Which Online Sportsbook?

SOME years ago I worked in a bar a short train ride away from the town in which I live.
 
The doorman was a long-retired gentleman by the name of Fred.  Fred was nearer ninety than eighty, and for longer than most people could remember there was nothing he had enjoyed more than placing his pound on a horse racing accumulator at his local bookie on his way to work.
 
We would often joke with Fred about the fact that he never seemed to win anything, but one day the joke appeared to be on us.  His acca comprising several horses at relatively big prices was a winner and off he trotted, excitedly, to pick up his winnings.
 
Alas his excitement was short lived.  For buried somewhere deep within the terms of engagement published by his small, independent bookie was the stipulation that no payout would exceed a certain sum.  I think it was £5,000 - it was certainly ludicrously low in any event.  After a bit of an argument Fred left the premises feeling dejected, and about £50,000 lighter than he had anticipated.
 
It would never have happened at Ladbrokes or William Hill, or indeed any of the big, established bookmakers which unfortunately were just a little too far down the road for Fred to walk to in his advancing years.  In the very unlikely event that he is still alive, I'd wager (pun intended) that he still regrets the fact to this day.
 
Fast forward to the age of internet sports betting, and this particular scenario is now if anything more evident even than it was in those days.  There are now literally thousands of sports betting providers offering their wares, and some are huge multi-million dollar enterprises whilst others give the impression of being operated by a kid from a laptop in his bedroom where he should be doing his homework.
 
And yet, at the top end of the market, there is now just so much choice available.  The punter does not have to concern himself or herself, as Fred had to, with the time and effort involved in doing business with one book as opposed to another.  They are all there on a computer screen, accessible at the tap of a finger.
 
So what factors should you take into consideration when deciding which sportsbook, or sportsbooks, to open an account with?
 
Well, the first has to be reliability.  There really isn't much point in investing your funds with an operator who has no intention of paying you out irrespective of the outcome of your bet, now matter how attractive the prices on offer.  And they are out there, in their scores if not in their hundreds.  In consideration of this I make no apology whatsoever for giving a completely unremunerated plug to the excellent SportsBookReview, which is a goldmine of information for the cautious customer.  Not that SBR is necessarily always right, of course, but it is well worth spending a few minutes consulting before parting with all your hard-earned.
 
Then for the high-rollers amongst us there is the question of capacity.  If your thing is to wager a fiver once a year on the Grand National then it won't trouble you much how high the maximum stake happens to be.  But for those who want to bet big to win big there is little point in wasting time and effort on some of the European books (you know who you are!) who see fit to limit your wager to the price of a round of drinks.
 
Some of the biggest operators in the high-volume department are the offshore books, the best of which in my view is Pinnacle, which offers high limits in most of the larger sports as well as probably the most competitive odds on the market.
 
A third factor that needs to be taken into account is the ease, or otherwise, with which you can deposit and withdraw funds.  Is there a conversion fee involved (whilst seldom falls in your favour) or will there be a "bank" charge when you come to withdraw your winnings?  Do they accept a credit card or Moneybookers and, if so, is there a deposit fee?
 
And last, but certainly not least, what prices are they offering?  The aforementioned Pinnacle manages a book which sometimes operates at -102, or 102%, which in layman's terms means a very small house edge.  As such it is often able to push its prices that little bit higher than most of its competitors, although this isn't always the case and a good odds comparison site will be invaluable in helping you to make the right decision.
 
Whatever you decide, please just remember that however you choose to weigh the relative merits of convenience and profitability, the first priority is always safety. 
 
Old Fred will back me up on that one.