Everyone loves shopping for the best deal. Whether you’re looking for a new pair of shoes or the cheapest gas station, people love finding the best price on the market, so why don’t most sports bettors do the same? Bettors tend to get comfortable with the layout of their sportsbook and prefer having their money all in one place, but I’m going to give you some reasons on why it’s needed to become a successful sports bettor.
Line Shopping
The most obvious reason is to line shop! As mentioned above, in every other scenario, people shop for the best deal and sports betting should be no different. Not all sportsbooks have the identical line or odds, so having multiple options can mean the difference between a winning bet or a losing bet. Would you rather bet the Chiefs at -6.5 or -7? Or the Yankees at -120 or -135? These are the types of options awarded to you for having multiple sportsbook accounts. Even if the spread is the same, you may be able to get better juice – one book may have -3 at -120 while another is at -110. These small differences add up in your long-term goal to become a winning sports bettor.
Betting Options
Each sportsbook does not offer the same type of wagers – especially when you get into more niche markets. This can be alt-lines, live betting, and even prop bets or futures. Most books will offer these options but some will offer more than others. A few weeks back, DraftKings was offering live betting on each drive outcome between Hawaii and Western Kentucky! It’s safe to say that they were the only book offering that. Having multiple accounts to check the different bet options is a must.
Sign-Up Promos
All sportsbooks want your action and because of that, they offer very incentivized sign-up promos. This can be in the form of a risk-free bet or bonus funds that can be used over multiple bets. You want to read the fine print regarding the risk-free bet and also understand how any potential rollovers work for bonus funds, but signing up for multiple sportsbooks is a great way to begin building your bankroll.
Helps When Being Limited
I’m sure if you follow people on #GamblingTwitter, you’ll notice that many long-term winners have their accounts limited or restricted once they prove they can beat the book. Having multiple accounts is crucial when one or more sportsbooks limit your action. This is a more advanced reasoning, but if you intend to take sports betting seriously, this may be an issue you run into in the future.
How Many Different Sportsbooks Should I Bet With?
There is no exact number, but if you’re just getting started, I would recommend at least three. For those a little more advanced, you need five or more. You also want to be aware of the books you’re signing up with. I recommend having a mix of legal books, as well as offshore books (BetOnline and Bookmaker being top options). If you’ve been betting for a while, you’ve probably noticed that a lot of books will simply copy odds from the same sources, however, there are times where legal books may be a little behind offshore books and vice versa, so that leads to an opportunity of grabbing the best price on the market.
For the legal books, you also want to make sure you’re aware of the odds providers. For example, DraftKings, BetRivers, and Penn (Barstool) all use Kambi as their odds provider, so you’ll typically see the same exact lines amongst the three of them. FanDuel is a great option because they set their own lines, which means there is a good chance you can catch a different line between them, Kambi, and one of the offshore books.
By using multiple sportsbooks, you are increasing your chances of success. Saving a half-point or paying less juice will ensure better long-term results!