Gubbed is an unusual word with a very important meaning for anyone interested in profitable sports betting.
Much like death and taxes, getting gubbed is an unfortunate yet inevitable part of life. But what does it actually mean? How do I put off getting gubbed for as long as possible?
And is it still possible to profit from an account that has been subjected to gubbing?
I will answer all of this and more!
Note: Have you already had your accounts gubbed and are looking for a way to continue to make money from sports betting? Skip to the section on how to keep profiting after getting gubbed!
What is Gubbing?
Gubbing refers to when a bookmaker decides to restrict a punter’s account in any way, shape or form.
For those practising matched betting, this usually means no longer receiving promotions.
For those doing arbitrage or value betting, this means getting your stakes reduced down to the point where it is no longer profitable to continue betting.
Why Do Bookmakers Gub Accounts?
Quite simply, bookmakers restrict accounts to prevent them from losing any further money on that account.
If you are winning consistently from a bookmaker, or if your betting history suggests that you are betting in a pattern that is likely to result in consistently winning in the future, they will gub your account.
If you only place bets with a bookmaker when they offer you a promotion, this indicates to them that you are a matched bettor. If you only place bets when the odds constitute an arbitrage or value bet, this indicates that you are using those forms of profitable sports betting.
The bookmakers are aware that some customers will use these profitable sports betting strategies and they are not particularly fond of them.
While there is nothing illegal about these strategies whatsoever, the bookmakers reserve the right to terminate or restrict the accounts of any of their customers at any time, for any reason.
We may not like it, but in reality, there is little that we can do about it once it happens. It is virtually impossible to get the restrictions lifted on an account once they have been placed.
All we can do is try to fly under the bookmakers’ radars for as long as possible, and make as much money as possible in the meantime.
What Kind of Bookmakers Gub Accounts?
Gubbing is a phenomenon unique to soft bookmakers, and is indeed one of the main factors that separate sharp and soft bookmakers.
Sharp bookmakers will never restrict your accounts as they set accurate odds and are confident that it is very, very difficult to consistently profit from them.
You will also never be gubbed by betting exchanges, who make money based on the volume that is bet at their exchange, therefore welcoming consistently profitable gamblers.
How to Avoid Getting Gubbed?
There are many articles full of tips and tricks to help you avoid getting gubbed. The reality is that no one really knows what criteria a bookmaker uses to gub accounts, and it undoubtedly varies depending on the bookmaker in question.
Below are a series of tips which are likely to prolong (but not prevent) the inevitable gubbing of your soft bookmaker accounts.
Use different usernames and passwords
Bookmakers have been known to share details of winning accounts with each other. Use different usernames and passwords for different bookmakers to make this difficult for them. Store the details in a secure file so that you don’t forget them.
Only use betting software with defensive features
If using software to assist your advantage gambling (arbitrage betting software for example), only use a software package with the ability to disguise your activity from the bookmaker.
RebelBetting for example, has a dedicated browser for betting and automatically clears your cookies at the start of each session.
Stick to popular sports and leagues
Don’t bet on obscure, low level leagues of unpopular sports like handball or curling. Stick to head to head or line bets on popular sports (what is popular will depend on what country you live in).
Bet on upcoming matches only
Only bet in matches that are at most a few days away. This makes sense anyway to prevent you from tying up your capital, but it also makes you look like a regular bettor.
Don’t bet on the most profitable arbs or value bets
Everyone else will be betting on the most profitable arbs and value bets produced by the software, so stay undetected by betting on <5% profit bets, rather than that 10% bet that everyone else will be going after.
Don’t deposit too much initially
It can be tempting to deposit a lot immediately after opening an account to take advantage of a sign up bonus, but be aware that if you are depositing more than someone in your country or your age and profession would normally deposit, you are likely to stand out.
Don’t withdraw all funds immediately after a bet settles
Advantage gamblers often need to transfer funds repeatedly to rebalance their accounts. Regular punters only have a single bookmaker account and don’t make many withdrawals. Use a large bankroll and try to go as long as possible between withdrawals.
Don’t bet the maximum stake limit
Stay well below the maximum stake limit to avoid sticking out like a sore thumb.
Bet round numbers only
Don’t bet $76.89, bet $80 instead. No regular punter bets down to cents.
Never place multiple bets on different outcomes of the same match with the same bookmaker
Don’t bet on a particular team to win and then also bet on them to draw with the same bookmaker. This flags you quickly as an arbitrage bettor.
Clean your social media of any advantage betting activity
Don’t join Facebook groups about arbitrage or matched betting using your real name. Past employees of bookmakers have revealed that they now use social checks to identify customers who may be doing advantage gambling.
Mug Betting
Many articles will tell you to occasionally place bets on selections which don’t represent any edge or expected value for you, in order to convince the bookmaker that you are just a regular punter.
This is known as ‘mug betting’. There is no guarantee that this will help at all, and it will of course bite into your profits, so use it carefully.
Life After Gubbing - How to Keep Profiting From Sports Betting?
There are a few different ways to continue to profit from sports betting even after your soft bookmaker accounts have all been gubbed.
Let’s take a look at a few below.
Do Arbitrage or Value Betting
If you were previously doing matched betting and were gubbed for promotions (promo banned), this form of gubbing will usually not impact your maximum stakes.
Therefore, you can still make money by switching to arbitrage or value betting instead.
Unfortunately, this is only a stop-gap measure as you will eventually have your stakes limited too.
Create a Second Account (Gnoming or Multi-Accounting)
A number of profitable sports bettors that have their accounts gubbed often open accounts in a partner’s or friend’s name and begin betting again.
Please be aware that this may be illegal depending on your country of residence. Betting in a name other than your own can be considered fraudulent activity and bookmakers will be much swifter to close an account if they find out that you are doing this.
If you are using the same IP address for a second account, the bookmaker will recognise this and may preemptively restrict your account.
It is, of course, not illegal to introduce a friend to profitable sports betting and let them place the bets on their own.
Use Mercurius Trader to Profit From Sports Betting With No Risk of Gubbings
Mercurius Trader is a unique product from Mercurius, an Italian based company. Their ambitious goal is to turn sports betting into an asset class that anyone can invest in.
They spent 4 years developing a quantitative model that is designed to spot value in the Betfair football market, and execute bets accordingly. It is based upon scientific literature on the topic of football match prediction and is supplemented with their own research and development.
As the model places bets with Betfair alone, there is no chance of being gubbed whatsoever.
Add funds to your Betfair wallet, use the Betfair App Directory to allow Mercurius to use your wallet to place bets on your behalf and you’re done! It’s an entirely passive investment.
Returns will depend on the size of your bankroll, so this product is perfect for someone who has already done matched betting and arbitrage/value betting and is looking for a way to put their accumulated profits to good use!
Please note that unlike arbitrage and matched betting, your profits are not guaranteed and your capital is at risk. Profitability depends on the veracity of the Trader model.
Read my full Mercurius Trader review here!
Gubbed Meaning - Conclusion
Getting gubbed is an inevitable part of making money from soft bookmakers. They do this to limit losses on players that they think will consistently win from them in the long run.
You can try a few tricks to help prolong your account life, but it will ultimately be gubbed in the long run.
My personal philosophy is to try to implement these strategies where simple, but ultimately to try to make as much money as possible from each soft bookmaker account before it is gubbed.
Once you have been gubbed, move onto a sustainable form of profitable sports betting that is free of any chance of gubbings, such as Mercurius Trader.
Do you have any questions about the meaning of gubbed? Let me know in the comments below!
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