Being "Gubbed" - What it is and how to avoid it

Have you ever been gubbed?

Originally a Scottish word meaning being forcefully silenced, not a pleasant experience for certain, nowadays it mainly refers to having yours betting account limited by a bookmaker. Accounts can be limited in several ways.

You might be restricted from taking part in any promotions thus limiting your bonus funded matched betting opportunities; you might have your maximum stake reduced, which could halt all your arbitrage betting and high stakes value bets. Whatever way they find to restrict your account, you will certainly get the message that you are no longer a valued customer. Essentially, they are telling you to take your business elsewhere.

Bookmakers will limit accounts for several reasons, but primarily because you are making too much money from them. Bookmakers don’t like to consistently lose. They don’t mind it if you make a big win occasionally, that is par for the course, but if you make a regular profit from them over a significant period, then they will scrutinise every move you make and if you continue to profit from matched or arbitrage betting you will almost certainly be gubbed.

Though not as physically painful as an old-fashioned Glaswegian gubbing, it is certainly a painful experience financially, particularly if you are a professional or semi-professional sports better who relies on a steady income stream from the bookies.

Most online bookmakers will alert you to the fact that you’ve been gubbed by email, but that isn’t necessarily the case. Sometimes you simply find that your bets have been limited when you try to place one. Your first reaction is likely to be to phone customer services. Generally, you will receive a sympathetic ear, but it is unlikely that you will simply get “un-gubbed” over the phone.

Probably you bet course of action is to do as they have covertly suggested and move on; find another bookmaker. But this time you will need to ensure that you avoid getting gubbed yet again.

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Avoid Getting Gubbed

Avoiding getting gubbed isn’t as easy as some people suggest. You should bear in mind that online bookmakers employ clever analysts who continually monitor and analyse all accounts using sophisticated algorithms to weed out punters who are winning too much money or simply whose betting patterns differ from those typical of the average punter.

Your challenge is to disguise your activities so that you appear to be an average sort of punter while continuing to make a profit. The problem is you don’t know the criteria used by the various bookmakers to separate the average punter from the professional. How much profit can you make without attracting attention?

The best way of disguising your profitable betting strategies whether they be carefully formulated value bets, matched betting or arbitrage is to simultaneously place bets typically placed by an ordinary punter. Somewhat disrespectfully these are referred to as “mug bets.”

Essentially these are bets placed on high profile events, often on favourites at low odds; loosing bets placed on outsiders; bets placed every week on your favourite football club to win even when they have little chance of doing so; bets placed on several different sports; bets recommended by high profile tipsters; low stake wild accumulator bets that have almost zero chance of winning; and so forth.

Each time you place a mug bet you should lay it at a betting exchange. This way you can appear to be a regular punter without risking too much money. The inevitable small losses you do make will be more than compensated for by your winnings on your more nefarious betting strategies. For more strategies to avoid being gubbed, you can read our article on how to keep your bookie accounts open. Make sure you take action before it is too late.

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