List of Best Sharp Betting Sites
Sharp Sportsbooks are “Welcome Winners”, “Very Competitive Odds” & “High Stake Limits”, therefore Must-Have for professional punters, find around such excellent bookmakers’ list.
We categorize the best online betting sites into;
- Sharp Sportsbook;
- No Restriction Policy Declared
- Restriction Right Reserved but Hardly Heard Actual Restriction
- Betting Exchanges
(Complete Different Business Model doesn’t need Account Restriction) - Bet Brokers
We have built this list based on our own research especially for 1) category as well as many inputs from our members & colleagues.
1) Sharp Sportsbooks List
The sportsbook in this category usually takes a reduced margin pricing model which allows them to cater to professionals.
A. No Restriction Policy Declared
Pinnacle (Netherlands Antilles)
Pinnacle (said to be the sharpest bookmaker in the world) Started 1998 / Welcome educated professional. / Encourage arb trading. / Famous for low juice operator (but no bonus) in the industry means the most competitive price (odds) offer to achieve high volume with low margin business model. / Probably the highest wagering limit in the industry. / See this page where you find “Welcome Professional” policies / Must Have for all sharps. / Check if your country can access Pinnacle here, and if not, use our solutions.
Bookmaker EU(Costa Rica)
Bookmaker EU operated since ‘85, BetCris’s (Costa Rica International Sports, see the next one) flagship / officially declares “cater to professional & recreational gambler alike”, the manager I spoke said, “We never fear professional” / all line starts here, but they may restrict on promotional activities if they find you as a matched better (but actually never heard any gubbing incident) / bitcoin accepted / For US players, this is Must have. / Restricted Countries: France & Costa Rica / Bookmaker EU is chosen as one of the suggested bookmakers for this betting system which is said to be the most successful sports investment tool.
BetCris (Costa Rica)
BetCris started ’85 / parent company of Bookmaker EU & Bet DSI / American sportsbook established stronghold in Spanish speaking areas (the site navigated from the above links will be shown in Spanish but you can switch to English at the top middle box) / guarantees that it would never boot out a winning customer nor limited the amount they can bet / its slogan is “Where the line originates” exactly the same as Bookmaker EU, so very competitive odds / good for serious punters.
SBO Bet (Philippines / Isle Of Man)
SBO Bet founded in 2004 / said to be the punter’s dream same as Pinnacles mainly because of high stake limit with very competitive odds especially for Asian Handicapping and allows arbitrage (bet one side only per match) / lack of offers, so not for matched betting. They restrict many countries, so try access, and if you’re blocked, then consider a bet broker.
dafabet (Asian-Philippines)
dafabet started in ‘04 / one of 3 Asian best / provide competitive odds with low vig (reduced juice) / As seen from their response e-mail later, they officially claim they allow sports arbitrage (but may limit promotion – see the latest Dafabet progress).
B. Restriction Right Reserved or Claimed but Hardly Heard Strict Restriction
Betonline (Panama)
BetOnline started in ‘91 / fast-growing in the US / excellent promotion especially permanent Re-Load offers called lifetime bonus / their business principle is 1st priority Service over Sales / relatively high wagering limit – worth noting that they allow re-bet on the same game means which effectively allows you to circumvent limits / With BetOnline, you may consider this approach for US citizens to make decent profits from risk-free matched betting / Restricted Countries: Australia, France, Malta, Panama
Bodog (Antigua & Barbuda)
Bodog started in ‘94/ Used to be the world most famous Casino / Sportsbook site, now focus on Canadian Market / they think much of user-friendly system – simple & easy interface / Restricted Countries: USA & UK and many other countries, so click this link and if you’re not geo-blocked you may possibly be accepted.
Bovada (Quebec Canada)
Bovada operated since ’11 / Bodog’s US market arm specialized for US major sports means essential for US Players – in fact, Bovada seems to be the most popular offshore bookmaker among US players.
Sports Interaction (Canada)
Sports Interaction registered in Kahnawake Quebec in ‘97 / Ranked No.1 by Canadians and famous for its excellent mobile platform / Only accept Canadian residents and Must Have for Canadian Punters.
Sports Betting (Panama)
Sports Betting belongs to the Bet Online Group /available various proposition bets & the exotic betting options BetOnline provides / Accept Players from All Countries In The World/bonus for life / speedy cash-out / So as Betonline, use this approach for US citizens to make decent profits from risk-free matched betting.
Better Safe Than Sorry
The 2nd group of Sharp Sportsbook of “Restriction Right Reserved & Claimed but Hardly Heard Actual Restriction” are the ones many traders were to confirm that they had not been restricted at all. Therefore, suggest you go through the following 2 guides – One is Before Restriction, The Other One is After Restriction;
2) Sharp Betting Exchanges List
People often ask us which are the sharp bookmakers in the UK. There are basically no sharp traditional bookies but only soft bookmakers in the UK.
The sharp betting site in the UK is Betting Exchange. Betting exchanges are not market makers means they are not the ones who pay winners. Instead, your betting counterparts are the ones who pay you when you win.
They just take a straight commission off your winnings. So they want you to place as many bets as they can to get from your betting trades.
Therefore, they will never ‘limit’ you, because the bet limits are set by the other users who offer bets. This is true of all betting exchanges. See How To Make Money On Betting Exchanges for full details of Betting Exchanges.
Betfair Exchange (UK)
Betfair, currently the dominant force within the betting exchange market after starting back in June 2000. They charge a commission between 2 – 8 % of your net winnings (depending on the country).
Betfair offers the widest range of markets and has the biggest liquidity which is the key factor for a betting exchange. Beware Betfair offers both Exchange & Sportsbook function, and the one that never restricts you is Betfair Exchange and Sportsbook may gub you quickly.
Don’t worry, even after your Sportsbook side is gubbed, you can still keep using the exchange. Betfair was merged with Paddy Power. Therefore if you do matched betting, don’t register the same e-mail account between these 2 and don’t lay Betfair when you back Paddy Power.
It’s cautionary actions to avoid being gubbed by Paddy Power. Because Paddy Power is a great place to do matched betting but also famous for quick restriction.
Betfair was ranked No. 1 top betting exchange in 2021 SBC Awards as shown below;
For further details of SBC Awards, go to SBC Members’ Earning statistics section.
BTW, you may want to check 4 Betting Exchange Offers where we constantly update their latest offers including Betfair Sports £100 Free Bet which seems to be one of the most attractive sign-up offers.
Smarkets (UK)
Smarkets was founded by an American businessman located in London & Malta. The biggest advantage is its 2% commission but the market coverage is yet much fewer than Betfair but the liquidity has been greatly improving. Betdaq used to be the biggest contender to Betfair but now, Smarkets & Matchbook seems to have taken over that position.
Let me quote the SBC award comment as below;
Whilst the Betfair Exchange did take Gold with 70% of the votes, this was down on the 74% taken last year and indicates that their rivals are slowly eating into their market share at least in terms of popularity.
Matchbook took Silver with 16% of the vote, whilst the biggest growth came from Smarkets who went from 6% to 9.5% in third position.
One of their strategies to increase their liquidity is using Matched Bettors. They partnered with Matched Betting subscription services providers including Oddsmonkey, Profit Accumulator & Profit Maximizer to provide 0% commissions to all the members, which looks like working effectively.
For the latest partnerships of such offers can be checked in HERE. The above 4 Betting Exchange Offers guide shows how to monetize their latest offer without risk for all betting exchanges.
Matchbook (UK)
Matchbook is another exchange registered in the UK. Matchbook has been gaining a favorable reputation in their operating countries including the UK. The SBC Award gave Matchbook the best Podcast service as below;
Betdaq (Ireland)
Betdaq has operated since ‘00, and used to be the contender to Betfair but looks they lost market share to Matchbook & Smarkets and the reputation has been getting worse after Ladbrokes bought Betdaq for £30 million, which is not surprising – see the Worst Bookmaker list where we elaborate on Ladbrokes story.
Betdaq conducted various promotional offers as well as reducing the commission from 5% to 2% though, such efforts don’t seem to lead to any significant business progress. Anyhow, as said, Betdaq was acquired by Ladbrokes, so the same story as Betfair & Paddy Power. Don’t register the same e-mail & do matched betting between these two.
FairLay (Costa Rica)
Fairlay is a bitcoin exclusive betting exchange site, we discuss more details about it in How To Gamble with Bitcoin. As long as you’re aware of the current volatility of cryptocurrencies and make proper risk management, bitcoin betting will pave the way for every punter in the world to enjoy advantage plays.
- License: San Jose Costa Rica, and founded in 2013 (originally in London)
- Trustworthy Operation receiving regular independent audit on a full reserve of the customer fund – see Proof Of Reserves
- Commission on winning: 0.25%
- Market Coverage is quite good including horse racing (see the below screenshot)
- Obviously the highest liquidity
- Only e-mail (on top of setting up User Name & PW) is required as personal information to open an account
- Restricted Regions: New York, Washington, Costa Rica, & UK (Only Binary Market)
- Start: Register
3) Sharp Bet Brokers List
A bet broker makes the role of a middleman between you and the bookmaker. The bet broker provides you with a single account combining multiple bookmakers including some of the above sharp sportsbooks, which can give you the best odds available in the market.
They don’t restrict any of your accounts and take a high stake.
For those who can’t access the above sharp sportsbooks or betting exchanges, the bet brokers give you the solution. However, you need to take a cautious approach given their small business operation (see the 2 guides after the below list).
Asianconnect (Curacao)
Asianconnect88 is one of the oldest bet brokers, established in 2002 / Licensed in Curacao / Bookmakers Covered: Pinnacle, SBOBet, MaxBet (Former IBC Bet), Bet ISN & Sing Bet / Betting Exchange Covered (commission): Betfair (3% on winning), Betdaq (1.5% on winning), Matchbook (1.25 on both winning & losing), Turf7 (1.25% on winning) & Citibet / Betfair Alternatives Covered: Orbit Exchange / Restricted countries: the US, UK, Sweden & France / Welcome Offer – 20% Deposit Bonus (need promotion code) – see T&C (if you are geo-blocked especially for UK residents, use VPN)
BetinAsia (Curacao)
BetinAsia was founded in 2011 / Licensed in Curacao / Crypto-friendly brokerage / Bookmakers Covered: Pinnacle (PS3838), Singbet, BetISN, SBObet, MAXbet (Former IBC Bet) and 18bet / Betting Exchange Covered (commission): Betfair (3% on winning), Betdaq (1.5% on winning), Matchbook (1.25 on both winning & losing), Turf7 (1.25% on winning) & Citibet / Betfair Alternatives Covered: Orbit Exchange / Restricted countries: US, UK, Sweden & France / Welcome Offer – 25% Deposit Bonus (need promotion code) – see T&C
Sportmarket (IOM UK)
Sportmarket was founded in 2004 / Licensed in Isle Of Man (IOM) / Bookmakers Covered (commission) : Pinnacle, ISN, IBC, SBO, Singbet, 18bet, Redzone (1%) & 3et (0.5%) / Betting Exchange Covered (commission): Betfair (2.3%), Matchbook (1.8%), Betdaq (1.2%) & SPM (1%) / Restricted countries: USA / UK / France / Spain / Portugal / Serbia
Bet-Football (Montenegro)
BET-Football is licensed & operated in Montenegro / Bookmakers Covered: SBO, Pinbet88, ISN, Maxbet, GA, Sing, 1bet, 18bet, and 3ET / Betting Exchange Covered: Matchbook – 1.25% when Backing a selection and 0.75% when you add liquidity to their exchange / Betfair Alternatives Covered: Orbit Exchange / Restricted countries: UK, France, Turkey & USA
Bet Exchange Details
The following 2 documents will provide you with the full explanation of the above bet brokers;
Let me emphasize that you will not face any account restriction when you bet via Bet Broker account (not only their betting exchange account but many sharp bookies accounts they provide, so bet broker is a very good solution for those who can’t access not only to the betting exchanges but also several sharp bookies we list later in this report).
Sharp Sportsbook Explanation
VPN Caution
Many of the above sharp bookies are Geo-Blocked. Some of you may think using VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a solution since some irresponsible sites say so. Wrong.
Strongly suggest you go through Best VPN for Betting with Caution – Sharp Must Carefully Protect Privacy.
Sharp Punter Friendly List
We have sent an inquiry specifically checking about their Account Restriction Policies to over 100 bookies – see below as the example of the correspondence with Dafabet (Asian Bookmaker):
Inquiry
Questions:
I understand many bookmakers restrict member’s betting limits down to the amounts that are too small to keep playing such as $1 or 5 cents or even zero etc. They do it for so-called Sharp Bettors, namely:
- 1) players using certain Casino winning techniques created by member’s own statistical analysis
- 2) players exercising sports arbitrage betting or matched betting
- 3) players simply achieving constant win by luck for a long time
- Do you have any chance to do Such Restriction? Please say only Yes or No.
- If you do, which of the above case 1) – 3) applies? Please name the number specifically (please don’t quote your policy that is usually quite vague, I would need your clear answer).
Appreciate your cordial assistance on this critical matter.
Answer:
Thank you for choosing Dafabet! With regards to your query, we do not cut betting limits since we do value our customers. If you plan on doing arbitrage with us you may do sohowever, we cannot give you any bonuses if engaged in such. If you need further assistance, please do not hesitate to let us know. Best regards, XXX Dafa Bet Customer Support
Bear in mind that as you imagine some of the answers beat around the bush. Means not clear enough, thus categorized based on our subjective interpretation as well as other sources/feedbacks.
Around 50% of the bookies we sent inquiry is neither included in this list nor List of 35 World Worst Betting Sites That Quickly Restrict Your Account because we couldn’t receive any answers at all or extremely vague answers.
Sharp Bookies – Reduced Margin Pricing Model
Broadly speaking, there are 2 types of sportsbooks, which are Soft & Sharp bookies. We can briefly characterize each bookie as;
- Soft bookie: Targeting Casual Punters – Run a lot of promotion / Odds adjustment is relatively slow / Impose account restriction (gubbing)
- Sharp bookie: Targeting Professional Punters – Highly competitive odds / High staking limit / Never impose account restriction
So, let me introduce Pinnacle’s policy & business model, which will help you understand the reason why bookies can still achieve successful results without restriction.
Pinnacle Specific Business Model
The below are snippets of Pinnacle Head of Online Acquisition, Ryan Henderson interview made by bettingexpert.com;
Pinnacle was established online in 1998 by entrepreneurs who saw the potential for a new approach to bookmaking – low margin/high volume. They developed the necessary trading models to support this, which remain the backbone of Pinnacle Sports’ business.
Our model works on volume, not customer profiling. We need high volumes of balanced bets to enable us to offer such low margins and are confident enough in our traders’ abilities to know that so long as the volume is high enough, our business is viable.
This model means that we seek volume without concern as to whether that comes from winning players or not.
So it’s the perfect place for people who don’t want to be limited as explained on our promotions page of “Winners Are Welcome“.
There are no circumstances in which a legitimate winning customer will have their action limited including Arbitrage (See Arbitrage Friendly page). Issues only occur if they contravene any of our betting rules.
Learn From Sharp Punters
Winning customers are often the first to bet into a market when the prices are what we might call ‘soft’. They will have their own ideas, from their own proprietary handicapping, about what the odds should be, so if our odds diverge from that, they will dive in. This causes the market to quickly move.
A good example of this was after the Champions League semi-final draw when Bayern Munich began as slight underdogs at home to Barcelona for the 1st leg. Almost instantaneous interest on Munich reversed the situation, and now those early bettors will be congratulating themselves on getting Munich at above the “shaped” market value and congratulating Jupp Heynckes on a job well done (Munich won 4-0).
Sharp players will also be very active close to start of events, when what we call ‘public money’ inflates the favourites’ odds, which sharper players might fade.” Pinnacle does not offer any bonuses, which is explained as “Sign-up bonuses incur an inevitable cost to a bookmaker, which many mitigate with complicated and restrictive terms and conditions.
We prefer to build what we might spend on sign-up incentives directly into our odds, which is clearer for bettors to see and provides a much greater long-term benefit.
The Best Of Best Online Bookies Full Review
We have made a full review on this Excellent Bookmaker, go Pinnacle Sports Review – Is Pinnacle Bet Really Best for Sharp Punters? Whether this is the best business model to survive in this industry is arguable.
However, the fact remains that Pinnacle has been very successful so far with the Welcoming Professional Punters business model.
Betting Exchanges Explanation
Reason Why Betting Exchanges Don’t Restrict Account
Not Compete With Punter & Earn From Commission
They don’t compete with the customers but just provide the marketplace where punters with opposing views on the outcome of a sporting event are connected. Means we compete with other punters.
Betting exchange makes a role of intermediate and makes money from the commission from each bet. Therefore they don’t need to be bothered by the smart punters but care for betting volume. See the details in All About Betting Exchange.
Must-Have For Matched Bettors
Betting exchanges have introduced a new method to gamble online. They cut out the traditional bookmaker by creating a platform for individuals to bet against each other, the so-called Peer To Peer.
In other words, Betting Exchanges allow an individual to become a bookmaker and ‘lay’ bets, offering odds on an event happening (much in the same way a bookmaker does). If you want to start Matched Betting, the betting exchange is essential.
Just in case, you can’t access any betting exchanges in your country use Betfair Alternatives (Betfair White Label).
Lastly, many people imagine matched betting is for only UK & Ireland, wrong, check;
- Australia – see Matched Betting in Australia – Why Bonusbank?
- DACH (Germany, Austria & Switzerland) Region – Matched Betting in Germany – Use DoppelWetten
- Rest of the world including the USA & Canada – Matched Betting Anyone in the World incl. USA
Very Useful For Sports Arbitrage
The main advantage is that the odds at a betting exchange are on average 10 – 20% better than they would be at a traditional bookmaker. This means, even after deducting the commission, their odds could be still better.
Actually, using a betting exchange is an integral part of the Sports Arbitrage Sure Bet strategy. I’m talking about Backing in the Exchange Not Laying Off in this case.
However, you can also make the best use of Lay bet for sports arbitrage. For this particular strategy, see Arbitrage Betting – Use Exchange & Extend Matched Betting Profits.
Value Betting
Allow me to reiterate, that the back odds at betting exchange are theoretically (practically almost without exception) higher than conventional bookmakers because;
- Generally speaking, punters at betting exchange work at a low margin because they compete with each other especially on the lay bet side. You can observe it in over-round % displayed at each back & lay odds in each market. On the lay side, it’s often less than 100% that is under-round. Considering the fact that the bookmaker’s over-round of 10% < is not unusual, the odds at the exchange are much better than the bookmakers even deducting 2 – 5% exchange commission.
- In bet exchange, back & lay adds are determined by market demand, and these 2 odds are displayed side by side. Needless to say, back odds are always lower than lay odds. It is not necessarily the gap between these 2 odds that is very narrow but reasonably close. Then, when the bookmaker’s odds become higher than betting exchange back odds, an arbitrage condition may be created. Therefore, betting exchange back odds can’t be lower than the bookmaker’s odds.
- See the below snapshot of horse racing in the odds checker table. The best odds are dominated by the bet exchanges of 3 columns at the right end;
Click To Enlarge
Sharp Sportsbooks List – Wrap Up
Our Betting Principle
Allow us to share a bit about our betting principle. Please Avoid Prejudice of Betting = Gambling. We Do Bet but Don’t Count On Luck. Rather, we do 6 Advantage Plays based on mathematical edge to beat the bookies, casino & bingo.
When it comes to Sports Betting & Horse Racing, we use Matched Betting / Sports Arbitrage / Value Bets On Proven Experts to lock in a profit or consistently earn extra income for the long-term.
With that said, one of our policies is “Betting On Luck Is For Losers, Stop Gamble Betting But Bet on Only +EV (Expected Value)To Win Reliably.
It is effectively our way to promote Responsible Gambling under the regulation, and we strongly support GamCare & BeGambleAware being explained in about us.
We, Global Extra Money (GEM) would like our readers to exploit those reliable money-making opportunities as much & LONG as possible. However, we can’t keep taking value from SOFT / Square bookmakers.
Sharing this Sharp Sportsbooks List is part of our efforts to achieve that objective.
Advantage Play Progression Tactics
Among 3 sports advantage plays we suggest people take the evolving move as a logical and the safest approach for newbies. namely;
- Starting from Matched Betting (see Dummies Guide) / Sports Arbitrage ( high sure bet – see Cheat-sheet for Dummies). Because these are basically risk-free and you can lock in profit from almost every bet. This means you can start safely, which will help change your mindset toward betting activities/gambling.
- Comparing between matched betting & sports arbitrage, many people feel more comfortable starting matched betting first because you can do it easier with a smaller bank.
- However, these 2 methods could be more short-lived down the road due to the ever-tightening soft bookies’ account restriction. See the rationale in Know Bookies’ Business Model. Besides, these methods are all about scalping small margins. Therefore, people often feel frustrated with the limited profit amount in each bet that comes from the risk-hedging nature.
- Thus, evolving into Value Betting WITHOUT RISK-HEDGE which is more size with better efficiency for the long term is a natural move as an ultimate betting activity.
Punters From Worldwide including the US
The majority of online bookmakers reject many countries based on their unique restriction policy. However, most of the bookmakers I list here (except betting exchange) limit only a few countries, which enables many global players to pursue our 3 sports advantage plays.
We have issued :
In these guides, you will find the specific methods that enable people from almost all countries to make the best use of the lucrative offshore advantage gambling opportunities you may have overlooked.
In Short, except for 8 Countries (Cyprus, Poland, North Korea, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Brunei, Cambodia) where online gamble is legally prohibited, all of you can make a profit from matched betting, see the above report for full details.
Nasty Bookies List
I separately produced the list of Disreputable Bookies (like Razzie Awards) in the special report of List of 30 Worst Betting Sites That Quickly Restrict Your Account. Although we label Worst Betting Sites, this is viewed from Account Restriction.
Importantly all the bookmakers we list in the documents are highly reputable companies, but due to their soft bookie business model, they need to eliminate the customers who are a long-term threat to their profitability.
So, in case you haven’t exploited them via matched betting or sports arbitrage, suggest you do. Sooner or later you will be gubbed, but I’m sure you will have earned enough cash profits from them. In fact, you can keep beating these bookies even after you are restricted, see how in 30 seconds.
A Few Other Useful Lists You May Not Want to Overlook
You may want to explore the following 5 lists of the best gambling sites which can satisfy each player’s unique needs;
For Global Player,
- For those who appreciate the utmost privacy & security of personal information, make the best use of “Best Bitcoin Anonymous Casino Latest List“.
- For US players, see “World Best Offshore Betting Sites Offers” which is based on sportsbook criteria but they are all-in-one sites including casinos & poker.
- For European (including UK & Ireland) players, you may want to go through “List of Most Trusted Best Online Casinos in Europe” based on 4 key critical criteria.
- For High Rollers accepting high risk, “Casino High Roller Bonus List with High-Risk Management” shows the highest online bonuses.
For Poker players,
- You need “Best Crypto Poker Sites – Latest Soft List to Prey Fishes” to beat the weak players hard.
If you have any inquiries or need any help from us, please contact us anytime (don’t worry, we will not charge you any fee, everything is free here).
Good Luck!!
Joshua Walker (bio)
Editor – Global Extra Money (GEM)
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