Chances are you landed on this article after being banned from or having your account restricted by Sportsbet or one of Australia’s other large corporate bookmakers. Unfortunately, we’ve read reports of this happening with Sportsbet, Tab, and other bookmakers to varying degrees.
Can Bookies Ban You For Winning Too Much in Australia?
Unfortunately, Australian betting sites are legally allowed to ban or restrict accounts at their discretion, provided they have written this into their terms and conditions. Plenty of people are upset with these practices and call for changes to the law, but at the time of writing, Australian bookmakers are within their rights to do so.
However, there are some genuine Australian bookmakers who have a reputation for welcoming winners and not banning or restricting accounts
The major betting agencies have advanced algorithms in place to flag unprofitable punters and take steps to minimise their exposure to your punting prowess. Initially, you may notice that promotions and bonuses are removed from your account – this is an early warning sign that you’ve got their attention; from there, highly successful punters can often have the amount they’re allowed to wager on certain events limited down to just a couple of bucks. Finally, if you’re consistently cleaning them out or land a huge win and promptly withdraw that cash, you could find your account closed permanently.
How To Avoid Betting Account Restrictions & Closures
Whilst this doesn’t sit right with many Australians, you can lessen the chances of having your account banned or restricted by following a couple of strategies to ensure you fly under their radar for as long as possible.
Don’t Withdraw Your Entire Balance
After a big win, it can be tempting to withdraw your entire balance – on the one hand, this is actually a smart move to ensure you don’t fall into the trap of punting away your winnings. However, if you do a ‘smash and grab’ on any of the major betting agencies, you essentially take away their chance of winning some or all of that money back – giving them an incentive to close your account. If you’ve had some large wins, try withdrawing your money in relatively small increments while continuing to place regular wagers – leaving a bankroll in your account as a carrot for the bookies.
The above advice only applies if you’ve got the discipline to not gamble away your entire winnings over time. If you’re not confident you’ll be able to exercise some self-control, we recommend clearing out your account and taking the ban on the chin. Once you’ve spent your winnings wisely, you can always start fresh with one of the other quality betting sites Australia has to offer.
Avoid Betting Specific Amounts
If you’re placing bets in very specific amounts, like $17.50 or $21.30 – the bookies are going to suspect you’re engaged in unit betting (typically the sign of a professional punter) or Match Betting, which involves betting on both outcomes via a bookmaker and a betting exchange to guarantee a profit based on an odds discrepancy. Betting sites aren’t big fans of these techniques and will quickly move to close your account if you start to get too much of an upper hand. If you are going to follow a betting strategy that requires betting in units rather than round dollar figures, consider spreading your bet across multiple betting agencies and split them into a larger round number and a smaller specific number – for example, $50 with one bookmaker and $8.20 with another. Given that $8.20 is a relatively small bet, it’s unlikely to concern the second bookie as much. Providing the odds are the same across both betting sites, you’ll still win the same amount as if you bet $58.20 with the one bookie but hopefully without drawing attention to your betting strategy.
Split Your Bets Across Multiple Bookmakers
Whether you’ve got a ‘mate in the know’ or you’re a sports fanatic with enough insight to continually back winners, it’s widely recommended that you spread your stake across multiple betting agencies. For example if you’re planning on loading up on a horse based on a red hot tip, rather than betting say $1500 on the nose with one bookie, split that into 3 separate stakes of $500 across 3 bookies. Providing you get the same odds across the 3 betting agencies, you’ll win the same amount without raising any red flags. We’ve made recommendations for 9 of Australia’s best betting sites on Betting Sites Australia, so you’ve got plenty of options for spreading your bets via multiple bookies.
Here is a list of Australian bookies we recommend:
Login to View Offers!
Use Code: 'BSA100'
Use Code: 'BSA100'
Use Code: 'BSA100'
Use Code: 'BSA500'
Use Code: 'BSA500'
Login to View Offers!
Login to View Offers!
Login to View Offers!
Use Code: 'BSA200'
Login to View Offers!
Use Code: 'GOBET'
Login to View Offers!
Use Code: 'GOLD100'
Login to View Offers!
Login to View Offers!
Login to View Offers!
Login to View Offers!
Login to View Offers!
Login to View Offers!
Login to View Offers!
Login to View Offers!
Login to View Offers!
Use Referral Code: 'BSA100'
Use Code: 'BSA100'
Use Code: 'BSA100'
Use Code: 'BSA100'
Use Code: 'BSA100'
Use Code: 'BSA100'
Use Code: 'BSA100'
Use Code: 'BSA100'
Use Code: 'BSA100'
Use Code: 'BSA100'
Use Code: 'BSA100'
Use Code: 'BSA100'
Use Code: 'BSA100'What are you really gambling with?
Set a deposit limit.
Consider Your Winning Percentage
Ultimately, your goal is to give the betting agencies the impression that you’re just an average punter who occasionally gets lucky. One method of staying one step ahead of their algorithm involves placing regular opposing bets via two different bookmakers. For example, placing a bet on one team via bookie A and the other team via bookie B. Providing the odds are the same for both bookies, you’ll end up winning nothing and losing nothing; however, you’ve reduced your winning percentage for one of the bookies. Yes your winning percentage has increased for the other bookie, however this can be offset via another bet with a 3rd, 4th and 5th bookie and so on. As long as you’re showing regular losses across your betting accounts, you’ve got less of a chance of having your account flagged as unusually successful. If you’re going to try this method, make sure you keep an accurate tracker of your bets!
Diversify Your Betting Patterns
If you’re continually betting on specific sports or racing tracks (and winning), you could be flagged as an expert punter who’s got it over the bookmaker. By mixing up your betting patterns and placing stakes across various sports and racing events, you’ll likely maintain a lower profile in their system and avoid being identified as a gun punter. So, while you continue to knock it out of the park at Randwick, make sure you have a little punt on the footy to throw them off your scent.
Use Sneaky Multi Bets
Betting agencies are big fans of multi-bets, as with multiple variables at play, they’re generally harder for punters to win. If you’ve got the inside mail on a ‘sure thing’ and want to load up on it, it can be worth including it in a multi with only a few other short-priced legs to disguise your big bet.
Time Your Bets
Placing regular successful bets days out from a race or game can give the impression that you’re a pro punter taking aim early in the week. Where possible, place your bets on the day of the event to avoid sticking out from the crowd.
Use a Betting Exchange
If you’re serious about punting and don’t want to worry about hiding in the shadows from the large corporate bookmakers, check out Betfair! Rather than betting against a bookmaker, Betfair allows you to place bets against other punters – meaning there are no pesky algorithms stalking your every move and no chance of your account being banned. Betfair takes a small commission from each bet, so it has no skin in the game when it comes to who wins and who loses. Quite often, you’ll find that Betfair has better odds than your traditional type of bookmaker as they’re set by the punters, not some statistical genius in a corporate head office. The only downside of betting exchanges like Betfair is that there needs to be someone willing to take the opposite bet (laying vs backing); however, for most Aussies betting on mainstream racing and sports, this won’t be a problem.
The above are just a few strategies you can try to fly under the radar and keep your betting account open for as long as possible—ultimately, there is no 100% certain strategy for avoiding betting site bans (except for Betfair!). Losing punters means big business to the betting agencies, and unless laws are changed, they’re going to continue to try to weed out the members who continue to clean them out.
