In this article, we will look at two separate issues, because the titular question can be viewed in two different ways. First, we will consider whether or not you can have more than one betting account with different bookies. Spoiler alert: yes you can, and we will also look at why you might want to do this and, indeed, why we highly recommend it.
However, this question might also mean, can you have more than one account at the same bookie? Once again, there are several reasons why you might want to do this but as to whether you can or not, the answer is rather more complex. As we aren’t keen on complexity, we’ll get started by diving into the first question!
Having Accounts with Multiple Bookies
We work with all of the best betting sites in the UK and it is great news because you can, and in our opinion should, have online betting accounts with more than one of them. There is no issue with doing this and the only restriction you might find is claiming a welcome offer from one site if you have already done so at one of their sister sites.
Many large bookmakers or betting businesses have multiple sites and brands. With most of these, you can claim the welcome offer at all of their sites but there may be some, often smaller ones, where this is not the case. Check the key terms for any freebie before you join to be sure.
So, given you can indeed have accounts with a number of different bookmakers, what are the benefits? Well, for many punters, the most obvious advantage is that all of the best betting sites offer their new customers a bonus of some form when they join. This might be a welcome bet of some kind such as bet credits, bonus funds, a money back offer or an enhanced odds bet; but whatever it is, it gives you something extra that you couldn’t claim by placing a bet with a site that you already have an account at.
In addition, all bookies have promotions for their existing customers too. The more different accounts you have, the wider your access to these offers. Not all promos offer customers all that much and some certainly sound better than they are. That said, many really do give you bonus for simply placing one of your normal bets. If you have one betting account, you have one set of existing customer offers, if you have 20, you have 20 times as many.
Other Reasons to Have Accounts With Various Bookies
There are many other reasons why it can be advantageous to have multiple betting accounts at your disposal. Here are some of the most important:
- Better odds – different sites have different odds and the more choice you have, the better your chances of getting the very best possible odds
- More markets – the best betting sites offer many of the same markets and sports as each other. However, they also have their own specials, or very niche options, that you will not find everywhere. More sites once again means more choice
- Avoid limits or bans – if you bet for a long time with just one site, there is a chance your account will get limited or even closed. If you spread your bets across many sites this is less likely and even if it does happen, you always have other betting options to fall back on
- As a backup – sites may carry out planned maintenance or suffer temporary technical issues that mean they cannot be accessed. If you have multiple bookies to choose from, you avoid this issue
So, in summary, having accounts with multiple online betting sites is beneficial for many reasons. And it is perfectly legal, safe and above board too.
Can I Have More Than One Account with the Same Bookie?
This is a very separate question to that answered above and whilst we gave a resounding yes to having lots of accounts with lots of different bookies, it is a very firm no to having more than one account with the same bookmaker. There are some minor caveats to this which we will discuss shortly but in general, you cannot have two or more accounts with a particular betting site.
There are a few obvious reasons why a punter might want to have multiple accounts with a given site. First, if a bookie gives new customers a particularly generous welcome offer, why would you not want to claim it more than once? Of course, the clue is in the name – these are welcome offers, typically designed to attract new customers and available only once, when you first join a bookie.
In a similar vein, you might want to have several accounts to cash in multiple times on a promotion that is open to existing customers but perhaps only once per week, once per match, or up to a maximum value or bet of £10, £25 or whatever. Or perhaps your account has been closed by the bookie and you want to keep on betting with them.
Always a Breach of Terms and Conditions
Whatever your motivation for opening more than one account with a betting site, it is always going to be against their terms and conditions. In fact, this clause is very often one of the first things you will see when looking at the general rules or terms for most sites. You will typically find information about this under their main Ts and Cs, but you will also find similar information specifically relating to their welcome offer or bonus.
The regulations surrounding claiming welcome bonuses are sometimes more stringent. Here you may discover that not only can a specific individual not claim the offer more than once, but that it can only be claimed once per address, IP address (essentially your internet connection) and phone number. This term used to be far more common but seems to have been relaxed in more recent times, though it is worth double-checking if you are unsure and someone else in your house has already claimed a welcome offer.
We strongly recommend adhering to whatever terms and conditions the bookie lays out. Should you decide to try and open a second account there is a good chance that the bookie will automatically pick this up and prevent you from doing so. However, should you get past their verification process and manage to successfully open another account, you run the very real risk that they could discover this further down the line.
If they do this, their terms will typically state that they reserve the right to withhold winnings, confiscate funds within the account or accounts and then close them down. Whilst you may, in theory, be able to challenge this, it is not a risk worth taking. In order to open multiple accounts you will almost certainly have had to lie or mislead the bookie and so any attempt to compel them to pay funds owed to you is unlikely to be successful. Moreover, depending on the level of deception involved, in theory you could even find yourself in hot water legally.
Special Circumstances
In our experience, just very occasionally you may be able to, or may even be asked to, open another account. We have heard of two scenarios where this has happened, albeit some years ago now.
First, where an account has been hacked or is believed to have become vulnerable or insecure. Rather than risk using that account and trying to secure it, we have personally been told to instead open a new account. Second, where details for an account have been lost and/or the relevant email address is no longer accessible, the same thing has been known to have been requested. This might apply where an old email was used, or you simply cannot remember the details for an email address and cannot reset the password.
Note that in both scenarios, this was only done at the behest of the betting site. Moreover, the new accounts were not eligible for the welcome offer once again.
Rejoining Bookies After Long Period of Time
There is another way in which you can sometimes open a new account with a bookie you have previously been a customer of. If your account was closed, either by the bookmaker or you, and sometimes even if it has just been dormant, for a very long time, you may be able to open a new account. This varies between sites and there are no hard and fast rules.
However, if you simply try and join a site using your genuine details – in other words, your correct name, date of birth, email and so on – and their technology does not recognise you as a previous customer, you may be able to go ahead and open an account. It is possible that further checks may see them contact you for additional verification and this may uncover you as a previous, or existing customer.
On the other hand, especially if you closed the account a long, long time ago (10 years, for example), and perhaps have moved house and changed your email address, they may not pick this up. We are not necessarily recommending this and there is still a risk they could confiscate your funds. However, if you have genuinely used all your correct details and they have allowed you to bet, you can at the very least claim you had simply forgotten about the account from a decade earlier.
If you wanted to play it even safer, either before, or after doing this, you could contact the betting site, via live chat for example. Let them know that you think you may have had an account before but aren’t sure and certainly cannot remember any details. They may be able to locate your account and reactivate it, or at least tell you that you are not eligible for a new account.
They may confirm that you have never had an account in the first place (perhaps you got it wrong), or that they cannot find any record of you, or that they can’t be sure either way but are happy for you to create a new account and effectively join as a brand new customer with all the benefits that brings.
In general, whatever you do though, honesty is the best and fairest policy. It is certainly the safest option and means you won’t be faced with any nasty surprises down the line.