The internet has improved sports betting in many ways, bringing several benefits. However, along with these benefits comes some downsides in the form of betting scams. Today’s internet is filled with malicious individuals out to exploit sports betting enthusiasts.
This article explores the shady world of online sports betting scams, covering the following areas:
- Popular online betting scams
- Popular sports betting games
- Common red flags to identify betting scams
- How to avoid betting scams
Popular Online Betting Scams
Online gambling, especially sports betting, has significantly grown in recent years. It is primarily due to the rapid advances in technological developments that have made betting more accessible, more flexible, and more diverse. Punters today can easily go online to place bets on any sporting event that interests them on any betting sites from anywhere and at any time, be it from their desktop or mobile devices, with little to no hassle.
Sadly, one downside of the innovation of online gambling is that it also allows malicious individuals, known as scammers, to take advantage of punters through scams. Despite the safeguards to avoid it, many people fall victim to sports betting scams. Currently, these malicious individuals use many popular betting scams to get their way, and the schemes come in various shapes and sizes. These scammers also continue to invent clever schemes to exploit sports betting enthusiasts.
Now let’s check out the most popular sports betting scams you may encounter when gambling online.
Fake Betting Sites
One of the most common sports betting scams online today involves fake betting websites that appear legitimate. These sites typically mimic reputable sportsbooks, enticing sports betting enthusiasts with attractive bonuses and great odds. However, users won’t know until it’s too late that scammers typically design these sites to defraud them.
To appear legitimate, many of these sites would allow punters to process their first withdrawals and even receive bonuses. But as soon as the punter opts for more bets and makes more deposits, they won’t be able to withdraw a single penny.
The scammers will usually provide a variety of reasons why you cannot withdraw your funds, such as technical problems, processing delays, and many more. Some may even ask you to deposit more money before you can get back the funds you already have with them. No matter what you do with these sites, you won’t be able to get your money back.
The worst part is that since you would typically need to provide a betting site with your personal information and financial data, fake sports betting sites expose unsuspecting individuals to even more risk.
Scamdicappers
Many online sports betting scams involve scamdicappers, malicious individuals poised as legitimate sports betting experts or insiders with guaranteed winning predictions. They sell fake prediction services to players. These scamdicappers often have a fancy online presence on social media, marketing their services with flashy advertisements and claims of incredible success rates.
One of the tactics these scammers use is to pressure punters to make a quick purchase by claiming that the prediction service is a “limited-time offer” or that there are “limited spots” for it. And many unsuspecting individuals fall for this tactic, trying to take advantage of an incredible opportunity before it is too late.
In reality, due to the unpredictability of sports, there is no such thing as guaranteed wins, and the tips these scammers often provide are inaccurate.
Instagram Betting Scams
As mentioned, scamdicappers utilize social media for their malicious acts, and one of the go-to platforms for online gambling scams is Instagram. Scamdicappers on Instagram often use a combination of social engineering and deception to lure sports betting enthusiasts into their schemes.
These scammers tend to create flashy and professional-looking Instagram accounts and then showcase images and videos of someone living a luxurious lifestyle to create the impression of being a successful bettor. To further portray the perception of legitimacy, these scammers will also show screenshots of betting slips showing that the predictions they provide are accurate and can win large amounts of money.
With these things in place, many unsuspecting punters can easily fall for Instagram betting scams. The worst is that you will lose the money you pay these scamdicappers service fee and whatever you wager on the bet, as the predictions are usually worthless.
Betting Syndicates
Undoubtedly, betting syndicates can be a great opportunity for punters to increase their sports betting winning chances. A betting syndicate is a group working together to quickly identify valued odds, take advantage of line movement, and pool their resources to place bets on sports events. Unfortunately, malicious individuals also use these platforms for online betting scams. Many individuals have fallen victim to these schemes.
Like scamdicappers, these malicious betting syndicates also lure sports betting enthusiasts to join them via social media. These scammers will pose as a legitimate betting syndicate and offer you a spot with their exclusive pool of bettors, where you will get tips or have an expert bet on your behalf. They will also put up screenshots and various proofs to try and convince you of their legitimacy and the money you can make by joining them.
In these betting scams, you will need to pay a compulsory upfront payment along with regular installments over time in exchange for your share of the profit. You will never see your money again once you send the funds to these betting scammers.
Phishing and Identity Fraud
Another way that punters can potentially fall victim to betting scams is through phishing and identity fraud. Phishing is an online scam where attackers send emails, messages, or links that appear to come from a legitimate source to trick users into revealing sensitive information.
Scammers also utilize phishing to target betting enthusiasts. They create fake websites or send emails that mimic a legitimate sportsbook, tricking punters into inputting their personal and financial information.
Once an individual falls victim to phishing tactics, their information gets exposed. The fraudsters then use the obtained information for identity fraud or unauthorized access to betting accounts, resulting in financial losses.
Fake Sports Betting Apps
Thanks to technological advances, mobile gaming is on the rise today, with many punters taking to their smartphones for their betting needs. It has resulted in online bookmakers creating apps to cater to the needs of their mobile users. Sadly, this trend also attracted scammers, who use fake apps to exploit unsuspecting punters.
Like fake websites, these fake sports betting apps are designed to mimic legitimate apps, enticing users with the usual attractions, such as juicy bonuses, great odds, and much more. Like the website option, you won’t see your funds again when you deposit it here. Also, once installed, these apps can compromise users’ data and financial information, leading to more disastrous consequences.
Match Fixing Scam
Match fixing is an unethical and illegal activity involving the manipulation of sporting events outcomes. Corrupt individuals and groups approach players, coaches, or officials that can influence a game’s outcome in a bid to profit by betting on fixed results. Unsurprisingly, malicious individuals out to exploit people are also using match-fixing for their betting scams.
These scammers will offer to sell information to punters about sure bets, claiming that they have inside knowledge of fixed matches and what the outcome will be. For example, some lay betting scams could tell you which horses to lay at a betting exchange, claiming to know that a horse would not win. As you would expect, the information provided here is usually inaccurate.
That said, since betting on fixed matches is outrightly illegal, the safest bet would be to avoid anyone that offers such to you. Doing so will also help prevent you from falling victim to betting scams since most fixed match offers online usually are.
Prediction Software Scams
Prediction software scams are another major scheme malicious individuals utilize to exploit unsuspecting punters. This scheme usually involves scammers marketing fake prediction software or algorithms that can predict sports outcomes with high precision. This scheme aims to prey on punters’ desire to gain an edge with their sports bets.
These scams typically focus on horse racing and other professional sports. The scammers behind the horse betting software scams and other sports would even guarantee that a punter will win their bets.
Popular Sports Betting Scams Games
Punters can find online gambling scams across a wide range of sports, as scammers are known to exploit the enthusiasm of sports fans to their advantage. These schemes typically target some of the most popular sports globally. From football to horse racing, Esports, and many other sports, scammers typically focus on the sports that attract massive betting audiences. After all, any market worth its salt would tailor its services to a wider range of audience to improve the potential for sales.
By exploiting these sports’ popularity and betting volume, scammers can maximize their chances of their scheme succeeding. Now let’s take a look at some of the most popular sports that are utilized for matched betting scams and other forms of schemes.
Football is undoubtedly one of the most popular sports globally, if not the most popular. The sport has millions of fan bases worldwide, and many competitions, tournaments, and leagues occur daily. Many football betting opportunities exist, from the English Premier League to the Spanish Laliga, the German Bundesliga, Italian Serie A, etc. It has resulted in the creation of one of the biggest online betting markets with immense betting activities.
With millions of passionate fans, bettors, and a vast betting market, football is a prime target for scammers as it allows them to cast a wider net and reach a larger pool of potential victims. These football betting scams often focus on high-profile matches and tournaments, using tactics like guaranteed risk-free bets, match-fixing offers, insider information offers, and many others to lure bettors.
Horse Racing
Horse racing is one of the oldest sports in the world, with a long history of attracting gambling enthusiasts. With many horse racing events occurring worldwide, there is also a huge market for the sport, with punters always looking for the best action, especially during popular events like the Cheltenham Festival, the Kentucky Derby, the Grand National, etc.
Unsurprisingly, this sport’s popularity makes it an attractive target for scammers. Scammers exploit the excitement and passion surrounding the sport. The horse betting scams tend to focus on anticipated popular horse racing events, offering guaranteed predictions, fixed match offers, tips, etc., to unsuspecting punters.
Esports
The competitive video gaming known as Esports has witnessed incredible growth in recent years, attracting a dedicated vast fan base worldwide. This growth also led to a boom in the Esports betting scene, and punters now have access to a huge Esports market. The sport has many passionate fans and betting enthusiasts that wager on the game’s outcome.
This rapid growth has undoubtedly not gone unnoticed by scammers, who naturally recognize an opportunity to exploit the booming Esports market. These Esports betting scammers often target popular titles like DOTA 2, League of Legends, Counter-Strike, etc. They provide guaranteed bets, fixed bets, betting tips, or any other betting service to portray legitimacy to lure punters.
By targeting the popular sports that most bettors go for, scammers can cast a wide net to target a wide range of punters, from casual ones to dedicated fans.
How to Avoid Sports Betting Scams
One indisputable fact about online sports betting scams in the UK and in other parts of the world is that the malicious individuals behind them are quite smart. They pose as legitimate individuals or platforms that offer credible services. As a result, it can be difficult to distinguish the legit options from scams, especially for unsuspecting individuals.
However, that doesn’t mean there is nothing you can do to avoid falling victim to malicious scammers. There are things you can take note of to help you spot betting scams and protect you from them.
Some Red Flags
While it can be difficult to distinguish between legitimate offers and online gambling scams, it is not impossible. Certain factors can act as warning signs to raise concerns and indicate the likelihood of fraudulent activities targeted at a punter.
Now let’s check out some common red flags that should always alert you to the potential presence of a betting scam.
| Red Flags |
Explanations |
| ❗ 100% Guaranteed Risk-Free |
One of online betting scams’ most obvious red flags is 100% guaranteed risk-free offers. It is the tag that many scammers use to promote or advertise their services. However, a simple fact about sports betting is that there is no such thing as a 100% guarantee. It is because sports games are inherently unpredictable, making sports betting risky. Even if you have access to some vital insider information on a sports event, there is always the possibility of unexpected occurrences that could change things. As such, no legitimate entity providing sports-related services can guarantee constant success. So, any professional handicapper or betting syndicate advertising a 100% guaranteed risk-free result is most likely a scam. |
| ❗ Write Your First with Insider Info |
Insider information offers are another major red flag to look out for when finding indications of the likelihood of sports betting scams. Scammers may reach out to you with a claim of having exclusive access to insider information that could influence the results of a game. Like most of their other tactics, this one prey on punters to gain a much-needed edge in accurately predicting sports outcomes for profit. However, authentic betting tips are based on research, analysis, and probabilities, not undisclosed and unproven insider information. The easiest way to usually spot this scheme a mile away is that the scammers will contact you directly to offer insider information on an event for an upfront payment. The scammers typically target people they have checked out and know are actively involved in sports betting. |
| ❗ Try to Sell You Something Fast |
Many betting scams in horse racing and other sports typically involve high-pressure tactics, where offers have limited time on them. It is an aggressive and urgent sales tactic aimed at manipulating punters into feeling a sense of urgency to claim an offer or risk losing an incredible opportunity. The goal is not to allow punters the time to research and think critically about the offer, thereby forcing them to make a quick decision with little consideration. Once you find a scamdicapper or other betting services that provide too good to-be-true offers with a limited time, it is most likely a betting scam. So, it is best to avoid them. |
| ❗ Lack of Transparency |
Legitimate providers are typically transparent about their services and offerings. So, if an offer’s details are vague, it can indicate a scam. |
| ❗ Unregulated Platform |
A betting site not appropriately licensed and regulated may operate without oversight, increasing the risk of a scam. |
| ❗ Poorly Designed or Unprofessional-looking Websites |
Fake sports betting sites and apps usually exhibit poor design, like spelling errors, inconsistent branding, etc. |
Recommendations on How to Protect Yourself
Now that you know the types of betting scams out there and understand the red flags you can watch out for to identify them, it is important to know how to protect yourself.
Some of our recommendations in this regard include:
- Play only with legitimate platforms: The first thing you need to do before joining any betting site is to confirm their legitimacy. You can check out the licensing details of the site or app to ensure they are appropriately licensed and regulated by a respected authority.
- Avoid 100% guaranteed offers: Any betting services that appear too good to be true is almost certainly a scam. Sports betting is inherently unpredictable, so an offer that promises constant success should always be avoided.
- Protect your personal and financial information: You should avoid sharing your sensitive information, such as passwords and financial or personally identifiable information (PII), unless you verify the legitimacy of a site.
- Stay informed about betting scams tactics: The best way to stay protected against these online betting scams is to stay updated on the latest tactics and be aware of their red flags.
- Use reputable platforms for tips and insights: If you want expert knowledge for your betting needs, it is best to stick with well-known and established platforms with a proven track record. Don’t just go to social media to join the first platform you find.
- Avoid high-pressure sales: Be cautious of platforms or services that use aggressive sales tactics to create a sense of urgency. Most of these platforms are out to scam you.
- Be wary of unsolicited messages with links: Be wary of any unsolicited message or email that asks for your sensitive information. And if it contains a link, do not click it. Scammers can use these methods to collect your personal information.
Final Words
In conclusion, with the many benefits of the advances in online gambling also comes the rise in betting scams. Malicious individuals utilize various tactics to exploit sports betting individuals, from fake betting sites to scamdicappers, fake betting syndicates, and much more. The scams are also not limited to one sport, as scammers target any sport that attracts loads of bettors and has a high volume of bets, from football to horse racing, Esports, and many others.
Ultimately, legit sports betting is based on skill, research, and analysis for informed decision-making, while scammers utilize manipulation, false promises, and exploitation. While it can sometimes be difficult to differentiate legitimate options from malicious ones, some red flags can aid punters. Knowing these red flags and keeping note of recommendations on how to handle them can help you avoid falling victim to sports betting scams. It will allow you to enjoy the thrill of sports betting more with peace of mind. Bet confidently with BetZillion experts.
