TopBet is the latest of a slew of sportsbooks giving the online sports betting industry a bad reputation. In the last few months, TopBet has gone from middle of the pack sportsbook to enemy number one for many handicappers, as the site has paid out rather slowly. In an industry where 90 percent of the sportsbooks offer the same NFL scores, paying out your customers as slowly as possible does you no favors. Here is a review of TopBet.

Whether you are new or experienced in the world of online gambling, if you are looking for a new sportsbook to join, the first ones you’ll avoid are the ones that can’t pay you. TopBet falls into this category, as they have had complaints ranging from slow payouts to in some cases no payouts. Meaning to say, if you can’t pay your clients, everything else you offer falls by the waste side. There have also been reports, that the old owners of TopBet are leaving, and the company is in a state of flux. With this being the case, many people are avoiding opening accounts with TopBet.

As well, the people who do have accounts with TopBet, are looking to close them and start fresh. Trouble with the latter approach is, that the bettors still want their money, so they are stuck waiting for TopBet to get their act together. However, after reading how poorly TopBet is dealing with customer complaints, you may be wondering why they haven’t shut down entirely. One reason describes why this hasn’t happened, marketing. Despite the aforementioned slow payouts, TopBet remains in business, because it attracts new bettors with their flashy website, 50 percent welcome bonus and VIP program. Anytime you can make someone feel special, it buys you time regardless of your payout structure.

Skybook is another in a long list of British bookie softwaresites that have emerged, after the recent shutdown of the US Online sportsbook industry. For those unfamiliar, the US Department of Justice has shutdown a plethora of online betting and poker sites since May of 2011, in an attempt to reduce the amount of online gambling. As a result, many former US shops have reopened their doors under European addresses. Meanwhile, new British shops are being introduced online, with a catch concept, such as Skybook. Here is a review of this new site.

Skybook is the home of the free half point system, which means, that the bettor can receive a lot more value for their money, then what they normally would. The free half point, allows for you to move the point spread line on NFL and NBA games just enough, that you don’t get cheated by the juice price set down by the line makers. In other words, the free half point gives you better value, then if you were to join a site such as matchbook, which requires that you pay juice for them to match you with a sportsbook of your choice.

Aside from the free half point, Skybook also provides its clientele with the option of a good initial deposit, and is one of the safest and most secure sportsbooks, that also provides a good payout. These latter two points can’t be stressed enough, as far too many times a shop will advertise that it provides safe and secure depositing methods, but then makes it difficult for the client to collect the winnings from their account. On the other hand, the bad part of Skybook is that because it spends so much time offering point value and quick payouts, it hasn’t really spent much attention on things such as the site layout.

It is truly amazing the lack of respect professional sports betting enthusiasts receive from other industries. Despite, spending the time to basically calculate risk management the same way a hedge fund operator or stockbroker does to earn their living, bookie software agents are often frowned upon by other white-collar professions. Today we’ll look at why sports betting is as much as an investment, as buying stock on the New York stock exchange.

Being a good stockbroker is as much about making a personal connection with clients or businesses, as it is about properly researching, to provide you with the best odds to buy or sell a specific stock. In the sports gambling industry, handicappers, spend as much time making connections with bookie software sites, as they do reading the daily line in the local newspaper. In other words, the handicapper, is looking to make connections, so that when he or she places a bet on the number five horse at 80 to one odds, they have an inside edge that will allow them to make a profit by the end of the day.

Comparable to the stock market industry, the sports betting industry is about playing percentages towards everything. For the average handicapper, if they can win between 45 to 55 percent of their NFL bets, they are considered the top of their industry. At the same time, a stockbroker who can sell five out of 10 stocks is laughing, because they have made a profit on half of their selections for the day.

Sports betting in fact is a better investment then the stock market, because of the amount of return on your wagers. For instance, in the earlier example of taking a horse with odds of 80 to one, you could stand to make between double to 100 times more money on the line, depending on how much money you put down. On a stock, you have to wait a few days, even weeks to make a significant profit.

College football betting enthusiasts have gone from gambling on the ridiculous regular season to the intense bowl season, after the schedule was released last Sunday. To say every BCS Bowl Game, especially the National Title game was met with criticism, would be the polite way of putting things. Depending what side of the NFL argument you are on, you are either thrilled or distraught at the rematch between LSU and Alabama set for January 9, 2012. Here is a preview of the game.

Depending which one of our colleagues you read, the winner of Alabama v LSU should be considered the best school in the nation. In our humble bookie software agent opinions, we disagree with this viewpoint. To us, the National Champion should be determined based on not only a good record, but also by teams in elite conferences winning their conference’s championship game. In any other season, LSU v Alabama would have never happened for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the two teams already played each other, due to a scheduling issue and LSU proved they were the better team. Secondly, both teams are in the same conference, and it is rare that two teams from the same conference meet in a normal bowl game let alone the National Title game. Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, because of their loss to LSU, Alabama wasn’t able to qualify for their conference championship game, so why should they receive a National Title berth?

Throwing all three of those previous points out the window, and fans from around the nation will argue, that the two best teams are basically playing each other. With this in mind, we truly feel that the rematch will go the same way as the first contest, ending in an LSU victory. LSU has proven the entire season, that they are far and away the class of the NCAA.

On December 10, 11 UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones and former champion Lyoto Machida will collide at UFC 140 in Toronto, Canada. The fight will be kind of ironic, because it is one of three featuring American’s verses Brazilians in a neutral site like Toronto. Here is a preview of UFC 140.

Jones and Machida will cap off what is set to be one of the best UFC PPV events in the history of the sport. As once again, the Light Heavyweight division, which by the way has carried the company all year long, will be on full display. On the card as a whole, there will be not one but two major fights to determine the landscape of the Light Heavyweight division.

The aforementioned Jones v Machida fight is scheduled to be fought over Jones Light Heavyweight title. It has been a dream year for Jones, as he has fought three times heading into the December 10^th card. Jones became the number one contender for the Light Heavyweight belt in February then he won the belt in March, successfully defended it in September and is expected to successfully defend it again on the 10^th against Machida. Now that isn’t to say Machida is a bad fighter, as he was a former champion, but that was almost two years ago.

The other major Light Heavyweight match on the card, is Tito Ortiz against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Nogueira and has twin are both scheduled to fight on the card, but this is the fight most fans will focus on initially. Essentially, the winner of the bookie software fight between Ortiz and Nogueira is expected to challenge the winner of Jones v Machida in their next title defense. For the sports betting enthusiasts around the UFC, a Jones v Nogueira fight would be the best.

Tonight the number one ranked sports betting college basketball school in the nation, the North Carolina Tar Heels, will take on the Michigan State Spartans in the Carrier Classic, atop a US Aircraft Carrier. In what is expected to be the first of many wins that ultimately end up in a Tar Heel national title, fans and bookie software agents alike couldn’t be more excited for the season to get underway. Here is an early final four prediction.

On paper, no team is better than the North Carolina Tar Heels, who will be returning four of five starters from last year’s squad. The quadruplet tandem of Harrison Barnes, Tyler Zeller, John Henson and Kendall Marshall, give UNC one of the deepest starting rosters in the schools illustrious program. In fact, many people, we included, would go as far as to say, that these four guys could be a scary force in the NBA when the lockout resumes, if they all landed on the same team. Can anyone stop the Tar Heels?

Keeping it in the ACC, the Duke Blue Devils will once again be hanging around contending for a Final Four berth. If all goes according to plan, Coach K and the boys will be in a different division during the March Madness tournament, which in turn will allow them to get to the final four. On paper, this is one of the weaker defensive Duke squads, but with the addition of Austin Rivers as the starting point guard, should stay in games this year thanks to their offense.

Kentucky Wildcats are another team that should by all accounts qualify for the final four. We mean similarly to North Carolina, the Wildcats have a scary roster that could give NBA teams the shakes. Pencil them in for a final four berth barring any injuries.

Syracuse Orange are a veteran team that would round out the final four in anyone’s brackets. The senior dominated roster, indicates to fans and media alike, that the Orange are looking to make this the year they win the National title.

Week eight of the Breeders Cup betting NFL season is only a few days away, and bettors are now making their bets for the Super Bowl. The 2011 NFL season has been one of the most intriguing in recent memory, as fans and analysts alike are always expecting something new. With only one team remaining undefeated entering week eight, and three teams still searching for a win, the question now is, who will win the Super Bowl in February? Here is a bookie software update on a few teams Super Bowl odds.

The Green Bay Packers are appearing more and more like a team that will repeat as Super Bowl champion. Not seen since the late 1990s Denver Broncos, the 2011 Green Bay Packers are considered by many to be better then the 2010 Packers that won their first Super Bowl in 17 years. Led by all world quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the Packers house the best odds in the NFL, at five to two. The Packers have found a way to pull out wins when they’ve had too, but for the most part appear to be on a joy ride to the playoffs. If the Super Bowl were today, we are certain that Green Bay would win again.

If any team in the NFC is going to upset the Green Bay Packers and qualify for the Super Bowl, that team seems to be 2010 Super Bowl winners the New Orleans Saints. Despite losing to the Packers on opening day, Drew Brees and the Saints have been cruising as well for most of the 2011 season. Brees is fortunate this season, to be on the same team as Darren Sproles and former Alabama stand out Mark Ingram. As a result of this trio, the Saints have eight to one odds of making it back to the Super Bowl, after missing out last season.

When the Los Angeles Kings traded for former Philadelphia Flyers’ captain Mike Richards, the hockey world stood in complete shock at what they had just witnessed. Only one year removed from a trip to the Stanley Cup finals, the Flyers had moved their captain and one of the core players from a sports betting roster that seemed set to be perennial championship contenders. Philadelphia’s loss is the Kings’ gain, and with Richards adding another element to a young and talented roster, there are no limits on what Los Angeles is capable of accomplishing this year.

Richards automatically gives the Kings a top center that is capable of providing a boost at both ends of the ice and in all situations. Perhaps most importantly, Richards also takes some of the pressure off of Anze Kopitar, who continues to develop into one of the most dangerous scoring threats in the NHL. While Kopitar leads the offense with Justin Williams and free agent addition Simon Gagne on his wings, Richards leads a second line that has the potential to breakthrough. Los Angeles also managed to lock up young defenseman Drew Doughty with a long-term deal, and with Jonathan Quick and Jonathan Bernier pushing eachother for playing time in goal, the Kings are deep in all areas of their game. One year after failing to live up to the lofty expectations that were placed on them, Los Angeles appears ready to contend in the Western conference. Richards adds another element to the Kings, and that could make them legitimate pay head threats to win it all.

Despite reports to the contrary, it appears that bookie software tycoon Bookmaker is still operating in the United States. Recall, in May, Bookmaker was one of 10 online gambling websites that had their domain name seized by the Department of Justice. However, in late August, it was reported that sports betting enthusiasts could still receive $2500 in deposit bonuses in the United States.

Over the last 20 years, when you have thought about gambling online, chances are you have thought about creating an account with Bookmaker. As the oldest sportsbook in North America, customers and rivals alike were completely disappointed when the US Department of Justice went after Bookmaker right away. The belief amongst many fishing games enthusiasts was that by taking out Bookmaker the DOJ felt they could create a domino affect in shutting down the industry.

Nevertheless, as we have seen with reports and the Bookmaker.com website, the DOJ failed in their mission to destroy the online industry. The aforementioned $2500 deposit bonus has been a staple at Bookmaker almost since they started. As a result, casual bettors have turned into sharper bettors, playing with the company’s money. In essence depending on your initial deposit is how you will receive the free deposit bonus. For example, bettors who deposit $300 in an account will receive $30 in free cash. But someone who puts $20,000 in his or her account will receive $2500 in deposit bonus.

It should be noted, that the $2500 deposit bonus with Bookmaker is for a limited time only. The bonus kicked in on September 1, and concludes on Halloween. This indicates one of two things. Either Bookmaker will find a way to continue the deposit bonuses, or the DOJ will find a way to shut them down for good by Halloween.

One of the UK’s biggest sports betting firms, SportingBet has suspended trading on the London Stock Exchange. The move comes after a few months of speculation, in which SportingBet appears to be transferring to a new ownership group out of Turkey. While the US DOJ shuts down sportsbooks online, the European Union is allowing sportsbooks to trade on their local stock exchanges. Here is what the SportingBet fishing games ownership change means.

SportingBet has been around the online gambling industry for quite some time. For North American bettors unfamiliar with SportingBet, the best comparison is call it the Bodog of UK online gambling. That is to say, through an excellent marketing and customer service campaign, SportingBet has stayed amongst the heavyweights in the British online betting industry.

The suspension of stock trading for SportingBet has left both customers and betting writers alike in a state of confusion. Essentially, prior to the stock exchange issue, SportingBet was believed to have been discussing a merger with rival site Gaming VC. In this latter deal, Gaming VC would give SportingBet the rights to their Greek online gaming branches. However, the news of the halt in activity on the LSX has bettors concerned with the state of the company.

If SportingBet suddenly does collapse, the company that stands to benefit the most is archrival Ladbrokes. Ladbrokes has been slowly building up its British Empire over the last few years, and has enough money to buy out SportingBet in a similar manner that Bet365 did with Bowman’s a few years ago. Meaning to say, if they use the same approach as Bet365 did with Bowman’s, this would simply allow Ladbrokes to use the SportingBet brand name, while employing their own staff.