[Optional]

Opti, I've inquired several times before, when is the next Posters Feedback of the top sportsbooks? We're way overdue for that.

I've acted on you saying it before and asked too, but was not given any info on if/when it might happen. I'd like to see it too.

[ace7550]

Any real user there think that there is ANY risk of them not paying you?

There are lots of books that pay that aren't rated A. Allow me to reiterate that I am not calling Intertops a scam. But they also aren't A material either. Not seeing anyone here stick up for them (except you).
A rated books shouldn't take a month to verify someone.

[SportsBettor74]

There are lots of books that pay that aren't rated A. Allow me to reiterate that I am not calling Intertops a scam. But they also aren't A material either. Not seeing anyone here stick up for them (except you).
A rated books shouldn't take a month to verify someone.

I think SBR should probably use this criterion (non payment-related admin issues like verification time) to distinguish between A and A+ books [perhaps SBR already do].

So in the example of Intertops (for sharps - a well known Soft and Limiting book i.e. useless to sharps), they will NEVER be able to attain A+ status because of these annoying admin issues AND YET as they always pay and they always honour wagers they might deserve their A status.

Other examples are PaddyPower, Bet365, Ladbrokes etc. These are well deserved A+ books and yet completely useless to anyone who knows anything about wagering (you cannot escape getting limited by these books).

At some point in the near future SBR might want to consider an overhaul of the criteria by which they assess SportsBooks and issue ratings.

IF more weight is given to criteria other than the ability to pay then perhaps books like Intertops might slip to B+.

My suggested way forward:

[1] Create a survey of players here to respond to a list of criteria - including WEIGHTING those criteria (these Criteria to be well thought out first and presented in the survey)

[2] Assess and assemble results after an appropriate period - perhaps one month

[3] Re-issue ratings based on [1] and [2] above

I would hope that any book that has demonstrated a cast iron ability to pay retains A status. Perhaps a new status of A++ could be established to distinguish the 4 or 5 most reliable books in the world - those books who always pay, do not shaft players with undue admin (without reason), whose websites are superb and whose lines and odds are competitive by industry standards. As suggested above, it all comes down to the assessment criteria and the weighting given to those criteria.

[ace7550]

In my opinion there's a lot more to be an A rated book then just paying their clients. Skybook pays. They have for a long time. Should they be A rated?

[SportsBettor74]

In my opinion there's a lot more to be an A rated book then just paying their clients. Skybook pays. They have for a long time. Should they be A rated?

Sky are another example of Soft, Limiting books that are useless to sharps. They are a cast iron payer but are not useful to anyone who understands how to make money from wagering. In my view they should be A but NEVER attain A+ or the mooted new A++ status.

[ace7550]

Sky are another example of Soft, Limiting books that are useless to sharps. They are a cast iron payer but are not useful to anyone who understands how to make money from wagering. In my view they should be A but NEVER attain A+ or the mooted new A++ status.

So basically every useable book is an A? Sportsbooks aren't useful if they don't pay.
Sportsbooks that don't pay should all be black listed with an F rating. Sportsbooks that do pay should be rated A+ through C-.
SBR does a pretty good job of this. Most of the sportsbooks they've rated are correct or very close to correct. Intertops is the exception and is not correct.

[SportsBettor74]

So basically every useable book is an A? Sportsbooks aren't useful if they don't pay.
Sportsbooks that don't pay should all be black listed with an F rating. Sportsbooks that do pay should be rated A+ through C-.
SBR does a pretty good job of this. Most of the sportsbooks they've rated are correct or very close to correct. Intertops is the exception and is not correct.

I did not state that every useable book should be A. If you re-read my post you will see that I stated they should be A because they are a cast iron payer.

I agree that we need a rehash of the rating system and I refer you to my post above stating this.

I agree that books who pay should be rated A++ through to some other rating - perhaps B.

I again refer you to my post above - it all depends on the rating criteria and the weighting given to each criterion. I have suggested that a month long survey could be conducted to ascertain these.

I suggest you read posts more carefully before responding.

[ace7550]

For the record, I am not asking SBR to revamp their rating system. Intertops just needs to be demoted to B or C. That's it.

[SportsBettor74]

For the record, I am not asking SBR to revamp their rating system. Intertops just needs to be demoted to B or C. That's it.

I have a new idea.

There should be a dual rating system: Pay Rating (A - F) and Everything Else Rating (A - F).

In the case of Intertops - they would be (for example) an A / C

The criteria in the Everything Else Rating could include things like:

- Line fairness (juice / vigorish)
- Website useability
- Sports offered
- Unfair KYC practices
- Support Options and responsiveness
- Limits sharps quickly
- Max bet (per sport / proposition)
- Frequency of cancelling Live Wagers

etc etc

In the example of Intertops - a new player would see the A / C rating and make an informed choice. For example, the player might say to themselves: "I can see from the A / C rating that my money is safe - however it looks like Intertops might hassle me with unfair KYC practices and withdrawal delays. I think I will pass".

Another player might say: "I can see from the A / C rating that my money is safe - however it looks like Intertops might hassle me with unfair KYC admin. I think I don't mind this as I only intend to put 1% of my bankroll into Intertops and since I will ultimately make money I do not mind waiting for 2 months and jumping through KYC hoops"

The key here is that with the dual rating system the user can make an informed choice.

Note that "Pay" is given it's own rating alongside "Everything Else" because I guarantee that if you sent out a survey with 20 criteria for a Sportsbook and asked those being surveyed to prioritise these from 1 to 20 - I guarantee that 95% of respondents would rank the "The Sportsbook Pays" as their No 1 criterion.