As examples, a site might offer your money back as a free bet if a game ends 0-0, or if a horse finishes second in a particular race. Check out the offers available at the sites, and consider which of the common reload offers might be most beneficial to you. Ideally you’ll want a site that you will give you offers on bets you'll be making anyway, as you’ll effectively gain ‘free’ money when gambling as you normally would.
How good are their Odds?
You'd be surprised how different the odds are for certain events when comparing bookies. This is the bottom line for any user, as a site with bad pricing simply won’t give you value for money. If shopping on the high street and you see exactly the same product £10 cheaper at one shop than another, you’d obviously go for the cheaper option, and sports betting is no different. Fortunately, in this day and age, comparing the prices from site to site is particularly easy, due to the emergence of odds comparison sites. You’ll generally find that sites might offer better odds at some sports than others, so look at the areas of betting that interest you and see which site offers the best odds in those markets.
How easy is the site to use/navigate?
A site needs to be cleanly laid out and intuitive. This goes without saying when you are using your own money to place bets (it's not such an issue with the casino sites, as a lot of them tend to use the same slots & table layouts). If it is difficult to find a specific horse or horse race, then it can be infuriating (a lot of sites don't even have a search function)
How good are the Mobile Betting Options?
Many bookies now have apps or specially designed responsive mobile sites for iPhones, Android and various other devices. As more and more of us use smartphones as our main internet enabled device, it just makes sense that the bookie/casino has a decent app, or at least a site that has been enabled for mobile use. Obviously the quality of these apps or mobile sites can vary, and being a site you’ll be using often, you’ll want as user friendly an experience as possible.
Fortunately you’ll be able to check these out before actually signing up, so if a site has an app, download from the relevant app store and give it a go.
How responsive is the support given?
As a new client to the site (& perhaps to sports betting and online casinos generally) you may be unsure about some of the bonus offer requirements (all the caveats involved in qualifying for that free bonus), chasing the promised bonus, whether your ACCA has been placed correctly, what's happened to your balance withdrawal, and so on. And there is nothing worse than not getting a quick or straightforward answer. Thankfully, almost all decent bookies out there have some form of online chat support - but, how responsive are they (if you have an in-play only bonus, yet you can't get through to support), or do they have unhelpful opening hours (some close at 6pm?) - these are all important questions to try to get answers on.
Key take-out
By asking these questions you are exercising a great amount of quality control and you’ll find yourself choosing a site which is ideal for you. Choosing the right bookie initially will ensure that you are starting off on the right track and may make you more money over the long term.
VERIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
All UK Gambling Commission licensed gaming operators must perform player verification checks to find out:
- If you are old enough to gamble
- If you’ve been self-excluded from gambling
- To confirm your identity
What documents does a bookie need?
Although licenced operators have some discretion in the amount of personal information they request, it’s typically the case that you’ll have to supply documents accepted under KYC (Know Your Customer) rules that contain the following information:
- Name
- Photograph on an official document which confirms your identity
- Residential address and date of birth
In line with KYC stipulations and money laundering regulations the following documents are now accepted as proof of identity/address:
- Passport or Driver's licence
- Recent utility bill (within last three months, and usually a mobile bill is not allowed)
- Bank or mortgage statement (within last three months)
Whilst you may be nervous about uploading or emailing over such personal & sensitive documentation, it is unfortunately necessary if you want to continue with these sites, and particularly if you want to make a withdrawal.
Additional verification
In certain circumstances, you may be asked to prove identity and submit documents before your first withdrawal. For example, such as taking of a photo of yourself holding your ID.
Sites may well ask for a photo of your debit card that you deposited with. If they do, just remember to blank out the middle numbers, and the CVV (3 digit) code on the back.
These additional verifications are becoming quite standard practice, so do not be alarmed or upset if you are asked to do this.
Automatic verification
Many casinos and betting sites now employ electronic checks that take place in the background without you knowing. These provide enough information for a gaming site to verify who you are and how old you are.
How long does the verification take?
If you’re not electronically verified, and documents are requested, then you’ll invariably be able to upload scanned images of your KYC documents directly to your account page (or to email over your documents). By use of an internal form to upload documents with a message sent to the verification team, the process should take only a few hours (depending upon the day of week, and time of day). However, be prepared for some sites to take a few days, and chase via the online support chat if need be.
Verification anomalies and requests
Although it’s rare that a casino will ask for further proof of your identity, it can happen. If an operator suspects that an account is being used to launder money, i.e. making a lot of deposits and withdrawals in a short space of time, it will carry out an advanced check. This can involve a soft credit check or a request to see the user’s bank details.
Beyond this extreme example, an online casino may request further proof of identity in the following instances:
- Your passport or driver’s licence has expired
- Your utility bill or bank statement breaches the three-month time limit
- Your passport photo isn’t clear or has been defaced
- Your driver’s licence doesn’t contain a photo
- There are inconsistencies in the information submitted i.e. names, date of birth and address don’t match government/official records
What happens if your account cannot be verified?
This will differ from site to site, but if you don’t have the necessary documents to confirm your identity or age, then either your account will be suspended or you will be able to carry on depositing and playing, but will be unable to withdraw any funds until your account is verified.
Verification delays and issues
All UKGC licensed casinos will store any information and documents in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 (and more recently the European GDPR directive). In contrast, if you choose to play at an unregulated online casino, you run the risk of identity theft & fraud.
Some unscrupulous sites have also used the player verification process to delay and even deny withdrawals. By stating that a cashout can’t be completed until an account is verified, rogue operators can essentially keep hold of your money until they see fit. For this reason alone, you should only register with a UK licensed bookie or casino.
Why do gaming sites need to verify accounts?
The need for player verification came into effect in 2005 through the Gambling Act, with the need to prevent fraud and money laundering. Under the Gambling Act 2005, operators with a licence from the UKGC must comply with three main objectives; a) the need to stop gambling from becoming a source of crime or disorder, b) being associated with crime or disorder and c) used as a vehicle to support crime. In light of this, casinos & bookies need to monitor any persons they suspect of crimes such as money laundering. Looking specifically at the UKGC’s code of conduct, licensees must adopt a “risk-based approach” to the “exercise of its supervisory functions”. Along with a host of additional stipulations, this basically means that operators have to take all necessary steps to ensure that money wagered is legit.
Using this as a foundation, the more recent Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act 2014 made it necessary for remote online casinos to obtain a UK gambling licence if they wanted to accept UK customers. From this, remote operators were now required to identify, record and prevent possible instances of crime and this gave rise to the practice of age and identity verification.
Quick to slower player verification sites
As you’d expect, online casinos and bookmakers are different when it comes to the account verification process. Although they all have the same requests and goals, the times they take do differ. So, this may be something to consider when signing up with anyone outside of the big named bookies and/or online casinos.
MAKING A DEPOSIT
How to make your first deposit
Making your first deposit doesn’t have to be a difficult. By following this guide, you should be well placed to avoid common pitfalls and get playing with your deposited cash as soon as possible.
Step 1: Creating your account
Before you can deposit any money, you firstly need to sign up for an account with your chosen site. This is a simple enough process at most sites – just a case of filling in basic personal details, choosing your username and password, and verifying your account as required (and remembering to input any required Welcome Offer code, or any required opt-ins)
Don’t be tempted to use false details. Use your genuine credentials in every field – some operators are required by law to verify the identity of players ahead of processing withdrawals, and you’ll find yourself in difficulty if you land a big win, but can’t verify who you are, or any other detail. This is in large part why you need to be confident about the site you’re playing with in the first place.
Once your account has been set up it should be fairly easy to find the banking or deposit screen.
Step 2: Choosing a deposit (& therefore withdrawal) method
Having successfully set up your account and found your way to the deposit screen, you’re likely to be confronted with a range of different payment options. The most commonly accepted depositing types are:
- Direct bank transfer
- Debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, etc). n.b. Credit cards are no longer a valid payment method
- E-wallets (e.g. PayPal, Neteller, Skrill)
- Pre-paid cards (e.g Paysafecard)
It’s important to note that not every supported payment method is available for both deposit and withdrawal. So whilst your chosen site may accept Skrill, it might not be possible to withdraw through the same payment method. It pays to read ahead, and to work out the best services to use for transferring your money - e.g. whilst debit cards are usually pretty instant to deposit, they can take 2-5 working days to withdraw to, e.g. Skrill is only a few minutes to withdraw to, but then charges a fee to withdraw the cash back to your nominated bank account. You should also check the bonus terms & conditions, as in a lot of instances, deposits via e-wallets do not qualify for any of the available bonuses.
It should be noted that your chosen deposit method is also going to be your withdrawl method. You cannot deposit via debit card, but then try to withdraw the money to your Skrill account. If you use multiple deposit methods, then the site may limit the amount you can withdraw to each at any given time, e.g. you cannot deposit £100 using a debit card & £10 via Neteller, and then try to withdraw £110 to Neteller.
Essentially, if you can use a single account in both deposit and withdrawal transactions, it makes it much easier to keep a detailed record of how much you’re winning versus how much you’re depositing.
Step 3: Making your deposit
Once you’ve settled on a deposit method that works for you it’s time to decide on the amount you want to send. This is where your first deposit bonuses come into play. If you’re planning to deposit a set amount, it’s often better to do so with your first deposit, rather than staggering the amount over several deposits. This allows you to take fullest advantage of any welcome bonuses, which are usually the most generous in percentage terms.
Be mindful of the terms and conditions of any bonus, particularly the wagering requirements - some bonuses are easier to collect than others (check out the Casino offers listed on our site). These may vary in percentage terms, but by crunching the numbers, you can work out the most advantageous way of getting your money into your gambling account. The depositing or banking section on your chosen casino site will be easily navigable.
Step 4: Start playing
After you’ve made your deposit, you’ll get a confirmation message telling you whether it has been successfully processed, and usually indicating the timeline of processing if relevant. As soon as your payment is processed, it will be reflected in your balance, and you’re good to go.
RESPONSIBLE GAMBLING
Responsible gambling is the practice of managing your betting habits and spending more than you can afford, has become a hot topic for regulators, operators and players over the last few years. In a bid to ensure betting doesn’t cause consumers harm, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has pushed its licensees to take problem gambling more seriously.
Fines for failing to protect customers have become more common, but there’s only so much the sites can do. In practice, responsible gambling is a two-way street that you have to navigate as well.
What is responsible gambling?
Responsible gambling is the process of staying within your personal limits. Although there may be some generally accepted levels of what constitutes problem gambling, the boundaries are individual. For example, a large bet for one person may be a manageable one for someone else. It all depends on your budget and bankroll. Therefore, the best way to define responsible gambling is that it’s playing in a way that doesn’t harm you financially, mentally or socially.
To help you avoid getting into difficulties, you should take note of the following responsible gambling tools and tips.
Bankroll management
Learning to manage your money is a fundamental part of responsible gambling. Bankroll management is the concept of setting a budget based on the amount of money you can comfortably afford to lose. If you view online gaming (in whatever its form - bingo, betting or casino) as entertainment, then you will feel more comfortable and secure 'losing' a sum of money as it will be the evening (or day's) entertainment, just as you spend money at a restaurant, nightclub, cinema, etc.
Self-exclusion
To comply with UKGC regulations, gaming sites have to offer some or all of the following self-exclusion features:
- Time Out/Reality Checks: To limit the amount of time you spend online, you can set up alerts that either tell you how long you’ve been active or automatically log you out.
- Account Limits: Applicable to deposits and betting options, you can restrict the size of your deposits/bets/buy-ins on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.
- Self-Exclusion: When you feel as though you need a break, you can choose to temporarily freeze your account. Typical timeframes range from 12 hours to six months.
- Account Closure: All online gaming sites must give you the option to permanently close your account. There are also options to exclude yourself from an entire network of sites and have your IP blocked.
Gambling addiction
Self-awareness is one of the first ways to address a potential problem. Although the symptoms of problem gambling will vary from person-to-person, some of the signs are:
- Feeling a constant compulsion to gamble.
- Being secretive about your betting habits.
- Spending more than you can afford.
- Borrowing money to fund your betting activities.
- Losing sleep over your betting habits.
- Signs of concern from your family and friends.
Gambling addiction support
If you’ve taken the necessary steps to protect yourself from problem gambling and feel like you need more help, there are organisations you can access for free. As part of the UKGC’s licensing conditions, all sites have to provide links to one of the following agencies that offer support and counselling services:
Online gaming is as much a legitimate and fun leisure activity as any other, but its important to know & set your money and time boundaries, and know how and where to seek help if necessary
