Do you find this suspicious?

So one of my accounts is with a seemingly well-regarded, reputable book that has a couple of curious tendencies...

A) They use proprietary software that I haven't seen on any other website. It's extremely simplistic...almost primitive. Among the curious idiosynchrasies: you cannot confirm more than one wager at once. Each has to be entered into the system, an amount selected, and be confirmed individually.

B) The posted limit for "call center" bets is in the several thousand dollar range. The posted limit (in tiny type at the bottom of the limits page) for ALL internet bets is $500. Yet if you attempt to place a wager for over $500 online (as I have many a time) it works without a hitch -- and they credit your account if you win (they also take the money if you lose...I placed several bets for more than $500 before I ever saw the rule about no bets over $500...and I never received a warning or an email or anything from the 'call center' when I called.

C) Every book I've ever played with, when you call them, answers with "Sports, can I help you", or the name of their book, or some combination or derivative thereof. This book, when you call them, they say "Hello?", as if they're expecting a call from a friend. I've always found this curious, but never inquired...until recently, when I decided to ask a particularly friendly clerk about their bizarre salutation, noting that it was different than any other book I've ever played with. He said "We like to be friendly! Saying 'hello' is extra-friendly!". Uh-huh. The sarcasm in his voice was more than palpable.

D) They have no props. I mean zero. None at all. Ever.

And yet, the book is rated high.

Should I be suspicious? (I've yet to try a payout).

Doesn't seem so bad to me, but if you feel uneasy, then by all means request a withdrawal and let us know if the book pays.

What book is that one??? lol don't they have an automated machine: " for sportsbook press 1, for fast food orders press 2, for loans press 3 ...... for stock options press 33 ...

though odd, those arent reasons to worry or panic, of course as Gen pointed out, if you're uneasy with it, ask for a request and see how they handle it

Better to find out sooner than later if you feel iffy about em.

Still have lots of rollover to take care of (8x on a 5K deposit) so I don't really have the option of pulling out, but I appreciate the advice!

Sounds like GRANDE.

Anyone have any idea WHY a book would answer the phone with a "hello", rather than "Sports", the book's name, or "can I have your account #?"

Do you think there might be some legal issue involved with initiating the conversation with the word "Sportsbook" or making some direct reference to gambling before the player does so himself?

Dog-
Well, I know that when a book switches from just being a single book (Acme Sportsbook) and winds up hosting several other books (just using different webpages, all pointing to same database) the book tends to switch to "Sports" instead of "Acme".

The "Hello" does sound a bit odd. Could be that clerks are poorly trained?

Not saying it is a book, and simply saying Hello protects a lot of people from nosey parkers that might (a) find the phone number or (b) hit redial to see who the player called.
Not everybody's wife know about all the outs they have and not everyone wants their bosses/co-workers to find out about their gambling.

Java -

Every time I've called -- and I've spoken to a million different people -- they say "hello". Couldn't be that they're poorly trained...on the contrary, I think they're very well trained, and that's why they all answer the phone exactly the same way.

Cincy --

That actually sounds like it might be it...100%. Obviously, discretion -- even from close friends and family members, perhaps specifically WITH close friends and family members -- is vital for many players. If the reason the book answers "hello" is indeed for the sake of those covert gamblers, I'd have to say that's the nicest, most considerate gesture I've ever seen a book take...

...and that's what leads me to believe it's probably not the case, although it does sound rational. But why would they do a thing like that which could actually hurt business; I'm sure I'm not the only player for whom a red flag is raised as to the legitimacy of the book when their phone answering technique varies so greatly from the norm.

Besides, if it were the case that the book does it merely to protect its players 'secret lives', I imagine the clerk I spoke to would've told me the truth when I asked him, instead of sarcastically responding that it's 'just friendlier this way'...

SIMPLE TEST

Call the book, and when you hear hello, ACT like a nosey parker and see if they will tell you who they are. In other words, act like you found the number and want to find out whose number it is.

... and of course, tell us what happened.

Grande does this and they are one of the safest/best books out there.