Maximizing Profits in Your Sportsbook: Managing Advantaged Players Effectively

Intro

If you are serious about running a sportsbook and want to maximize your profits, then you have to do more than just throw lines up and hope for players to lose. While this strategy will generally make most people a lot of money, you could be missing out on much bigger gains. Read below to find out how you can make your sportsbook more profitable.

Disclaimer

• For the purpose of this post, we will not be discussing "sharp syndicate action" or "bot action." Players in either category should be removed from the sportsbook immediately and not paid, as they are directly violating rules on the website that prohibit account sharing, which is considered cheating. (See our post explaining how sharp groups operate.)
• All restrictions mentioned here can be implemented by requesting them through Customer Service (CS) in your group chat.

What Are Advantaged Players?

In this article, an advantaged player refers to someone who is simply more skilled than the average bettor. These players:

• Conduct extensive research
• Use specific unit sizing and bankroll management
• Calculate fair value on betting lines
• Shop around multiple sportsbooks for best odds

These players are not cheating—they deserve to be paid when they win. However, if not managed properly, they can eat into your profits.

Identifying Advantaged Players

1. Each week, review the accounts of players who are consistently winning.
2. Go back multiple weeks if necessary and take notes on betting behavior.
3. Request their lifetime win/loss report from CS to confirm your observations.
4. Analyze the type of bets they win with most often.

How to Restrict Advantaged Players (Without Losing Them)

It’s crucial to use discretion. These players usually:

• Have higher credit limits
• Pay consistently and on time
• Are seen as good customers

The goal is to reduce their edge without scaring them off. Here’s how:

Examples of Smart Restrictions

• Live Betting Favorites: If they consistently win with heavy favorites, cap the odds (e.g., disallow bets on favorites over -400) or implement a max bet for live wagers.
• End-of-Week Big Bets: If a player has $5,000 in credit but waits until Sunday to wager $1,500+ on a lock, reduce their max bet to prevent last-minute bailouts.
• Consistent Two-Team Parlays: If they bet $2,000 each week on parlays with heavy favorites and win often, reduce max parlay amounts or adjust odds thresholds.

Conclusion

Advantaged players often increase bet size when hot, aiming to cash out big. You might hope they lose it back to you, but:

• They may leave with the money and never return.
• They could stay hot for longer than expected, causing heavy losses.

The solution: Restrict the bet types they're exploiting. Most of the time, this means adjusting:

• Max odds allowed
• Max bet size
• Credit limit

Remember: It’s always better to take a hundred $100 bets than a single $10,000 bet. Let volume and Vegas odds work in your favor over time by managing risk across smaller wagers.