BrianL's gift to Covers.... Complete Sportsbook Ratings

I've been doing this for a longgggg time now.  I have played at close to 100 books in my lifetime... I feel like I have a good grasp of the books ratings and im not getting paid like covers, sbr and RX so mine is just a little more unbiased....  If there's books that I didn't rate, it means they are really not worth playing at... I tried to do as many as I had time to do, but obviously I couldn't rate them all.

1^st Tier Books:

-          Bet Jamaica/The Greek- Sister books… best in the business far and away.  Very slow to limit you…. Fastest payouts in the industry… A+ customer service.  The Greek has more betting options, but Bet Jamaica has a better layout…. Split your money between the two of them and you will have no complaints.  The Greek has totals in CBB, and tons of props… Bet Jamaica has better reduced juice.  You can’t lose betting with either…. The amazing thing about this group is they have gotten stronger after the UIGEA… not many books can say that at all.

-          Heritage Sports- For those who have access to this site, you know firsthand just how great this book is.  The #1 book for customer service and perks… They know how to treat you better then any other book does.  Payouts are always extremely quick, and again, they aren’t too quick to limit you unless you are betting steam.   They lack betting options (no tennis, lack of CBB totals, no NHL periods, limited soccer), but everything else about this book more then makes up for it.    They are ranked #3 behind BetJM and Greek.

-          Matchbook-  This one will be criticized, but the bottom line is that they are a must-out for US sports bettors…  If you don’t have an account here, you are losing money.  They have by far the best lines on every single game.  Obviously, people have trouble getting money on the site, but besides that, theres really no complaints.  Book to book transfers have always been quick, and they are the best way  to go.  There payouts aren’t as quick as other books, but there have been no complaints ever of not being paid.   The reason they are not #1?  Lack of deposit options…. Lack of CS… but they make you so much more money on a daily basis that they have to be at the top.

2^nd Tier Books:

-          5Dimes:  The best of the rest…. They have the most betting options for American bettors in the industry.  They lead the way in deposit options… Quick payouts MOST of the time.   What’s keeping them down is just the fact they are soo quick to both limit you, and take away the reduced juice.   There limits aren’t too high in  the first place…. They really are the perfect book for small time bettors… but for everyone else?  Not really.

-          BetPhoenix/BetMania/WagerChief, etc.:  Another group of books that is perfect for small time bettors…. Not great for the rest.  First the bad…. They are quick to limit and put you on delays… Theres been times where there security has come into question, but it seems theres been many problems recently like there was a year ago.  The payout times have been questionable, as it seems that they have had more processor problems then many other books…. But the good does outweigh the bad.  Richard is a hell of a manager and knows how to run a shop.  As long as you talk to the people in charge, you will always get an answer for a problem with CS.  They have probably the best bonuses in the business and give out tons of handouts to losers.  Betting options are average… overall, they are an above average book.

-          Parlaymakers-  Its weird putting them this high, but they have become a pretty big out for USA bettors.   With pinnacle banning Americans, we lost the top book in the industry.  Max and Co. are smart though,  and they have essentially brought the book back for us.  Now, theres a lot of room for improvement, of course.  For one thing, they need to start doing there own processing and get rid of the system with GP… but in the meantime, as long as GP is up and running this book is actually a must have.  With them copying Pinnacle’s lines, they are giving us betting options that no other book that caters to Americans has.  They give you tons of live betting, and the limits are actually pretty high.  With Max trying to run an exchange, this could be a top book in the future if they can start taking care of there own banking.  Overall, though, I would definitely recommend them.

-          Legend- Solid book that has been around for a long time now.   They are more reliable then the average books, but don’t have the options that the best book has.  There juice is average, but CS is superb.  This book is high cause of the reliability and the fact that they are slow to limit you.  I would consider them more of a professional book then recreational.  Payouts are ALWAYS quick, and they are just all around solid book that doesn’t cold-call… they just do what they do.

-          BetOnline-  A book that is definitely on the rise.  They have done a lot in the last year to turn there reputation around and I can only see them continuing with this.  The main problem has been in the software, but they have given you a few options now so that’s improved.  They have great bonuses and some perks you can’t get at other books.  Customer service is above average and they have recently added many deposit options.  There lines are industry average.  They have to improve check payout times, but besides that, they are very recommended.

Middle Of The Pack:

-          Bodog:  This company is not just a sportsbook, as there main focus is clearly on poker and other events, so its hard to judge them.  The lines are very average and they are one of the slowest in the industry to post lines.    Good book to bet underdogs…. Besides that,  really no reason to use them for there book.  The poker room on the other hand is very handy, and they have a very nice racebook.  Payout problems are null… not fast but industry standard for checks.  Becky is bangin’… that is all.

-          Just Bet/You Wager/First Fidelity:   These books are all the same…. Average lines, average customer service, average sportsbooks.  Nothing these books have really stick out compared to the rest.  They are all quick to limit you and don’t even have high limits to begin with.  Recreational books, but why would you choose these over Bet Phoenix or 5dimes?  These books are all known to cold- call constantly and they will harass you.  Payouts will be made of course so they aren’t stiffs…. Just don’t bring anything to the table that top books don’t have.  They’ll give you all the bonuses in the world when you lose, but the second you are ahead on them, you can forget all these perks. 

-          Bookmaker/Diamond-  Really not sure where to put them, but I guess they are slightly above average.  They have really fallen over the years… If I did this list 3 years ago, they woulda been top 2… now?  I definitely wouldn’t recommend them.  A book that used to be all about professionals is now very petty.  They do have tons of lines, but the juice sucks.  They will pay you out.. but not nearly as quick as top books.  They used to have the highest limits in the industry but now will limit you.   There business practices have been completely torn apart recently and I’m not sure why exactly.  200 dollars for a book to book transfer whereas almost every other book is free?  What kept them high recently was the balls they had to post  college bball totals first…. Now, they are like most of the industry and only post TV games….  Lets not even get into the constant cold-calls.

Stay AWAY:

-          BetUS/Sportsbook Family/SBG:  Stay away from these books as they give you more problems then any other book.  There websites look appealing… they offer good bonuses…. But in the end, they will do everything they can before they payout.  They are all known to have REAL stall tactics and will limit you faster then you’ll know.  They do everything they can to make themselves seem like a top book by advertising at places like here and therx, but overall, they are some of the slimiest books.  Stay away and play at ANY of the aforementioned books. 

Brian, Nice write up for Americans. 

Pretty much sums it up. Conclusion is obvious.  BJ/Greek, MB, parlymakers and call it a day.

Obviously for non-yanks, pinny in a landslide.

Brian-I still remember every aspect of the day when Pinny cut us off.  The weather, what I was wearing, etc.  If I knew the exact financial tool it has taken on me I would probably get ill, seriously.

Also, don't discard the time lost dealing with other books that require so much logistically.

For goodness sakes you could w/d and deposit thru e-check with them w/o id'ing or anything. Simply great book.  The people that complain about them on here who aren't Americans are totally clueless to the asset that book is.