First Impression
LinesMaker has so much information on the site that I was somewhat overwhelmed at the amount of links on the homepage, but only because I'm not used to so many bonuses, wagering specials, contests, handicapper's tools, sports news releases, sports scores, horse racing, live casino and client care areas all in one online sportsbook!
Even with all the gaming links and information accessible from the LinesMaker home page, there is simply no confusion as to where each link leads. It's easy to navigate, because LinesMaker is laid out in such a simple fashion. Yes, there are lots of places to go, but you can always click the home link and it will take you back to the home page which has the "bet" and "join" button in the upper left hand corner right next to the familiar words "user" and "password".
It took me less than three minutes to join, make a deposit via credit card, get my bonus money and place my first wager. The registration and deposit process left me dumbstruck it was so fast, which may have attributed to my lack of concentration on making my first wager due to the elation of such an easy registration. You have been forewarned.
Bonuses
LinesMaker has a variety of bonuses that can be taken advantage of depending on the deposit and what you are wagering.
- Initial deposit instant 20% FREE CASH Bonus
- 10% FREE CASH on Re-deposits
- 5% CASH back deposit bonus every month
- 3% CASH rebate on horse wagering
- Risk free casino CASH every week
- A FREE bet in the sportsbook every week
The bonuses do have a few stipulations, but they are not ridiculous. I made my initial deposit via credit card and my 20% bonus was added to my sportsbook account immediately. However, in order to take advantage of the 10% free cash on your reload, you will have to make your deposit on Thursday or make the deposit by wire transfer.
Don't blowout your bankroll on Sunday and then expect to reload that same day in time for the NFL Sunday night game. You won't get your 10% bonus. The 5% cash back on deposits is minus any payouts for the month. If you're up, don't expect any free money.
The 3% cash rebate or horse racing is on total amount wagered and has nothing do with your performance. In order to take advantage of the sportsbook free bet every week, you need to wager $50 in the sportsbook. I like to use these free wagers to wager on high-odds parlay wagers. I consider them my lotto ticket for the week.
Wagering Specials
LinesMaker always has some sort of wagering specials that can be taken advantage of when wagering during the week. Whether it be a no-juice game of the week, half-juice Friday's or a quirky "who scores first, proposition wager losers get their money back" type of wagering special.
- Nickle Fridays
- Half price juice on wagers from 3pm to 10pm EST on Friday afternoons
- Half price juice on NBA halves wagers for all games on TNT and TBS
- National TV Specials
- Double Winnings on MNF bets if you answer the secret question correctly
- NFL player payback
Every Sunday and Monday night the sportsbook selects a player and if that player scores the first touchdown, they will refund all losers on that proposition.
- Multiple MLB wager specials
For the sports handicappers who like to take advantage of bargain wagers and discounts, LinesMaker has plenty of wagering opportunities for you. These specials are always changing so you will have to check and see what wager specials they are currently running at the sportsbook.
Sports Wagers
If it's a sport, then you can probably bet on it in some form of wager at LinesMaker, unless you're looking for an underwater basket weaving parlay. They have baseball, football, soccer, hockey, basketball, boxing, golf, tennis, auto racing, horse racing. You can bet a straight wager, parlay, teaser, progressive teaser, money line, proposition and you can even buy points if you choose. The betting interface is very easy to use.
You click on the sports link, then click on the link for the type of bet you are interested in betting. One note to be aware of is once the wager has been placed, it cannot be cancelled. Make sure the wager you place is the wager you want.
Handicapping
One of the great things about LinesMaker is the section called News, Scores and Tools. For every sport they have links to various news, scores and tools. Here is a list of their news, scores and tools for the NFL.
- Game Previews
- Injury Reports
- Weather Reports
- Matchup Stats
- Latest News
- Live Scores
They have a similar section for NHL, MLB, College Football, Boxing, NASCAR, PGA, Formula 1, Indy, NBA, NCAA Basketball, Tennis and US MLS. Having all of this in one area is a huge bonus.
Customer Service
LinesMaker has a variety of customer service options available. They have Live online chat customer service as well as email and phone numbers. I did call the customer service phone number a couple of times.
When I called late in the evening about 1:30am, I asked about their initial sign-up bonus and the representative had a difficult time giving me information that I requested. He also spoke with a heavy accent. I suspect that the phones are outsourced to another company during the early morning hours, because I when I called during a reasonable hour, the representative was very helpful and informative.
Bottom Line
As a whole, LinesMaker is an excellent online sportsbook with a wealth of information and lots of wagering choices.
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