The Martingale system is one of the most popular strategies that are commonly used on betting sites. But is it legal? Fans of the strategy claim that it helps them to achieve a house edge, while for cynics and critics, it is a way to lose money quickly. Like all betting strategies, there are both pros and cons to the Martingale system. And even though it is believed to date back to the 18th century, there is still no real consensus.
One issue is clear though: is the Martingale strategy legal on betting sites?
How the Martingale strategy works
First up, a quick refresher on how the Martingale system works in practice. Let’s say you are playing roulette at the online casino. Betting on red or black is virtually a 50/50 chance of winning. The house still retains an edge due to the presence of the green 0 slot, though. The idea behind the Martingale strategy is you double your stake if you lose.
So if you bet £10 on red and the result is black, you bet £20 on the next spin. If that loses again, your stake goes up to £40. Whenever you win, you go back to your first stake and start the process again.
It is easy to see why some people think the Martingale system can never result in long-term gains. After all, a run of losses is inevitable in the majority of betting options like at online casinos. While the chances of winning may be almost 50/50, losing 10 times in a row is still possible. At that point, the stakes involved would start to get out of control quite quickly. Still, some people swear that the Martingale strategy has worked for them. And while it might be evident if you used the system at a casino, it is less clear when you play online.
Can online casinos stop you using the Martingale strategy?
The Martingale system is not illegal, and it is not banned from usage at online casinos either. But anyone who has experience of playing at these sites will be aware stake restrictions are often introduced if you have a good run of wins.
If this was to happen to your account, using the Martingale strategy would soon become difficult, if not impossible. After all, any possible road to success by using the system depends on a couple of things. One of them is being able to place huge stakes on bets. The other is having a large bankroll that can be dipped into in the event of a long run of losses.
Should a casino impose restrictions on the amount of money you can stake, the Martingale system would no longer be useful. But it is not banned, so people can definitely try it out. In reality, casinos will only impose stake restrictions if you win a lot of money from them.
Pros of the Martingale betting system
One of the significant advantages of using the Martingale betting system is that it is so easy to learn. Many of the other competing betting strategies involve detailed mathematical formulas that can be hard to follow. It is also very likely when using the Martingale strategy that you eventually hit a win that at the very least cancels out any losses. Of course, this is only the case if your bankroll is big enough to continue raising the stakes every time you have a losing bet.
The Martingale system is also a good one for beginners who are new to a particular game at the online casino. Newcomers to roulette, for example, will learn the ropes quickly by using the system. Experienced online casino customers can also use this system to make their profits.
Cons of the Martingale betting system
While the Martingale betting system is entirely legal, it is only viable in certain situations. These include playing at online casinos that allow users to place bets with unlimited stakes. At some online casinos, for unlimited betting, you may need to join up with their VIP scheme. Profits made by using the Martingale betting system also do not tend to be very large. That is not to say the Martingale betting system cannot be profitable, but wins are unlikely to be vast.
Bankrolls can also be depleted fast by using the Martingale betting system, so it is vital to keep this in mind and have a plan in place if you want to use the strategy at the casino.
