List your restricted/gubbed accounts & start date for match betting

For me I don’t have a start date, took advantage (without matched betting) of paddy power offers starting last year about this time. Then picked up on a few more bookies which I though had good offer. Heard about matched betting in Jan 2016 – but I had already lost a few accounts.

Didn’t start all accounts together, here is how long they lasted.

888sport 2 months
Bet way 3 month
Betfred 1 week
Paddy power 6 months
Sky bet 7 months
William hill 4 months
Betfair 8 months
Coral 1 month
Ladbrokes 1 month
188bet 1 month

I haven’t taken the step into multi accounting.

Also see this thread.

https://matchedbettingblog.com/topic/how-long-before-getting-gubbed/#.VztHlpErLIU

Started 16/03/15 – again dont know exactly how long the accounts lasted but this is roughly the order they went in:

Boyles
Apollo
888sport
Winner (a/c closed)
Coral (a/c closed)
Ladbrokes
Paddypower
WillHill
Betfred
Totesport
Dafabet
Betbright
Stan James (a/c closed)
Racebets
Betway
12bet
Fun88
Betfair

Some of the accounts have been closed since I started arbing on them. I think mug betting only works with some , such as sky and bet365, or it could be that they are more tolerant to people taking up regular offers. Racebets were the worst – didnt even get to complete the sign up offer.

I think account history could have somewhat of an impact, especially if you have a long history over a few years of normal mug betting

Also, while I have the above, I have only started matched betting recently, however I will never take any price before midday, taking early prices will get you closed down whether or not you are matched betting, because early prices are where bookies can get them wrong, they will see you as a punter trying to either arb or take advantage

One big area for me is do not just mug punt on sports, I have friends who work for bookmakers and I have been told that if you use the casino area of the site you will be left alone

Also one of my own thoughts is taking certain breaks from bookies, do not go after any offers for a few weeks, yes you might lose out on some offers but as matt says in his guide, try to think like a bookie who is trying to catch matched bettors

Not so sure about being left alone if you use the casino site Marv, there are numerous posts on forums about people being gubbed even though they have played the casino trying to preserve their account.

I think some bookies will gub you almost no matter what you do, other bookies might let you hang on to your account a bit longer if you do some mug betting. The bottom line however is that if you are making money from all this then you will loose your bookie account. It does not make any difference if you have actually lost money at a particular bookie. They will look at your pattern of betting and if your identified as someone who knows what they are doing then the bookie will not want you.

888sport I was running at a small loss when they barred me from restrictions. BetFred I was up a total €12 when they barred me. Paddypower, will hill and betfair I had accounts open as a mug for years before I started matched betting – so loyalty or years of giving them mug money doesn’t count for much.

Like Dave said, its not about how much profit you are making, if they spot a pattern in your bets that is taking long term value they will get you.

I don’t think that you can ever really blend in with mug bettors. The biggest indicator that you are a mug bettor is that you are losing long term. They are giving value on the offers so you’re likely to be winning more than you lose. You will stand out.

Besides mug bettors are getting hit with the restrictions too.

Mug betting “might” work but even if it does, at what cost? And how long will it extend your accounts? I would prefer to take £200 off betway per month for 3 months spending 20 minutes per day doing their offers and then get banned – rather than to take £90 per month for 12 months doing twice the work. (I assume less than half the profit per month – assuming you only do half the offers or don’t do the full value so as to blend in, and minus a little more for the cost of mug betting or using lower odds (lower extraction) on free bets to blend in too. Assume twice the work, I know you are only doing half the offers, but add in time spent mug betting and account maintenance tracking offers etc.).

Option A you make £600 in 3 months. Option B you make £1080 but it takes you 4 times as long and spend twice as much time per day. Also Option B is no guarantee that you will last longer than 3 months.

Just giving my point of view, I know ppl will rightly say that I haven’t given it a chance, and to be honest although I have flirted a little with mug betting I never did enough. So maybe I didn’t have an open mind to the whole concept from the start ….

I strongly agree with Georger. I’ve said this time and time again, greed gets you gubbed. Of course you will get gubbed one day either way. But I’ve been matched betting since around Oct 2015 and so far have lost Vernons, Coral, Bet Victor and Boylesports. Other than Coral the others gubbed me immediately after the sign up offer so I see these as unavoidable gubs, maybe just opening the accounts at the wrong times etc.

I don’t ever mug bet, other than the odd speculative £1-2 accumulator on the football, which in itself makes my matched betting look even more out of character. But touchwood all of the main bookies I have never had an issue with.

I honestly believe it’s the fact I don’t do every offer, I never arb, I mainly stick to mainstream events and MOST importantly in my opinion I don’t try to extract the full 80% from my free bets. Using oddsmonkey etc is a great way of maximising profits but I can’t imagine the bookies haven’t flagged up the best value bets and consistant use of these and betting on events a few days ahead just to get a good extraction screams out ‘Im a matched better!’.

I do agree with people that you either have to make hay while the sunshines and cain it, and if you make a few thousand in a few months then get gubbed you’ll probably make a similar amount to what I will by not doing every offer, not extracting the top profits etc but this has turned into a hobby for me with an added bonus of some money so I’m not to worried by the time I spend on it as it’s fun for me and not hard work.