A look at some of the best alternate sportsbooks for jilted 5Dimes players

The Labor Day weekend for many sports bettors was interrupted by a notice from industry-giant 5Dimes. The notice informed players from the U.S. that their bets would no longer be accepted by the Costa Rican sportsbook. American players were also told to cash out any balances by September 25th.

The timing of this announcement is both shocking and strange. We have been fielding calls, chats and emails wondering why, right at the start of the NFL football season, one of the biggest (and best) sportsbook online is putting American customer services on hold. So far, the speculation is that 5Dimes is either going to somehow enter the U.S. market or they are pulling out ahead of action by the U.S. Department of Justice, something similar to that Pinnacle did nearly a decade ago. Another theory is that they are splitting their services up the way bodog and BookMaker did years ago, becoming one brand for euro customers and a different one serving U.S. customers.

Regardless of the why, the fact is that a sportsbook that services tens of thousands of customers is no longer available to U.S. sports bettors, right before the start of the NFL season, leaving a giant void in the online sports betting landscape. Not only is there something missing with this huge and storied outfit stepping back, but there were things that 5Dimes does that really catered to their clientele. Reduced Juice, huge BTC payouts, early lines, the ability to parlay just about anything, open teasers and parlays for days . . . are all part of what is now missing for U.S. gamblers.

Reduced Juice - Heritage Sports, LooseLines, BetMania

Some have said the 5Dimes offers the best reduced juice option on the Internet. They do go -105 on almost every wager imaginable and have some of the best pricing online. For players who used 5Dimes for reduced juice, Heritage Sports, LooseLines and BetMania all offer some reduced-style wagering.

Heritage offers -108 reduced juice, available online for sides and totals, plus a reduced juice ‘Game of the Week’. As an extra bonus in their reduced juice package, Heritage also offers cash back. LooseLines was built on the model of lower pricing and adds in the choice of a cash or free play bonus. They offer -108 as well and have been doing it since their inception nearly two decades ago in Antigua. And BetMania deals football at -107 and basketball at -108 for straight bets, plus offers some of the best teaser odds in the business.

Find more reduced juice options from top online sportsbooks here.

Betting Menu and Early Lines - BetOnline, BookMaker

5Dimes not only puts up numbers early, but they also move the lines based on their own money, often affecting what other sportsbooks do. The book that is known for setting the line is the largest book in Costa Rica, BookMaker. With nearly 30 years in business, they are the first to release lines for the upcoming week’s football games. The 5D betting menu is hard to beat, but another giant in the online gambling business, BetOnline, puts up a ton of bets every day as well. Plus, BetOnline has a vast variety of prop bets and literally has a number on anything you can think of. For those who didn't see it, they sponsored an eating contest during the throws of COVID to give players some action! 

Payouts - YouWager, Jazz Sports

In the 20+ years that 5Dimes has taken bets, we hardly ever heard a peep of a payout complaint. Once they say it’s on the way, it generally is. But, there are a few books that actually pay fast via person-to-person and keep Bitcoin payout times to about 24 hours. YouWager has been a go-to place for players who want to get paid the same day. When Western Union payouts were available, they got them done within hours. They still offer same day payouts via MoneyGram and fire Bitcoin payouts within a day. Jazz Sports also does payouts via person-to-person AND Bitcoin within the same day, when available.

A list of sportsbooks that offer the fastest and/or most payout options can be found here.

The fact that 5Dimes chose now to make whatever changes they are is unusual and surely inconvenient. But players can find similar options to continue wagering online with some of the same perks. We will continue to assist players with any transitions to a new sportsbook, just hit us up on chat, phone or email and we’ll be happy to assist.

Come back to OSGA or sign-up for updates as we dig deeper into what is happening over at 5Dimes!