Help! I’ve been gubbed! I hear you scream! When you first get that email from a bookie it can be quite stressful and alarming. First it makes you panic. Then it makes you question your future in matched betting. today I’m here to blog about my experiences getting gubbed and also to reassure you and let you know it will all be fine!
What does it mean to be Gubbed?
Being ‘gubbed’ is a term used predominantly by matched bettors which means that the bookie has stopped you from getting free bets from them. It does NOT mean that you are banned from the bookie entirely (that’s an even worse email!) but it simply means that the bookie has wised up to the fact that you are matched betting and therefore essentially profiting from them by what they call to be ‘misuse of free bets’.
Most bookies have a clause in their terms and conditions saying that you must not profit from or misuse special offers. So basically you are breaking the T&C’s by matched betting and the bookmaker has a right to withdraw special offers as a result of this.
My Experience of being Gubbed
I remember getting that first email when I was gubbed by BetVictor. It made me panic and I kind of got it into my head that all my other accounts were in jeapody – that was absolutely not the case! There were plenty more bookies to ‘fleece’ anmd also remember that new bookies are coming onto the market all of the time too.
Even in my intensive matched betting first year I was only getting gubbed maybe every 3 months or so, and that’s when I was matched betting daily. Following the initial gubbing by Bet Victor I was also gubbed by Sporting Bet, BetBright and Betway. BetBright actually gubbed me after just 2 bets!!!
At one point I got gubbed by Coral. So I left the account dormant for about 12 months, I then logged in again and did a few bets on Liverpool. I actually got ungubbed! There are not many bookies that do this, but Coral is one of them.
In my almost 3 years of matched betting I’ve actually only been gubbed a handful of times. Getting gubbed after that first time was no problem for me – I simply moved on to the next bookmaker!
Which Bookies are likely to Gub you?
In my experience, these are the bookies likely to gub you early on…
- BetVictor
- Betway
- BetBright
- Sporting Bet
- RaceBets
In fact, if you are matched betting for sometime it’s almost impossible not to get gubbed by these! If and when it does happen to you, don’t worry – in fact, consider it a matched bettors right of passage!
Minimise your Chances of Gubbings with Mug Bets
On some bookies it is hard to avoid getting gubbed – as I say, with the bookies mentioned above it’s highly likely to happen at some point in your matched betting career, and quite possibly in the early days. BUT with the more substantial bookies, it is a good idea to place what we call ‘mug’ bets.
‘Mug Bets’ are when you are not doing a qualifying bet or free bet, but you are betting to convince the bookies that you are a genuine gambler. For example, betting on your regular team or horse is a good way to succeed with mug betting. I always throw on some extra bets on Liverpool or Mo Salah to score! You can (if you wish) lay your mug bets. But if you don’t, remember that you are then really gambling!
What happens after you get Gubbed?
So many people ask me ‘what happens after I get gubbed?’ The answer is absolutely nothing! They don’t withold your funds because they are not allowed to, So you basically just withdraw all your funds from the bookie who gubbed you and then just move onto the next bookmaker. There are enough bookies out there to still make money on reload offers. There are also plenty of new bookies coming onto the market as I’ve mentioned and so you can get new sign up offers with them before moving onto reloads.