11/21/2010 02:15 PM
Betway management addresses dispute
Betway (SBR rating D-) has addressed the dispute
reported by SBR on 11/17. A player had a balance of €130 confiscated after he made a withdrawal request. At time of the seizure,
Betway stated to the player that he was guilty of operating multiple accounts.
Betway did not offer any evidence or give the player a chance to refute the claim. After SBR followed up on behalf of the player,
Betway provided evidence that the player operated a third account to take advantage of a free bet promotion.
Betway expressed a willingness to revisit other complaints reported by players in cases of alleged fraud. |
Betway statement
11/17/2010 10:56 AM
Betway confiscates €130 from player citing multiple account violationOn November 4th, a
Betway (SBR rating D-) player deposited €40 and received a €20 bonus. After completed his rollover, he requested a withdrawal of his €130 balance.
Betway subsequently closed his account and seized his funds, accusing him of operating multiple accounts. As with other
Betway confiscations, no evidence was offered by
Betway to support its actions either to the player or SBR.
9/8/2010 05:10 PM
Betway confiscates €503 from playerOn July 28th, a
Betway (SBR rating D-) player created an account at
Betway through a friend's referral program. The friends website had the same IP address as the player.
Betway accused the player of owning the website, and creating an account through his own referral program (which violates
Betway's rules). SBR is discussing this dispute with
Betway.
8/31/2010 04:23 PM
Betway winnings forfeiture case updateBetway (SBR rating D-) has addressed the
sportsbook complaint reported by SBR on August 21st.
Betway confiscated €2,453 in winnings from a player that deposited €500 on April 1st.
Betway accused the player of operating his account within a "shared environment". Following SBR's inquiry into the situation,
Betway stated that the player did not share an IP or physical address with any other account holder, but that his computer was flagged as being connected to other accounts. SBR is still discussing the winnings confiscation with
Betway. To date the player has not confirmed receiving his €500 deposit back.
8/21/2010 12:37 PM
Betway confiscates €2453 in winnings citing shared environmentsA
Betway (SBR rating D-) player deposited €500 on April 1st. Over the course of 4.5 months the player wagered with
Betway and increased his balance to €2953. On August 15th he asked for his first withdrawal.
Betway then closed the player's account and confiscated his €2453 in winnings, accusing him of operating his account within a "shared environment".
Betway has made the same claim before without providing IP logs to SBR or following up on
sportsbook inquiries.
Betway has not yet returned the player's €500 deposit.
6/3/2010 03:37 PM
Betway confiscates €700 from player
Betway (SBR rating D-) has confiscated €700 from a player that it claims wagered in shared environments.
Betway closed the player's account and returned his deposit, minus a 10% 'administrative fee'. The player admits wagering from public WiFi spots, but claims not to be connected with any other gaming accounts.
5/22/2010 03:25 PM
Betway accuses player of operating multiple accounts and confiscates winnings
Betway (SBR rating D-) has accused a player of operating multiple accounts.
Betway confiscated the player's €600 in winnings and refunded his deposit of €150. The player denies having more than one account. SBR has asked
Betway to provide evidence to support its position.
Betway has confiscated balances citing multiple accounts without providing evidence before.
4/13/2010 04:07 PM
Betway account closure complaintA
Betway (SBR rating D-) complaint has been received. A player with a balance of €1640.50 had his account closed following two other friends allegedly using his PC to place bets with
Betway. The bets in question were not correlated. The player has stated that his deposit has not been returned, and that no furher explanation was provided by
Betway.
Betway's last
sportsbook complaint was reported five days ago.
4/8/2010 05:02 PM
Betway account closureBetway (SBR rating D-) has closed the account of a player with a $1369.60 balance.
Betway refunded the player's deposit of $495 minus a 10% administrative fee.
Betway claims that the player operated multiple accounts, which the player adamantly denies. This is the third
Betway account closure case
reported to SBR in the last month. SBR is investigating.
3/22/2010 11:08 AM
Betway closes account citing shared environments
Betway (SBR rating D-) has closed a player's account citing shared environments. A player opened an account and after placing a few bets had a balance of €741 frozen. The player denies being linked to any other gaming accounts. This is the second report of
Betway closing an account for this alleged violation and providing no details to the players regarding whom they are linked to, or in what capacity.
3/18/2010 06:02 PM
Betway refunds player deposit citing linked accountsA
Betway (SBR rating D-) player has filed a sportsbook complaint. The player deposited 200 PLN into his account and proceeded to increase it to 350 PLN. The player's account was then closed and his deposit, minus a 10% fee for 'operation cost', was refunded.
Betway stated in a subsequent email to the player that he was linked to a number of other gaming accounts.
Betway did not elaborate. The player adamantly denies having any such connection to any other accounts. SBR is investigating.
11/11/2009 04:05 PM
Betway uses obscene rule to justify theftBetway (SBR rating D-) has cited a non-industry standard rule to justify its seizure of a player's €48 winnings.
Betway's own rule warns that it reserves the right to steal from players.
Betway: "1.3.4 Should any player be found to be involved in, or should we suspect any player of being involved in, Match Betting or Arbitrage Betting, We shall be entitled, at our sole discretion, to restrict your future play or withhold all funds due to You and/or de-register and exclude You and/or suspend You as a player on any or all of the Websites." "SBR strongly advises players who continue to wager at
Betway to take notice of this policy.
12/10/2008 07:46 PM
Betway (SBR rating D-) still using bait-n-switch tactics with
A player made a deposit with
Betway in July of 2008. After wagering his free-play and making several more bets, the player attempted to cash out.
Betway confiscated his 40 Euros in winnings, claiming that the player abused a bonus. There is no indication that the player cheated.
Betway is not responding to SBR's most recent inquiries. |
Previous Betway reports
8/16/2008 11:34 PM
Betway raised from F to D-
8/16/2008 10:55 PM
SBR comments on today's rating changes
Betway upgraded from F to D-. The rating change reflects the return of confiscated deposits to two players. The sportsbook, which refused to return confiscated winnings and earned bonuses, remains on the SBR blacklist.
BlueSquare downgraded from A- to B+. Bluesquare players complained in June that the sportsbook was using bait-and-switch tactics with advertised promotions. BlueSquare had offered to match a wager with a free bet up to £100 but refused to give more than £5 after the bet was made. The book claims it reserves the right to change their side of the deals and has refused to reconsider the position.
7/25/2008 11:31 PM
Betway (SBR rating F) slow-paying players
The sportsbook, which has confiscated funds and cheated players out of winnings, is slow paying two SBR readers. Both players are waiting for Moneybookers payments initially requested in late May and early June. Betway has claimed that it had sent the funds via Moneybookers to one player but the e-wallet returned the funds back to them. Betway displays a familiar pattern of a book in financial trouble, first looking for reasons to recover winnings from sharp players, and later stalling and making slow-pay excuses.
Player: They went on to say I hadn't logged in to Moneybookers, so MB returned the money to them. I had logged into MB, and regardless, that is not MB policy.
My second withdrawal initiated on June 28th was returned to my account on July 17th stating "We're emailing you to follow up on your inquiry of July 07. Unfortunately, due to a miscommunication, we did not manage to notify you that on July 17 your withdrawal was sent back to us by Moneybookers in a timely manner. According to Moneybookers, the email address you specified for your withdrawal (**********@hotmail.com) has not been registered with us. The funds were returned to your Betway account and are now at your disposal. In order to enable you to correct your payment details we have also reset your withdrawal options, so you will be able to specify your Moneybookers email address again
7/22/2008 11:33 PM
Betway (SBR rating D-) continues to steal player winnings; players also report theft of depositsThe
sportsbook initially told players their winnings were void due to their style of play.
Betway targeted users who wagered in order to meet the rollover requirement for the bonus as fast as possible before withdrawing. Players have since reported that the sportsbook is closing accounts and confiscating winnings as well as deposits without attempting to explain its actions. This progressive level of theft is often a sign of financial problems. Balance confiscation is likely the sportsbook's only answer to dealing with winning players.
Betway does not appear to employ a risk management department or attempt to safeguard promotions against non-recreational players. Users are advised to withdraw their funds as soon as possible. The sportsbook has been downgraded to D-, one month after a downgrade from C.
7/22/2008 10:50 PM
Betway downgraded from D to D-
7/4/2008 05:27 PM
Betway downgraded from D+ to D
7/4/2008 02:36 PM
Betway continues to confiscate winnings; SBR lowers rating to DBetway offers free-plays as an incentive for bettors to deposit. After the players have met the wagering requirements and request a payout the
sportsbook confiscates winnings and sends back the deposit. A losing player never realizes he never had the chance to win the house's money. The sportsbook cites bonus hunting and taking advantage of the sportsbook's offers without intending to gamble further.
Betway attempts to brand this type of play as the "money method."
Betway:
You have been positively identified as a participant of the "Money Method" scheme and therefore we have locked your account, cancelled all your bets and returned your initial deposit to your eWallet account. We will keep your account locked and will lock any future accounts you register."
6/7/2008 11:35 PM
Betway (SBR rating D+) confiscates earned free-play winnings
Betway claims at least five players followed the directions of a third party website on how to utilize bonuses and cashout in the shortest amount of time possible. Although this is not the type of play the sportsbook hopes to gain from the promotion, Betway does not have rules against betting with the intention of earning bonuses quickly and utilizing the sportsbook only for that reason. In email discussion Betway refers to this action as "the money method." SBR has asked Betway to reconsider honoring all wagers and allow SBR to advise on the promotion's terms and conditions. Betway has been downgraded from C to D+.
Betway to SBR: In the case of the 5 accounts in question, we remain firm that the evidence is clear that these players came through a site which openly teaches players how to abuse bonuses.
Betway to user: After analyzing Metododiheiro.com, we have seen that the "Money Method" promotes a step-by-step guide and workshop for systematic abuse of free bet bonus offers on 50+ Sportsbook sites. Betway were not aware of Metododinheiro.com and the promotion of this scheme until recently.
6/7/2008 11:29 PM
Betway downgraded from C to D+
4/28/2008 01:36 PM
Player vs. Betway Resolution
Betway (SBR rating C) has credited the player for the full winnings as well as a bonus for the inconvenience.
Betway apologized to the player and states that the software issue has been addressed.
Betway:
I have gone through your case with the relevant person and we chose to refund your winnings to your account. We truly apologize for the inconvenience. We have had some difficulties with the new site, but as everything new, it's hard to get things to run smoothly from the start. It seems now though, that we are close to be back on track again. And we are extremely exited with that. We hope you find this acceptable and wish you a great day. Warm Regards
original complaint |
Betway discussion
4/25/2008 07:24 PM
Betway (SBR rating C) voids winnings; blames software updates
Betway tells player his wager was 150 euros above the limit and will not stand. The decision was made despite that Betway confirmed the wager, deducted the funds for the pending bet, and addressed the issue after his funds were already risked. Betway apologized to the player for what it calls a system malfunction, but refused to pay winnings in full. Players should be aware that recent software upgrades have caused the website to perform incorrectly and players may be held responsible for errors.
3/27/2008 07:23 AM
Betway (SBR rating C) credits both players with winning wagers.
3/26/2008 12:27 PM
Betway (SBR rating C) cancels winning wager 90 minutes after match
Player: The match ended 2-1, so my bet was won. A few minutes after the match had ended, I had a look at may account history and the bet was still declared as "pending".
Tonight I had another look at my account and now the bet was declared "void". At 19.15 h (about 90 minutes after the finale whistle!!) Betway had decided to void my bet and refund my stake without any winnings. This was without any obvious reason, there were definitely no problems with this match (no fixed game etc.) and Betway´s odd was similiar to the odds of other bookmakers. I wrote an email to Betway and asked them about this and they told me (unfortunately in German) that there was an "unexpected problem" with this bet and so they had to cancel it: | The complaint mirrors one reported in February discussed here:
Player vs. Betway
2/23/2008 11:02 PM
SBR receives second wager cancellation complaint from
Betway (SBR rating C) player. The book has yet to respond to SBR inquiries regarding the cancellation of a winning wager the day after the event. However, the book has added a rule stating
"Betway.com reserves the right to refuse the whole or part of any bet and to make ambiguous bets void. No bets will unreasonably be declared void". SBR's betting rules monitor recorded the addition of the ambiguous rule during a scan on February 21st.
2/20/2008 03:08 PM
Payer vs. Betway: Canceled bet disputeBetway (SBR rating C) cancels player's winning wager 18 hours after the event is completed.
Betway claims its traders reviewed the wager, as it reserves the right to do, and chose not to accept the bet, but "
because of some technical error" the stake was not refunded until after the event. The player argues that regardless of the book's intentions, failue to notify him that the bet was not pending as shown cost him a winning bet that he would have placed at a different bookmaker. SBR has asked
Betway to review this claim again.
Betway email log
7/20/2007 10:16 PM
SBR’s Sports Betting Rules Monitor:
Betway (SBR rating C) changes rule on head to head poker match-up wagering. The winning poker bettor must finish in the money for the wager to have action.
DimeLine (SBR rating D) rewrites baseball proposition bet rules.
Canbet (SBR rating A-) changes expiration period of free-play bonuses."
Free bets must be placed within 30 days of being issued. Free bets not placed within this timeframe will be revoked."
BetRoyal (SBR rating D+) removes all rules regarding -105 reduced juice lineset.
10/21/2006 12:54 PM
SBR Bill Dozer reports: Three
Betway (SBR rating C) players report that the sportsbook has altered odds of pending wagers. As per
Betway’s rule #2, the book "reserves the right to cancel any bet made on an obviously "bad" line or a wager made after an event has started." The sportsbook’s rules do not reference adjusting lines without the consent of the player.
SBR has contacted the sportsbook about crediting these clients and defining its policy on the altering of accepted bets.
8/3/2006 06:55 AM
Betway - SBR initiates rating at C
