Vinnie’s Back, and it’s almost time to start thinking about the N-F-L! Hope you all enjoyed the playoff run with me last year.  I think I only lost one game!  (Darn JETS – oh why was I a homer again).  Anyways, after a successful playoff run, I took my money out (tax free!), and I’m thinking of re-upping for the upcoming season.  I like to get an early start of the season, as often some preseason games are decided by the coaches before the players ever hit the field.  More on that later, but on to sport books.  Where oh where should I gamble this year?

This week I’ll be outlining www.bettorsworld.com.  Next time I’ll outline our preferred wagering partner www.sportsbetting.com.  FantasySharks.com gets a small kick back from these people.  So if your interested in on-line gambling, please click on the link below and help defray our costs.

Ok onto Bettorsworld….

www.bettorsworld.com has a nice group of forums to discuss pro/cons of each sportsbook.  I highly suggest visiting that site and reading user reviews before sending funds to ANY overseas book.  Even if you are satisfied, and got paid last year, times changes, ownership changes, and it’s important to do your due diligence, so you can collect after you win.

There are THREE main components I looked for when I examine an offshore book

#1) Reliability of the operation(fiscally).  Is this sportsbook going to be in business after the football season?

#2) Ease of website wagering.  It’s no fun to really want to place a halftime bet, only to dodge 6 screens, a internet server crash, and odd (non-textual) website logos to place a bet.  I want a FAST, CLEAR, SIMPLE (DID I SAY FAST) interface so I an quickly read lines, compare books, and make wagers

#3) Bonuses – some books really want your $$.  Bonuses are a great enticement.  Some books offer a free parley, other a free bet, others 5-20% bonus money.  Some books have teasers win policy, others sport books have different promotions, (like –102 instead on –110 on certain days/games, etc).

Without #1, I do not even look at #2, or #3.  Then, I look at the website, and determine if I can make quick bets, easy to use, etc.  Finally, I start looking around at bonuses.

http://www.bettorsworld.com/web/artman/publish/ is a nice page to examine for bonuses.

Read the forums to determine if a particular sportsbook pays out, or holds your money for too long.

Experiment, many sportsbooks have demos, so play around with them.

More on individual sportsbook two weeks from now, until then, I’ll be busy pouring some concrete.  Please email info@fantasysharks.com if you would like a particular sportsbook reviewed by Vinnie.