ANYONE play through IRG here?
 

I have an opportunity to possibly start playing through them (Youbet owns them but they are a licensed rebate shop, alot like Pinnacle). Hoping someone here has played through them or had the opportunity.

Scav-

I didn't see this before but I've been using them since July. The rebates are excellent but in efforts to bump up my handle, I know I've forced a number of wagers that I would never have bet otherwise.

CAn you educate on what the terms, limits, rebates are ? Or where can one find this information out and possibly contact them ? Thanks

What is IRG?

If anyone has more information I would appreciate it.

International Racing Group (i think). An offshore bought up by Youbet that provides rebates to large customers. They took the whale business and did about $300. mil of youbets $750 mil business. I havenot been able to find out specifics of how much the minimum limits and /or rebates are, but they go like 8% i heard. They are US legal. I was just about to go with Pinnacle when they stopped their US business and am looking for a legal and trustworthy rebate shop.

THE REAL PG :D

The rebates range from between 7% all the way up to around 16%, depending on the track and wager type. There are a number of tracks that IRG does NOT take, including NYRA tracks, Oaklawn, Tampa Bay and Delaware. And all betting is done via telephone; not the internet. If you bet for fun, IRG is not for you. If you are a serious player and push big money thru day in day out, its worth considering.
FWIW, they may be more restrictive now, since Pinnacle quit. I'm sure they were bombarded with the new requests following that dark, January 11th announcement from Pinny.

Thanks
 

OK, not for me I see. Where have all the Pinny customers gone to now though ? I realize it is a shake out period , but I havenot read much on the subject since the Pinny announcment. Can anyone provide a couple of places with good reps ? Thanks -

The best 2 offshore alternatives to Pinnacle are 5Dimes and CRIS/Bookmaker.

CRIS has moved all its US customers to its sister, Bookmaker.com. CRIS has been considered one of the top 5 offshores for years. They give a straight 8% rebate on exotics, but just 3% on WPS. No rebate on place or show bets playing $2.20 or less. So, they are better than Pinnacle was on exotics (MUCH better for the NY tracks), but not as good as Pinnacle was on WPS.

5Dimes pays a 10% bonus on the total payout for winning exotic bets as well as Win bets. (For example, if you bet a 3-1 horse, instead of collecting $8.00, you would collect $8.80 at 5Dimes.) I showed some time ago that this was superior to Pinnacle's 7% rebate, pretty much no matter how bad you cap. Bad news is that they cut off betting earlier than Pinnacle did. And, if you bet place and show, you get no help at 5Dimes.

CRIS/Bookmaker has a max-win per track, like Pinnacle did. For the biggest tracks, it is $30K.

5Dimes has max odds it will pay, but they are fairly high: At "Major tracks" they pay up to 110-1 for win and 40-1 for place. 165-1 for exactas. Actually, they will pay the first $100 of a win bet at full track odds, even if it is over 110-1. http://www.5dimes.com/RacebookFrame.htm

--Dunbar

165-1 is low for exactas. . .

I have heard from a very reliable source that if you win consistently at 5dimes, you won't be a customer for long. Anyone here that thinks this is wrong?

C.,

Essentially they are casinos ("You can play blackjack ONLY if you are dumb enough to lose"), and they act like it. :rolleyes:

I saw a reference recently about someone's limit's being reduced dramatically, and it surprised me. I just tried to find the reference, but can't track it down. (thought it was at Fezziksplace.com)

I don't know anyone personally who has ever had a problem at 5Dimes, and I know some very successful sportsbettors.

At any rate, it shouldn't be a big concern. The worst thing they would do is cut your limits or ask you not to bet at all. So you take your money and go somewhere else. 5Dimes is not going to grab your money.

--Dunbar

I forgot to mention that IRG doesn't take Keeneland, in addition to the other tracks mentioned earlier.