Some people make a living through football betting. Whether you are skilled like those professionals or not, you should all share one commonality. You should only do business with a football sportsbook you can trust.

Just what is a sportsbook?

A sportsbook is any group or company that offers betting wagers. That is any group, so you better be careful when picking one out. Placing bets with friends and family may be fun, but it offers no real value to you. These entities are very limited in their capacity to fulfill odds and earnings. A reputable, established sportsbook is a much better way to go.

Here are four top techniques for finding a trustworthy football sportsbook:

Use the Internet. The Internet has made it a little easier for Joe Q. Gambler to lay his money on the line with services he can trust. Check out the websites for potential football sportsbooks, but don't stop there. Visit unrelated sites. Read blog posts relating to the topic, and contact the webmasters of those unbiased sites to find out if they have heard anything of the football sportsbook's reputation. See if you can drudge up comments from people on those sites that have done business with them in the past. Use your online network to find real links that you can trust.

Check their company history. Wherever that company is located, you should be able to track down a football sportsbook and its company history. After all, it is in a company's history that you can often tell whether they are trustworthy and legitimate. If there is a shady area that you are unsure about, you may wish to avoid them. This is your money on the line. Do not hesitate to terminate a relationship with a football sportsbook if you cannot find information that will reassure you.

Avoid newbies. Aspiring writers often complain that all the agents and publishers need experience before they will take a chance on anyone, but how do you get experience when no one will hire you? It can be a great source of frustration, but can you blame them? Even the smallest entities get thousands of poorly written queries and obnoxious phone calls per year. There has to be a filter, because ultimately, it is all about time, and time is money, when your livelihood depends on the sale. Apply the same logic to your situation. Would you want to risk hundreds or thousands of dollars with a newbie football sportsbook that has not proven themselves in the football betting community? What is to stop them from engaging in the "take the money and run" tactic?

Watch for the sportsbook bonus. Many football sportsbooks offer sportsbook bonus opportunities where you can actually play more on the company's money. See if yours will offer this feature. A sportsbook bonus is a great show of confidence that the product they offer for football betting is legitimate.

Football betting can be fun and rewarding, but it can also be risky and dangerous. Take the guesswork out of the deal by doing business with those you can trust. Use the tools at your disposal. Trust reputation. And if the service offers a sportsbook bonus for signing up or depositing a certain amount of money, then go for it. If football betting is your thing, what have you got to lose?