Independent Bookmakers Guide

Posted on by Peter Ling

Account restrictions and limits are more common than ever. Beat a price or profit enough and the well-advertised ‘Oddschecker firms’ will often reduce maximum stakes to pennies or stop you betting altogether.

This can be disheartening, but there are alternatives to the big bookmakers and exchanges in the form of smaller, independent bookmakers and on this page, you can explore some of the information we have collated on just a few of the firms out there.

Many of these bookmakers are experienced layers, fully licensed and with years of history behind them, yet perhaps not the marketing budgets or presence of the likes of Bet365, Betfair and their ilk.

Although you may not get all of the frills that are widely advertised by the big Oddschecker bookmakers, many independents offer concessions and special incentives such as sign up offers, extra place races, Best Odds Guaranteed, fallers insurance, daily boosts and cashback on any monthly losses.

Edwards Tips: Yet Another NEW Quality Tipster Uncovered In Latest SBC Review

Posted on by Peter Ling

To help SBC members get 2023 off to a flyer, we recently published an extremely detailed review of a new Hall Of Fame service: Edwards Tips, which is run by ex snooker professional, Craig Edwards.

Craig’s service is a hidden gem – a verified 26.42% ROI from nearly 9,000 bets, 770.41pts profit since inception, selections in untapped markets and with an option to follow on the exchanges – what more could you ask for?

SBC Podcast #48: Simon Nott – A lifetime in Betting and Bookmaking Explored

Posted on by Peter Ling

For the latest SBC Podcast and a festive special, I had a guest with a difference and a man more used to asking the questions than answering them – Simon Nott.

Simon is perhaps best known for his #BettingPeople interview series (I was a guest earlier this year) but his expertise does not end there! He is a fountain of knowledge; punting, writing, bookmaking, blogging, publishing, broadcasting – he’s done it all!

Simon was a brilliant guest and his enthusiasm shone through during all of the topics we discussed. As well as having enough anecdotes to fill 10 podcasts, his wealth of experience in the betting world provided so many valuable insights. He is also one of the nicest guys you could ever hope to meet so definitely go and say hello if you see him on course!

SBC Podcast #47: Twenty years as a professional racing punter with Declan Meagher of Learn Bet Win

Posted on by Peter Ling

In this week’s Smart Betting Club Podcast I am joined by professional horse racing punter and the brains behind the ‘Learn Bet Win’ racing service, Declan Meagher.

Declan’s experience of professional punting spans 20 years and I had the pleasure of tapping into his wealth of knowledge to talk about how he beats both the bookmakers and the exchanges to make betting pay.

16.9% ROI with Bookies or 28.03% ROI at Betfair SP? Pick the racing tipster that suits you

Posted on by Peter Ling

Today sees the release of the latest SBC Magazine – Issue 132, in which we profile two profitable horse racing tipsters who both have consistent ROI’s above 15%, fair and transparent odds quoting and outstanding customer service.

With options for making a profit with bookmakers, Betfair SP and in the live Betfair market, there is also something for everyone here!

If you are looking to start following a racing tipster (or add another to your portfolio), then you can read both reviews in full by subscribing here.

Betting Tools: VPN’s, VPS’s, Virtual Machines & More With Neel Shah

Posted on by Peter Ling

This week’s SBC Podcast is the second part in our series that focuses on how bookmakers collect and use your data, plus the tools, software and resources to help you as a smart bettor.

We talk about:

Virtual Private Networks (or VPNs) – how they work, the advantages, the limitations and what to look for when purchasing them
Virtual Private Servers (or VPSs) – how they are different from VPNs, who they are most likely to benefit and how they mask your personal data
Proxifiers – how you can enhance your technology (and confuse the bookmakers further!) by using additional IP addresses
Virtual Machines – how you can ‘build a computer within your computer’, why this can be useful and how it can be limited by your computer’s power

& More!

SBC Podcast #45: Bookmaker profiling and data collection / What you need to know as a smart bettor

Posted on by Peter Ling

This week’s SBC podcast episode is the first of a two-part series that focuses on how bookmakers collect data and profile customers.

You can listen to episode 45 now via Apple / Spotify / Google and all other major podcast directories (search Smart Betting Club)

With stories of withheld winnings, altered odds, intrusive personal checks, closed accounts and voided ante post bets all being reported by punters in the last few weeks alone, it is fair to say that trust and goodwill towards bookmakers is at an all time low.

Unfortunately, we may be at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to their use of your data.

Six handpicked tipster services to consider for your portfolio – SBC Racing goes live!

Posted on by Peter Ling

What are you looking for in a horse racing tipster?

Pure profit?
Bankroll growth?
Low risk?
Minimal workload when placing bets?
Achievable odds?
Betting Exchange options?

Well, on the brand new SBC Racing Page launched today, we are sure that there is service for you, whatever your needs.

SBC Racing sees us assess all of our Horse Racing Premium Tipsters from the customer’s point of view and this new page helps you to answer the question ‘Which racing tipster(s) would suit my portfolio and which ones wouldn’t?’

One of the very best horse racing tipsters – New SBC review you won’t want to miss!

Posted on by Peter Ling

Like the words ‘genius’, ‘World class’ and ‘greatest’, the word ‘shrewd’ is used too much in the racing and tipster worlds. I use it sparingly and only in circumstances like today when describing the man who is covered in the very latest in-depth SBC Tipster Review.

I am talking about an SBC Hall Of Fame veteran of 7 years that ticks the following boxes:

A service that has racked up 5,000 bets over the last decade with a 16.9% return on investment (ROI);
A service that is profitable year after year, in all race codes and at all odds ranges
A service ranges that records results fairly and provides excellent customer service;
A service that has seen a 694% return on capital (ROC) since 2013.