Site Interface & Ease:8/10
Sign-up, Reload & Referral Bonuses: 0/10
Money Transfer Ease: 7/10
Lack of Fees: 10/10
Odds/Fairness: 10/10
Event Variety: 8/10
Service: 8/10
History/Reputation: 10/10
Total Score: 66.25%
What They Say:
The Matchbook Betting Exchange Benefits: Matchbook is a betting exchange designed by a group of venture investors and professional sports bettors with one common goal: to cut the bookmaker out of the betting process and create a neutral, transparent platform that players can use without any intermediaries. We seek to create a global betting community where anyone - from the casual $5 bettor to the serious professional who's been underserved by the offshore industry - can trade on a cutting-edge exchange platform at the lowest possible cost.
At Matchbook, we've opted to keep things as simple and egalitarian as possible: commissions are a rock-bottom 2% for everyone. That equates to about a 1% vig compared to the 4.5% you pay at the average sportsbook. It's as close as we can shave things and still pay for our satellite-TV bill. That said, we're open to proposals from individuals or groups interested in posting substantial liquidity to the exchange, and may be able to arrange meaningful commission rebates based on trading activity.
Why Use Matchbook? As exchange markets in Europe have proven, once an exchange achieves critical mass, it will inevitably have the best number on both sides of a game. Start trading with us, and you'll soon find those other four accounts won't get a lot of use.
Matchbook Security: We encrypt all personal financial data used for transactions on the Matchbook site. For further protection, we do not store any user's complete credit-card data on the site. (The full number string must be re-entered during any subsequent deposits.) Other session data, such as trading transactions, is generally compressed (to improve site performance) but is not further encrypted.
What We Say:
Matchbook Company Summary: Matchbook, according to statistics, is preferred by the majority of the gaming public. While its bonuses are lacking to say the least, they offer a unique style of online betting.Matchbook provides a fresh alternative to U.S. gamblers, as betting exchanges have not been targeted by the UIGEA to date. The site provides its users with low cost betting, a fair variety of betting events with minimal commission fees. Betting exchanges do not limit or close user accounts for winning too much.
Matchbook Marketing and Brand: Matchbook representatives have admitted its lack of liquidity, but since Pinnacle Sports’ has closed its market to U.S. users, Matchbook has seen drastically increased volume. Many are calling Matchbook “the new Pinnacle.”As market makers are added daily, Matchbook is quickly becoming the favored betting exchange of the U.S. sports betting community.
Matchbook Prices & Lines: Matchbook users can enjoy the pricing system. Low commission rates, zero deposit fees, zero limits on winnings or withdrawals make Matchbook very appealing to its members. For any processing fees, Matchbook is willing to give recompense through commission credits. The lines are all determined by the professional bettors and show more accuracy than many online sportsbooks.
Matchbook Cashier: Depositing and withdrawing from Matchbook can take some time. Because of recent scrutiny toward overseas gaming facilities, payouts and deposits have become quite difficult for Matchbook. However, Matchbook offers free inter-book transfers between Pinnacle, Olympic, WSEX, Mansion, CRIS and 5Dimes in order to facilitate moving funds to and from its members.
Matchbook Customer Service: Customer support at Matchbook is adequate. Its telephone customer service lines are available between the hours of 9AM and 9PM EST, with a separate line for general info, trade support and accounting. The operators are not always excited to hear from users, but are helpful. General wait time is limited to none. Matchbook also has a live support chat option for general inquires, accounting and wagering. E-mail is also available for general information and accounting. Wait time for an e-mail response averages around 45 minutes. Matchbook offers a suggestion box to all of its users in the customer service department as well.
Matchbook Bet/Game Variety: Matchbook is adequately versatile in this department. The site offers auto racing, baseball, basketball, boxing, current event, football, golf, hockey, movie, soccer and tennis betting, with the most common styles of wagers. Because Matchbook’s users determine the odds and the sports to wager on, the site is always open to new suggestions from seasoned bettors.
Matchbook Bonuses: Bonuses are not Matchbook’s trump card. In fact, Matchbook offers no bonuses at all. No sign-up, reload, referral bonuses or loyalty programs. This may turn users off to the site, but Matchbook tries to compensate for the lack of bonus in low commission rates, which are rumored to lower for users in the future.
Matchbook Other Promotions: During favored sports seasons, Matchbook will offer a 1% commission rate. This is currently being offered through the entire 2008 baseball season. Commission credits as we’ve said are offered for any processing fees. MoneyBookers offers a free first time withdrawal for Matchbook users.
Matchbook Transfers and Fees:There are no fees paid to Matchbook that are not compensated for. The site guarantees that users can be sure that if a fee is charged, Matchbook had to pay the same or higher fee themselves, and again commission credits are used to refund the fee. MoneyBookers charges as $28 fee for Fedex checks.
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