The online gambling industry is growing at an unparalleled pace giving more options to the online bettor than he or she know what to do with. Advertising everywhere points to this site or that site as being the best. The fact is there are numerous well run gaming sites. But unfortunately there are also those sites looking to scam you out of your hard earned money. The following is some sound advice that every offshore wagerer should always keep in the back of his or her heads when choosing an online sportsbook or casino.

If it sounds too good to be true - it probably is.

There are sportsbooks and casinos out there that will tell you anything to get you to join so you have to make sure get the relevant information. Don't get us wrong there are some very good incentives available, however don't forget there is no such thing as FREE LUNCH. There are, and always will be, conditions on every free thing you receive in your life. Make sure to ask what those conditions are and you can deem whether or not they are reasonable.

If your so great why are you the only one saying that "your great?"

Go with a sportsbook/casino that you see advertised and recommended. If you do not see much advertising by a sportsbook or casino then the company probably is in one of two situations. A) They don't have the money to do so. Keep looking you can find a better site. Or B) they are not looking to grow anymore. Our experience with companies not looking to grow is that they are either looking to exit the business or are comfortable/complacent and tend to provide a lower standard of customer service. Not true for everyone but reason enough to keep looking.

Two sets of lines are better than one.

If you have $1,000 in post-up money, send $500 to two sportsbooks and have the benefit of two sets of lines, two sign-up bonuses, etc. It is not rare to get 10% on your money to sign-up and/or see a differential of 1.5 points on a game. And, yes 10% on your money and 1.5 points a game does make a difference in your long-term success.

Pull some of your winnings to see how promptly the company reacts.

A reasonable time frame for you to receive your winnings is anywhere from 48 to 72 hours after request. There are extenuating circumstances that may cause it to be longer from time to time (ex. hurricanes or religious holidays). If you request a payout and do not get it within this time frame and there are not any apparent extenuating circumstance you might want to think twice about continuing with that service. Better to be safe than sorry.

Find out how long they have been in business and who licenses them.

We consider most of the premier online services to have been in business between 2 and 5 years. There are companies that are older than that but those are generally old phone operations that are trying to convert to the Internet. Older does not equal better! As for licensing, here are some of the larger more civilized countries that have embraced online gambling: Antigua, Costa Rica, Australia, and London.

Look over their website to see how accessible they are.

Most of the more respectable sites offer toll free customer service number for there clients to use. If their site is vague they may be hiding something. The well run companies to their best to provide all the information you need to make you feel comfortable.

What is the largest wager they will accept on the phone?

While most online limits are much lower the leading companies will accept at least a $5,000-$10,000 wager on the phone. If they won't accept this amount you should move on and find a more stable book. Serious books will accept this amount any time and will probably take much more.