Circa Sports — Where The Pros Play

When we opened the doors to Circa Sports a little more than a year ago, we had a few ideas about what we were bringing to the sports betting landscape. Part of the reason we felt qualified to take an honest look at what was missing in the sports betting world was our experience on both sides of the counter.

At Circa Sports, much of our staff has made their living as professional sports bettors at one time or another while also having years of experience working behind the counter at some of the world’s most successful sportsbooks. We found that there was a genuine need in the marketplace for an operator that does business transparently, offers fair limits and lines, and treats all of their customers with respect (even players that consistently win).

It’s these things that we felt had been missing in a majority of the world’s sportsbooks and we took it upon ourselves to lead the way in building what we see as a sportsbook that operates the way all sportsbooks should.

The Circa Sports Bookmaking Philosophy

Booking Sharp Action

One of the key components to operating a sportsbook to its fullest potential profit-wise is booking “sharp” action. Taking sharp action means taking on all comers and allowing professionals and other winning players to bet with the sportsbook at fair betting limits.

At first glance, you may ask yourself, why would allowing winning sports bettors to bet big money lead to a more profitable sportsbook? The answer is that the goal of any sportsbook should be to get to the true market number for an event as quickly as possible so that they can raise limits, possibly lower hold percentages, and write as much business as they can in order to maximize the built-in advantage that the vigorish provides them.

Some sportsbooks prefer to sit back and watch others take sharp bets, then attempt to get to the right number by interpreting line moves that they observe secondhand through odds services such as Don Best. This will always be an inferior approach. There is no way to have a complete understanding of why a number is where it is without seeing the wagering patterns for yourself. It’s seeing these wagers that allows for the skilled bookmaker to position himself accordingly in the market at all times and maximize earnings for the sportsbook.

 

Higher Limits Yield Sharper Information

At all times the bookmaker should be immersed in the market, taking in any and all information he or she can get their hands on to factor into the number. In this context, “information” means firsthand knowledge of which number will trigger a sharp bet, plus any insights that can be gleaned from that bet by knowing the player’s betting patterns. At Circa Sports, we have found that the optimal way to get the most valuable information is by offering fair betting limits that rise as the event draws near.

For example, when we open a betting market on a Monday morning for an event that takes place that Saturday, we recognize that we don’t have much information at that time and that we must offer sufficiently enticing limits to attract insightful bets. As bettors make their wagers during the week, we adjust odds accordingly. We also typically raise limits and lower hold percentages gradually as we move closer to the event’s start time.

This allows us to get to a number that we feel is a strong representation of the true market price of an event. At that point we are able to raise our limits more aggressively. As we go along and grow our business levels, customers can expect the time it takes for our limits to rise, and for our hold percentages to drop, to shorten.

 

By Bettors, for Bettors

Above all else at Circa Sports, we believe in treating people with respect. Having worked on both sides of the betting counter, we strive to create an experience that speaks to all of our customers equally. We envision a product that is interactive and to truly become all that we are capable of, we need your feedback. Everyday we work toward creating a sportsbook that shows how much we value all of our players, both recreational and professional.

Please reach out to us at [email protected] with any feedback and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Thank you for playing at Circa Sports!