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Internet sportsbooks vs. Vegas
The differences
between Internet books and land-based books are manifested in a variety of
ways:
- Internet-based books have no waiting lines.
Vegas books can process maybe 20-30 clients at a time, while Internet books
can process thousands simultaneously.
- Internet books have much lower costs per
wager and they can pass this type of savings on in the form of deposit
bonuses or reduced juice to bettors.
- Internet books allow you to shop for lines
instantly. In comparison, traveling from the Mirage to Bally's to the
Bellagio to Mandalay Bay to check lines would take at least an hour. When
you consider an extra half-point gives you roughly a 2% better chance of
covering a football or basketball spread, you can imagine the compound
effect of getting an extra half-point or full point on every bet over the
course of a full season.
- Vegas rarely moves lines until there is
action at the posted number (unless there is an injury or trade, etc.).
Conversely, at Internet books, where there can be thousands of wagers
placed inside a minute, they don't have the luxury of waiting for action
before moving every line. If the line is moving everywhere else, staying on
a number presents bettors the opportunity to play for a side and, for that
reason, can attract floods of money on one side -- not a good thing for
risk-management purposes.
- Vegas books experience geographical
influence, as their clients are predominately from California, Nevada,
Arizona, and other nearby states. Many of these clients bet their favorite
teams and that drives the price up on West Coast teams a little. Internet
books can suffer the same thing if their marketing is heavy in one city or
state, but with line shopping being so easy, those biases don't last long
as value shoppers see the line and move in to take advantage. In other
words, you generally get a fairer line on the Internet.
- There are a lot of advantages to sports
betting online, but Vegas books will always have a place in the market, as
well. It's just too much fun sitting in a huge room looking at hundreds of
lines and dozens of screens while being served ice cold free beers and
eating 99-cent hot dogs. All in all, though, Vegas books have some
shortcomings that are real, not virtual.
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