Written by Miles Wigby.

Miles is a Professional Sports Bettor who has years of experience using friends betting accounts to make a profit from sports betting. Over the years, we at Trademate Sports have received a number of questions asking us how to use friends betting accounts so you can keep using Trademate when limited by the bookmakers. Although we think this article will be a major help to some of our users and general public, please note that Trademate Sports does not condone any illegal activity or actions that break bookmakers' terms and conditions. Over to Miles.

Unfortunately, with the majority of bookmakers, especially retail ones like Bet365, Unibet & many more, there is no way to prevent the inevitable restrictions on your account. If you are taking value bets and taking money from the bookmakers’ pockets, you should expect restrictions to eventually come your way. The only exceptions are sharp bookmakers and exchanges who do not limit winning players, check out our YouTube video on the difference between sharp and soft books.

In the case you want to continue using your favourite bookmaker, you’ve probably thought about using someone else’s account. Some people refer to this as ‘Gnoming’ or a ‘Gnome account’ in the gambling and matched betting world. Gnoming comes with its own risks and benefits, which are important to understand when using gnome accounts. Simply said, gnoming is getting a family member or friend to sign up to a bookmaker, offer them a cut of the profits and you’re back to using your favourite bookie with an added bonus of getting the sign up offer again. However, new accounts and second accounts are subject to restrictions a lot faster than your first account.

Risks

Before I go into the best practices when using a friends accounts, it’s important to highlight the risks of using a friend’s betting account:

1. This is against the bookmakers T&Cs. So if they catch you doing this, you risk not being able to withdraw your money.
2. If your accounts get linked, you risk the closure of both accounts. Meaning you could lose access to your personal account which may be only subject to a partial restriction at that time.
3. If the person whose name you are acting in claims you do not have permission you are liable for fraud, which is why written permission is a must.
4. You are not the legal owner of any money won on the account, you have to fully trust the true account holder.

Best Practices

Now that you’re aware of the risks involved with using friends betting accounts, here are the best practices when ‘gnoming’.

1. IP Addresses

It’s essential you don’t get your second account linked to your first. This is rare and unlikely to happen but there are easy methods to ensure it does not happen. Bookmakers will track your IP address to see where and what you are betting from. For those who don’t know, an IP address is a unique address that identifies a device on the internet or a local network. So if you are using either the same device or Wi-Fi network as your first account, the bookies will notice this and your brand new account will be toast.

The easiest way to get a new IP is using 3G/4G on your mobile device and logging into your bookmakers’ account through a web browser (not the app!). Simply put it on airplane mode for 30 seconds and after it will connect again with a different IP. Note, do not use a phone that has been previously linked with another betting account as bookmakers will notice that you are betting from the same device.

2. Cookies & Data

Clear cookies and data, this is pretty important as a cookie from months ago will stand out on an account that signed up yesterday. Whether it’s on mobile or computer, you’ll want a new page with no previous data. Using incognito mode on your browser is another solution to this.

3. VPN/VPS

VPNs are hit and miss and it depends entirely on what bookie you are trying to use. Bet365 for example will not allow any sort of VPN, even expensive and well hidden ones, you need a dedicated IP to use Bet365. Unibet on the other hand will allow some VPNs so changing your IP for Unibet accounts is much easier. On the other hand, VPS services are a lot more effective but they are certainly not bulletproof. Big bookmakers like Bet365 might be able to detect them and block your IP from accessing the site.

4. Same Home Address

This is only relevant for people using the account of someone they live with. Even if you use your boyfriend/girlfriend's account with a different IP address, if the second account comes from the same home address, that will immediately send a flag to the bookmaker. Especially if the second account pops up straight after the first account was limited and you start betting on similar markets. Some bookies are lenient on this, as they want more customers, although they will clamp down if a whole family from the same address is signing up.

5. Mobile Apps

When you login to a bookmaker via their app a device ID number will be sent to the bookmaker. So stay away from using their app from the same device if you get a second account.

6. Depositing Money

Another big no-no is using a friends account but depositing with the same card that was used to deposit into an already limited account. Using a different card of yours that you haven’t used on your personal account is possible but it comes with risks. Primarily, it still has the same billing address, so it’s very easy to link you to the other account, especially if done multiple times. The easy solution to this is sending your friend money and they can deposit it themselves. Using their banking is the safest way to ensure the protection of your funds. Although you have to make sure you're sending money to a family member or friend you trust.

How to make new accounts last longer?

The simple answer to this is make them look dumb from the start, in other words, ‘priming’ your account. For the first couple of weeks, placing a few negative EV bets gives the bookmakers the illusion that you are a casual bettor. Big accumulators and bet builders and great for this too!

If you have taken a lot of negative EV bets, when you start to take value, it will blend in the grand scheme of your account, hopefully delaying restrictions. This will have some effect on longevity but there is no way to determine how much longer the account will last. You also have to consider risk to reward as you will more than likely lose money on those negative EV bets. Below is a great video by Smart Sports Trader on how to prime your accounts.

How I use my friends accounts?

If you’re still confused about how to go about this I’ll shed some light on exactly what I do with the example of Bet365. Everytime I start a new Bet365 account I buy a cheap smartphone. I never connect it to any Wi-Fi, I solely use 3G/4G with a new sim card. I then login to my new account through a web browser and bet that way. This means they can’t detect exactly where I’m betting from, only an approximate area, and the bets are not coming from the same device as a previously limited account. My friend makes the deposits and withdrawals from the account and receives 20-50% of the profits. Alternatively, I have also used a fixed fee.

Is it worth it?

Using your friend’s accounts isn’t ideal but it may be necessary if you need to use a specific bookie where your account is restricted. You also may just want to capitalise on a fantastic sign up offer by getting your friend to sign up. Some bookies may consistently price up certain markets poorly and you want to keep taking advantage of that. Either way you’ll want to take some precaution, make sure the two accounts aren’t linked and try to increase the longevity of the account. Each account is important, as before you know it, you can run out of friends and family who haven’t already signed up and been restricted.