Is there a less appealing element to betting than reading the bookmaker’s terms and conditions?
Probably not, but when it comes to offers, it’s important that you give them a once over and understand them, because if you don’t, you are likely to end up disappointed at one stage or another.
If you look at the negative reviews bookmakers get on 3rd party websites, a large number of the complaints are actually the punter’s fault rather than the bookmakers. They haven’t understood something at the time of accepting an offer or making a bet, and only too late have they come to realise they weren’t quite getting the deal they thought they were.
Yes, it’s dull, but understanding the terms gives you an advantage in that you aren’t going in blind; you might actually be able to avoid rubbish offers and even pick out the really good ones.
In the past, the bookies could have been accused of making their terms and conditions deliberately difficult to understand in order to bamboozle customers, but not anymore.
Thanks to some interference from the ASA, the terms for most bookies offers have gotten a lot simpler over recent years. This means that, in general, they’re much easier to understand and you no longer require a law degree in order to be able to decipher the T&Cs of an offer.
In fact, while the terms for the sites as a whole are still incredibly dense, when it comes to offers and promotions, you can usually read the terms in about 2 minutes, and once you know the things to look out for, you can understand them even quicker than that.
There are a few commonly used terms that could trip up a few novices though, so we’ve covered exactly what they mean in the guides below.
- What is a Bonus Code & Do You Need One?
- What Are Wagering Requirements?
- What Does ‘Minimum Odds’ Mean?
- What Does ‘Stake Not Included in Returns' or 'Stake Not Returned' Mean?
- What Does ‘Paid in Free Bets’ Mean?
- What is an eWallet & Why Can’t You Claim Betting Offers At The Bookies?
- What is a Void Bet?
- What is a Qualifying Bet?
- What Does a Settled Bet Mean & When Does a Bet Settle?
- What is Cash Out in Betting?