02.22.2012 (10:28 AM CST)
Oddsmaker Sportsbook stiffs player for $45,000Oddsmaker Sportsbook (SBR rating F) has confiscated $45,000 from a winning bettor. The player wagered with Oddsmaker on and off for three years, losing in the neighborhood of $5,000 prior to the start of 2012. The player, who will be referred to as "Paul" throughout this article, was tempted to reload his betting account after being enticed by a 50% cash bonus.
Oddsmaker's high bonuses sucked Paul in
Paul deposited $1,000 via credit card on December 29th. He received a 50% cash bonus with a 10X rollover, and wagered $1,500 (deposit+bonus) on a football game. Paul lost his bet but managed to profit $300 from betting the opposite side at another sportsbook.
Paul had the itch to send
Oddsmaker another deposit, noting that the sportsbook is frequently late to move lines, even offering middling opportunities. Middling is the act of placing wagers on opposite teams with differing pointspreads. Paul gave Oddsmaker a call to ask if he could again redeem the 50% cash bonus he had lost a day before. Oddsmaker said he wasn't eligible for the bonus, but offered a different promotion before he hung up - a 100% cash bonus, this time with a 20X rollover. Paul eagerly accepted the offer. Paul told SBR that meeting 10X, 20X or greater in rollover is no problem for him with his betting style. Paul re-deposited $1,000 on December 30th.
Paul turns his 100% reload bonus into thousands of dollarsAfter re-depositing $1,000, Paul targeted a game to unload his balance and bonus on. He played every day, eventually increasing his balance to more than $10,000. Paul attempted to exploit small edges by monitoring programs like SBR Odds, Donbest or similar and comparing the numbers offered by other sportsbooks to Oddsmaker - including sportsbooks based in Las Vegas, where Paul resides.
Paul discovers Oddsmaker's MO, decides to middle way outAfter his balance hit the $12,000 mark, Paul caught wind of Oddsmaker's reputation while perusing a gaming reviews site. After realizing Oddsmaker was considered a shady sportsbook and one to be avoided, Paul decided the prudent move was to middle his way out of the sportsbook. Paul recounts placing six different $2,000 wagers one weekend. He placed picks he thought would lose, and bet the opposite side at Las Vegas sportsbooks. It wasn't Paul's weekend, as each of the six wagers won in his Oddsmaker account. Paul's balance ballooned up to more than $20,000. Paul decided to pick his spots more carefully, and continued his strategy of placing wagers he expected to lose. He began to ignore the previous +EV (expected value) opportunities that once attracted him. After his balance reached $28,000, he decided it was time to test the waters so he requested an $8,000 payment on January 10th, 2012. Oddsmaker told him that his payment was too large to be sent at once, so he would receive two withdrawals in consecutive weeks.
Oddsmaker stalls Paul's $8,000 payout requestWhen two weeks passed with no tracking number from Oddsmaker, Paul called to ask for an update. He was told that payout inquiries needed to be made via email. After sending email as requested, Oddsmaker replied with the exact same message six times in as many days:
Oddsmaker Sportsbook: This email concerns your recent ticket: RE: Withdrawal Confirmation (***-***-*****)
As part of our commitment to improving your customer support experience, we would like to know how you think we are doing. You are invited to complete a short satisfaction survey consisting of just a few multiple-choice questions.
It should take you no more than a minute to complete (we promise!). To take the survey, please click on the following link: {omitted}. Your feedback is very important to us and we really appreciate your time.
On February 6th, Paul was delighted when a $4,000 check arrived at his doorstep. He proceeded to place what he claims was more than one hundred additional wagers, still attempting to lose his funds in Oddsmaker.
Paul's balance hits $45,000, still no second $4,000 paymentOn February 17th, his balance was at its highest - a whopping $45,000. Paul stopped wagering with Oddsmaker and picked up the emails, sometimes sending ten a day. Finally, feeling desperate, Paul fired off a more aggressively worded message, indicating that he was considering contacting an attorney.
Paul to Oddsmaker: I asked for this payout almost 2 months ago and still no tracking number. At this point I am deciding whether or not to contact an attorney. For the first time in my life I stopped gambling because I am afraid of winning. Last week on Friday and Saturday I bet over $35k and lost about 18k with your company. This should not be hard for someone to verify. This week I will bet nothing and lose nothing. Your company will lose thousands of dollars with the juice alone without my action. Since this does not seem to concern anyone it leaves me to believe that I'm getting stiffed and need to hire a lawyer. Does this answer your question on how I think you guys are doing?
Oddsmaker closes account and confiscates all winningsOn February 20th, he received a telephone call from Oddsmaker's head of fraud Tony Massina. Tony told Paul that he was in big trouble. Paul's statement of considering legal action landed him in hot water with Oddsmaker brass, who observed that comment from Paul but not the dozens of previous messages begging for an update on his payment. Paul was told that his account was disabled and that he was done at Oddsmaker. Paul broke down, explaining that he's not a professional gambler, that this is life-changing money for a hard working Las Vegas employee whose had a gambling habit for the last 25 years. At one point during this conversation, Tony allegedly barked at Paul to shut his mouth and listen or he would be hung up on and never spoken to again. Tony said that the decision came from above and nothing could be done;
Paul's message constituted a threat, and the decision was final. Paul was told he would receive his $2,000 in deposits back and nothing more.
Paul contacts SBROn February 21st, Paul contacted Sportsbook Review. An SBR dispute analyst spoke with Paul for more than an hour, gathering the facts and listening to him. Paul started to repeat himself, saying he hasn't slept or ate normally since being delivered the crushing blow by Oddsmaker. SBR followed up with Tony Massina, receiving the following statement:
Oddsmaker Tony Massina: I was going to ignore this but I will respond one time and one time only because I am a straight shooter. Customer lied. Customer responded to an email survey from us saying he was considering contacting lawyers to get his withdrawals faster. Nobody in the industry needs that. On top of the customer admitting to owning his own website and to being a professional bettor (he admitted to both), camels back was broken when he threatened to contact lawyers. Decision was not mine but I am aware of the case. Customer had $2000 refunded to him and got a check for $4000 as well. Have a good day.
Paul has denied Tony's (irrelevant) assertion of being a professional gambler. Paul claims to have told Tony just the opposite when begging to be paid his balance. Paul told SBR he has lost thousands of his savings by betting the opposite side of his Oddsmaker picks at various sportsbooks. He told SBR that he couldn't lose at Oddsmaker, no matter what he bet.
Paul's experience is just one of many terrifying ordeals players have had with Oddsmaker. Oddsmaker is an F-rated company in the
scam sportsbook blacklist, having confiscated $248,432 to date in player winnings. Players are advised to avoid the sportsbook at all costs. Its signup bonuses are used as a device to solicit deposits from players; all players with a clue are shown the door, without their balances. The scam sportsbook has cited "professional play" in many of the confiscations, and has now branched out to blaming a player's desperate tone in one of his dozens of emails for justifying robbing him. |
Read Paul's plea to OddsmakerSBR will update this report.
Discuss this case at SBR Forum.