*Warning: Major spoilers ahead for Games of Thrones Season 8, Episode 6.*

“When you bet the Game of Thrones, you make a profit or you lose.”

And if you’re right, how much profit often depends on when you placed a bet.

A majority of bettors at offshore betting sites correctly picked which character would rule the Seven (or Six, rather) Kingdoms of Westeros at the end of the final episode for HBO’s hit television show Game of Thrones.

What made GoT unique was the fact that any character could die at any moment, creating a sense of tension in each episode that is often not found in television dramas.

Even before Season 8 began, it was pretty much anyone’s game. But the betting market essentially forced the bookmakers to crown a new favorite heading into the GoT’s final season.

As we now know, Bran Stark ended the series as the Ruler of Westeros — though, the Iron Throne is no more — but he’d never been the favorite at any of the offshore betting sites.

Even as late as March 2019, many offshore sportsbooks had Bran’s odds listed somewhere between +1400 and +2000, giving him around a 4-6% chance to win the Games of Thrones.

But in the weeks leading up to the start of Season 8, a popular fan theory began making the rounds on social media. The theory claimed that Bran was actually the Night King and would rule Westeros when it was all over.

Because the theory seemed plausible and was backed up by quite a bit of evidence, bettors flooded the offshore betting markets to put money on Bran, causing him to skyrocket to the top — ahead of Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, Cersei Lannister, Tyrion Lannister, and the Night King — and rightfully claimed his place as the favorite.

Heading into Season 8, Bran’s odds to rule Westeros at the end of Game of Thrones were listed between +100 (or even) to +200, which meant he know had anywhere from a 33% to 50% to be named King.

But after the Night King was killed in Episode 3, and the fan theory had been debunked, Bran was still listed as the favorite. But why?

Well, that’s when another leak surfaced, and this time, it detailed and provided evidence for not only why Bran will rule Westeros, but predicted exactly what would happen to the Clegane brothers and said that Daenerys, aka the Mad Queen, would burn King’s Landing to the ground.

Once both of those came true in Episode 5, bettors slammed their tickets on Bran, causing his betting odds to go from +200 (his worst odds) to a staggering -500 before Episode 6 aired last Sunday.

At -500, Bran now had an implied chance of 83% to rule Westeros, and by the end of the GoT series finale, we now know he had a 100% chance since he did become the ruler of Westeros when all was said and done.

If you bet money at an offshore betting site before the final episode, then you got a modest sum. Before the season began? A 2-to-1 payout.

But if you bet back in March, then congrats because even at +1400, a $100 wager netted you $1400 last Sunday.

So, what’s the lesson here?

The early bird (or Raven, if you will) gets the worm. It’s always good to be “in the know,” especially when betting on a TV show.

And at the end of GoT series, the early bettors got the best payout.

Recently the New Zealand Government has discovered that multiple offshore gambling sites have been using the official New Zealand web address (.nz). At least 13 offshore gambling sites operating outside of New Zealand has been using the web address. The Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) told media sources that the 13 sites are now blocked.

New Zealand carries a reputation of being a well-regulated country, and DIA officials believe that criminal organizations are taking advantage of their reputation by using their official country-based web address with no affiliation.

Offshore sites have often caught a bad reputation because of rogue sites claiming validity. Before signing up with any gambling site, it is a smart choice to do some research into the brand. Check out online reviews or play some free play games to get used to the action.

While the recent incident happened in New Zealand it is no surprise that there are other illegal offshore sites operation around the world in countries like the USA, Germany, Australia, and others. Here are the top three most important factors to consider when trying to validate an offshore gambling site.

Licensing & Compliance Records

Trusted online gambling sites will have a license from a gaming regulator and compliance records to show that their games have been subjected to outside testing. This information is usually easy to find since validated offshore casinos are proud of their licenses. You can usually scroll to the bottom of the home page to get a good start on finding online gambling licensing information.

Gaming software

Gaming software is one of my personal favorites. Let’s say that you found an online casino site that also offers a good bonus and multiple games you would like to wager on.  You check the site out and find that they use RTG Games (Real-time gaming), Rival, Playtech, or NetEnt. Games. To verify that the games all you have to do is go to the gaming manufacturing website and verify that they produce those titles.

Reputation

Reputation is probably the most important aspect to verify before giving out your personal information to an online gambling site. To verify an offshore betting sites reputation you can ask any of your friends who might have played the site, or you can search a related online forum. Be aware that not everyone will have a good story to tell and you need to know how to read between the lines. Did this guy leave a bad review because he got caught cheating or did the site screw this guy? I always look for things like payout speed, where the site is licensed from, and how long they have been operating.

Our Guide

Our guide is the collaborative effort of a team of online betting experts who have put their focus into offshore gambling sites. Legal online gambling is still in its infancy in the USA, and many states believe they just don’t have access to online sports betting, poker, or offshore casino gambling.

Even with the federal sports betting ban removed offshore sportsbooks and other offshore wagering services are in no imminent danger of going away.

On May 22^nd, 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruled that the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was unconstitutional. The PASPA act was first enacted in 1992 and was a federal law that banned domestic sports betting in 46 of 50 states. During its 26 years of existence, the PASPA act shaped how many people looked at sports betting in the United States.

Now that PASPA is out of the way, several US states have already enacted laws and launched domestic sports betting operations. Some of these operations also include online sports betting within state lines or mobile betting while on casino grounds. Below you will find several reasons offshore sportsbooks and other offshore wagering services need not to worry about the changing gambling landscape across America.

As It Stands – The Federal Wire Act

The Federal Wire Act is a federal mandate that restricts online gambling services in the USA from crossing state or country lines.Until the Federal Wire Act is repealed orrevised, states will not be allowed to offer online services across state lines. States that have enacted online gambling platforms must have location restrictions based on GPS coordinates or ISP providers.

Built On Reputation

Offshore sportsbooks and other offshore gambling services have been servicing a majority of the United States for over a decade now, and many bettors have grown accustomed to the betting service. While US gambling laws make using an offshore betting service harder, many users and account holders have found ways to make the service work for them.

Offshore Bonus Options

Offshore gambling services like to add bonus funds, perks, and other incentives for their account holders.Online bonuses are one of the best perks for playing an offshore site. Casino, sports, poker, and bingo services all use online bonus options to lure in potential account holders. These bonus incentives can be lucrative for online players and are often a deciding factor for which site to play.

The Cryptocurrency Option

Offshore gambling services are typically trendsetters when it comes to online commerce. Offshore sportsbooks, offshore casinos, and offshore poker sites are all among the first online commerce sites to accept cryptocurrencies. Not only do they accept crypto, but some offshore sites will accept multiple forms of cryptocurrency including BitCoin, LiteCoin, Dash, Ethereum, BitCoin Cash, and more.

User-friendly deposit methods, customer reputation, and sportsbook bonuses are often the tipping factors over US-based online sportsbooks. The main concern for US online bettors is the withdrawal process. The Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act (UIGEA), specifically bans banks from processing transactions received from offshore gambling services, and in some cases, this might be the deciding factor for potential account holders.

Other Stats And Predictions

The American Gaming Association estimates that Americans collectively wager about $150 billion annually in the black market and with offshore sportsbooks. That number is likely to fall over the next few years as many more states are considering the option of legal sports betting. However, while legal US sports betting might hurt some offshore profit margins, don’t expect offshore betting sites to be going anywhere anytime soon.

Some offshore operators are predicting that the legalization of sports betting and other online wagering services across the USA will increase revenue to their sportsbook, poker, or casino site. Many people believe that the legality of online gambling carries a stigma resulting from the April, 15^th, 2011, Black Friday debacle. Now that new gambling legislation is passing across the United States more people will be informed of the legalities surrounding online gambling and offshore gambling sites locally and from afar.

Over the past year, the US has seven states that have launched domestic sports betting and numerous other states that have launched state-based online gambling services.