SportsBook Advisor

Sportsbook News Archive

October 25, 2009 Sportsbooks Get Killed Early - If the day keeps up like this for the sportsbooks, today will be known as "Black Sunday". Early NFL Sportsbook action report has the sportsbooks getting killed by the public early.  There were four heavy public favorites on the early games MORE

October 24, 2009 Check Out Sports Betting News Feed from FreePicksUSA.com. FPUSA is a sister site of ours and a regular contributor of free picks and sports betting news.

October 24, 2009 WE WANT YOU! Well actually we want your feedback on sportsbooks. Ones you love, one you hate. Doesn't matter. Just be honest and help us shape our ratings. CONTACT US

October 22, 2009 LasPalmas (Rating D) Offering some 100% bonus to sign up and deposit. Offering this high of a bonus is a red-herring and usually shows desperate measures for a failing book. Stay away.

October 17, 2009 247VegasBook.com Enters Guide at B Rating. This sportsbook jumped on the scene earlier this year and enters our guide at B rating until further feedback from clients is sent in. Their platform is to provide great customer service as well as bonuses for sports bettors. MORE

October 13, 2009 Bookmaker Upgraded to A Rating. Long time industry leader back to "A" status after we receive a multitude of emails discussing fast payouts. Also, newer betting module/software is very impressive and works smoothly. "BetPoints" Reward program that rewards customer action is a hit with players.

October 12, 2009 Bodog Downgraded to B Rating. Sportsbook still lagging a little when it comes to support emails being returned. Also, lines go on and off the board quite regularly. Bodog still is one of the more finicky sportsbooks when it comes to line movements and circling games.

October 11, 2009 Lay104 Offering Memorabilia instead of bonuses. Many know that Lay104 doesn't offer bonuses, but instead offers reduced juice with no rollover clauses. They now offer an added incentive to sign up and deposit. NBA legend Robert Horry visited... MORE

October 7, 2009 RebateWager and sister sportsbook BetBlackDog enter our rating guide at B Rating. There have been nothing but good things said about these sportsbooks from clients and industry insiders alike. We like them well enough to start them at B Rating and adjust over time from there.

October 2, 2009 Stryyke (Rating C-) Downgraded to D+. Several very slow pays and a few no pay complaints surface and force us to downgrade this book to D+ status to keep potential players weary.

September 30, 2009 WagerChief Enters guide at B- Rating. This sportsbook is run by the same folks as BetPhoenix (Rating B) which acquired it earlier this year. They have a good looking website and a clean track record with us thus far. B- Rating until we get more feedback.

September 25, 2009 Matchbook (Rating A) latest victim of "Denial of Service" attack. DOS attacks are used by internet pirates to hijack sites until the victim is willing to pay a ransom to get their site back. It happens every year and usually start around peak betting times. Matchbook has an alternative url for players to access site: http://www2.matchbook.com

September 22, 2009 Legends Sportsbook (Rating A+) forced to create back up version of site as they were the latest victim of a DOS (Denial of Service) attack this past weekend. The backup url is http://backup.legends.com

September 14, 2009 Gameday (Betgameday.com) Enters Guide at B+ Rating. This sportsbook has been around for years and has had very few complaints against them. Gameday has a weak website design but the business model is sound. They operate out of the Netherlands and do NOT accept U.S. players.

September 12, 2009 NFL Week 1 Betting Preview. All the attention this weekend as the NFL commences its first full weekend seems to be on offense. WR Terrell Owens has moved on to Buffalo to take part in the new no-huddle Bills attack. They will face the Patriots and returning QB Tom Brady, who led a record-setting air attack two years ago when healthy with WRs Randy Moss and Wes Welker... MORE

September 10, 2009 Free Sportsbook Advisor Hat. Just deposit $250 or more at www.Lay104.com and get a free hat from us. Reduced Juice and a free hat to boot. Does life get any better? Same day payouts and NO ROLLOVERS!

September 9, 2009 PaddyPower Enters Guide at B Rating. This is a large Eurobook that offers action on all types of sporting bets. They also offer Casino and Poker options as well. They have a small bad rap for limiting long term winning players, but are financially secure.

September 4, 2009 Ladbrokes enters guide at B+ Rating. Ladbrokes is a London based sportsbook started online in 1999 and are considered to be a very legitimate sportsbook. Most of their action revolves around Football (Soccer), Tennis, Horse Racing, and Cricket, though they do offer action on all major American sports as well.

August 31, 2009 The Hats are In! Sportsbook Advisor hats have arrived and will be shipped to those of you who have won them in contests or who have ordered them. More merchandise to follow. click here for more about the hats.

August 29, 2009 Top Reduced Juice Sportsbooks. Reduced Juice pays off because when you lose, you lose less money. And even though we are talking about just a few cents, it adds up over time and can even payoff more than a good bonus plan that some sportsbooks offer. We list the sportsbooks here.

August 24, 2009 SkyBook Closes Main office. Rumors have been around for months that Skybook was shutting down. They did just that. They shut down their main office and moved their name and players to offshore turnkey operation. Because of this uncertainty, skybook is downgraded to B- Rating. We will keep you posted.

August 24, 2009 Bodog (Rating B+) Payout Report. This long time industry heavyweight has had it's ups and downs the last two years but really seems to be on the right track. Three customers write in expressing how happy they are with the payout process.

August 23, 2009 Public Betting Under Yanks Tonight. The public knows good pitching when it sees it. Tonight's Red Sox vs. Yankees line up features two of the games better pitchers: C.C. Sabathia (14-7, 3.57 ERA) and Josh Beckett (14-4. 3.38 ERA). Statistically if these two guys pitched the entire game, it would end with a total over/under of 7 runs... MORE

August 22, 2009 BetonBet (Rating D-) Closes. Some players were able to receive payouts this month before this sportsbook closed down it's operation.

August 20, 2009 WagerWeb (A+) Offering 100% Bonus on Signups and 75% on Reload. For all who plan to play out the season and not worry about rollovers, this offer is for you. The rollover is 20X. See Offer Here

August 19, 2009 Scam Site Identified. BetCapri Enters Guide at F and added to Blacklist. Player writes in and complains about BetCapri.com.  Quote: "I am having lot of problems with Al perkins to Collect my winnings, he is an agent for Betcapri.com( under a name of HOAG) his address is XXXX@yahoo.com. He asked me to pay up front 5% Canadian tax . i already got burnt by him . i paid 9370 in taxes and got never got paid my winnings. Can any thing be done against this person I have lost 201K and 16K this week of my winnings. He is running a scam." Full Story

August 18, 2009 SportsbookAdvisor does away with F- and F+ Rating. We have decided an "F is an F" and is our "Blacklist Rating" and sportsbooks with this rating should be avoided at all cost. List of Blacklisted Sportsbook Click Here. We are also discontinuing the sports handicapping rating system to concentrate only on sportsbooks.

August 16, 2009 Legendz (Rating A+) Acquires domain "Legends.com" and launches redesign.  New domain is correct spelling of word and therefore much more valuable.  New design reflects a less complex layout and has quicker load time.  Check it out Click Here

August 15, 2009 BetonBet Enters Guide at D- Rating. Sportsbook has had a very troubled history and has had a spell of slow pays and no pays as of late. Stay away.

August 10, 2009 Oddsmaker (Rating F) using fine print on current promotion to rip off players. Readers write in and tell of how this sportsbook is seizing winning funds if a player parlayed at anytime before , during, or after win streak. The sportsbook claims that their rules allow them to do so. Obvious rip off scam and this is why we have them rated at F and placed on the blacklist.

August 6, 2009 Sportsbook.com Upgraded to D Rating. Reports surfacing from multiple sources that customers are happy with their most recent service with this long time poorly rated book. It is just enough to be promoted to D Rating from a D-

August 4, 2009 MatchBook Enters Guide at A Rating. This sportsbook has been on our radar for some time and we have received nothing but good feedback. They work like a stock exchange, by matching up opposing action bettors and then charging a small fee.

August 2, 2009 Cabrera Hits for the Cycle as the Yanks down the White Sox. What figured to be one of the better pitching matchups of the week with arguably the two best pitchers in the game...MORE

August 2, 2009 JustBet Enters Guide at B- Rating. This book has been online for several years and has a decent rep.

July 30, 2009 Article: Pre-season NFL betting can be very tricky.  The real trick is to know exactly when the coach will pull his starters. And the truth is that sometimes the coach himself doesn't even know when he will pull them. If the starters play well and....MORE

July 27, 2009 WSEX (Rating D) management claims to be catching up on owed payouts. They cite processor issues as the reason for all these delays and also say they are going to minimize "book to book" transfers. Stay weary of WSEX.

July 21, 2009 Lay104 Enters Guide at B Rating. This new reduced juice book is operated by the BetFirstClass Company and is backed by a foreign investor. With BFC's proven track record and the amount of money involved, we feel comfortable entering this new site in our guide at B Rating and add it to the "Top Sportsbooks" List.

July 20, 2009 Article: Some key concepts for successful sports bettors. Sports betting may seem like a simple-enough, innocent pastime for beginners and it is that indeed: if your aim is to have some fun and you're willing to pay for it. If you're looking to make money though, forget about the "simple" part. Being successful at sports betting involves covering a few essential aspects of the game MORE

July 18, 2009 Lay104.com launched this morning on July 18, 2009 at 11 am EST.  Lay104 is the brain child of a heavy financial backer and advisors whom formed the Lay 104 Media Group. The idea is that 104 juice is the best in the biz and that same day super fast payouts are the most important factors in the sportsbook business model.  Sportsbook Advisor brokered the deal and chose the same company that operates Bet First Class as the host and operator of this new company. MORE INFO

July 17, 2009 Brobury Sports Enters Guide at C- Rating. This company has been on our radar for some time. After some improvements to it's operations, we have decided to rate Brobury Sports with a C- Rating. Brobury recently merged with Malvern Sports. Both operations are located in Costa Rica. Brobury is a member of the Jazette family of sportsbooks.

July 14, 2009 WSEX (Rating D), in an apparent effort to make money this summer has offered a rare 20% bonus, rare for them anyway. Readers of SA know that this book may be in trouble and has struggled mightily with payouts the last several months. Use caution.

July 13, 2009 Home Run Derby 2009 Odds Posted - The Home Run Derby is a fun way to bet some money during the slowest betting season of the year. I mean it really is a crap shoot. But usually your big time sluggers do come through and win the match. MORE

July 12, 2009 BetDon Enters Guide at C+ Rating: BetDon is hosted by Wagerweb (Rating A+) but has a much smaller body of work as well as a poor web design and some broken links

July 11, 2009 Payment Report: SA receives reports that payments from long time no-pay sportsbook Oddsmaker (Rating F) start streaming in. This by itself is not worth an upgrade but we have made note.

July 10, 2009 BetCRIS, parent company of Bookmaker and long time pioneer in online gaming, upgraded to B+. The company has improved and recovered since a series of bad decisions back at the start of the year. BetCrIS does not accept U.S. players but it's sister site Bookmaker (Rating B+) does.

July 10, 2009 Shilbet website offline. Originally reported as a scam sportsbook and added to the blacklist last month, Shilbet has appeared to have shut down it's operations.

July 9, 2009 Starting August 1, 2009 ThePig.com will be undergoing a permanent merge into its parent company, LegendZ Sports. All current customers of The Pig will continue to have full access to their low-juice accounts at ThePig.com but will have to log in through www.LegendZ.com beginning in August. Read Legendz Press Release Here

July 7, 2009 SportingBet Enters Guide at D Rating. SportingBet is a long time UK sportsbook that has much more on their plate than most sportsbooks.  Not only do they have a shady history of not honoring winnings from free plays and confiscating bonus wins, they have been in major litigation with the.. MORE

July 6, 2009 WorldBet Enters Sportsbook Review Guide at F Rating. After a few inquisitive emails about sportsbook Worldbet, we launch investigation into the company. History of this company is marred with no-pays and rip off tactics. Stay away from Worldbet.

July 3, 2009 Sportsbook Bonuses and Rollover Clauses. With sportsbooks trying to generate income for the dog days of summer, many newcomers wonder what a rollover clause is. We explain in this short article.

July 2, 2009 Shilbet Sportsbook Enters Guide at F Rating. Several players write in and complain about this book and point out multiple fraudulent complaints on sportsbook forums. After investigating, we've decided to enter this book into our records at an F Rating and add it to the blacklist. Stay away from Shilbet.

July 1, 2009 Stryyke Sportsbook Enters Guide at C- Rating. This sportsbook offers services in multiple languages and focuses on international betting. They also have a nice website deign. That being said, they have had issues with delayed payouts over the past year or so and not the best customer service in the world. C- is a good "stay weary" rating until more feedback can be obtained.

June 29, 2009 BetFirstClass Upgraded to B Rating following visit by Sportsbook Advisor. The Sportsbook Advisor team took up Bet First Class on their offer to come see their facilities in San Jose, Costa Rica. Andy and myself boarded the plane and within hours landed in beautiful Costa Rica.  Not long after we met with BFC manager Mike at his home, a beautiful.... MORE About BetFirstClass Tour and Photos

June 27, 2009 CanBet Enters Guide at C- Rating. Multiple sources tell of timely payouts and good service, whereas multiple other sources tell of delayed payouts, excuses, and inactivity fees. C- is a good medium rating that reflects Canbet being a legitimate book who's operation may not always run very smoothly.

June 26, 2009 SkyBook (Rating A) offering 100% deposit bonus. Does have rollover clause and some restrictions. Offer details click here

June 23, 2009 Bookmaker (Rating B+) offering two free entries into $1500 poker game for filling out short survey. Offer click here

June 23, 2009 BetLasPalmas Downgraded to D. Large payout requestor has been waiting for many months and now account has been closed and communication has halted. This one time trustworthy book started losing control of it's operation at the start of this year. Stay away.

June 13, 2009 Scam Alert. Long time blacklister Apex Sportsbook (Rating F-) back online. Months ago we brought you the story of Dr. Ho and Aloha Sportsbooks and how they were new scam sites owned by the people from Apex, a notorious rip off artist. Now the sportsbook company has decided to relaunch Apex, using the same exact design as Aloha and Dr. Ho.

June 12, 2009 SkyBook (Rating A) Offering top bonuses: Deposit $200 or more, and claim a 50% free play bonus! Click For Full Details

June 6, 2009 YouWager Enters Guide at B+ Rating. Several SA readers write in and say they have had nothing but good service from this sportsbook. YouWager also owns and manages 888Viet and ChineseBookie. These books are also entered into our database at B+.

June 5, 2009 TWO Free MLB Picks: Sportsbook Advisor Staff has two games tonight that we just love: They stem from last night's postponed game : Cubs at Braves. Both teams had their starters face up with Zambrano and Jurrjens.  An extra day of rest.... MORE

June 4, 2009 NBA Finals Series Starts Tonight. Here is a preview article from our friends at FreePicksUSA.com click here. For Best NBA Playoff Bonuses Click Here

June 1, 2009 SportsBetting (Rating D) & Sister Books, steal winnings and deposit: Sportsbooks sometimes will open multiple store fronts to appeal to various types of players. And sometimes players, knowingly or unknowingly, will open accounts at two or more of these books.... MORE

May 28, 2009 Harrah's Enters Online Gaming: As if we all couldn't see this coming. The Vegas heavyweights are now pushing legislation to remove online bans and furthermore Harrah's is the first to jump into the act..... MORE

May 27, 2009 Game Preview: NHL: BlackHawks at Redwings Game 5 Preview. The Detroit Red Wings can clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup Finals for the second straight year against the Pittsburgh Penguins..... MORE

May 22, 2009 CreditWagering (B Rating) Score reassessed. Downgraded to C. Emails are taking much longer for response. They are having payment processing issues with their debit card payment system. Payout request clients are told wait until next week for an alternate solution. We are downgrading them to keep potential players weary.

May 21, 2009 WSEX Downgraded to D. This one time industry heavyweight is really struggling with payouts. Players keep reporting waiting months before receiving any type of payment.

May 18, 2009 Heritage (BetHeritage.com) Enters Guide at B-. This sportsbook has a clean history as far as payments are concerned. They only take on certain clients and take referrals from existing clients. There is no sign up page, rather a phone number you must call. Payouts are fast but about $80 USD processing fee. They also offer a unique live odds board showing 3 day groupings. Click Here to View

May 18, 2009 BetFirstClass now offering incoming/outgoing transfers with BetCris (SA Rating B+). The amounts are $500 minimum and $20K max. Book to book transfers give players options. $25 fee applies. BetFirstClass has been upgraded to C+.

May 16, 2009 Sportsbook.com (Rating D-) complaints occurring regularly. Reports of long wait times for payouts. Some sources are saying a minimum of 30 days to be expected when waiting for payment. Company cites payment processor issues... MORE

May 12, 2009 BetLasPalmas Downgraded to D+. LasPalmas still struggling to payout. Some players months ago started getting the run around about payout times. The book completed a surge which paid a majority of owed players last month. But this week again, there have been delayed payouts. This onetime B rated book is really struggling and we are downgrading them to D+ until further notice.

May 10, 2009 Bet First Class Fully Reviewed. After a few prompting emails from readers today, we fully review BFC and disclose every bit of info we have: Bet First Class is showing up everywhere with great offers and clients telling of fast payouts.  This has all been happening in the last year or so. When BFC first arrived... MORE on BETFIRSTCLASS

May 9, 2009 BetFirstClass Upgraded to C. Steadily moving up in ratings as we confirm quick payouts and good customer service.

May 8, 2009 WagerWeb Note. Already considered our top book, we have been playing there for years, Wagerweb buzz online about same day payouts. Click Here for More

May 8, 2009 BetPhoenix Upgraded to B Rating. This book has a solid reputation online and has a great layout and web design. We are raising them as a B rating after getting nothing but positive feedback and will adjust their score as we get more feedback.

May 5, 2009 BoDogLife buys back domain name, switching to Bodog.com again soon. The much publicized battle between Bodog and the domain trolls that nabbed the domain has been resolved. It appears through Bodog's latest press release that the new full owners of Bodog gave in and paid the ransom. MORE ABOUT BoDog Domain Solution

May 4, 2009 Dr. Ho & Aloha Sportsbook update. On April 9 of this year, we warned about a possible new scammer sportsbook tandem and rated them at "D" until we could find out more. We have resolved the questions and have downgraded these books to F- and added them to the blacklist. Read original article with the updated news at the bottom Click here.

May 2, 2009 Multiple reports this week on Bodog payouts. All good feedback and we are upgrading the rating from B to B+. More About Timely Payouts or check out Bodog Lines - BoDog Matchups

May 1, 2009 SBG Global (Rating D+) Cancels racing wager well after the start of the betting event. This book has been in dire straights the last several years and shady moves like this have become it's hallmark.

April 23, 2009 A closer look at the DPT Sports Group. DPT runs multiple on-line and land based Casinos. Their land based Casinos are located in Costa Rica and their on-line ventures include, but are not limited to: ABCIslands, JazzBet, JazzSports, and LooseLines. MORE

April 21, 2009 BetFirstClass (Rating D-) Upgraded to D+. This book is showing up in forums as having successful same day payouts. We have taken note and will track it's accomplishments.

April 18, 2009 Las Palmas (Rating C-) almost done playing "catch-up". Most owed players report receiving payouts. Most large balances have been paid down. We are keeping the rating at C- to keep people weary and alert.

April 14, 2009 We Visit Legendz / The Pig Sportsbooks. A small team from Sportsbook Advisor visited the facility of Legendz/ThePig Sportsbooks.  Our goal was to meet with the managers of the sportsbook(s) that we recommend to our clients on a regular basis.  After a tour of the facility..... Read More and See Pictures

April 9, 2009 Aloha and Dr. Ho Sportsbooks enter rating guide at D Rating. Some spammy emails showed up in our box exclaiming Aloha Sportsbook is the best sportsbook in the world.  We decided to leave this one alone since we have had no feedback from people on this particular book.  After receiving even more email, we felt that it was our duty to rate this one right away because others were probably receiving these same emails. A quick Google search shows that this book shares an exact web design as another book, DrHoSportsbook.  So, apparently this is the same operation. MORE ABOUT Aloha

April 8, 2009 NoxWin enters rating guide at C+ Rating. We have not received much feedback about this sportsbook, so we are adding them at a safe "medium rating" based on the fact that there is nothing negative written about them either. READ MORE

March 27, 2009 WSEX (Rating C) still not paying several customers. Of the two that wrote in, one has not had a response in 14 days and the other is waiting on payment since early December.

March 23, 2009 Bookmaker, Diamond, CRIS Upgraded to B+. All recent slow pays that we have been monitoring have been taken care of and the books seem back on track.

March 21, 2009 BetLasPalmas (Rating C) still struggling to pay players requesting larger payouts. Management tells players to expect some payment by next month. Downgrade to C- is to keep potential clients weary.

March 9, 2009 BetLasPalmas (Rating C) receives infusion of cash and slow pay players report receiving payouts.

March 6, 2009 WSEX (Rating B) downgraded to C Rating upon SA receiving many complaints about slow pays.

March 1, 2009 Jazette Enterprises Limited consolidates many of its sub-sites under existing better known site names. MORE

February 28, 2009 Free Sports Pick Preview by our staff. Georgetown at Villanova Betting Preview.

February 26, 2009 5Dimes Enters Guide with A Rating. After much feedback and plenty of research, we have rated 5 Dimes Sportsbook with an "A" rating.

February 20, 2009 LasPalmas (Rating B) downgraded to C rating. Players write in and complain about very slow pays. LasPalmas has addressed the situation and claim they are waiting on frozen funds. Regardless, this is bad sign and worthy of a downgrade to keep players alert.

February 19, 2009 BoDog (Rating B), in an effort to gain back lost Poker market share, pushes new virtual Poker module. Read More

February 17, 2009 General Gaming News - Trump Entertainment files for bankruptcy - Read Full Article

February 17, 2009 Bookmaker pays 'no-pay' complainant. Gives player full reimbursement and a bonus for his troubles.

February 16, 2009 GoToCasino and sister book LasVegasOffshore enter guide at D- Rating. They have been telling payout requesting clients that they are "waiting on funds" from another source before they can payout.

February 16, 2009 Bookmaker.com, BetCris, Diamond Sportsbook Group Downgraded to B Rating. Player complains of two month + waiting period for payout as well as rude and clueless service reps. Another player writes in complaining about spam and harassing phone calls from Bookmaker.

February 13, 2009 Introducing "The Pig". Sportsbook, part of the Legendz family, enters Sportsbook Advisor Rating Guide at A+ and added to the recommended list.

February 12, 2009 BoDog Upgraded. Despite a tumultuous 2008, Bodog has hung in there and business is back to normal. Payouts now being processed in 5 days or less. Upgraded to B Rating.

February 10, 2009 DimeLine (SA Rating D+) pays all victims of cancelled wager scam. They also agree to never cancel wagers again due to injury etc.

Further Into the Archive

 

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