Anyone who has bet at most of the sportsbooks accepting USA players will tell you that the transaction fees could get a bit ridiculous at times. Unfortunately, the reality is that this is the cost of doing business with players in the US. Due to the legal standing of the offshore sportsbooks, transactions to and from the sportsbooks incur an enormous cost, compared to anything else on the Internet. However, not all is lost and there are a few “tricks” that could not only reduce the transaction fees with the sportsbooks, but in some cases – eliminate them completely.
The USA online sportsbooks understand that, while to cost of processing payments and deposits is quite high, players hate paying their share and have done a few things to make it easier, and more importantly cheaper, for the bettors to send and receive money. Depending on your preferred sportsbook, there are a few ways to avoid paying the transaction fees. Here are a couple of sportsbooks that offer ways for US players to avoid paying those pesky fees.
Bookmaker – while there is no free withdrawal, per se, this popular US sportsbook has an option that can literally make every one of your payouts free – the Rewards Points. The betting site has a rewards program which gives every player points for wagering and in turn the points can be used towards your transaction fees. Points accumulate quite fast, especially if you are in higher rewards tier, thus you can request a free payout at any time and as many times as long as you have enough points. In addition, the sportsbook also refunds your P2P deposit fees you pay to send money to your player’s account, making the deal even sweeter.
5Dimes – this sportsbook has made it very easy for players to withdraw some of their winnings (or all of them, depending on your bankroll) by instituting a simple policy – every customer can request one free withdrawal per month. It doesn’t get any easier or simpler than that. This policy is aimed toward helping the bettor with smaller bankroll, people who bet small units and their monthly winnings can easily be covered by a single withdrawal. Customers of 5Dimes can request their free withdrawal every Monday and as long as this is their first payout for the month – it’s free. Keep in mind, however, that if depositing using Western Union or Money Gram – the sender’s fee will not be refunded, unlike Bookmaker.
As you can see, if you play it smart you can avoid paying the transaction fees or if you do pay them, in some cases they would be refunded back to you. Make sure you select a sportsbook that would work with you on those points, since in some cases the transaction fees for deposits and payouts could be quite high.