High Rolling in Online Sports Betting

The term "high roller" in sports betting refers simply to the placing of large stakes. What one person might consider high, of course, might differ substantially from another's understanding of the term. For the purposes of this article let us consider those punters who are frequently prepared to wager into four figures and beyond.

Very few bettors place four-figure or five-figure bets every time. Ordinarily they will assess the likelihood of a wager being successful and stake accordingly. How generous a price on a particular market happens to be would often be a consideration too. However a person who places high stakes with some degree of frequency might reasonably be considered a high roller.

Perhaps unsurprisingly different bookmakers (sometimes called sportsbooks) will take different views on the desirability or otherwise of high roller custom. A very large wager on a line which carries a big price exposes the book to the prospect of hefty losses should the bet be successful. A good book such as Pinnacle (now sadly no longer accepting business from UK customers) will welcome the bet every time due to its skill in balancing its prices out. Others though will run shy, and seem to prefer the custom of the pound-a-bet hobbyists and occasional dabblers.

FA CUP FINAL

Most sportsbooks will operate different limits for different markets. A punt of several thousands on the likely winner of the next X-Factor competition is unlikely to be accepted as this tends not to be a high roller market, and it would be difficult for the bookmaker to offset the bet. The same sportsbook is likely to offer a far more generous limit on the outcome of the FA Cup Final or the winner at Wimbledon because there will be wagers aplenty on the opposite side of the line creating some sort of equilibrium. Indeed your five-figure punt may have the effect of pushing down the price on that market, thereby increasing the price on the opposite line{s) which is thereby itself made a more attractive proposition for potential customers.

It is an unfortunate but unavoidable truth that some online bookies are known to slash the maximum stakes offered to certain customers once a few large wagers have proved successful. Indeed it is not unknown for punters to access their accounts and attempt to place their bets only to find that their previous £1000 limit has been reduced to £1.

Paradoxically the best sportsbook for high rolling customers is probably one which doesn't operate a limit at all on its stakes - Betfair. Because Betfair is a betting exchange which makes its money solely from the commission it deducts from winning bets it has no interest in restricting customer action, indeed quite the opposite.

High rolling is not a discipline for everyone. To even attempt it one must have the money to stake in the first place (and be prepared to lose it), and then some considerable knowledge of the market in order to ensure at the very least that losses are kept to a minimum, and ideally that a profit is made.

Reproduced with acknowledgements to Sports Review.

Consolidated Leaflet Distribution

For those who are of an energetic bent, leaflet or card distribution can be an easy way to earn some good money.

Ordinarily it is not a particularly well-paid job. People you meet along he way delivering pizza leaflets or mini-cab cards are usually employed by the firms they are promoting. Take on the business of distributing them yourself and you'll be lucky to command £20 per 1,000 items - often it will be less. And 1,000 items take, on average, around five hours to deliver, depending upon the type and density of the properties.

Distributing one item alone is called "solus" delivery, and proper leafleting companies do charge a substantial amount for it. Their customers are usually at the higher end of the market dealing in high value commodities, such as estate agents. Needless to say not all the money received for the delivery service finds its way down the food chain to the distributor.

RESPECTABLE INCOME

But there is one good way of earning a respectable income from delivering for the "cheap" end of the market, and that is to consolidate delivery.

The principle is simple - if it takes one five hours to distribute a leaflet to 1,000 homes, it will take the same amount of time to deliver three of four items to the same addresses. If each customer is paying, say, £15-£20 for the service, the same distibutor can earn anything between £45 and £80 for five hours' work.

Of course there are logistical issues to overcome. First of all it is necessary to build up a list of clients who all require their material to be delivered over the same area. Then items sometimes need to be collated to make them easy to manage, a job that can be done in the privacy of one's own home but which takes some time nonetheless.

All the same the potential is there. With organisation and some luck it is possible for an active person to make a reasonable weekly income through flyer distribution.