Bowmans.....

[Cons]

I'm sorry to say this, but after being with Bowmans with quite a long time (they were my first book), I must say that it's time to withdraw my money and say good bye.

They simply have no honor. None at all.

I call in to place a bet, get the line, and when I choose a side I'm told the line has moved and is considerably off. And of course the odds on the side I asked to place a bet on have moved against me, no surprise I guess.

This has never happened to me before, and a book like Victor Chandler for instance would never do such a thing. They would never use such a tactic on their clients, whereas Bowmans doesn't seem to have a problem with doing so...

It's a cheap ploy and I'm truly surprised Bowmans would resort to such a thing. For over two months my bets were also being held up for along time before the were confirmed, which was annoying to say the least. Every time I was asked to wait and wait and wait even longer, even on the smallest of bets! Those of you who complain about Intertops and their alleged policy of "mistreating" winners should look at this book. Don't believe a word you hear about how great Bowmans is.

My money is leaving and I'm out of this place. I have been with them for a long time and I don't deserve to be treated like trash.

Adios Bowmans,

A very dissatisfied customer who won't recommend this joint to anyone else...

[boris]

If you quote a line, you should be obliged to take a bet on it (pest callers that stall while the line is going off excepted) . If you don't, then GET OUT OF THE BUSINESS.

[MAXIMUM VALUE]

Cons

Thanks for letting us know about bowmans line change tactics.

Just a thought...Is it possible to take the other side with Bowmans and then bet your original team somewhere else for a possible middle or scalp?

MV

[Investment Exec]

I brought up this same point and situation 3 months ago!!..was especially bad for CFL #'s..didn't need the hassles so it was bye bye for me also...

BTW are they still looking?...hmmmmmm

Become a Part of Bowman International.
Vacancy - Senior Odds Manager

As the World's leading sportsbook, we are currently looking to add to our existing odds management team.

The ideal candidate should have a minimum of 3 years experience with a sportsbook offering American sports betting.

You should also be enthusiastic and keen to work as part of a team.

In return we offer excellent career progression and a highly competitive salary and bonus package.

Interested candidates should write enclosing your c.v. / resume and salary expectations to:

Mr. David Grogan
Bowman International
Cumbrae House
Market Street
Isle of Man
IM1 2PQ
United Kingdom

[Hartley]

Yeah Peter Syminiw left and moved to Toronto to do something else.

The new bet manager is on Cash Pomer's show on Sunday morning every week.

FWIW, I used to tout this place all the time but I stopped using them also. I'm not a big bettor so I don't notice line changes (although they refused a $20 future bet on me once to move the line against me), but I was just sick and tired of crappy customer service.

Here's a suggestion. You can listen to Cash Pomer's show every Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and during that time they have a phone in segment. Why doesn't somebody (who gets the lines moved on them) call in and ask about the practice - as I said Syminiw's replacement is on all the time.

The number to call is toll free, and the show can be heard on the internet by real audio at "www.fan590.com".

[Cons]

Believe me guys, I also used to praise this operation and it came as a big surprise that they would do such a thing. They quote me the line, and then conveniently and blatantly change it after asking me which side I wanted! This is ridiculous. Any book that resorts to such vile tactics should be dumped from the list on the left. Bowmans does not deserve to be part of B'World. If this is how they run their operation then they should be shown the door.

The line I was quoted was +163. Then they conveniently alter it and dish it back to me as +120!!!! And then they ask me if I still want the bet... silly question! And the entire line went from being a 25-cent line to a 43-cent line! Get real guys...

I used to think of them as an honest and honorable operation, but this view has gone down the drain now. Stay away from this one folks.

Like I mentioned before, I was getting stalled with each and every one of my bets, without exception. Now I really know why they haven't gone online. They wouldn't survive as an online sportsbook as it would expose their vile tactics and bettors would realise how this book cheats on its customers.

[Bowman Management Team]

In response to the statements being made on this thread regarding being quoted a line and then having it move, Bowmans would like to clarify the situation as follows.

During peak times, Bowmans will have upwards of 150 simultaneous calls on the line at any given time. A large number of those plays go through to the lines managers for approval.

There are times during these peak periods where callers are queued up waiting for bet approval. It is Bowman’s policy to give one hit on every number posted before we move that number. If a player is third, fourth or farther down the line in the queue, the number could have shifted several times before his bet comes up for approval.

The lines managers work as diligently as possible to approve the bets as fast as possible, unfortunately, due to the number of people trying to play at peak times, this sometimes takes longer than we would like. We are constantly working at improving our systems.

Bowman’s has been in the process of thoroughly upgrading its systems and developing its online wagering environment. We will also be announcing some exciting new offers this weekend.

We will have the ability in the new system to hold games rather than give out a line that somebody has already called on, which seems to be the thrust of the problem here. I don’t believe that anyone has a problem with the fact that they got beat to the number, the problem seems to stem from the fact that they do not find out immediately that they have been beaten.

As always, Bowman International will work to improve its service and respond to the comments and concerns of our clients.


Steven Rapp on behalf of the
Bowman Management Team

[Polar]

I would like to say this.

If that is your excuse it is a really bad one. I personally have been in the biggest offices and know almost all the big middlers and scalpers in the business.

There is no way you have even 10 people calling for the same line at the exact same time!!!!!! This is a bogus claim!

And if you did have this business you claim to have you would not have to worry about getting double hit or even triple hit!!

I have nothing good or bad to say about this office, but this answer is unacceptable to me.

You might need to hire a manager who can manage the amount of plays you take. This is a management problem not a player problem!!

[cashusking]

Love an opportunity to bash BOWMANS. Low budget bad joke of a sportsbook. to any new members interested in serious bets don't bother with BOWMANS. in fact, don't know why anyone would bother with them. plenty of other good pays around and good paying is all BOWMANS has to offer anymore.

Just so everyone doesn't think i'm only a negative basher how bout the other end of the spectrum ,CRIS for a super plus rating...

CRIS up early, big limits, NEVER reneges on a bet, has and will pay until the moon crashes into the earth.

[Mad Dog]

Bowmans is full of crap. I remember at the start of last season they had their NHL Grand Salami too high, so I played it under every day for $1,000. It consistently won for a couple of weeks. Then all of a sudden I got, "Sorry sir you can only bet a max of $275 to win $250". Then I started getting "Sorry sir , someone beat you to the line, it's moved 10 cents". Every $275 bet I made needed approval. I can imagine the huge # of calls they were getting for the Salami at 11:00am

What do you consider to be a "hit" Bowmans? $275? Needless to say, they are no longer one of my outs.

[Cons]

I agree with Polar. It's not like I was betting the Superbowl an hour before kickoff or some popular event with loads of people calling up. I was trying to make a bet on Formula 1, and it was a futures bet too! Yeah, a futures bet moving because supposedly there are sooo many people calling in simultaneously...

This sport mainly attracts attention from other parts of the world, and I called at a time when people outside of the US are well asleep - definitely not peak time. And I don't have to reiterate that it was a futures bet...

If you quote someone a line, stick to it and take the wager. Otherwise admit you are cheating on your clients and take the blame. Don't give us excuses, as I'm sure people are tired of hearing them. There is simply no excuse for this. You give out a line, you take the bet, and then you start doing your vile manipulations and line-shifting right as you are supposed to confirm the wager. Please Bowmans... spare us the excuses...

Since Bowmans actually admit to their dodgy line-shifting tactics, I would like to hear from people who have had the line move in their favor. Has anyone heard "I'm sorry sir, the line has just moved. The line has gone from +120 to +160. Is this wager still fine for you sir?" Seriously, has anyone been on the other end of a line change?

And while we're at it let's answer the allegations I heard some time ago about Bowmans dishing out different lines to different customers. This is another dishonest tactic. In this time and age it is easy to view a bettor's way of betting (especially if he's the type that almost always bets the "over" for instance...). Knowing this, a book might then shift the lines for this particular person. So the guy that usually bets "overs" might get -120, evens, while the guy that consistently bets "unders" might get evens, -120.

I recall reading a post about this, but would like to hear real experiences from fellow players. I really hope this doesn't turn out to be true, as this would be driving the nail into the coffin.

It's time to come clear Bowmans, instead of pretending to be making things better all the time... In my eyes, you're a dishonest book that is well below par in this growing industry.

[Alex]

Thanks for the heads up, guys.

This whole thing reeks. But you always want to give a place the benefit of a doubt because you haven't heard their side.

In this case, I think Bowmans would have been better off keeping quiet. Do you think anyone will buy your excuse??

I too would love to hear from anyone who has had the line change in their favor, as Cons asks.

[chestrockwells]

During the past baseball season I used 6-8 outs. I used to call them back to back for the number on anywhere from 2-4 games a day, so the whole procedure would usually take 10 minutes or so. One of the main reasons I used Bowmans was because they tend to shade favorites and I bet mostly dogs in bases. Their were a couple of times last season when I would come back to them and get requoted a line that moved from something like +135 to +138 in my favor; nothing major but it has happenned. Now I realize that its not that dramatic and that a few minutes had gone by but.....if they used different lines why wouldn't they move the line away from my reasonably predictable patterns? I was only playing $100 a game but still. So I don't know if its an open and shut case on Bowmans
as far as I'm concerned.

[boris]

I have had a line move in my favour at Bowmans.... YEAH RIGHT and if you believe that I've got a bridge to sell you at a bargain price!

I don't think it's that big a deal to give different lines to different players, it's a common practice in non-US style books (and non-live prices on the Net books). If your betting practices are that obvious, then you're just asking for it. There's plenty of places out there - spread your money around.

And Bowmans, you've had this practice going on for so long, you think you could come up with something a little more imaginative.....

[Cons]

Chestrockwells, if you call back at a later time and the line has moved then this is normal. If they give you a line and ask you which side you want, and then fail to give you that line claiming that it has moved in this very instant, then this is unacceptible.

Have you ever had the line move while you were placing a bet? Has it moved in your favor?

Dishing out different lines to customers is also a dishonest practice. Changing prices simply because of someone's buying habits isn't the fairest way of conducting business. That's why being online makes things so transparent, as these tactics no longer work. No wonder it's such a tough choice for some books to go in this direction...