PINNACLE

 

PROS

If you are worried about your money being stolen by your bookie (which is a pretty common concern, especially among those who are new to the sports betting world), then Pinnacle is a good option because their reputation is unmatched in this business. They have solid financials.

They offer the very best lines on the market, as proven by their reduced juice odds. In plain words, they are taking a smaller commission (also called the “vigorish”) on each bet, which turns out to be a huge factor in their favor.

When two evenly matched teams face each other, most sportsbooks are offering -110 lines (1.91 in decimal format). In such circumstances, Pinnacle usually has -105 lines (1.95 in decimal format). If you are an inexperienced bettor, it may not sound like much; trust me, it makes a big difference in the long run. Instead of having to win at least 52.4% of your bets (110 / 210), you need a win percentage that’s above 51.2% to be profitable at Pinnacle.

Their wagering limits are enormous, so if you are a big gambler that’s a big positive.

Pinnacle openly accepts winners, which is rare in this business. I have had accounts banned in the past by other sportsbooks (they would ask that I withdraw my money and leave). I have also had betting limits severely limited. Those things are annoying. You don’t have to worry about that with Pinnacle as they have a “Winners Welcome Policy”. Their view on the topic is that successful players sharpen their odds.

They are one of the quickest sportsbooks when it comes to processing payout requests. You won’t wait very long to withdraw your winnings.

 

CONS

The only major negative is their lack of bonuses. If that is an important criterion to you, then you should select another bookmaker. Otherwise, there is nothing not to like about Pinnacle.

Well, on second thought there might be an additional drawback to Pinnacle. Their lines are known to be very sharp, which means they are harder to beat. Other more recreational bookies tend to “shade” lines; on some occasions, they tend to favor certain teams on which they expect to receive more action too much. That provides value for smart bettors who will want to bet the opposing team because their line is artificially inflated. That’s not going to happen at Pinnacle.

 

QUICK FACTS

• Established in 1998
• Located in Curacao (Netherlands Antilles)
• Email: csd@pinnaclesports.com
• Their customer service only operates through email (you cannot call them or chat with them). While this may sound like a negative thing, they are very effective. From my extensive experience at Pinnacle, I can attest that they answer queries promptly and effectively. Sure, sometimes it can be annoying not being able to get an answer within five minutes (which would be doable if they had phone lines or a live chat), but generally speaking they are doing a great job in this department.
• The interface is very nice and easy to use. Let me mention two key features: 1) when betting spreads, a drop down menu allows you to quickly buy or sell points; 2) you don’t even need to refresh your browser in order to detect line moves, as odds are automatically updated with color changes that make it easy to spot games where lines movements occurred.
• They do offer prop bets, but not that many (compared to other bookies).
• Live betting on MLB is only offered between innings, while live betting on the NHL is only offered between periods.
• Pinnacle publishes TONS of insightful betting articles. Lots of tips and advice.

 

 

METHODS OF DEPOSIT (click here for the available options by currency)

•  Bank wire
• Credit card
• Skrill
• Neteller
• PaySafeCard
• E-cheque
• ecoPayz
• EntroPay
• iDebit
• Instadebit
• Instant Banking
• Moneta
• QIWI Wallet
• WebMoney
• Sofortüberweisung
• China Debit Card
• E-Payment
• WeChat Pay

 

 

METHODS OF WITHDRAWAL

•  Bank wire
• Credit card
• Skrill
• Neteller
• PaySafeCard
• E-cheque
• ecoPayz
• EntroPay
• iDebit
• Instadebit
• Instant Banking
• QIWI Wallet
• WebMoney
• China Banking

 

 

 

GOOD AND BAD STORIES FROM PLAYERS

Story #1

“Didn't see them requesting for ID when I was depositing hundreds over the last few years, suddenly when I am withdrawing 16Gs they want some ID. Bullshit. Is this how a top-rated sportsbooks treats its customers? I sent them my CC bill and passport, showing them only my name/address as requested and redacting any personal identifiable information in light of all the recent hacks due to privacy breaches and data loss and they have the audacity to say "In order to complete the verification process we require a copy of your photo ID showing the necessary information such as ID picture and document number."”

Source: http://www.covers.com/postingforum/post01/showmessage.aspx?spt=35&sub=102164748

Analysis : Many users from the forum mentioned it was standard procedure. This complaint was not founded.

 

Story #2

“I want to withdraw $9000 and they are making me doing it 6 x $1500 in 6 days.The last 4 times I have to pay a $15 fee”

Source: http://www.covers.com/postingforum/post01/showmessage.aspx?spt=27&sub=102307803

Analysis: I understand it can be frustrating to realize it’s easy to deposit large sums of money, but much more complicated to withdraw. But to me, that’s not a big issue; the player still got his money fairly quickly.

 

Story #3

“I understand they dont restrict bettors, but the biggest question i want to know is, are they safe? I mean, they wont run off with your money will they? I ask this because they dont have a license here in Australia so it makes me a bit iffy. Anyone use them? Experience? Good? Bad? »

Answers:

“Always a good experience”

“Yes have withdrawn plenty of times, they just do the usual verification also they give you 1 free withdrawal per month the next they charge you vig”

“best bookie in the world. have fun”

Source: http://www.covers.com/postingforum/post01/showmessage.aspx?spt=82&sub=102402720

Analysis: If you go on any sports betting forum and ask opinions about Pinnacle, that’s the kind of response you will usually get.

 

Story #4 (harder to read, sorry about the language-level)

“they added a new deposit options echeque

what u need to do is first is show u r ID and a bank statement

and u will be able to deposit right a way

thats what i did so i was cleared to deposit.

the max deposit was 500 , so i deposit 500

all u have to give is bank acc number and transit and bank id

which is simple.

only thing u need is the fund in your bank account when they will try to take the fund if not u may lose pinnacle account forever.

i have that money to cover the deposit, so i deposit

i make some bets , and my balance hits 670

so i place a parlay of 4 teams, wsh vsclippers , habs vs kings

carolina panthers moneyline, and dallas cowboys moneyline

i win!! profit of 8377

but today, they confiscate my winnings saying the deposit was not successful? they dont really explain the reason.

this is a steal!

also i verified again the email i received , my bank info are right, 

i am fund in bank acc., i contacted my bank, they did not refuse any deposit.

pinnacle are so hard to contact, they do only emails.

its so easy to do what they did, if i lose they take the fund from my bank, if i win they just have to tell me the deposit was not succesful.

i dont complain often but this is a steal.”

 

2 days later, the same person wrote:

“pinnacle put back the winnings to my acc

they admit it was technical error

but some of their customer support people are really stubborn.”

 

Source: http://www.covers.com/postingforum/POST01/showmessage.aspx?spt=25932&sub=102020567

Analysis : As you can see, the problem was solved in a couple of days. Bookies admitting errors are few.

 

Story #5

“In recent weeks they started to implement new rules which means that bets are pending a lot longer, I was watching Slovenia game yesterday and although the ball was behind among defenders, no danger at all, it took them a minute to confirm it. And it is a regular feature now, they keep live bets pending a lot longer on average...”

Source: http://forum.bettingadvice.com/showthread.php?t=103068

Analysis: I have personally experienced this situation on tennis live betting and I’m glad someone raised the issue. When you place on a bet on a game that’s in progress, all bookies have a certain delay before accepting or voiding the bet. They want to protect themselves in case an important event occurs before they have time to adjust their lines. I can deal with that. But Pinnacle is taking significantly longer than others to accept live bets. Sometimes it does feel like they accept the bet if things have gone their way, otherwise they void the bet. For this specific reason, I have been more reluctant to do live betting with Pinnacle.

 

 

BOTTOM LINE

I have had an account at Pinnacle for around 15 years. Whenever I get asked to name just one sportsbook to recommend, the first answer that pops up in my mind is Pinnacle. No doubt about it. Any serious sports investor should have more than one account, though, because line shopping is extremely important to your long-term success. Therefore, I would advise to open an account at Pinnacle and a few bookmakers that offer bonuses and that aren’t as sharp as this one.

 

NEWS

Pinnacle sportsbook exits Slovenian market (March 6, 2017)

Pinnacle sportsbook exits Ireland and Poland markets (February 20, 2017)

Pinnacle eSports Operator of the Year (November 29, 2016)

Pinnacle first to offer betting on Drone racing (October 5, 2016)

Pinnacle set for return to UK sports betting market after two-year hiatus (June 9, 2016)

Pinnacle Sports rebrands to Pinnacle (June 1, 2016)