If you are into sports betting, you may have heard of the term gubbing. But what does it mean and how does it affect your betting activities? In this article, we will explain what gubbing is, why it happens, and how you can deal with it.
Gubbing is the term used to describe when a bookmaker restricts or limits your account in some way, usually by excluding you from promotions and/or free bets. This means that you will not be able to take advantage of the bonus offers that trusted bookmakers use to attract and retain customers, such as enhanced odds, money-back guarantees, or loyalty bonuses.
Gubbing can also affect your ability to place bets at normal odds, as some bookmakers may impose stake restrictions or reduce your betting limits. Gubbing happens because bookmakers want to protect their profits and avoid losing money to smart bettors who exploit their offers and take value from them.
Different types of bettors may face different risks of gubbing, depending on their betting strategies and behaviours. However, gubbing is not illegal, and bookmakers have the right to manage their own business as they see fit, as long as they comply with the regulations and standards set by the relevant gambling authorities in the UK.
How to Deal With Gubbed Accounts
As we have seen, gubbing is a common practice among bookmakers who want to limit their losses and prevent smart bettors from taking advantage of their offers and odds. However, gubbing is not inevitable, and there are some ways to reduce the risk of getting gubbed by bookmakers. Here are some strategies that you can use to avoid gubbing as much as possible:
- Place varied mug bets. Mug bets are bets that you place without using any promotions or free bets, and that do not offer any value or profit. They are meant to mimic the behaviour of a regular or recreational bettor, who bets for fun or based on their gut feelings. By placing mug bets, you can make your betting account look less suspicious and more natural to the bookmakers, and avoid being flagged as a smart or matched bettor.
- Leave some value to the bookmakers. Another way to avoid gubbing is to not take too much value from the bookmakers, as this may make them lose money and resent you. You can do this by not always taking the best odds available, or by not always using the maximum stake allowed for promotions or free bets.
- Use different devices and IP addresses. Bookmakers may also gub your account if they detect that you are using multiple accounts or devices to place bets with them. This may happen if you share your account with someone else, or if you use a VPN or a proxy to access their website from different locations. To avoid this, you should use only one account per bookmaker, and use different devices and IP addresses for each account.
- Spread your bets across multiple bookmakers. Finally, one of the best ways to avoid gubbing is to diversify your betting portfolio and spread your bets across multiple bookmakers. This way, you can reduce your exposure and dependency on any single bookmaker, and increase your chances of finding better odds and offers elsewhere.
How to Keep Profiting from Sports Betting
Gubbing is not the end of the world, and there are still ways to make money from sports betting even with gubbed accounts. In this section, we will introduce some alternative methods to profit from sports betting, and some tips to diversify your sources of income and invest your profits wisely.
- Exchange trading. Exchange trading is a form of betting that involves buying and selling bets on a betting exchange, such as Betfair, rather than placing bets with a bookmaker. Exchange trading allows you to take advantage of price movements and market fluctuations, and to lock in profits or minimize losses before the event starts or ends.
- Matched betting with betting exchanges only. Matched betting is a technique that involves placing two opposite bets on the same event, one with a bookmaker and one with a betting exchange, to cancel out the risk and profit from the bookmaker’s offer or free bet. However, if you are gubbed by a bookmaker, you can still use matched betting with betting exchanges only, by using their own offers or free bets, or by laying off accumulators or multiples that you have placed with other bookmakers.
- Using sharp bookmakers and Asian handicaps. Sharp bookmakers are bookmakers that offer high odds and high limits, and that do not gub accounts or limit stakes. They are usually used by professional bettors who have an edge over the market and who can beat the bookmakers in the long run.
- Diversify your sources of income. Sports betting is not the way to make money online, and it is wise to diversify your sources of income and not rely solely on one method. There are many other forms of online income that you can explore, such as affiliate marketing, blogging, freelancing, e-commerce, dropshipping, or online courses.
- Invest your profits wisely. Finally, one of the best things you can do with your sports betting profits is to invest them wisely and make them grow even more. There are many ways to invest your money, such as stocks, bonds, ETFs, mutual funds, real estate, or cryptocurrencies.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, gubbing is a common challenge that many sports bettors face at some point in their betting career. However, gubbing is not something that you should fear or avoid at all costs. Instead, you should see it as an opportunity to learn new skills and methods, to adapt to changing circumstances, and to grow as a bettor and as a person.
By adopting the strategies and insights shared in this article, you can minimise the likelihood of gubbing, effectively manage gubbed accounts, and maintain profitability in your sports betting endeavours. Remember, gubbing is not an insurmountable obstacle but rather a chance to refine your betting approach and discover new avenues for success.