Top Sportsbook

Already a huge year for Sportsbook.com, with it being inducted into the GOM Hall of fame, our readers had absolutely no difficulty in naming it as their as most-loved sportsbook, with victory in this category by a resounding margin. Hailing itself as the 'largest sportsbook and casino on the planet' it should come as no surprise that they would figure prominently in this category. However, to the credit of the team at Sportsbook.com, they have identified that bigger does not always necessarily mean better and they have made certain that it is far more than just the sheer numbers they crunch that sets them apart from the pack. Whether it's the security of knowing that they are a publicly traded company on the London Stock Exchange and this year expect to accept over $3 billion in wagers - that's a significant vote of confidence if ever a player would want one - or that with over 900,000 members 'people power' reins supreme with each and everyone of these customers enjoying the fantastic bonuses and promotions on offer. Sportsbook.com is truly a worthy winner.

The layout of their website is highly intuitive and makes placing even the most intricate of parlays and teasers a breeze. Moreover, for the male players, the use of Brooke Burke - model and former host of 'Wild On' - makes the site even easier on the eye! There is the pleasure of listening to Brooke explain the ins-and-outs of making if-bets and playing poker (someone's wildest fantasy will undoubtedly been realised) Marketing jazz aside, Sportsbook.com is at its core a brilliant environment to bet in. A visit to their site reveals a number of features critical to amateur gamblers and wily wagerers alike. The signup process is simple and hassle-free, requiring no deposit and allowing Sportsbook.com users to get a feel for the system and betting software prior to committing any cash. Once logged in, users note a simplistic interface that is basic in functionality but easy to navigate. Finding sports odds is a simple matter, as are choosing a sport, wager type and selecting a bet amount. Minimum sports bets are $10 with upper-end limits. There are occasional exceptions, such as large sporting events (e.g. the Superbowl or March Madness), when the limits are increased. The vChip wagering system provides a constant visual reminder of all outstanding bets, current funds, and overall results. For new sports bettors, Sportsbook.com's help section is comprehensive and provides details on the various wager types, bonuses, and instructions on making deposits and withdrawals. The lines offered typically encompass a broad array of sports and events, ranging from US sports (baseball, basketball, football, ice hockey, racing) to European soccer, tennis and golf.

The Sportsbook.com customer service department offers 24-hour service via telephone, email, or online chat and prides itself on its thorough knowledge of the even the most complex and various of lines and events on offer. Once the sports wagering is complete, withdrawing money is a relatively simple process. Sportsbook.com users can have a check mailed to them via Priority Mail (5-10 business days), have a cashier's check FedEx'd to them (1-5 business days), or have money wired directly into their bank account (3-5 business days). The latter 2 of these require nominal fees, which are waived for large transactions.

Perhaps the most compelling reason to visit Sportsbook.com, however, is the various promotions and giveaways that separate it from other online sportsbooks. First of all, there are the 25-cent Baseball Lines to coax new users and allow bets on a number of games every day. $2,000 daily giveaways also elicit visitors to return regularly, and a strong affiliate program (one that offers the ability to win a Mercedes SLK 320) helps send visitors to Sportsbook.com in droves. In addition, Sportsbook.com offer sensational promotions such as 'Half Price Football and Basketball Fridays and the 'No Juice College Football', in which one nationally televised game is offered at even odds. These guys are clear leaders in the field.

Other than the aforementioned bonuses on offer, Sportbook.com prides itself on providing in-depth analysis of current and future events. One innovation exclusive to Sportsbook.com is their 'Odds Sqaud'. The Odds Squad proves that you don't need to be a Vegas insider to get the inside skinny on NFL and college action - a laptop and passion for the game is all you need. Its not the typical fair either - no Vegas sharks selling you pay-for-play lines - the Odd Squad features four guys so passionate about football that they purportedly 'meet in the ultimate sports basement every weekend to dissect the games they love.' And best yet, all the information is available free of charge. Talk about taking a punt!

With its flawless reputation, secure online gaming system, savvy marketing and excellent player retention schemes, Sportsbook.com is the premier venue for online sports gamblers.

Hall Of Fame 2005

As the noise and intensity of the drum roll climbs skyward in anticipation of the unveiling of Gaming Online Magazine’s newest inductee to the Hall of Fame, we must hold back our percussionist from reaching his crescendo for just a few precious moments. The reason for this seemingly indiscriminate pause is so that we can pay homage to last year’s inaugural inductee and perennial favourite of our discerning readers, Intercasino.com, for they have once more proven their worth as a true ‘Hall of Famer’.

Nothing will quite satisfy Intercasino manager Ryan Hartley and his crew it seems. Having already won our coveted ‘Top Casino’ award 4 years in a row and then becoming the first member of the illustrious GOM Hall of Fame, one has to wonder how on Earth they keep coming through with the goods? Well, in true Intercasino style, they have astounded us once again by being voted 2005’s ‘Best Casino’ making it their fifth consecutive win! It is truly astonishing that Intercasino has continuously evolved at – or even faster – than the rate of the entire gaming industry. They consistently offer new games, more bonuses, more of the best progressives to be found in cyberspace and maintain steadfast in their focus to deliver the best experience for the customers on and off the tables. Intercasino has firmly cemented itself as one of – if not the – benchmarks in online gaming. Intercasino, we take our hats off to you and congratulate you once again for your unrivalled commitment to your customers and to the reputation of the online gaming industry.

With Intercasino as the only other member of our Hall of Fame, it would be fair to say that any new member would have some big shoes to fill. Thankfully, we here at GOM have absolutely no concerns about the shoe size of this year’s inductee and as such we are proud to announce that Sportsbook.com is the 2005 GOM Hall of Fame inductee.

Sportsbook.com has been a heavyweight of online gaming since their inception in 1997. By 2001, this well respected sportsbook had attained an amazing 50% share of Internet betting. Their extraordinary performance was duly noted by publicly traded Sportingbet Plc – the world’s largest online betting and gaming conglomerate – and was purchased for $180 million dollars. Through solid marketing and excellent managerial decision making, Sportsbook.com can now truly lay claim to being the biggest on the net. It is, however, always pleasing to see a company who realises that without continual innovation, future success cannot be guaranteed. It is due to these factors and not merely the enormity of the Sportingbet Plc operation that we saw fit to induct Sportsbook.com.

The business model for SportingBet Plc is simple and it’s easy to see the flow-on effect into their American supersite, Sportsbook.com. They have aimed to provide their services in such a tailored manner that, for instance, a player in Germany would experience their version of that site feeling like he was using a German site. The same can be said for the aesthetic appearance of Sportsbook.com with its flashy, patriotic graphics and its heavy emphasis of NFL and other predominantly American sports. The other feature of this model is its stern focus on excellent customer service – something we hear about constantly from our readers when they mention Sportsbook.com. That is, the people you speak to in times of need are native English speakers – unlike some of the operations which base their customer service in non-English speaking countries – and they are fully aware of the current market and the needs of its players.

Nigel Payne of SportingBet Plc explains exactly to what lengths his team went to in order to ensure that they can always offer the best product on the market. “We have gone out and recruited a very high calibre management team that is capable of running a public company… we believe that at some point online gambling will come under a lot of scrutiny and at that point in time you want to make sure that you’ve got your ducks in line and all your management processes in place.” It is this exact mentality that finds Sportsbook.com to be one of the most imposing presences in the online market – approximately 1,000,000 Americans now used the site as their primary avenue of sports betting. Couple those figures with the sites potential for even further growth through the acquisition of the ever-popular Paradise Poker and you can start to understand why this company is as intelligent and daring as it is large. With vision such as this it’s not hard to appreciate why this marvellous casino and sports book has joined the similarly visionary Intercasino as our second inductee to the Hall of Fame. Congratulations Sportsbook.com and don’t forget to keep those Brooke Burke commercials coming!

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