Telephone Wagering: place a bet over the phone. But how and why?

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When International Sportsbooks began operations in the early 1990’s all of their business was done over the telephone. As society adapted in recent years to advances in technology, offshore sportsbooks evolved to handle the majority of their business over the internet. However, there are still many sports bettors that prefer to use the telephone to get lines, place their wagers and review their account.

Most offshore sportsbooks have both online and telephone wagering options available to their clients. This can especially be valuable to the player that typically prefers to use the internet exclusively. Sometimes this type of player may be on the golf course, or in the car and can’t get to a computer when they desire to place a bet. Most sportsbooks can accommodate this kind of player who normally uses the internet through the telephone option..

With telephone wagering you still deposit funds with a particular offshore sportsbook and wager against your deposit, just as you would when using the internet. The method for placing your bet, however, is different from the internet or online betting process.

Essentially the process of telephone wagering is the same as the days when a player would call his local bookmaker. When you wager over the telephone you will talk to a “clerk”, an employee of the sportsbook that handles taking wagers from their clients. These clerks have all the information a bettor may need, such as money lines and point spreads for the different games and events, as well as up to date information on your betting account. Just about anything you need as a client can be handled by a telephone clerk. The offshore sportsbooks today are very conscientious about hiring clerks who speak fluent english and are well trained in customer service. Are there any drawbacks to telephone wagering? Well, there are a few, but in general it is a very safe way to go about your sports betting.

As with anything that is done person to person, there is the possibility for error, but this is minimal. The sportsbooks train their clerks extensively and have established rigorous controls that their employees observe to minimize errors. One thing the sportsbooks do to protect both themselves and their clients is to record all conversations and transactions between their clients and the clerks. This ensures that if there is disagreement between the sportsbook and the client, they can go review the conversation to settle any possible disputes.

Today telephone wagering is usually used by those that simply prefer the “old school” method of placing their wagers, as well as those that are unfamiliar with how to use the internet. Some people, usually the older generations, are just not confident and comfortable betting over the internet and prefer to talk to a person over the telephone, and the sportsbooks are happy to oblige.