In recent weeks, I have been tackling the thorny topic of betting restrictions – specifically a leaked stake restrictions document from one bookmaker and your reaction to it all.

Yet, whatever your feelings on restrictions, they are sadly a reality for all punters – yet they needn’t be the end of your profitable betting quest.

Because with the right advice and strategy, there are things you can do to prevent restrictions affecting your bookmaker accounts.

And if and when restrictions do hit in the future, they might not be quite as harsh as they could have been.

So today I want to share 5 tips dedicated to helping you stay under the restrictions radar – all of which have been taken from the series of guides and reports we have published on the topic.

Move Your Profit To The Exchanges

Some stand-out advice from our major ‘Getting On’ report about avoiding restrictions is to shift any profits made with a bookmaker to a betting exchange, such as Betfair.

It’s a very simple concept – you back a very short price bet with a bookmaker (the type of bet they love) and then lay it off on the exchanges. You might lose a little bit on the trade but its a great way to extend the life of your accounts.

Here is what our expert, Jason told us as to why he does this:

“There is one stand out bit of advice I would offer anyone looking to prolong an account, which is after you made a profit on one bet, to consider laying the money made off on the exchanges. I do this and look for bets with odds of around 1/2 to evens. I might take a tiny hit on the trade but it’s a great way to move profits from bookmaker to your exchange account. Of course sometimes trying to find losers at short prices can be hard and I once had a run of 5 winning bets on the bounce – I just kept going until I lost the lot in one go. If you have any historically solid accounts the above method should help preserve them. “

Don’t Bet At Odd Stakes

Another really simple tip is to watch your stakes and bet in solid round numbers that aren’t likely to attract attention.

Here is what our bookie insider told us as to why this matters in a recent interview:

“Betting in odd stakes raises eyebrows, especially if you have more funds in your account. If you only have £50.41 in your account, then it makes sense you would only place a bet of that size, but if you bet £50.41 when you have £500 in your account, then that will attract suspicion. Especially if you are constantly betting at weird numbers and showing signs of not being a mug punter. Worst of all – they might think you are an arber and you will be shut down instantly”

Its also important to keep your stakes relatively low as for example in certain betting shops, all bets £50 and over are tracked as he outlined further:

” A regular winner is monitored and those betting to decent stakes £50 and up will have every bet logged in a database. Ensuring the bookmaker knows exactly what they are winning over any given period.”

Open New Accounts Before Cheltenham

One tactic a series of our experts all independently agreed upon was the practice of opening new bookmaker accounts during popular times, such as the upcoming Cheltenham Festival.

Bookies are exceptionally busy during such weeks and as long as you play it shrewdly, this approach can help you go under the radar during the crucial first few weeks of an account’s life.

Here is what 2 of our experts had to say on this matter:

“Another tactic worth mentioning is to open a new online betting account just before the Cheltenham Festival. If you use it as much as you can during that week betting at the festival, there is a greater chance you will simply come across as a recreational bettor. Moving forward, if you then use it mostly for your Saturday bets and other big meetings, you are going to continually go under the radar. I would also allow yourself the opportunity to place the occasional bet during the week without gaining too much attention.”

“Consider opening your account and making your first wagers at a busy time for the firm – the afternoon of the opening day at Aintree or Cheltenham will guarantee your first few bets will sneak through unnoticed. Together with a sign-up offer, a few doubles or trebles on horses close to best price will fit in with the profile of a typical punter, all while giving an expected return of close to 100 per cent of your outlay.“

Play The Casino & In-Running Football

Another tactic many of our experts agreed on was the concept of throwing a few bets in markets which appeal to the bookmaker – specifically both hitting the casino and in-play football betting. Again you might lose a few quid (hey you might even make a few too if lucky!) but compared to how priceless an unrestricted account is – it could well be worth the effort

Here is what one of our experts had to say on this approach:

“Once you open a new account and after a few neutral bets on high-profile races or football games, consider a couple of spins of the roulette wheel or engage the ‘cash out’ feature. Most shrewd punters will run a mile from these gimmicks, which take margin from you at both ends of the bet, but that’s the point – these are the kind of customers they’re (bookmakers) looking for.

Likewise, in-play football and tennis betting, where the odds are generated automatically and at high margins, are good markets to throw a bookie off the scent, as are ‘virtual’ markets, which have a casino-style house edge built in.”

Using A VPN & 2 Dedicated Devices

To wrap up this article, I thought I would share a very sensible approach as taken by one SBC member, which I recommend as I do something similar. You can use a mixture of PC’s, mobiles and tablets, which in conjunction with a good VPN will go someway to helping prevent the deep tracking many bookmakers employ these days.

Here is the strategy:

“I’ve been restricted on several bookie accounts, but I’ve now changed my method of researching/placing bets, which seems to work.

I always use 2 PCs

PC 1. I use for all research on bookie ‘unfriendly’ sites – oddschecker, oddsmonkey and other matched betting, odds comparison and arb sites. I use this PC with VPN (different IP) and a different e mail address from the one I use for bookie accounts.

PC 2. I use for all bet placing with bookies and Exchanges. I also regularly check for bookie intrusion & phishing.”

This last point on removing and identifying bookmaker intrusion and tracking software is one for another email (there are several good articles on this available for free online) but the logic behind this strategy is clear.

Keeping one device simply for bet placement only does seem to go some way to preventing some, if not all bookies from building up a profile of how you bet. It also stops them keeping tabs on the sites you visit (such as Oddschecker as I outlined in my first article)

My VPN Recommendation

For those of you looking for a good VPN, then I suggest the service from Express VPN, who offer an easy to use, stable and fast solution with a huge number of VPN locations available. With one account, you can access their software via any and all of your computers, phones and tablets and its affordable – priced at $12.95 a month (or $99 a year) with a 30 day money back guarantee to boot.

More Expert ‘Under The Radar’ Restrictions Tips..

When it comes to combating restrictions, the 5 tips above only serve to scratch the surface of what you as a punter need to know. These 5 tips are perhaps some of the easiest, more straightforward tips – especially that of opening accounts during Cheltenham given the fact its just a few weeks away now.

If you are looking for even more help avoiding betting restrictions than you might be interested in reading some of the expert guides and articles we provide to Smart Betting Club members on the topic, such as the following:

• NEW ‘Restrictions Interview With A Bookie Insider’ – In this exclusive interview, we speak with ‘The Poacher’ – a highly experienced and well connected bookmaker employee who is a specialist in overseeing betting restrictions. This is a true bookmaker insider who has agreed to share his insight on restrictions, how they are applied and most importantly of all – how best to avoid them for as long as possible.
• ’55 Page Getting On Report’ – This extremely detailed report is your ultimate guide to betting restrictions and closures – including 6 interviews with professional punters on their tips, techniques and advice on how to cope with and avoid restrictions.
• ‘Bookmaker, Bet Broker & Exchange Guide’ – A major guidebook exploring the best betting exchanges, bookmakers and bet brokers for winners. Ideal for those of you looking to get the best odds and lowest commission rates possible from sites that actively welcome winners.
• ‘Anti-Tracking Software Review’ – Our review of the software designed to help prevent bookmakers tracking your online betting activity. Want to avoid links being made from old closed accounts to newly opened accounts? Then, this software is here to help. A must-read for anyone concerned about betting restrictions.

Discover more on how the Smart Betting Club can help you and your betting.

Best Regards

Peter Ling

Smart Betting Club Owner and Founder