Although I started using online sportsbooks almost ten years ago, I still maintained contact with a couple of local books for the express purpose of getting better lines with regard to the local or favorite teams of choice in my neck of the woods, the reasoning of course was so that if I saw "Value" in going against the the local or favorite teams of choice then what better place to get the best line when going against them then in their home area?

However, a not so funny thing happened when one of the locals that I was using got crushed one week three years ago and skipped town and in doing so stiffed me for $1200, since that point in time I have wagered strictly online!

I have always held the believe that if you want the beat deal available then it would be foolhardy to purchase the first car that you see at the first dealership that you visit, that very same line of logical thinking should be applied to "Sports investment" and of course is the very reason why I personally use four different "outs" as a means of gaining as much of an edge as possible with regard to finding the best line on games that I am wagering on, sometimes a half of a point here or a half of a point there can make all the difference in a winning week versus a break even or losing week.

It never ceases to amaze me for example how some people will be totally misers with regard to insisting that any light on in a room with no one in it is a capital crime, these same individuals always seem to be the ones not willing to take the wife and kids to a movie or out to a restaurant for lunch or dinner because they may have to fork over a few dollars on something they consider unwarranted and wasteful.

However, these same individuals find nothing wrong with shacking up in a tavern all Saturday or Sunday afternoon with the boys watching the games and betting with the local bookies, don't get me wrong as I like to stop for a beer or two myself now and then, but why do I make this comparison you ask?

Simple my friend, if someone as I described above was truly cost conscious and on a quest of sorts for savings and "Value", why then would anyone in their right mind make sports wagers strictly with local bookies? Aren't these local guys the ones who make you wait until the morning of the game to get their lines? Aren't these the same guys that you have to track down and fight busy signals to reach on the ole telly phone?

What real "Value" can be had from a local book that basically shoves his/her line in your face and figuratively speaking says "take it or leave it pal"?

Hometown gamblers using strictly local bookies are missing out on more than just the convenience of being able to place a wager on an upcoming NFL or College football game days in advance, these hometown gamblers using strictly local books are also missing out on their fair share of "Moola"----"Black gold"----"Texas Tea"....No I am not going to start singing about Jed Clampett here but instead about the sign up bonus's offered by online sportsbooks.

Think about it a second, let's say that you have a $5000 starting bankroll that is dedicated to nothing but sports investing, you could deposit the whole $5000 with one sportsbook and get as much as a 20% sign up bonus for doing so, which means that you would now have a starting bankroll of $6000...that's your $5000 plus the $1000 sign up bonus, right?

WRONG!! Most sportsbooks in fact have limits on the total sign up bonus for an individual that ranges anywhere from $200 to $500, if that is the case then why not divide up your initial $5000 starting bankroll four ways between four different sportsbooks and possibly get a 20% sign up bonus from each sportsbook?

$5000 divided four ways would mean that if you were to deposit $1250 at each sportsbook and got a 20% signup bonus with each one, your starting bankroll with each of your four sportsbooks would then be $1250 plus a $250 sign up bonus for a total of $1500.

Thus $1500 X 4 means that you now have a $6000 starting bankroll, ( that's your $5000 plus the $1000 in total sign up bonus's ), and your money is now evenly spread out over four different sportsbooks which now allows you to "Line shop".

As you now see, by depositing your entire bankroll with one sportsbook you could actually cost yourself some dinero in lost sign up bonus money, an added benefit of spreading your starting bankroll over three or four different sportsbooks is derived from the fact that sportbooks require you to "Roll over" the amount in your account so many times prior to being able to withdrawl funds.

For example, if the sportsbook that you are using has a five (5) time rollover rule in effect and your initial deposit was $1000.00, you would have received $200 with your initial deposit for a total of $1200 if the sign up bonus was 20%.

You would now need to wager a total of $6000 or ( $1000 + $200 ) X 5 in total bets placed before you are entitled to keep the initial sign up bonus and make a withdrawl of your funds, I would however advise you to be careful and to do your homework before depositing any funds anywhere as there are probably just as many "Fly by night" operations out there as there are legitimate and reputable ones.

Ask questions of others that you know who may have used the different sportsbooks and hear what they have to say, troll thru the various forums and posting boards and post messages that ask the opinions and experiences of others.

The main over riding factor to the equation is that you want to have the ability to "Line shop" for the best possible odds with as many reputable sources as possible.