Gubbings & How to Avoid Them
Being hit with a ‘Gubbing’ is when your bookmaker applies account restrictions, most likely preventing you from accessing all the promotional goodies that Matched Betting relies on.
When you first find out you’ve been gubbed, it’s a funny thing. You receive an email from a bookmaker with a heading of something like ‘Your account’. Maybe it’s just a generic terms & conditions change for all customers but really you know what’s coming. You open the email and see ‘Following a review of your account…’. You don’t really need to read the rest of it saying that you are now banned from their promotions.
You’ve been spurned. You’ve been rumbled. You might be upset, you might be angry. Is it them? Is it me? What could I have done to keep the relationship going? Can I contact them to see if we can keep things as they were? Should I email them? Should I ring? What if I send some flowers? Ok, maybe not the last one……
Your gubbing is because you’ve been exploiting their offers. Frankly your account is not profitable enough for them so they are removing any extras or benefits from your account.
Getting ‘gubbed’ (banned from promotions) is not a great feeling and it will also impact on your profits. Account Preservation (not getting gubbed) is key. You must be aware of this when you are Matched Betting with a bookmaker. Let’s be clear, if you are matched betting with a number of bookmaker accounts then you will be gubbed at some point.
How you are gubbed will vary from one bookie to another. Some might remove access to specific offers. Others might also restrict your stakes so you have a lower max stake you can place on your bets. The ultimate is getting your account closed completely.
So What Have I Done to get Gubbed?
Gubbing means your betting patterns with the bookie have been noticed by the software they use to track behaviour. Typically this is because your only bets with the bookie are on free bet offers or price boosts. You may have actually lost all your free bets with the bookie (and made a profit with your exchange bets). Don’t think your account will automatically be ok. A bookie doesn’t judge how profitable you are by how much you win or lose. They judge you by how much value you’re seen to be taking.
Your deposit account is one obvious giveaway that you’re only opening an account to access the bookie promotions. It gives a signal if you deposit the minimum required to get full access to the free bets. If the offer says deposit £30 for £30 of free bets then think about depositing £40+ and include some Mug Bets in your early bets.
This is an obvious signal for the bookie that you are a matched bettor. If you don’t mix up your betting with them then the clock will have been running on you suffering a gubbing. You needed to have placed various Mug Bets
You need to ensure your account looks like a typical punter who is taking advantage of some of the promotions offered by the bookie, not the other way around!
Don’t give the game away by making it blatantly obvious that you’re only using them for their offers.
Make sure you understand how to place Mug Bets BEFORE you open a new account with a bookie. Don’t think that you can escape a gubbing by hammering the bookie offers first and then placing a few mug bets later. You need to give them the impression of a Mug Punter from Day One.
Can I Reverse the Gubbing? Will they Remove my Account Restrictions?
There are cases where account restrictions have been lifted. You are then able to receive promotions again but for most this is unlikely. If your stakes have been restricted, it’s very hard to get your penalty lifted. However, you may find you can place higher stakes on some sports/events that you don’t typically bet on.
It’s best to leave the account for maybe a couple of months. Then go back to it and see what bets and stakes you are able to place. If it’s an account you really want to try and get back then consider placing Mug Bets. It won’t get the restrictions lifting immediately but will get your account into a better position. Place a variety of Mug Bets including some of the more advanced ones The traders at the bookies might start thinking you are just a typical Mug rather than Matched bettor.
One obvious way around your gubbing is to use an account in a friend or family member’s name. I wouldn’t recommend it but if you do you’ll need to be very organised.
If you still have a good number of profitable bookie accounts that haven’t been restricted make sure your focus is on keeping them in good order! Treat Mug Betting as a skill that is just as important as your Matched Betting skills.
