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lurker
05-14-2004, 05:59 PM
There have been some recent postings regarding offshore racebooks and there benefits and drawbacks. I thought that I might review the 3 largest of them for you. I am sure that some of the forum members are getting offers from them. I have played at all 3 in the past 2 years.

e horse

E horse is one of the oldest of the offshore racebooks. They offer rebates of between 2 and 5 %of weekly handle with no exclusions of show bets or $2.20 or $2.10 returns. They have 2 innovative products . The first is a betting exchange where you can wager on horses to lose. The second is the e horse quinella which pays for any combo of horses finishing first, second or third.They pay 275-1 on w-p-s and 300-1 on all others. Unknown max payout to a race.

e horse good features:

rebates on all horse bets ( show and $2.20-$2.10)
betting exchange
e horse "q"
$25,000 derby contest
easy interface
closes races when the track closes
easy to use interface
rebate 2-5%

e horse bad features:
no sign up bonus
no reload bonus
lower limits than pinnacle or tcbets
lower rebate level than pinnacle or tcbets
not as many tracks as pinnacle or tcbets
rumors of co mingling winning players wagers
no pick3's pick 4's superfectas

Pinnacle

Pinnacle's racebook is relatively new. They offer a straight 7% rebate (no sliding scale).This is for internet wagers only. Phone wagers receive no rebate. Their track selection is provided by IAS from Austrailia . They rank their tracks by total amount available to win. Small tracks have a cap of $5000, medium $15,000, large $25000-$50000. Their wagering system is relatively easy to navigate. Matchups are offered on several races each day.

Pinnacle good features:
straight 7% rebate (place and show included, but no minus pools )
no cap per wager, but rather per track type
horse matchups
one account for both horses and sports
large limits ( higher than e horse and sometimes higher than tcbets)
pick3, pick4 and superfectas available
sometimes a sign up bonus

Pinnacle bad features:
No rebate for phone wagers(bad if you are playing from the track)
no phone customer service(they only take e mail requests)
some tracks are not available every day
no reload bonus
they practice "risk management" which means that your bets may be comingled
occasionally the software locks out races too early

tcbets:
Tcbets has been around for a couple of years.Tcbets offers sign up bonuses(which are sometimes as high as 20%) and relaod bonuses. They offer just a few more tracks than Pinnacle and e horse. Their rebate levels scale from 2-7%. Show bets do not receive rebates. Their software locks out internet wagers about 1 minute before post time. They pay full track odds on w-p-s and 300-1 on all other bets.For big races they offer matchups. Max payout for all tracks is $25000.

tcbets good features:
sign up bonus
reload bonus
over 100 tracks
high limits
pick3, pick4, superfectas available
rebate 2-7%

tcbets bad features:
no rebate on show wagers (available at e horse and pinnacle)
software locks out 1 minute before post on the web
max win of $25000 for event days (pinnacle goes higher)



Thats my brief analysis of the 3 major offshore wagering sites. I hope that it helps you select the right one. Of course if you will only wager into a pari-mutuel pool than this has been all for naught. I feel that with a non pari-mutuel rebate shop that my odds of winning in the long run are greatly improved. Good luck on this weekends racing.

playintheponies
05-15-2004, 11:09 AM
Thanks for your posting Lurker.

I am located in Baltimore, have accounts with BrisBet and PhoneBet and wanted to bet the Preakness card. Born and raised in Baltimore but lived in Arizona for several years before moving back and Xpressbet denied my internet application, thanks to Equifax showing me still living in AZ. I called Xpressbet customer service who said I had to fax in a copy of my drivers license and 2 utility bills!!

Oh brother. I still am using my AZ license and there was no way I could get all this done in time, and didn't really want to, I have reasons for wanting to keep the AZ id.

I went to Pimlico yesterday to bet the Special and to hustle jockeys autographs on old Triple Crown programs I have collected.

Had a great day, Southern Image was a serious bet for this small time player, cashed win, exacta, triple, double, and am live in the Special / Preakness double. Also got Pat Day's autograph on the 1992 Ky Derby program from when he rode Lil E Tee to victory.

But no way am I going today, the crowd was nuts with just the locals, it's gonna be really crazy today with the out of towners. I've been to plenty of Preaknesses past, plus am recuperating from some serious injuries in an on the job accident, I'm not ready for another full day of walking, they're gonna have to race without me this year.

So all I wanted to do was bet online, but Magna's roadblocks are serious deterrents. Forces me to find an offshore site. It's a shame to see Maryland money on the Preakness card go offshore, but Stronarch's pockets are a bit deeper than mine, if this is the way he wants it, oh well.

So I found your post, and after reviewing the 3 sites am going with eHorse, as they seemed to be the most accomodating for the small time bettor.

to quote Charlie Whittingham "if my foresight was as good as my hindsight, I'd be better of by a damnsight"

Best Regards, playintheponies

lurker
05-15-2004, 12:19 PM
I am glad that you found the post of use. I would say that all three sites cater to small players.

PaceAdvantage
05-15-2004, 09:20 PM
WOW! Look at the interest in offshore books. 1900 views on a thread put up barely 24 hours ago, and ONLY TWO REPLIES. People must be hungry for info on offshore books!

Zaf
05-15-2004, 09:32 PM
Sure people are interested in lower takeout and the ability to bet whatever track they want. Now as far as collecting :eek: ???

ZAFONIC

Figman
05-15-2004, 11:16 PM
Don't bet any first time starters that win, you may not collect as in the 1st race opening day in April at Finger Lakes in New York. Four off-shore books still refusing to payoff.

Buckeye
05-15-2004, 11:18 PM
You call them books ?

swoop
05-16-2004, 05:22 AM
I bet with Pinnacle.....7% back...each and every next day in my account...cant beat that...makes game almost beatable!!!!!C/S....great..email response in minutes....they do have a toll free phone #.....I truly enjoy...Pinny...most of FULL TRACKS ODDS...Nuff Said....Swoop

Buckeye
05-16-2004, 12:58 PM
My understanding is that Pinnacle does NOT pay rebates for phone wagering.

Ehorse does pay 3% at least for phone wagers.

Is there anyone else paying more than 3% rebate for less than $2000 bet/week on wagers placed over the phone?

swoop
05-16-2004, 10:24 PM
That is true about Pinny....But why would you call and not get the rebate?????....Nuff said...Swoop...

DJofSD
05-17-2004, 11:01 AM
More information, see: http://www.racing411.com/ (http://)

Buckeye
05-17-2004, 04:29 PM
I will repeat the question, "does anyone offer rebates of more than 3% on all action, win or lose, weekly total <$2000 for bets placed over the phone?"

Racing 411 is not a current source of information. That is why I'm asking the question here, I'm looking for current information.

Thank you.

Jeff P
05-19-2004, 01:09 PM
As of today, Pinnacle offers a 5% rebate on wagers placed over the telephone. One kicker- $75.00 min action per phone call.

Buckeye
05-26-2004, 12:20 AM
Thank you Jeff P :)

rrbauer
05-26-2004, 01:49 PM
ZAFONIC wrote:

Sure people are interested in lower takeout and the ability to bet whatever track they want. Now as far as collecting ???

Comment:

I've had an eHorse account for over 3 years and a Pinnacle account for about a year. Never had a problem getting money from either one. From eHorse via Neteller and snail mail (check); and, from Pinnacle via Neteller. From Neteller to my bank account in 2-3 days. At the same time, YouBet takes 4-5 days via snail mail to get me a check and they're about 60 miles away!

alysheba88
05-26-2004, 02:01 PM
I have been very slow to bet offshore, especially since I greatly prefer live racing. But on those days when I cant make it to the track or just want to bet a few races, I will only use offshores like Pinnacle and E Horse. Would never ever go to a simulcast place again. Cant beat the rebates and other benefits