Best offshore sportsbooks for online betting?

George Sullivan13 said:ellybrit says:
I used a betting site at home, but I want to switch because the minimum withdrawal is $80, whereas with Bwin it’s only $30... does anyone have experience with Bwin? Especially regarding payouts (I'm from the US). I know that for the first withdrawal, they need copies of documents, IDs, or something like that.
.
.
.
.

How on earth do you think you "had" to copy your ID??? You literally have to send them a scan of your document—I mean, are these people even sane?

You just scan your passport and email it over.
With Bet365, I sent mine right away and got a code immediately at home, which I entered on their site to prove I was of age.
Every single sportsbook is going to ask you for that during your first withdrawal; honestly, it's best to just send it right after you register.
With Bwin, you wait a little longer, but they’re fine.

George Sullivan13 said:why on earth would you think you have to copy an ID??? I mean, you literally have to send them a scan of the document—are they actually insane?

Look, that’s just standard operating procedure everywhere in the world.

feralcyclist5 said:How does Bet365 handle payouts here in the States? I'm thinking about depositing 100 bucks and I'm just curious how the winnings would come back to me. I'd use my Mastercard, so I'm wondering what the payout process looks like.

If you used a Mastercard, you just request a withdrawal straight to it. It'll show up on your bank statement as a REFUND or a reversal from Bet365.

Good luck!

Walter Edwards said:That is a perfectly standard and common practice in this industry.

Go 😕 ahead, but currently I am only playing through Bet365, and they haven't requested any paperwork from me for
withdrawals. Usually, the funds hit my account within a few days, and they didn't ask for any ID documents when I first signed up. My only minor gripe is that the minimum withdrawal is $100, which is why I was thinking about trying out some other sites to play on.
Do you happen to know which other sportsbooks require documentation during deposits or withdrawals?
Thanks in advance! 👍

George Sullivan13 said:Man 😕, I hear you—but right now I’m strictly sticking to Bet-at-home, and they haven't asked me for a single thing regarding
withdrawals. Usually, the cash hits my account within a couple of days, and honestly, when I signed up, they didn't even ask for ID to open the profile. The only annoying part is that the minimum payout is $100, which is why I was thinking about testing out some other sites to play on.
Do you happen to know which other sportsbooks demand documentation during deposits or withdrawals?
thanks in advance! 👍

Bwin, basically all the big names (Bet365, William Hill, StanJames, BlueSQ, Paddy Power, Ladbrokes...), Interwetten, Expekt, Sportingbet....

Walter Edwards said:Bwin, all those retail sportsbooks (Bet365, William Hill, StanJames, BlueSQ, Paddy Power, Ladbrokes...), Interwetten, Expekt, Sportingbet....

Does that mean you have to scan a driver's license, or do they strictly require a passport?
Do you happen to know the reasoning behind their request?

George Sullivan13 said:So, do they just need a scan of a driver's license, or does it seriously have to be a passport?
Does anyone actually know why they're being so pushy about this?

A passport

They want it because they need to verify a few things:
1. That you're actually an adult
2. To make sure you aren't running multiple accounts
3. To cut down on fraud
4. To stop money laundering
+ plenty of other reasons, honestly.

For instance,
someone could open a bunch of different accounts and—say someone is dealing with illegal income—they deposit cash into several different sportsbooks, place some bets, and then withdraw the funds to their bank account to effectively wash the money. Makes sense, right?
The thing is, there are limits on deposits; we're talking up to maybe $3,000, though bigger US sportsbooks might allow up to $10,000.
Some places have monthly limits, some have quarterly ones, and so on...

Has anyone here actually placed bets through Betfair.com?

I was going through the instructions, and it says that if you live outside the United Kingdom, you aren't betting against other people—you're betting directly against Betfair itself. I'm curious how that actually works in practice. I understand the standard process: when you bet against other people, your bet gets MATCHED once someone else accepts your odds and stake. But in this scenario, what’s the mechanism when you're essentially playing against the house?

Dennis Turner62 said:Has anyone tried betting through betfair.com?

I was reading the instructions, and it says that if you live outside the United States, you aren't betting against other people, but against Betfair itself. I'm curious how that actually works. I know that when you bet against other people, the bet gets MATCHED once someone else accepts your odds and stake, but what happens when you're playing against Betfair directly?

Drop a link or explain where you saw that so I can take a look.

I've been using Betfair for ages and I've always been betting against other users; I didn't even realize you could bet against the house.🤷

And yes, I live outside the United States.🙂

slywolf57 said:Drop a link or explain where it says that—I want to see what we're actually talking about.

I've been using Betfair for ages, mostly betting against other people—I didn't even realize it was possible to bet against Betfair itself.🤷

And yes, I live outside the United Kingdom.🙂

UK registered customers bet against other Betfair customers. If you're registered with Betfair from somewhere else (like South Africa), you're betting directly against Betfair rather than other Betfair customers. Someone told me this is called "cross matching" with Betfair.

http://www.betfair.com/aboutUs/Regulatory.Information/

Anyway, I almost always Lay at odds of 2.0 with a €10 stake, but it’s hard to get them MATCHED—it usually goes through fine when the odds and stakes are different.

Dennis Turner62 said:Customers registered in the United Kingdom are betting against other Betfair customers. If you're registered with Betfair from outside the United Kingdom (say, South Africa), you're betting directly against Betfair rather than other Betfair customers. Someone told me this is called cross matching with Betfair.

http://www.betfair.com/aboutUs/Regulatory.Information/

Basically, I almost always Lay at odds of 2.0 with a $10 stake, but it’s hard for them to accept it as MATCHED. Other odds and stakes usually get accepted quickly.

It's obvious we're betting against other users; during major sporting events, liquidity can dry up, so sometimes only a few dozen dollars will clear at the same odds. Betting a few dozen dollars against Betfair itself should go through without an issue. Just send them an email and ask about those specific rules—there's likely a straightforward explanation for what they actually mean.🙂

If you're referring to that 7-8 second delay on live bets, that's standard. It's probably there to prevent someone from placing a bet at the old odds just seconds after a goal is scored. Non-live bets process much faster.

Dennis Turner62 said:Customers registered in the United Kingdom are betting against other Betfair customers. If you’re registered with Betfair from somewhere else—say, South Africa—you’re betting directly against Betfair instead of other users. Someone told me this is called cross matching with Betfair.

http://www.betfair.com/aboutUs/Regulatory.Information/

Basically, I almost always Lay at odds of 2.0 with a $10 stake, but I have a hard time getting them MATCHED. It usually accepts lower odds and smaller stakes much faster.

"Someone told me," "someone said," etc.
BF cross matching is pretty straightforward.
Take an illiquid market, for example.

Here’s an example:
The old system: An illiquid market. Tennis.
Player 1 BACK price 1.4
Player 2 LAY price 2.00

Under the old system, if someone doesn't really have a feel for the odds and wants to Back Player 1 at 1.5 for $100, they can't find a match at 1.5. So, that 1.5 order just sits on the Lay side... but why would you Back at 1.5 when you could Lay at 2.0 and grab way more profit?

The new system: Cross matching.
Player 1 BACK price 1.4
Player 2 LAY price 2.00

Let's say you want to Back Player 1 at 1.5 for $100. Even though there's no liquidity and no 1.5 odds available to match you, instead of that $100 sitting on the Lay side, it gets matched immediately at 2.00. Why? Because the system sees that someone on the Lay side wants to Back Player 2 at 2.00 for, say, $200.
The system takes $100 from them and shows you as if you Backed at 2.00.
Essentially, it favors players who aren't being super careful with their odds.

Hope that clears things up.

Best, 👍

Peter Williams37 said:Someone said this, or that, etc.
BF cross matching—it's quite simple.
Take an illiquid market, for instance.

Example:
Old system: An illiquid market. Tennis.
Player 1 BACK price 1.4
Player 2 LAY price 2.00

Under the old system—if someone lacks intuition regarding odds—they might try to back P1 at 1.5 for $100. Since they can't match that 1.5, the order sits on the lay side instead... but why bother backing at 1.5 when you could lay at 2.0 and secure a much larger profit?

New system: Cross matching.
Player 1 BACK price 1.4
Player 2 LAY price 2.00

Suppose you want to back P1 at 1.5 for $100. Even without liquidity or the specific odds to match, the $100 doesn't just sit on the lay side at 1.5; it gets matched immediately at 2.00. Why? Because the system recognizes someone on the lay side wants to back P2 at 2.00 for, say, $200.
The system takes $100 from him and displays it to you as if you backed at 2.00.
Essentially, it caters to careless players and such.

Hope that clarifies things.

Regards 👍

I think I get it, but let me recap.

I’m laying at odds of 2.0 for $200 (meaning I'm prepared to lose $200).

And if there isn't anyone on the other side backing at 2.0 for $200, they'll pair me with someone backing at 1.5 for $100—in which case his odds get bumped up to 2.0 while his stake stays the same, and my exposure drops from $200 down to $100. Am I right?

Hm, so there's a chance that if I'm laying to win $200, my position gets reduced to $100.

Dennis Turner62 said:I think I get it, but let me run this by you once more

I’m placing a LAY bet at odds of 2.0 with a $200 stake (meaning I'm willing to risk $200)

And if there isn't anyone on the other side placing a BACK bet at odds of 2.0 with a $200 stake, they'll just pair me up with someone betting at 1.5 odds for $100. In that scenario, his odds would jump to 2.0 while keeping the same stake, and my stake would drop from $200 down to $100. Am I following that correctly?

Hmm, so basically there's a chance that if I try to LAY for a $200 win, my actual stake gets cut down to $100

Actually, no, that's not quite how it works. 🙂
The main thing to remember is that Betfair will match you at the odds you set, or even better if they are lower.
To put it simply:
If you're looking to back at 1.5, but you didn't realize that laying the other side is essentially like backing at 1.58, Betfair will show you that you've been matched at 1.58.
Basically, this setup actually works in the users' favor.

Peter Williams37 said:Actually, that's not how it works. 🙂
The bottom line is that Betfair will match you at the odds you set—or even higher.
To put it simply:
If you back at 1.5, but you didn't realize that laying the other side effectively means you backed at 1.58, Betfair will show your matched price as 1.58.
Basically, this setup favors the users.

Aha, so if someone backs 1.5 with a $100 stake, there's a chance they won't match at their specified odds, but instead, Betfair might give them better odds—which obviously helps since the payout is higher.

But for those laying 1.5 to win $100, it’s not exactly a win if the odds get bumped up. If they lose, they have to cover a larger liability. Am I right on that, or does Betfair simultaneously lower the potential profit to adjust for the amount the user was originally willing to risk?

Essentially, does Betfair only adjust the odds, or do they also tweak the back stakes and the lay profits?

Even for the guy laying at that moment, it’s not working in his favor. It doesn't help the person who already placed the bet—meaning the money that's already sitting there as an offer. Either they miscalculated or they simply forgot to pull the bet.
Is that any clearer now?

Look, Betfair doesn't just mess with the odds. People set the odds, along with various bots and whatnot. Betfair just introduced this cross-matching to make sure the little guys don't get ripped off.🙂

Ha, I suppose I follow you somewhat now.

I would always place a Lay bet at odds of 2.0 with a target profit of $10, then just sit back and wait for someone on the other side to get my bet MATCHED. My question is this: is there any chance that Betfair might adjust the odds—higher or lower—or change my potential profit after the fact? That's what I'm trying to figure out.

Dennis Turner62 said:Haha, I think I'm starting to get the hang of this.

If I were to always place a LAY bet at odds of 2.00 with a €10 profit target and just wait for someone else to accept it so I get MATCHED, is there any chance the odds could shift? Like, could Betfair change the odds or adjust my potential profit while I'm waiting? That’s what I’m curious about.

If you can get that 2.00 LAY matched right away, then you're all set.
If you set your odds and then just sit tight, the price won't change—you'll be locked in at 2.00 when it happens.

However, if you're setting odds without realizing you could have laid at a lower price, Betfair might execute it as a lower odds LAY instead, which ends up costing you more money (that's called cross-matching).

To break it down: imagine you go back to Tip 1, hit submit, and wait those 5 to 8 seconds. If the Betfair system sees that you actually could have backed a higher odd because someone is looking to back Tip 2 at a certain price, the system will lay their bet for an XY amount and show you as having backed a higher odd.

If that doesn't make sense, I don't know what will.🙂

Cheers,

Peter Williams37 said:If you can match a lay at 2.00 immediately, you're golden.
If you set a specific odds level and just wait, there isn't a scenario where it becomes more or less than 2.00 when it finally hits—it will be 2.00.

If you set your odds without realizing you could have laid at a lower price, Betfair will execute the trade as if you laid the lower odds, effectively costing you money via cross-matching.

To clarify cross-matching once more: You go back to TIp 1, hit submit, and wait those 5-8 seconds. If the Betfair system sees you could have backed at a higher price because someone on TIp2 is looking to back at a certain level, Betfair will lay their position for an XY amount, which shows up as you having backed at a higher price.

If that isn't clear by now, I'm lost. 🙂

Regards,

I get it now. So, if I'm laying at 2.00 and Betfair sees an opportunity to lay at a lower coefficient, it either suggests it or matches me at the lower one. That’s actually great—I always aim to lay at 2.00, and if the odds drop in my favor, even better. Same logic applies to backing when the odds increase.

Alright, thanks for the info and the help. 🙂

Hey everyone! I’ve got a question here that might be useful for a few of us.
I noticed that BetMGM is currently offering a 100% deposit bonus. So, if I drop $100 into my account and they toss in an extra $100, can I just pull my original $100 back out and start betting with just the bonus money, or does the math work differently than that?