SBC VIEW: BETTING EXCHANGE & BET BROKER GUIDE

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2 SBC VIEW: BETTING EXCHANGE & BET BROKER GUIDE NOTE FROM THE EDITOR PETER LING Welcome to this special guide to the best betting exchanges and bet brokers, based on the recommended places to bet as observed and utilised by the SBC team. Although the release of this guide has been published to coincide with the start of the 2017/18 football season, the exchanges and brokers overviewed within are relevant for those of you betting on a multitude of sports. Including but not limited to the likes of Horse Racing, Tennis, Golf & the major US Sports: NBA, NFL, MLB & NHL. Each of those exchanges and brokers featured within this guide have been chosen for 2 specific reasons: 1. They offer excellent value odds and stable platforms for betting; 2. They do not limit or restrict winning punters. This latter point is crucial for almost all of us who bet these days, as success on sports such as Horse Racing can lead many traditional bookmakers to limit or close your betting account. Therefore, using the firms outlined in this guide will allow you to bet without fear of what might transpire should you be too successful in your punting. It is also worth noting that the odds offered on sports such as horse racing via Smarkets and Matchbook are always very similar to the best odds put forward by the UK high-street bookies, so where possible, SBC s recommendation is to bet on the exchanges first and foremost. You might not obtain concessions like Best Odds Guarantee prices but neither will you suffer from account closures or stake restrictions. UK & Ireland Customers I wanted to include a special note here for those of you based in the UK and Ireland or any other countries which are currently unable to bet with the likes of Pinnacle Sports or SBObet two of the most popular Asian firms. UK and Ireland customers lost access to these firms (and bet brokers) due to point of consumption laws passed in 2015, which required them to be licensed by the UK Gambling Commission. Although Pinnacle Sports have regularly spoken of their hope to return to the UK and Ireland in the future, it remains unclear exactly when (and if) this will ever happen. If you, like many are unable to bet with such firms, I strongly urge you to look into the options available with the likes of Matchbook who offer very competitive odds in similar markets to that offered by Pinnacle. For example if you compare the odds in a major Football, NBA or Tennis market between Matchbook and Pinnacle, you will regularly notice there is very little (if any) difference in the odds quoted after commission. Significant sums of money flows through Matchbook in these Page 2

3 markets and it represents a great option for those of you impacted by the unavailability of Pinnacle Sports. Smarkets have also introduced several Asian Handicap and Over/Under markets for many of these sports and offer another alternative betting source, which I highly recommend you check out. A Note On Betfair I haven t included Betfair in this guide for several reasons. Firstly 99% of you know what they offer and secondly their 5% base rate commission level is clearly uncompetitive when judged against the likes of Smarkets & Matchbook, their main exchange rivals. Betfair s focus these days also appears to be less about what made them successful in the first place and more about their sportsbook, online casino and cash out facilities. None of which for most serious punters add any real value. Page 3

4 BETTING EXCHANGE: SMARKETS Smarkets is a highly recommended betting exchange and a must-have account for all serious punters, especially those active on horse racing and football. The low 2% commission rate, coupled with improved website access both via desktop and mobile has seen a huge increase in betting volume. Smarkets Welcome Offers: Open a Smarkets Account, deposit a minimum of 20 and you will receive a 10 free welcome bonus. Refer a friend 10 bonus: Smarkets have also just introduced a refer a friend scheme, whereby you can get a 10 bonus for each friend that uses a referral code on sign-up. Full details supplied when you open a Smarkets account. The Smarkets Betting Exchange continues to go from strength to strength with significant inroads in terms of market share and volumes of money traded over the past 12 months. They have quickly established themselves as a major competitor to the likes of Betfair, primarily through their outstandingly low 2% commission rate. For even the smallest punter, the appeal of paying a simple 2% commission compared to Betfair s starting 5% rate can make a major difference over time. Coupled with Betfair s constant site stability issues and premium rate charge for larger punters, it s easy to see why Smarkets has grown so fast. Smarkets is an exchange the SBC team have been using extensively over the past 12 months across various sports, including horse racing. Those of you reading our review of the Bet Alchemist service in Part 2 of our 2017 Best Tipster Guide will have observed how closely we matched their advised prices, simply by taking the best prices on Smarkets. The introduction of asian handicap football lines has also improved their offer essentially mirroring many of the markets punters in the UK can no longer obtain through the likes of Pinnacle Sports. The in-play markets for both football and racing have also seen increased volume and usage, marking them out as further options for shrewd punters. Away from football & racing, Smarkets also offer markets on all other major sports and events including but not limited to: tennis, American football, baseball, basketball, cricket, golf, rugby league & politics. You can also bet in-play on many of these markets. We also like the fact they take betting seriously and don t offer the usual casino, bingo or poker games that so many other bookmakers and exchanges also push on customers. One downside at the moment with Smarkets is the fact they don t appear on some of the more popular odds comparison websites such as Oddschecker and Oddsportal. Ensuring that you have to check the Smarkets website manually to gauge the odds they offer and how they compare to the main market. Page 4

5 All told, we are fans of Smarkets and can recommend them as an exchange account to have not just for racing and football but all forms of betting. IN SUMMARY Positives: Genuine alternative for punters looking for a high volume, low commission alternative to Betfair or bookmakers who restrict. Ideal for horse racing and football betting. Stable easy to use website. Strong liquidity on several other sports & markets. Improved website design and mobile betting options. Negatives: Non-runners void any bets yet to be matched can be a major annoyance for horse racing punters requesting odds. Asian Handicap lines need expanding further. Odds not included in comparison tables at Oddsportal.com or Oddschecker.com Recommended For: All types of punter a very useful exchange account! Open a Smarkets Account SMARKETS INTERVIEW SBC: For those unfamiliar, can you explain a little bit about the Smarkets Exchange and what it offers football punters specifically? Smarkets: Smarkets is a betting exchange with a primary focus on price and technology, not entertainment and gambling. You won't find casinos, poker or slots on Smarkets, just a sleek exchange that provides fair prices on sports, politics and current affairs. Football is one of our most popular sports and we offer a host of markets on leagues and tournaments across the world. What are the advantages of betting on football through Smarkets as opposed to using other betting exchanges or bookies? With a commission rate of just 2% on net market profits, Smarkets often has the best odds in the world across its markets. Exchanges naturally provide better odds than bookmakers because there is no margin built into the odds and with Smarkets, you get the simplest and fairest commission rate of all. Do you have any stats on how your lower commission rates and better odds can help punters betting on football? Whether you're picking your value bet pre-match or trading an outright market live in the middle of the season, our low commission rates mean that your return will be better on Smarkets. We did some research ahead of last season's FA Cup final and it showed that a winning 10 bet on all FA Cup games in 2017 would have returned you as much as 10% more, or 146, with Smarkets. The key for any betting exchange is the volume of money traded on it - AKA the 'liquidity'. Specifically, on football, how has the liquidity grown over the past 12 months both in pre-game and in-play markets? Our liquidity and trading volume is increasing across all markets and as football is one of the most popular sports, we often see seven-figure volumes in the biggest matches. Page 5

6 As we continue to improve our in-play offering with fast data, liquidity is also improving there. Since we last spoke in August 2016, you have introduced Asian Handicap and Over/Under goals line markets for football. How have these new markets been received? Increasing our market offering is one of the priorities we have at the moment, so adding things like Asian Handicaps and First Goalscorer markets are a way to improve the offering we provide for customers. We had a lot of great feedback when we added these new markets. You also now offer a trade-out facility for users to cash in bets both pre-game and in-play. Can you explain how this works? It's a quick way to exit your position on a certain bet. Say you've backed Chelsea to win at 2.0 and now they are down to 1.5 after scoring the first goal, you can lock in a profit by selling your position. You can also trade out to cut your losses if the market doesn't go your way. More on this in our help centre article: Are there any other new markets or innovations introduced over the past year to be aware of? It's been a big year of product innovation for Smarkets, with our new platform, first apps launching and other features like two-factor authentication for increased account security. There's plenty more exciting developments on the horizon, but we can't reveal too much as that would be telling. Keep your eyes peeled! Can you outline what you offer customers interested on betting in-play on football? For top competitions, we provide lightning-fast in-play data and also our 'Instant Match' feature, where you don't have to wait for an in-play delay for your bet to be matched. If no material event occurs in the 'pending' stage after your bet matched, then you will be matched at that price and not potentially frustrated if the market moves. More on this in our help centre article: You have been working hard on the Smarkets mobile website and app in recent times. Can you outline what features are available to users betting via a mobile phone or tablet? The release of our first apps was a big thing for us and we are keen to keep improving them. Our mobile site and apps offer full exchange functionality and you can use features like keep bets inplay or trade out on your device. Open a Smarkets Account Page 6

7 BETTING EXCHANGE: MATCHBOOK The Matchbook exchange is another must-have account for any punter seriously betting on sports such as horse racing, football, tennis & the US markets. Offers low commission rates, excellent liquidity and a genuine alternative for punters unable to hold accounts with the likes of Pinnacle Sports. Matchbook Welcome Offers: Open a Matchbook Account, and you can earn up to 500 cash back in your first 5 weeks based on the amount you bet. For every 5 you pay in Matchbook commission, you will receive up to 500 back within your first 5 weeks. This offer is available for new Matchbook customers up to the 27 th of August. The second betting exchange we highly recommend here at SBC is Matchbook, who offer extremely competitive odds and low commission rates for those of you betting on the likes of horse racing, football, tennis and all the major USA based sports. If you haven t got a Matchbook account yet and you bet on any of these sports, it s imperative you open one and start to use them for your bet placement. The Matchbook exchange operates in a similar way to that of Betfair and Smarkets, two of their main rivals and will be familiar to anyone who has bet on an exchange before. Over the past year, Matchbook have continued to expand the markets and sports they offer with significant additions for football and tennis punters in-particular. The markets for both these sports plus all the major US offerings: NBA, NFL, MLB & NHL offer hugely competitive odds, often at similar odds you will see over in Asia. Compare the odds on offer from the likes of Pinnacle Sports with Matchbook and you will see they are very closely matched even after commission. Horse racing is also now a major market for Matchbook customers, which is all the more impressive considering it was only first introduced back in July They now offer competitive odds for both win and place betting in each UK and Ireland race at low commission rates, alongside a burgeoning international racing presence. Look out as well for their regular 0% commission offers for horse racing, which are well worth taking advantage of. There is however, one fundamental difference between Matchbook and the likes of Smarkets and Betfair that it is wise to be aware of. Whereas Betfair only charge commission on winnings, Matchbook take a (smaller) commission on all bets, regardless of whether the bet wins or loses. This is because Matchbook operates a per transaction revenue model, identical to many financial exchanges. Depending on the amount you trade and your location, this commission rate will vary with the base rate starting at 1.5% and rising to 1.75% if located in the UK or Ireland. Your activity levels on Matchbook will determine if you may also be charged a withdrawal fee. Do read our interview that follows for more detail on all of this. Page 7

8 Handily, Matchbook also features on two of the most popular odds comparison websites Oddsportal and Oddschecker, allowing you to compare their odds (with the option to add in your commission rate on Oddsportal to get the true odds) across several major sports. We have also been impressed by the Insight section of the Matchbook website now available, which features tips, advice and education on how to bet. Whether it be guidance on the type of bettor you are, the best betting films or interviews with experts like Neil Channing, there is plenty here to sink your teeth into. Make sure you also check out the regular Matchbook podcast. Open a Matchbook Account IN SUMMARY Positives: Large number of markets/sports available. Horse racing markets now offering very competitive odds. Similarly strong odds on tennis, football & US sports. Low commission rate on winning bets. Excellent insight section full of advice for aspiring gamblers. Included on Oddschecker and Oddsportal. Negatives: Commission charge on stake of losing bets and different rates per country. Some customers need to pay a withdrawal fee. No in-play for horse racing yet. Recommended For: All punters another must-have account. Open a Matchbook Account MATCHBOOK INTERVIEW SBC: For those unfamiliar with Matchbook, can you explain in general a little bit about your exchange and what it offers punters? Matchbook: Matchbook is a sports betting exchange community. We re in the business of providing the best prices, the deepest liquidity, and the most advanced technology in the industry to our customers. This provides an alternative to the wide margins and hidden costs that come with some of the other companies in the industry. What are the advantages of betting through Matchbook, especially in comparison to other exchanges and bookies? Being a betting exchange, Matchbook provides numerous benefits that you won t find at a traditional sportsbook. We will never limit winning bettors, no matter how hot your winning streak is! And because you re not betting against the shop like you would with a traditional sportsbook, we actively encourage winning bettors with in-depth analysis and betting trends from some of the industry s brightest minds at Matchbook Insights. Our cutting-edge technology and innovation allows us to provide our customers with the best prices and value, which can be evidently seen when looking at any odds comparison sites. Our best-in-class platform ensures users can have the ultimate online gaming experience while continually growing our community and liquidity pool. Page 8

9 What are the most popular betting markets and sports on offer at Matchbook? Traditionally Soccer has been our most popular sport on Matchbook with games in the big 5 leagues regularly reaching over $1m in liquidity. However, since the launch of Horse Racing in 2016, it has become our most popular sport offering and we expect this trend to continue as we expand the Horse Racing offering (South African Racing has just been added). We continue to be a very popular betting platform for US Sports with MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL offering deep liquidity and the best odds in the business Are there any new sports, markets or innovations that Matchbook have introduced over the past year to be aware of? In the last 12 months we have moved our Tennis and Soccer offering to the BetGenius platform. This has allowed us to offer more markets for both pre-game and in play. It has also allowed us to massively increase our live offerings in these sports. For Tennis we now offer Doubles and Challenger games dead-ball and in play as well as every ATP and WTA event. In Soccer we now offer a huge amount of live games from around the word every day. We also launched the insights section recently which is a very useful tool designed to educate customers on how to be successful on a betting exchange. In addition to this we also produce a weekly podcast featuring experts in the betting world which has proved a huge hit for our followers. The key for any betting exchange is the amount of money traded on it - AKA the 'liquidity'. Specifically, on football, how has the liquidity grown over the past 12 months both in pre-game and in-play markets? Liquidity has increased overall for Matchbook in soccer due to an increase in client base, increase in market makers and an overall increase in market offering for soccer. The average amount of markets per game for soccer has increased from 6.86 in Q to 11.7 for Q2 in This is expected to increase massively again in Q3 with a projected minimum of 25 handicap and total lines on offer for the major leagues. The increased offering and options has facilitated extra liquidity on site by attracting more customers and market makers. One of the most popular markets on Matchbook for football fans are Asian Handicaps, especially for UK punters unable to bet with Asian bookmakers. How do your Asian Handicap odds compare to the large Asian bookies? Matchbook s set-up is very similar to Asian books in that we offer half-ball, whole-ball and quarter-ball (popular in Asia) type markets. Matchbook s odds on soccer has been consistently strong over the last few years and we were best priced for soccer in 2015 as per oddschecker.com Briefly touching on other sports - in 2016 you launched Horse Racing on the Matchbook platform. How has the liquidity grown there and what markets do you offer? As well as the typical Win market, we offer Place markets on all races. We also offer ante post betting, top jockey & top trainer markets for the bigger festivals. As for liquidity we are always growing as we constantly offer industry best prices in our markets. As mentioned already we recently launched South African racing and we will be expanding our international offering even more in the near future. Page 9

10 Do you have any plans to introduce in-play betting for Horse Racing on Matchbook? We have trialed in play betting on Horse Racing a few times so far, and it will be eventually offered consistently once our in house technology is implemented fully. It is hoped once this is in place it will take our Horse Racing offering to another level! Can you explain the commission fees for using Matchbook and how they work? Because Matchbook is a betting exchange, we offer our users the chance to bet against each other while in a traditional sportsbook you would be betting against the shop. As a result, Matchbook provides the platform on which users can place these bets and takes a small commission fee when doing so. Our current commissions fees are: 1.5% for Matched bets and 0.75% for Posted Offers. You can find out more about commission here: How do the commission rates and fees change for UK and Ireland customers and why? Since 2015 laws in both Britain and Ireland require Matchbook to pay an additional 15% tax on all betting exchange commission payments received from its customers to the respective governments. This is generally called the Point of Consumption Tax. Because of this, Matchbook has to factor in the POC tax into our commission rate for customers from the UK and Ireland. This works out at 1.75% for Matched Bets and 0.80% for Posted Offers. I understand that for most customers, withdrawing money from your Matchbook account is free, yet for some users, there is a fee. Can you explain what this and how this all works? Each Matchbook account has a payment rating attached. Once this rating is 1.1 or greater, than withdrawals from that account are free. Matchbook prides itself on having the lowest commission rate in the industry, and in order to do that we must keep our processing costs to a minimum. Sometimes a Customer's funding activity will actually cost Matchbook more than betting activity generates. To ensure we keep our commission rates low for everyone, Customers falling into this category are charged a small fee of 2% to cover processing costs based on a payment rating calculated for each Matchbook account. To make sure the charge is fair and consistent, all relevant funding, play and fee details are taken into account to calculate the payment rating. Page 10

11 BET BROKERAGE: BET FOOTBALL Established bet brokerage firm offering easy access to numerous popular bookmakers and exchanges all under one roof. Strong customer service and good reputation forged over several years yet given minimum 300 Euro deposit requirements per account is for higher staking customers only. Not available currently to UK and Ireland customers. Bet Football Welcome Offer: Open a Bet Football Account, specify that you are a Secret Betting Club member and enjoy 0.1% cashback of your valid turnover during your first month of betting with Bet Football. Ideal for large staking customers. To qualify for this offer, simply choose Secret Betting Club when asked how you heard about Bet Football on their registration form. Bet-Football is a bet brokerage service offering direct access to a range of bookmaker and exchange accounts such as SBOBet, Matchbook, Pinnacle Sports, IBCbet, Singbet, Orbit exchange and many other big Asian based names. The key differential here is that Bet Football do not have a UK Gambling Commission license and as such, do not offer their services to customers based in the UK. For those of you based outside the UK and in a jurisdiction whereby you can utilize their services, they do remain a viable option. The service is free to use as Bet-Football make their money by claiming a commission directly from the bookmaking companies they provide access to. So, for example, by opening a Pinnacle account via Bet-Football, Pinnacle will pay Bet-Football for directing traffic and custom to their site. When an account has been opened with a bookie such as Pinnacle or the huge Asian firm IBC via Bet-Football, you will receive a password and log-in username for that account. To use the account, you simply log in to the bookmaker s website as normal, using the details forwarded to you previously by Bet-Football. You then operate that account for placing bets as you would as if you had opened it directly, the only difference is that you will deposit and withdraw funds via Bet-Football. The advantage that Bet-Football brings is access to firms that only provide custom through a third-party broker. You can also transfer funds easily and quickly between the accounts you hold through Bet-Football. You can also use their brokerage service, which may be useful if you are a high-roller looking to place a stake higher than that allowed via the firm s website. So for example, if wanting to get a larger sum of money into markets for the more obscure or minor European football leagues if liquidity levels are poor, you may be able to use Bet-Football s broker service to place your stake. Their KYC (Know Your Customer) authorization process needs to be completed before you can use their service and the min deposit to use a bookie sits at 100. The feedback we have had from SBC members is that the service runs extremely smoothly. Deposits and withdrawals have always been processed rapidly, with any request via Skype being answered quickly and professionally. Money can be transferred by bank transfer or e-wallets Page 11

12 such as Neteller and Skrill. There are no charges for deposits or for withdrawals, unless making a second withdrawal in less than a week. Bet-Football can be contacted via Skype between 9am and 8pm (GMT) from Monday to Friday, and between 9am and 9.00pm at weekends. Our experience of Bet Football thus far has been positive with quick payouts, deposits and placement of bets, however it should be noted they are licensed in Montenegro so there is an element of risk if depositing money with them. For all the rights and wrongs of the various licensing laws (especially in the UK), they do provide greater re-assurance that the funds you deposit are safe. That is not a direct criticism of Bet Football, but just a point to be aware of across the board when dealing with companies based in such jurisdictions. The standard practice we recommend for any bookmaker is to withdraw all but those funds you deem essential to hold in any account and this advice rings true for Bet Football too. If you leave substantial sums of money in any bookmaker or bet broker account, you are taking an unnecessary risk don t do it! Open a Bet Football Account (be sure to say you came via Secret Betting Club to ensure you benefit from the 0.1% cashback offer) IN SUMMARY Positives: Established firm providing easy access to all the major Asian bookmakers and European exchanges. White label Betfair access now provided. Free to use. Exemplary customer service and rapid withdrawal/deposit transactions. KYC needs to be approved on account opening (not withdrawal in the case of Asian Connect). 1 free withdrawal per week. Negatives: Not available to UK-based bettors. Increased risk in terms of funds deposited as firm licensed in Montenegro. 100 Euro minimum deposit with any firm (compared to 10 with Asian Connect) Recommended For: Professional or semi-professional bettors who wish to bet in large stakes especially given the 100 Euro minimum deposit per account held. BET FOOTBALL INTERVIEW SBC: For those unfamiliar with Bet Football, can you share a brief description on the services you offer? Bet Football: Bet-Football continues to provide sports bettors a one stop solution provider. We offer a wide range of betting accounts with Asian bookmakers and European exchanges all through one registration and one wallet. We can also provide customers who need betting software, which enables them to make sure they are always hitting the best prices on their football selections. We can also offer a tailor made service for customers who are high staking and require more liquidity than what is available directly on the websites and can offer a Skype betting which is an invitation only service. Page 12

13 Since we last interviewed you in August 2016, can you outline anything new being offered to customers? We are constantly looking to add more bookies to our product offering and we now offer multiple options for customers looking to use betting software. We also have a new exchange that we are agents for which is an official white label of Betfair. We will also be launching in time for the new season a new sportsbook, so stay tuned. Can you explain the advantages of using Bet Football compared to other more traditional bookmakers? We know every customer has different requirements and also expectations from their brokers so when it comes to betting we make it our job to make sure the customer gets exactly what they need. We provide the best and most secure Asian accounts with top prices and large liquidity none of which will limit winning players. We pay out quickly and as we are just an agent we have no preferred bookies so we give independent advice and tailor accounts to customer needs. What bookmakers and exchanges do you provide access to? We can provide accounts in currencies including GBP, EUR, CNY, and HKD. Bookies include: Pinbet88 (Pinnacle), SBO, GA288, Maxbet (IBC), ISN, M8, Sing, 1Bet, 10Bet, 18bet, Matchbook, Orbit and Betdaq Once you have a Bet Football account open - how can the user then place bets through you? Once a customer has registered and their details been verified we can then provide them with the account/s they have requested from us. We simply open those accounts and the login details over to them and they are then good to use. Bet-Football are then on hand over Skype or to help process deposits, withdrawals or transfers between accounts. What kind of punter uses Bet Football? Is it for those betting at large stakes only or is it anyone interested in obtaining the best value odds possible, regardless of stakes? We have a wide range of customers ranging from small casual punters to large staking syndicates. We understand every customer has different needs but the one thing they all have in common is wanting to use a bookie that has the best odds, highest liquidity and are safe to use so we ensure they are the accounts being offered. Opening a Bet Football account is free, so how do you make money? Are there any fees to be aware of? Accounts are free to open and use yes. We simply earn a small commission from the Sportsbooks when customers place their bets. Each customer gets 1 free withdrawal per working week (Mon - Sun) all others in the same week have a 1% fee. Page 13

14 What countries do you accept customers from? For example, can punters from the UK or Ireland sign up with you? We are unable to currently accept UK, France, Turkey or USA registrations. If not available to the UK and Ireland, do you have any plans to offer this as an option in the future? As soon as anything changes in regards to the countries we can accept we will make everyone at SBC aware - Hopefully have some news sooner than later. What is the account opening process like and what kind of information do you need to provide to be approved for an account? Opening an account is very simple. All that is needed is to fill out the registration form online and in your KYC which can be a copy of your ID (passport, driving licence or ID card) and a utility bill dated within 3 months. Once we have all that the customer is then good to start, What is your attitude towards winning gamblers...are they welcome? As we are agents we welcome all types of players: leisure punters through to professional syndicates and we are aware that some customers win long term. This does not affect us and in turn the advantage of using the Asian websites is that they do not mind either. They are receiving huge amounts of volumes on both sides and deal with winners differently to the European books (NO limiting). Same applies for Arbing: we know the bookies that welcome these type of players and where accounts will not be limited. We know how to treat all types of customers and make sure they receive a long term service from the bookies they use. What kind of deposit or staking requirements are there for those wishing to use you? Also how can punters move money? At Bet-Football we keep it very simple, minimum deposit per requested bookie is 300 and the only limit on staking is what is set on the bookies websites (we have no control over the min stakes). We can accept Skrill, Neteller and Bank Transfers. In order to transfer funds from an account to another all players have to do is or message us on skype and we will process that for them. What kind of licenses do you hold and who are you regulated by? We are licenced by E-Gambling, Montenegro Punters are naturally wary of depositing large sums of money with bet brokerage firms - what reassurances can you give that money placed with you is safe? We are fully regulated by the Montenegrin authorities therefore we have to abide by their laws. Our management team has operated similar services licensed in the Channel Islands and other jurisdictions for several years therefore insist Bet-Football upholds the same standards and offers the same guarantees to its clients. Page 14

15 BET BROKERAGE: ASIAN CONNECT Competitive Asia based bet brokerage firm in operation for the past 10 years. Offering access to a wide variety of accounts including the likes of Pinnacle Sports, SBOBet, BetISN and many others. Lower requirements for new accounts (min deposit of 10 GBP/USD) highlights them as one more suitable to smaller stake punters. Not available to UK and Ireland customers. Open an Asian Connect Account Asian Connect is a long-established Bet Brokerage firm, providing one-stop-shop access to a selection of Asian based betting firms. This includes accounts with the likes of SBObet, Pinnacle, BetISN, Matchbook and many more firms. Once signed up as an Asian Connect customer, you simply request the accounts you would like and they provide you with a login for each. There are some distinct advantages of using a service such as Asian Connect, including the ability to transfer funds quickly between different bookmaker accounts with them. They also save you in terms of the time needed to open individual accounts with each firm. As with almost all bet brokers, they are paid by the bookmakers who provide them a commission based on the amount of money Asian Connect customers turnover. It is effectively free for most people to use, with the only fees a 1% charge if making more than 1 withdrawal per month. One recommendation we would have is once opening an Asian Connect account to follow their KYC (Know Your Customer) requirements immediately to approve your account for withdrawal. Asian Connect only ask you to do this at the withdrawal process, although our preference is for this to be completed upon account opening. We first reviewed Asian Connect back in late 2013 and since then, we have only heard positive reports from those members who have used their service. It is important to note however, that as they are licensed in the Dutch Antilles, there is an element of risk if depositing money with them. Our recommendation therefore is to not leave large sums of money in any Asian Connect accounts and just enough for your day to day betting (although this is good advice for any bookmaker far better for such sums to be safely accruing interest in your bank account then elsewhere). Open an Asian Connect Account IN SUMMARY Positives: Established firm providing easy access to all the major Asian bookmakers and European exchanges. Free to use. Good customer service and rapid withdrawal/deposit transactions. 10 minimum deposit with any firm (although initial 100 needed to open your Asian Connect account in the beginning) Negatives: Not available to UK-based bettors. Increased risk in terms of funds deposited as firm licensed in Netherlands Antilles. KYC needs to be approved on account withdrawal (not account opening in the case of Bet Football). Only 1 free withdrawal per month Page 15

16 Recommended For: Those of you looking for a more entry level solution for a bet broker given the 10EUR/GBP deposit required to open an account. ASIAN CONNECT INTERVIEW As part of our analysis, we also spoke with Asian Connect to understand more on their service and how they can help you. SBC: For those unfamiliar with Asian Connect, can you share a brief description on the services you offer? Asianconnect: Asianconnect is a premiere sports betting brokerage that provides exclusive access to betting in Asia. Our goal is to give a personalized gaming experience to suit our client s betting needs. As a premiere sports betting brokerage, we have a decade of proven track record in providing excellent service. Our company, Asianconnect, is within the business of providing excellent service on the betting industry since We bridge the gap between European bettors and the Asian Market. Can you explain the advantages of using Asian Connect compared to other more traditional bookmakers? Advantages of using Asianconnnect: Can open account on each book Customers can do Book to book and person to person transfer No limits either winning or losing customer Welcome all kinds of customers Easy transaction processing through various payment method Dedicated 24/7 customer service Fastest payment Secured and anonymous betting What bookmakers and exchanges do you provide access to? We provide sports book such as Maxbet, SBObet, Pinnacle/Pinbet88, Singbet, BetISN, GA288, Asianodds, Skype Betting and Matchbook. Once you have a Asian Connect account open - how can the user then place bets through you? Once your account has been made. We will then provide you your log in credentials on the certain book that you wish to open, after that you can bet anonymously through the account given to you. Opening a Asian Connect account is free, so how do you make money? We are paid commission by the bookmakers based on our customer s total turnover How can a customer deposit or withdraw money with you and what fees do you charge? Deposits and withdrawals can be done with the help of our friendly support representatives. Send us an or chat via skype and your transaction can be made with no less than 5 minutes. French customers are free of deposits and withdrawals while other countries who will use Skrill and Neteller has unlimited free deposits, 1 free withdrawal per calendar month and Page 16

17 1% fee will be charge with the succeeding transaction. For customers who will use Ecopayz as their payment method there is 1 free deposit and withdrawal per calendar month and will be charge 2% for every succeeding Transaction. Bankwire is free of charge. What countries do you accept customers from? For example, can customers from the UK or Ireland sign up with you? We accept almost every country barring a few exceptions customers are invited to contact us directly for details as to whether we can accommodate them. What is the account opening process like and what kind of information do you need to provide to be approved for an account? Once done with the registration, you need to make an initial deposit of 10EUR/GBP for us to open an account. We will then create you an account once we receive the payment and we will send you your log in credentials via . Once you are able to log in, you can start betting right away! Who are you regulated by and what assurances can you provide customers that money deposited with you is safe and secure? Asianconnect is licensed and regulated by the gaming commission of the Government of the Netherlands Antilles. The gaming license requires us to hold sufficient funds in our bank accounts to honour all customer winnings. Other things that your readers might want to know: If the customer wish to make withdrawals, they need to undergo KYC verification in which our KYC team will request for necessary documents. If by any chance, the customer forgot his password, they can send us a request via or Skype. We will require some identity confirmation as part of our security measures. The minimum deposit for all money gateways is 10 EUR. To open a Asianodds account, the minimum deposit is 100 EUR/GBP while Skype Betting minimum deposit is 150 EUR/GBP. Page 17

18 DISCLAIMER & COPYRIGHT NOTICE The views expressed within this article are based on the authors experience alone. Any money used within the services mentioned is done so at the risk of the individual. If you are affiliated with any of the services mentioned and have any questions regarding the points we raise, we welcome your correspondence. Secret Betting Club is for information & education purposes only and does not represent financial advice. There is a risk of loss in betting. Past performance is not indicative of future results. It is our intention to be as accurate in fact, detail and comment as possible. However, we cannot be held responsible for any error in detail, accuracy or judgment whatsoever. Literary copyright for this document and all the articles herein are held by Fortuna Publishing Limited. Members are free to print this document for their own use, but may not share its content with others without our express permission. Any person found to have made the contents of this publication or the entire publication itself available to other people in person or via the internet without express permission may be subject to legal action. Any member found to have breached these terms of membership will have their subscription terminated with immediate effect and access removed from all Secret Betting Club services. Page 18