The smart way to gamble online

If gambling is a mug's game then is online gambling a game for virtual mugs? Well, it's not for us to judge the wisdom of hazarding the odd punt. However, we can say with certainty that gamblers who choose to place their bets online can maximise stakes in a way that's simply not possible in a traditional betting outlet, be it a high-street smoke trap or a gesticulating, turf-side spiv.

If you like a regular flutter but don't wager via the web, you're missing out on a lot of free stakes. Indeed, with a little thought and minimal effort, it's possible to increase the value of your punt money. But by how much? Well how does 100 per cent sound?

Don't be a silly punter
Before we continue, we want to be clear that Computeractive does not advocate gambling, either as a pastime or profession. The fact is that various forms of gambling are legal in this country and it is not for us to act as moral guardian for readers.

If you have concerns about your own betting habits, or those of someone close to you, we would recommend a phone call to Gamblers Anonymous on 0870 050 8880. And if you don't fancy talking to someone, plenty of help and advice can be found on the organisation's website here.

Flutter inflation
So, with responsible gambling only in mind, how best to improve the worth of any given wager? Well, the answer really depends on the type of bet you have in mind.

For many people, the weekend heralds a flutter on the gee-gees: an each-way bet on a nag with a nice name. If you were to place such a bet in your local bookies, you'd have little option but to accept the odds. However, take your stakes online and you can easily improve the payout in the event of a win.

Shopping around online can yield better odds on your chosen horse. And when it comes to searching the online betting operations, there's no easier way than at an odds-comparison or 'aggregation' website. These are services that use automated computer systems to continuously interrogate the odds offered by bookmakers on a variety of events. The upshot is a single source for the best possible odds.

To give you an idea of how beneficial this could be, we recently went to OddsChecker to compare available prices for the Epsom Derby. The experience proved to be a real eye-opener. Although well-known online bookmakers were in agreement on the favourites, the lengths offered on the long-shot runners varied enormously.

For example, at the time of writing, a punter placing a bet with Coral on Azamour would have received odds of 20-1 on the horse coming first. However, a switch of allegiance to Ladbrokes saw the payout ratio increase to 33-1. That's a 65 per cent improvement in value from a single click on an odds-comparison site.

We had no idea whether the Aga Khan's colt was a wise bet in the Derby but we do know that speedily sourcing such an improvement in odds would be impossible via traditional outlets. Moreover, if you tend to leave your betting to the last minute, a comparison service is a reliable way to secure decent odds on emerging favourites.

Sporting chances
Not that it's all nags, though. OddsChecker, in particular, aggregates the odds on a huge spread of events, from darts to Gaelic football. Obviously the range of available prices diminishes with the sport's popularity but, regardless of your chase, an aggregation site is worth a visit.

Generally, placing a punt is as straightforward as clicking on the entry you choose, then your browser will be redirected to the relevant bookmaker's betting-slip page. Other odds-comparison services include OddsExchange, Tip-Ex and BetBrain.

In a spin
Talking of other outlets for the punter's pound, one of the biggest successes in the online gambling world is the virtual casino: an electronic recreation of slots, table and card games.

People are easily tempted by the long odds of the roulette wheel or the chances of a blackjack hand and, with tux-and-tie dress code rendered redundant, the popularity of online casinos has mushroomed. There are now hundreds of companies trading under thousands of brands servicing millions of customers punting billions of pounds.

So what? Well, buoyant markets thrive on competition and, in the online casino arena, the rivalry is unruly. So keen are the operators to secure custom that they throw free money at subscribers. This mainly takes the form of 'match bonuses' on first deposit of funds.

For example, visitors to the 888.com casino outfit are promised a match bonus of 'up to £110'. That might sound generous, but to secure it you'd have to make a first deposit of £550, as the match bonus is just 20 per cent, and that's positively tight-fisted.

As you'll see, 100 per cent match bonuses are common. Regardless, the raison d'être for these freebies is to entice people to play in the first place. Obviously, the site operators hope that users will enjoy themselves so much that they'll stick around after the free stake money is spent.

However, the key thing to remember is that online casinos are not places to be loyal. After all, behind the promises of riches lurk the companies which profit only when the customers lose. So, the wisest wager is to play them at their own game.

If you're prone to regular punting, take advantage of one firm's match bonus and then, win or lose, move on to the next; it will be a year of Sundays before you run out of casinos.

Free money? You bet
To prove the point, we decided to see how far a few quid from the Computeractive coffers could be stretched in the online casinos run by some of the best-known names in betting.

Working alphabetically, we began our free-stakes frenzy at Coral. Well, we hoped to, but at the time, Coral's Instant Play Casino site (go to www.coral.co.uk and click on the Casino link) had no free-chip offers.

So we moved on to the Ladbrokes online casino. One click on the Promotions link and our stakes stack looked set to double: new customers depositing £20, £50 or £100 receive twice the amount in betting chips. We opted for the £100 double-up before performing a fickle flit to Victor Chandler's The Spin Room.

Here, we found new users being offered a sign-up bonus of 10 per cent; hardly generous by comparison. With that in mind we deposited a tenner, took our free quid and went to the William Hill Casino website.

The front-page advert leaves visitors in no doubt of the free stakes on offer: fund your account to the tune of £50 and William Hill will match the amount in chips. Better still, the company offers a monthly match bonus for existing subscribers, whereby a regular once-a-month deposit of £25 will be matched by £25 in free chips. We notched up another £50 of free stakes. Then, we logged on to ... well, you get the point.

Cashing in our chips
Rather than bore you with the long list of sites we visited we'll say that, in less than an afternoon, and with minimal effort, we managed to turn £510 into £1,001 of stake money (the £1 courtesy of The Spin Room's skin-flintedness). Finding operators offering stake-doubling deals isn't hard; use a search site like Google to look for 'online casinos' or 'betting shop' and then you're on your way.

We're not promoting irresponsible behaviour but, if you like the occasional punt, you'd be foolish not to take advantage of these giveaways. And if you're wondering how much of the grand and a pound we had left at the end, you'll find the Computeractive finance director ahead of you in the queue.

A quick buck?
If reading this has given you the idea of withdrawing free stake cash straight into your bank account, think again. Be aware that free stake money means just that: money that can only be used as betting stakes.

In other words, don't imagine that you can deposit £100 to claim a £100 match bonus, and then hurriedly withdraw £200 in cash. Generally, the terms and conditions attached to these free stakes deals require the bonus stake money/chips to be bet several times over before it becomes available for withdrawal.

You can expect to have to gamble the bonus amount at least four times over, perhaps up to 10 times. Obviously, during this process the chances are very high that you'll lose the lot, so the free stakes end up costing the operator a big fat nothing.

Club together
Not everyone has the financial wherewithal to secure hundreds of pounds in free stakes and anyway, you might be quite content using an online operator's sign-up bonus to double the value of your 10-quid flutter on the Grand National.

However, there's an easy way to take advantage of some of the more generous offers discussed here: join financial forces with fellow flutterers. For example, if you fancy claiming the £100 worth of free chips on offer at Ladbrokes but can't stump up the £100 deposit, then get friends or colleagues to pitch in and enjoy spending the free stakes together.

With sufficient numbers in your syndicate, you could spread your funds around, opening accounts with multiple casinos to maximise the free stakes.

A word of warning on punting-around. Be aware that many companies run online casino services using different guises, with some firms operating dozens of brands worldwide. Maximising your stakes by hopping from one operator to another isn't illegal, but don't expect firms to take kindly to the practice should they find out what you are doing.

All operators require you to accept their terms and conditions and these will usually require you not to register multiple accounts or with associate brands. Failure to comply is likely to result in the account being suspended, and you can bet your bottom dollar that, even if not explicit in the terms and conditions, an offender's details will be blacklisted in some way.

Do your research and don't ride your luck for too long. Use 'About us' and 'Company information' links on websites to find out the holding company behind an operation and avoid registering your details more than once with each. In the clandestine world of casino operators, it pays to be one step ahead.