Playersonly Sportsbook Review

For now, Players Only is NOT taking in new members. We’d say that’s temporary, but it’s been the case for months now so there’s no telling when registration will reopen, if ever. The situation is not unique to Players Only, as Sportsbook.ag is doing the same. 

Since we weren’t able to create an account, we did not have full access to Players Only for this review. In fact, Players Only withholds a lot of information from non-members, which led us to finding info through Google. Keep this in mind as you read the rest of our review.  

Players Only stays closed lipped about its bonuses. While a “promos” tab is listed in the main menu, access is only granted to those with active accounts. 

While glossing through its rules, we caught wind that the welcome deal is matched at 10 percent — up to what dollar figure remains a mystery, one that not even Google could provide a solid answer to. Nonetheless, a 10-percent match is awfully small. Making matters worse, the site confirmed that the rollover rate on sports betting is 20X. To put it blunt, this deal isn’t good at all.

To deposit money and subsequently cash out winnings, your account must be verified by Players Only first. And no, this verification process isn’t as simple as clicking a link in your email. In fact, you might have to upload documentation that proves your identity and address. That includes an image or photocopy of a passport, ID card, or utility bill as an example. The information provided must match what you registered with or else you’ll be out of luck. 

Bitcoin: Bitcoin Or Bust

Once you’re officially verified, Bitcoin becomes a deposit option for you. This is the only crypto supported on the platform, however. Players Only has pretty loose limits when it comes to Bitcoin. The max that can be deposited is a whopping $10,000, which should be more than enough for most players. 

Credit Cards: VISA And Mastercard Only

If you’re located in the United States or Canada, Players Only supports funding via VISA or Mastercard. Each has a $25 minimum deposit, but its max varies. As much as $2000 can be inserted with VISA, but Mastercard’s max limit is half that at $1000. 

Players Only pays users out in three ways — Bitcoin, check, or wire transfer. However, neither comes cheap. While your first cashout with either method comes free of cost (per calendar year), any after that comes with a three-percent surcharge on the withdrawn amount. Those fees are unreasonably high, especially considering this is money you’ve rightfully earned. 

Bitcoin: Much Stricter Limits

Here’s another red flag, among many, at Players Only. While the site allows you to deposit up to $10,000 with Bitcoin, it’s max cashouts with the same crypto is only one-fourth of that — $2500. There’s something alarming about a betting site that differs so widely when it comes to banking limits. 

We don’t have much good things to say about Players Only, but at least it doesn’t miss on its betting experience. The sportsbook is organized neatly by sport and/or league. This makes finding a bet relatively easy.

Once you have a line you want action on, just click on it. This will automatically add it to your betting slip. The final step is adding how much to risk. Once this is complete, hit “place bet” and your wager is 100-percent locked and loaded. 

When it comes to politics, Players Only mostly sticks to the US Presidential election. Though, it’s not a small offering. You’ll find a wide-array of odds for the event, including state-by-state winners, VP nominees, and of course, which candidate will get elected.  

Due to the global nature of eSports, you’re very likely to find a betting line for it at any hour of the day at Players Only. Morning, afternoon, night time — you name it, there’s probably some action to catch. Video games carried for betting at Players Only include Counter-Strike, League of Legends, Rainbow Six, NBA 2K, and a few more.

There’s two ways to do virtual sports betting — simulating actual-released video games (e.g. Madden or FIFA) or having your own unique titles on-site. Players Only opts for the former option. On its platform, you’ll find every sports game created by publishers like 2K or EA. Live streams of the simulations can be found on Twitch. 

If there’s a sport that really thrives when it comes to live wagering, it’s basketball. As opposed to soccer or baseball, scoring comes more effortlessly in basketball, meaning in-play lines will shift often. That’s certainly the case with the NBA at Players Only. Of course, the site offers all the usual pregame and halftime odds, but its live offerings really add an extra layer of fun to it all. 

Tennis is a staple of the Players Only sportsbook. However, come a Grand Slam event — Wimbledon or the US Open, as an example — the sport really takes over the menu. Betting lines for any and all major events are hard to miss on Players Only during those peak moments.

Players Only really brings the heat when it comes to NFL wagering. While pregame lines (spreads, over/unders, moneylines) are to be expected, the site really goes above and beyond when it comes to the props and futures offered. Bettors will get a lot of mileage out of Players Only in this department.

Come season time, the amount of action available on MLB at Players Only on a daily basis trumps every other sport. Part of that is because of MLB’s 162-game schedule. But the other part of that is Players Only just supports the league big time with an abundance of bets. 

Horse racing fans will like what they see out of the Players Only racebook. For one, there’s betting lines available year-round for events far and wide. And second, the betting site offers a rebate of eight percent daily. This rebate is on total wagers, not just losers. 

We’d give you our thoughts about the Players Only casino, but we couldn’t access it. Anytime we’d try to jump on it, we were immediately hit with an error message saying “casino wagering is not available in your current location.” This was the case even while using a VPN and multiple foreign IP addresses. The same goes for the Players Only poker room. 

To find all games with in-play wagering ability, click the “live betting” submenu inside the sportsbook. You’ll find an extensive amount of sports covered, but the lion share will definitely be basketball, football, and soccer. In our experience, Players Only was quick to shift betting lines as game action unfolded in real time. 

If you’re feeling extra risky, you’ll find comfort (or perhaps discomfort) knowing Players Only readily accepts parlays. To do so, just add two or more betting lines to your ticket. Once on the ticket, you’ll see a tab for “parlays” atop. Make sure that’s selected and now your betting lines are counted together. Finish it off by adding how much to risk and confirm your bet. Now it’s time to pray for a big pay day!

All bettors could use a hand once in a while. This could come either via betting advice or just know-how about gambling practices. Unfortunately, Players Only won’t be there to hold your hand. The site does little in the way of guiding players in the right direction when it comes to wagering. 

If you’re feeling queasy about a bet before it starts (buyer’s remorse, much?) or in the middle of it, Players Only allows players to cash out early. Of course, the payout will be adjusted, but it’s still a way to get back something if you feel you’re about to lose it. Players Only has a section in its sportsbook labeled “cash out” that lists all lines with this capability.

An early red flag about Players Only was its customer service. And not just a small red flag either, a pretty ominous one actually. The site doesn’t outright list a telephone number, email address, or live chat option for getting help. Worse, going onto its “contact us” page just urged us into logging in and clicking “my account” — which is a problem when you can’t even create an account. Hiding your customer service information should tell you plenty about how Players Only conducts business. 

There’s nothing we can really say about the email marketing tactics of Players Only. Since we couldn’t even create an account, we also couldn’t join its mailing list. 

Aside from eSports or sports simulations, you can’t live stream games right on the Players Only platform. That’s a bummer, but not a surprise. This feature is still rare to find at most online sportsbooks. 

Players Only is legal to use in an array of countries. But if you happen to be in one that is restricted, there is one sneaky (but legal) workaround: virtual private networks (VPN). These online services will mask your IP address — which is what gives away your location — and give you an alternate one (preferably one where Players Only is not restricted). 

HideMyAss: Can’t Go Wrong With This VPN

If you do decide to opt for a VPN, we’d highly recommend HMA. The service hosts 300 different servers — from all over the world, no less — where users can connect to. Even better, in our experience, the servers are reliable and don’t even experience lag. 

Compared to many online competitors, Players Only falls short in just about every category. We’d advise bettors against using Players Only for one of many reasons:

• Membership is closed indefinitely (seriously, what gives?)
• Banking methods are far too limited 
• The casino and poker room seem to be blocked for most countries

Playersonly Sportsbook Review

You can do a lot better somewhere else

Editor's rating

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