When you start your sportsbook, your goal is to get more players to join and regularly place bets in your sportsbook. But knowing who you let into your sportsbook is important. You will have to build a good professional relationship with them, and knowing what kind of bettors they are can help you keep an eye on their betting patterns. There are a few types of players in your sportsbook you can have, and here are some ways to identify them.
Type of Players in Your Sportsbook
First off, and the most common, are what people refer to in the bookie pay per head industry as the public. The public is basically recreational bettors who tend to bet on what they want to. It could be betting on a home town team, a favorite player, a favorite team, a popular team, and so on. These bettors tend to think less of the stats, odds and such. You can earn a lot from these bettors.
The next type of player would be the opposite of recreational bettors: professional sports bettors. These bettors are those who enjoy betting on lines that they have thought through. They will look at line movement, history, statistics, weather, and anything they can use to make an informed wager. They will also tend to bet against the public, especially when the public can skew the lines so much that they overvalue a bet.
More Bettor Types
There are professional players who are actually full-time sports bettors. These are bettor types who people in the bookie software business call sharps. These are bettors who are extremely exacting in the bets that they make. They also take advantage of weak lines so they can maximize the profit they can make against a bet. And, in the more extreme form, you have the arbitrage bettors. These are bettors who bet on both sides of a wager but in different sportsbooks. Here, they do the math to know which is the best way to earn money from this. This makes them easily identifiable as they will be placing bets in irregular amounts such as $34.62 instead of what normal bettors do and stick to whole numbers.
Lastly, you have the gambling addicts. These are players that you need to check. Not just because of the risk they pose to the sportsbook (especially if you are generous with credit), but they may also be betting money they cannot afford to lose. When you come across this in your sportsbook, its wise to either lower the limits you set, or remove them from your sportsbook. And, if you are a truly caring bookie, you may lead them to the right direction and get them professional help.