Low limits will be your friend during the dog days of summer
The NBA and NHL postseasons are nearly at a close. That means all bookies are going to be left with is baseball and a handful of “freak sports” most clients don’t even know exist. But that won’t stop people from betting on them.
Things like the CFL, WNBA, MLS and a handful of other fringe markets can be a double-edge sword for agents. On one hand, you’re offering your client base something other than baseball throughout the summer, and more options often means more handle. On the other hand, you don’t know a thing about these sports (the CFL only has three downs?), which means you could be susceptible to some smarter players who study up on women’s hoops and North American soccer. Even with the best sports betting software you could leave yourself at a liability.
Thankfully, we offer the sharpest odds on those alternative sports – should you choose to book them – and not only reacts to your clients and handle but also monitors mainstream sports betting patterns in Nevada, offshore and overseas, moving with the markets and keeping your liability low.
Another way to find balance with these types of sports betting odds is to simply lower your limits. It’s pretty cut and dry: you can’t get hit big, if they can’t bet big. Most people wanting action on things like CFL and MLS fall into the category of casual player or “action junkie” who just wants a couple bucks riding on something to keep the heart rate up. Those are the folks you want wagering on the WNBA.
Yes, some clients may complain that the limit is too low and you can choose to give them a bump, but do so with caution. First, look at how they’ve been doing with these select sports and peg their limits accordingly. If it’s a valued client and you know they’re going to be dropping some major action come the fall, you may want to give them a pass. You’ll make it up in the long run.
Another market you’ll want to check your limits with this summer are futures, particularly football futures. Offerings like Super Bowl and National Championship odds are designed to return something at the end of the year, so don’t sweat one-sided money and big bets on those futures markets. But things like season win totals should be treated with equal parts respect and fear.
Some casual players will bet Over the season win total on their favorite teams every year, but this is known as a wiseguys market, so protect yourself through June and July with some stricter limits. Come August, with the schedule just around the corner, you can loosen up those bet limits depending on how your handle looks.
Should those same clients complain about the low limits on futures, like season win totals or division odds, just tell them that limits will increase the closer we get to kickoff. They can wager now and if they’ll still like the play – once we adjust the lines to market – they can hit it again big in the fall.
Keeping your book in good standing is important during the summer, and you should always be looking ahead to football season. You don’t want to roll into Week 1 of the NFL in rough shape – one bad Sunday could wipe you out.
The only thing that should burn you in the summer months is the sun – not big bets. Treat limits like sunscreen.
