Sportsbooks are a lot like stocks. You have your blue chips, your penny
stocks, your overseas markets and the perfect slogan, "Greed is good." The only thing missing
is Michael Douglas' slicked back eighties hair and the snooty business parties. And the
Manhattan apartments. And the chicks. Okay, maybe they aren't so similar, but work with me
here, I'm going somewhere with this.
Standard Sportsbooks
Your basic
sportsbook can be broken into two categories:
Blue Chippers - Sportsbooks that have a large capital base,
and coincidentally enough, are even listed on their countries' stock exchange. These are solid
sportsbooks that you should have no major problems with. On the other
hand, like blue chip stocks, they don't offer much in terms of perks and rewards.
Penny Stocks - These sportsbooks are more desperate than
your average sixteen year old boy and desperation if nothing else provides a buyer's market.
With favorable lines and high bonus payouts, you can probably get more
bang for your buck. Occasionally, the sportsbooks might even comp you with
t-shirts and coffee(yes, coffee) in hopes of keeping your business. However, as relatively
smaller sportsbooks, you can run into slow payouts, bad service and low
betting limits. You can also run into scams, telemarketing and as a result,
frequent fits of rage.
Sportsbook Betting Exchanges
To help explain
betting exchanges, I point you to something I wrote in an
earlier article:
"Betting exchanges are a new style sports betting site, which works more
like a stock exchange than an actual sportsbook. You can actually buy
shares of a particular line, then sell them to prospective buyers. The shares can go up or down
depending on whether the line you bought is getting popular, thus driving the price up. Using
exchanges as a betting tool really depends on whether you understand the process and can
take advantage of the fluctuating prices. You also have to have a feel of which way the public
will go."
Euro Sportsbook
European
sportsbooks specialize in crazy overseas sports like cricket, rugby
and soccer. Speaking of which, is there a player in professional sports that looks smellier than
Peja Stojakovic? Somehow I don't think when he runs the floor and pulls up for three, mouth
open and pits blazing, defenders are smelling roses. This theory is also backed up in Jayson
Williams' book, "Loose Balls," a hilarious comedic piece about the lifestyle of an
NBA player that I'd recommend to children of all ages. In any case, the
advantage of Euro
sportsbooks are obvious; more overseas
wager types while still maintaining basic domestic lines. The drawback
being the fact that the domestic lines are basic. Get it? I just used the same attribute as a pro
and a con. I smell Pulitzer. Well, it's either that or Peja Stojakovic.
