Sportsbooks Betting Terms
By Kris Lazaro (10/26/2006)
Sportsbooks
Definition
In the sports betting industry, the term sportsbook refers to the organization that takes in and accepts one’s sports bets. Such a sportsbook can either be land-based (such as being located in a casino), or be digital (residing in the Internet).
Land-based casinos
Sportsbooks that are physically located in a casino usually offers the sports bettor the standard odds for against the spread (ATS) games—such as football, basketball, etc. Often, lines are set at –110 (for example one has to lay $110 to win $100) and most moneylines are usually adjusted to the sportsbooks’ favor. Most sportsbooks do not allow people to have cell phones or other transmitting devices while inside the sportsbook—a restriction that limits people from broadcasting the current odds to others (although one may step outside the sportsbook area and place a call outside).
Online books
The majority of online sportsbooks cannot be trusted. Often, these shady sportsbooks are not licensed and offer no credible assurance that they will pay up if the sports bettor cashes out. The author severely warns all potential sports bettor of laying their money in small, unknown sportsbooks. A website that guides bettors to reputable sportsbooks is www.sportsbookreview.com. This site is a very useful tool in researching good sportsbook. The author personally endorses www.pinnaclesports.com. It is a very safe, efficient sportsbook that offers gamblers huge limits and reduced juice on all of its lines. The author has had experience with many other sportsbooks, and pinnacle’s service and reliability are bar none to the rest.
Duplicity
Sportsbooks, although they will not directly say it directly, are in it to make money by duplicity. They purposely set fishy lines and dupe the public into taking ‘bad bets’. As one gets more experience with line watching, one will realize that some lines are just ‘fishy’. If something looks to good to be true, it usually is. A word of caution to the sports bettor: Remember, if betting was easy, Las Vegas would cease to exist—if it looks too easy of a play, it probably will loose.
Summary
In closing, a sportsbook is the organization responsible for taking and accepting one’s sports bets. There are the original, land-based casinos and those that are found online. Land-based sportsbooks usually have the worst odds as compared to those online. They set lines at –110 and do not allow any communication devices to be used in their premises. Online sportsbooks must be researched first before the bettor lays money in such an outfit.
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