If you have been to Las Vegas, Atlantic City, or even Reno, you know that these adult playgrounds the size of small cities have one goal: get your money! Everything from the floor layout to where the pool is built in a casino have been thought out in great detail to keep you happy and gambling away. A Sportsbook is the same way, you may get a girly calendar in the mail, or a football magazine published by the company with sports tips. But overall, whether you’re drinking and placing bets in a casino or sitting on your couch in your bathrobe you’re still being targeted.

Of course I have a Sportsbook, and have used it for many years now, but I won’t mention which site to stay neutral and not seem like a commercial. My advice before making a deposit into an online account is to “do your research”. You don’t want to just blindly dump money into a Sportsbook without taking a look into withdrawal fees, deposit bonuses (and fees), or comparing odds with other sites. The biggest lure most Sportsbooks offer is bonuses. This is not all it’s cracked up to be. Most of the time, the site will give you 5 to 6 times your deposit in cash just for making a deposit, but the catch is that they won’t let you withdraw that money until you turn that bonus money into 10 times what they gave you.

Top 4 Tips when dealing with Sportsbooks:

1. Do your Research

Compare all factors before picking a site; some sites recommend having more than one Sportsbook to get the best odds, although that means more deposits and more gimmicks.

2. Don’t buy into the bonuses and deals, if it’s too good to be true it probably is

If you can, try to avoid the 1-800 deposit number; these power sellers are geared to get you to dump even more than you had planned on depositing.

3. Keep a weekly allowance

Everyone tells you the bets they won, and leaves out the 5 or 6 they lost that week. Keep it simple. It costs a small amount to place a bet (11/10) so why make 10 bets per week. Quality over Quantity! Keep it to1-4 strong bets per week. Don’t bet it all in week 1, and avoid pre-season games.

4. Never bet on a game just because you can

If you don’t like any match ups that week, don’t make any bets! Addiction starts when you can’t watch football without having money on it. Unless you want to blow your cash, play smart. You can make a lot of money if you have patience (trust me!)