[Bill Dozer]

Let's say you have decided you want to bet online but have no leads on what the best books to use are. You don't even know anyone who bets online.

Knowing what you know now...How would you test a sportsbook? What would attract you to the site and what would be a #1 warning sign? What sportsbooks might fool you?

I think SportsbookUSA and BetOnSportsOnline are some that have really been successful getting over on players.

[jumper]

i use,and tell my friends or newbys,to simply check sbr,s rating guide.i just deposited at players superbook,but not until i checked their rating here.

[SBR_John]

The celeberty endorsements I'm sure suker a lot in.

[Doug]

google " sportsbooks" first on the list is

http://www.professionalgambler.com/sportbooks.html

I know Miller is a tout, but he steers you to good books here, and his advice is sound on this issue.

[JoshW]

Not knowing anything going in and still not playing these are the things that would be whether I decided whether to play:

Mentioned by major media outlets

search position and frequency

advertising they did

professional looking web site

odds looked current every day

lots of phone numbers on the site (when I first saw Olympic before I knew anything I was impressed by they had numbers for what seemed like half the countries in the world)

Location. If they are in Gibralter or UK even Australia feel much more comfortable in terms of funds

straight forward approach in language on the site (WSEX appealed to me that way, they have FAQ and information on the site, but no BS)

publicly traded

quick response to emails

professional on the phone

try to get a feel for the size of the operation, is nice to have access to owners/managers, but if questions are going to them and you end up speaking to them about smaller issues, indicates a smaller operation and certainly a warning sign

multiple deposit options, shows they have put some time into setting up operation and are drawing players from multiple player bases


I feel like all of that gives one a pretty good feel going in. I might not think every one of these things through in my mind, but they all generally figure in. And really, I feel that the best work can be done before one even joins the book. Books like Mansion have tons of warning signs, but they can overcome all of those with money. Poor line management will often indicate a book will go down, but many times it is temporary, so that doesn't necessarily prove anything, although it certainly figures in.

[Lucas]

"There are no forums or gambling information sites..."
I agree, except SBR. Good luck that many links end at SBR. But problem is bigger for non English speaking population.
Without quality info the choice is 99,99% determined by advertisement and 0.01% by random.
Therefore I fouded pure Czech forum (sazkar.net). Sorry If I violate this forum policy; in that case please remove the link.

[Lucas]

BTW anyone knows what is this:
http://www.egrmagazine.com/data/pdfs/Power50.pdf
??
Link is from Sportingbet and it should be proof of their world Nr.1.
Who is behind it?

[Dark Horse]

If people are just starting it doesn't really matter that much where they play. After all, they're just trying things out. It's not like they come in with the intention of going pro.

I would suggest they play at a book that is user-friendly and reliable. Nothing rated lower than C, preferably A or B. I would lean towards suggesting bodogs. Sure, a book for squares, but what else would you call beginners? The level of personal interest (and profit or loss) basically determines how fast they will want to move on to a book with more options and better juice. When I just began, I really wasn't that concerned about juice. I just wanted to establish a winning record. All that other stuff comes later.

I would also recommend certain gambling books.

[BuddyBear]

when i first started, it was a friend who told me about it. After that, I saw advertisements of sportsbook.com over a football game I attended.

It wasn't till the last few years I discovered forums...

[Baphomet]

IMO
Newbies get inhibited at forums.
They will read everything first but no posts.
Then, when they have a problem with any book, they'll run here and scream like crazy what a bad book did to them.
I've seen that, through some months of watching sbr and tow.

[Illusion]

The celeberty endorsements I'm sure suker a lot in.

That and books that offer excessive bonuses.