1/29/2012 06:25 PM
Sportsbook.com dispute updateOn December 30th, SBR
reported that a Sportsbook.com (SBR rating D-) player owed $6,800 had his withdrawal delayed due to insufficient proof of ID. The player is now claiming that his funds have still not been received, and that
Sportsbook.com (ag) asked for a banking statement. The player says that he provided the requested statement three weeks ago, and claims to still be in the dark at the status of his payment request. The player notes that he has been attempting to receive payment off and on since July of 2011. SBR is following up with management.
On January 11th, 2012, SBR
reported that a Sportsbook.com player has been owed $19,800 since October. The player requested two withdrawals for $9,900. SBR noted that Sportsbook.com has increased their average payout time-frame to six to eight weeks, causing anxiety amongst players. This payment dispute remains unresolved. The following week, SBR
reported that a player who requested a total of $4,917 had not been paid for
nine weeks.
Sportsbook.com players with feedback or complaints are asked to submit a sportsbook complaint form, or dial 1-830-255-4677 during normal business hours to speak with a Sportsbook Review dispute analyst.
1/14/2012 01:07 PM
Sportsbook.com player waiting nine weeks for paymentA Sportsbook.com (SBR rating D-) player tells SBR that he has not been paid within the company's six to eight week time-frame. The player has two pending requests—$2,500 and $2,417—requested November 8th and 9th that haven't been paid. The player has three additional requests that are on week six. SBR is asking management for an update.
On 11 January 2012, SBR reported that a
Sportsbook.com (ag) player was owed $19,800 since October. Management addressed this complaint with SBR, saying the player would be sent two bank payments next week. SBR will update as the player confirms payment.
Sportsbook.com (ag) players with feedback or complaints are asked to submit a sportsbook complaint form, or dial 1-830-255-4677 during normal business hours to speak with a Sportsbook Review dispute analyst.
1/12/2012 01:51 PM
VIP Sports player never paid balanceOn 15 July 2011, SBR reported that VIP Sports (SBR rating B-) would close its doors. The Curacao based bookmaker announced that as of August 1st it would no longer be in business.
VIP, along with sister sportsbooks
nine.com and BetGameDay.com instructed players to withdraw their funds by that time. Many seasonal players were taken by surprise when logging on for football season and realizing that the VIP brands were defunct. SBR exhausted all avenues in contacting former VIP personnel and eventually procured a
statement that players would be paid.
GTBets.com (SBR rating C) surfaced the same week, using the same website skin, web server and telephone number as VIP Sports. SBR interviewed GTBets.com and learned that the sportsbook acquired the VIP software, hardware and retained key management. GTBets.com attempted to
solicit VIP's former clients into depositing; an attempt to capitalize on the brand and kickstart its own business venture.
GTBets.com later agreed to pay VIP Sportsbook, BetGameday and
nine.com players that did not request their funds prior to the 1 August 2011 deadline. A total of $45,995 was owed to players and reportedly paid. GTBets assured SBR that it had attempted to contact all players that held unpaid balances with the VIP brands.
SBR has received a new complaint from a player that states he was never paid a $1,590 balance. SBR is contacting GTBets management to discuss the player's claim. VIP Sports players in need of assistance should submit a
sportsbook complaint form, or write to SBR directly at
help@sportsbookreview.com.
UPDATE 26 Jan 2012: The player's deposit ($1,590) was made in November of 2009. The player does not recall wagering with the sportsbook, and has no further information to document that a balance was maintained at VIP. SBR has asked the player to provide more information, and considers this matter closed.
1/11/2012 05:49 PM
Scam alert: 21KBet Sportsbook21KBet (SBR rating D-) is misleading players by claiming to be licensed by the Lotteries and Gaming Authority (LGA) of Malta. No such license exists. The LGA released a statement indicating that
21KBet has no connection whatsoever to the LGA. The 21KBet website claims to be headquartered in Malta. SBR has received forwarded emails from a 21KBet manager that went so far as to produce a bogus LGA registration number. The emails targeted players for deposits.
nineteen players have reported not being paid. Fourteen of the players deposited to 21KBet via Moneybookers. These players' balances total €20,192. SBR reported on 4 January 2012 that
21KBet blamed Moneybookers for the eWallet delays, stating that it had no access to deposited funds. Moneybookers released a statement to SBR denying that 21KBet was an authorized merchant. 21KBet used a personal Moneybookers account to receive player deposits. Six players deposited with the sportsbook by bank transfer. One player confirmed being paid €670. 21KBet refused to pay the others, claiming player fraud.
21KBet continues to provide generic updates to SBR regarding the deceptive marketing and the delinquent payment requests. 21KBet is on the
scam sportsbook blacklist at D-.
21KBet players with feedback or complaints are asked to submit a sportsbook complaint form, or dial 1-830-255-4677 during normal business hours to speak with a Sportsbook Review dispute analyst.
12/16/2011 01:40 PM
TitanBet reinstates voided wagers for two playersTitanBet (SBR rating C)
has reinstated the winning wagers of two players that had their bets voided. SBR first
reported on November 28th that
TitanBet was alleged to be voiding bets when the line moves against them.
nine players filed
sportsbook disputes through SBR stating the practice affected them. TitanBet released the following statement to a player today:
TitanBet: This bet has been found that the bet was considered as wrongly priced however further investigations revealed that the price was valid, and so was your bet. We have now credited your account with €127.00 as this is the net win amount you were to receive from this bet. We have thoroughly reviewed your account and found only one more disqualified bet on Tennis which was disqualified rightly as one of the players retired. We would like to apologize for the misunderstanding occurred and the inconvenience caused.
Though TitanBet refuses to discuss player specifics with SBR citing privacy policy, SBR is hopeful that the remaining seven players will receive credit for any winnings which were prevented by TitanBet's heavy-handed cancellations. SBR will update this report.
TitanBet players in need of sportsbook assistance are asked to fill out a sportsbook
complaint form. Alternatively, players may reach Sportsbook Review by writing to
help@sportsbookreview.com or by dialing 1-830-255-4677 during
normal business hours.
11/16/2011 06:35 PM
VIPSports.eu deceptive marketingVIPSports.eu (SBR rating C) is still making deceptive sales pitches to former clients of the now defunct
VIP Sports (SBR rating B-) family.
VIPSports.eu is distributing emails suggesting that it is the same as the terminated VIP Sports operation. It is important for players to realize that the original VIP Sports is not back - former marketing personnel are attempting to capitalize on the brand's name by releasing targeted emails to former VIP Sports and
nine.com (SBR rating B-) customers. VipSports.eu is hosted on a different wagering platform, in a different country, with different financial backing and ownership. Players should approach the new VIPSports.eu as an unknown quantity and proceed with caution as with all start-up sportsbook companies.
On November 3rd, 2011, SBR reported that VipSports.eu is the latest licensee of the
Safari Casino Group. Safari provides
VipSports.eu with wagering software, hosting and processors in exchange for a monthly royalty.
Safari Casino Group is most known for powering
Dimeline Sportsbook (SBR rating C),
BetTheGlobe (SBR rating D+), and
Safari Casino (SBR rating D+). |
VIPSports.eu email to players
11/16/2011 08:50 AM
WSEX Sportsbook update: $610,990 owed to 93 players
Five new WSEX (SBR rating D-) payout complaints have been reported.
Player one requested a $530 withdrawal on July 4th, 2011. Player two requested $5,000 in March of 2011. Players three and four requested $500 and $1100 in April and August of 2011 respectively. Player five requested $1,600 in April of 2011.
WSEX acknowledged one of the players by stating that progress is being made in scheduling payments for their backlog of delinquent requests. WSEX confirmed that not all requests could be paid at once and again pinned the blame on processor challenges instead of a lack of a liquidity.
ninety-three players report being owed a total of $610,990, with outstanding requests dating as far back as October of 2009.
SBR followed up with WSEX again to resend the list of players owed and was told by a manager that the list would be reviewed by this weekend.
Recent WSEX payoutsA WSEX player that requested $1,800 on November 29th, 2010 reports receiving payment in full. The player was one of the names on the SportsbookReview.com WSEX list. On November 9th, SBR
reported that a player owed $60,000 received a $6,000 payment toward his outstanding balance. A second player received $2,000.
The last surge of WSEX Sportsbook payouts was
reported by SBR in October of 2010; these WSEX players were paid $124,617 during the heart of the football season.
9/5/2011 07:13 PM
GTBets.com to pay VIP Sportsbook, BetGameday, nine.com playersGTBets.com (SBR rating C) tells SBR that they will honor
VIP Sportsbook players funds. GTBets.com is a new sportsbook that surfaced when VIP Sportsbook, BetGameday and
nine.com went off-line on August 1st, 2011. GTBets acquired the VIP Sportsbook software, hardware and retained key management. GTBets first came to light when they began
spamming marketing offers to former VIP players, which included those account-holders usernames at VIP.
On July 15th, SBR
reported that VIP Sportsbook was preparing to cease operations. VIP, BetGameday and
nine.com advised bettors via their homepages to request balances prior to August 1st, 2011. However, more than thirty players failed to see the warning on time and reported not being paid their final balances - worth more than $45,000. SBR continued to report that seasonal sports bettors missed the messages, reporting not being called or emailed with a heads up as to the closure of the Curacao based sportsbook family. A VIP manager
claimed on August 16th that players in the attached SBR list would receive payment, but that there was no support or accounting team able to service future player claims.
SBR first spoke with GTBets.com Thursday September 1st. Originally GTBets.com was prepared to offer VIP players a deal that if they made their final payout requests prior to October 1st, 2011, they would receive credits to their GTBets accounts and would be fully able to make withdrawals without playing requirements. After speaking with SBR further, GTBets took the restrictions off the good faith gesture so that all players able to confirm their final VIP balances would be able to be credited. |
Read GTbets.com statement
9/3/2011 03:50 PM
VIP Sportsbook players owed $45,995VIP Sportsbook players are owed $45,995. Thirty-
nine players report that they were not paid their funds prior to VIP Sportsbook going offline on August 1st, 2011. The Curacao based operator claims to not have the manpower nor the ability to process additional payouts. The sportsbook company claimed in discussions with SportsbookReview that players were given sufficient notice to access their accounts to initiate their payment requests. Many seasonal sports bettors are logging in for the first time for the upcoming football season, and did not noitce the July notice on the VIP Sports, BetGameday, or
nine.com websites. SBR will update this report.
8/31/2011 06:14 PM
VIP Sportsbook players owed $42,345VIP Sportsbook players report being owed $42,345.
On July 15th,
SBR reported that VIP Sportsbook and sister sites BetGameday and
nine.com would be closing their doors on August 1st, 2011. A message was placed atop each sportsbook homepage prompting bettors to request their funds by that time. Numerous seasonal sports bettors that did not log-in to see the notice report not receiving any email or phonecall alerts from VIP Sportsbook to withdraw their balances.
On August 16th, "Jay" (a former VIP Sportsbook operations manager) told SBR that the players who filed sportsbook complaints would be paid. However, no mention was made of the sports bettors that have not yet contacted SportsbookReview, or who have not logged into their accounts to recognize the closure. On August 31st, SBR spoke with the VIP manager over telephone and it was stated that while players in the attached list would receive payment, no further payouts would be made. The manager claimed that the VIP Sportsbook office had closed and that there was no dedicated support team or contacts to field player inquiries, it was also stated that the primary reason for shutting the operation down was the difficulty of working with payment processors.
SBR will update this report.
8/26/2011 05:20 PM
VIP Sportsbook players owed $31,153The SBR mailbag is growing with letters from
VIP Sportsbook,
nine.com and BetGameDay players. The sportsbook family went off-line on August 1st, 2011, and has yet to pay all players.
On July 15th,
Sportsbook Review reported that the VIP Sportsbook group was preparing to shut its doors. In that report, SBR relayed the message hung on the VIP websites directing players to request their balances prior to August 1st. Many players never saw the message, however, and currently thirty players report not being paid $31,153. The amount seems relatively small considering that the family of sportsbooks has been online more than a decade, and was once considered an industry titan. While the exact amount of outstanding funds is unknown, SBR has received at least one report per day in the last two weeks of unpaid funds. Seasonal sports bettors were left blindsided by the move, many only logging into their accounts near the start of the football year. Players state that no email notices were sent advising them to request their funds, and that follow-up emails to the VIP support line have went unanswered.
SBR is attempting to make contact with "Jay", a former operations manager with VIP Sportsbook who claimed on August 16th that players would receive their final payment shortly. Jay also addressed the emergence of GtBets.com—a website hosted on VIP Sportsbook's server, which shares the same layout, customer service numbers—by acknowledging that former employees are behind the venture. On August 15th, SBR reported that
GTbets.com was sending marketing emails to former VIP players containing their VIP log-in information. While GTbets.com has not provided official comment on any connection to the now off-line VIP Sportsbook group, the operation is also headquartered in Curacao.
SBR is hopeful that the disconnect between the VIP Group and its former players is attributable to technical challenges following the sites closure and the termination of support mailboxes. SBR will update this report as any of the reported thirty players confirm receiving their funds, or as more non-payment reports surface.
8/23/2011 06:46 PM
VIP Sportsbook players owed $29,063Twenty-five
VIP Sportsbook (SBR rating B-) players report being owed $29,063. The players did not request payment of their account balances prior to the August 1st, 2011 deadline imposed by VIP. On July 15th, SportsbookReview reported that the
VIP Sportsbook group announced that it would be closing. While VIP management initially told SBR that players were given ample notice to initiate payout requests, several players have reported that they were not given any heads up.
On August 15th, SBR reported that
Gtbets.com (SBR rating C) surfaced targeting VIP Sportsbook Group players. GTbets.com shares the VIP Sportsbook server, customer service numbers and website skin. In addition, players forwarded marketing mailers which contained their VIP username and passwords. VIP Sportsbook operations manager "Jay" told SBR on August 16th that VIP,
nine.com and BetGameday have nothing to do with GTBets. The manager confirmed that former employees are now working on the site.
SBR will update this report.
Players in need of sportsbook assistance are asked to fill out a sportsbook complaint form.
Alternatively, players may reach SBR by writing to
help@sportsbookreview.com or dialing 1-830-255-4677 seven days a week during normal business hours.
8/21/2011 04:28 PM
VIP Sportsbook balance holders asked to write to help@sportsbookreview.comThree new players have written Sportsbook Review to launch complaints against VIP Sportsbook,
nine.com and
BetGameday. The three players are owed $1,030, $900, and $600 collectively. Each player reports that no notice was delivered to their registered email address informing them of the
VIP Sports group closure. VIP management initially told SBR that players were given multiple notices each, in addition to the prominent ad atop its homepage prompting bettors to withdraw their funds. The players point out that they are seasonal bettors who were unaware of the closure, and that they discovered the closure when trying to access their accounts for the NFL preseason.
SBR last heard from a VIP manager on Tuesday August 16th. The manager stated that players who did not request their balances in time would be paid once financial processes completed allowing VIP to send a final wave of funds. None of the 18 players on SBR's list have yet reported payment. The players are owed $12,183. SBR will update this report.
Players in need of sportsbook assistance are asked to fill out a sportsbook complaint form.
Alternatively, players may reach SBR by writing to
help@sportsbookreview.com or dialing 1-830-255-4677 seven days a week during normal business hours.
8/18/2011 04:37 PM
VIP Sportsbook updateSince SBR's last
VIP Sportsbook update on August 16th, an additional two users have reported that they held balances which have not been paid as of August 18th, 2011. The players did not request their funds prior to the August 1st deadline set by VIP Sports after the company closure was announced.
VIP Sportsbook,
nine.com and
BetGameday are currently off-line. The total amount of outstanding funds owed to users is now $10,876.
A VIP Sportsbook operations manager claimed that the players who did not request payment in time would receive payment. SBR has followed up to inquire on whether accommodations would also be made for players that did not contact SBR not VIP Sportsbook to arrange to be paid their final balances. SBR will update this sportsbook report as more information becomes available.|
VIP Sportsbook players outraged
8/16/2011 02:27 PM
VIP Sportsbook says players will be paidA former VIP Sportsbook (SBR rating B-) operations manager has contacted Sportsbook Review today stating that players who did not request payment in the allotted time—the
August 1st deadline—would be paid. The manager explained that the two individuals SBR had communicated briefly with were no longer servicing exiting VIP players inquiries and that their mailboxes were not being monitored. The manager stated that he would be contacting players on SBR's list to inform them that they would be paid soon. SBR questioned VIP as to the relationship with
GTbets.com (SBR rating C), the newly surfaced sportsbook that shares VIP servers, software and customer support. The manager denied a business overlap from an ownership perspective, but conceded that former employees of
VIP Sports are managing the new brand.
Players that did not request payment from VIP Sportsbook prior to the August 1st deadline where VIP Sportsbook,
nine.com and
BetGameDay announced their closure are advised to write to help@sportsbookreview.com with their account usernames and balance information.
8/13/2011 03:51 PM
VIP Sports,
nine.com, BetGameday downgraded from B+ to B-
8/13/2011 02:43 PM
VIP Sportsbook players await their final paymentTwelve VIP Sports (SBR rating B-) players report being owed a total of $8,432. The players did not initiate a withdrawal prior to the VIP deadline of August 1st, 2011. Sportsbook Review
reported on 7/15 that
VIP Sportsbook, along with sister sportsbooks
nine.com and
BetGameday would be closing their doors. Management has not provided a time-table on when the players who did not request their balances in the allotted time can expect payment. SBR will update this report as more information becomes available.
8/10/2011 03:17 PM
VIP Sportsbook updateVIP Sports tells SBR that all future bets were refunded to players on July 1st, 2011.
VIP launched notices via its family of sportsbook websites and email asking bettors to withdraw their balances before the operation closed doors on August 1st, 2011.
Three players have written to Sportsbook Review stating that a total of $1,700 was not paid to them as they had not responded to VIP's notice to withdraw funds by the given deadline. SBR is discussing these players situations with VIP management asks all bettors who have not received balances held at VIP,
nine.com or BetGameday to write to help@sportsbookreview.com with their account usernames and balance information.
8/8/2011 02:33 PM
VIP Sports, nine.com, BetGameday payment feedbackOn July 15th, Sportsbook Review
reported that VIP Sports (SBR rating B+) and its sister sportsbooks would be closing on August 1st, 2011. VIP displayed a note atop its webpage asking players to request a payout prior to August 1st, 2011. SBR has received two letters from players that were not aware that the sportsbooks were headed off-line. These players have not been contacted yet with instructions on how to proceed with requesting their funds. SBR has followed up with VIP support about these inquiries and has specifically asked what will happen to pending future bets in the system. SBR will update this report.
8/3/2011 12:25 PM
EasyStreet targeting former BetJamaica, Greek, BetEd, VIP customersEasyStreet (SBR rating D) is sending promo emails to players offering a 35% cash signup bonus. While the email is titled "Attention all Greek and BetJamaica Clients", the opening lines also address former BetEd,
nine.com and VIP Sports players. EasyStreet's promo mailer states that the sportsbook has no intent of leaving the US market.
Prior to each football season, all online sportsbooks begin to pump up their marketing and bonuses in an attempt to retain or reel in customer business for the coming pigskin year. Players are advised to avoid lowly rated sportsbooks with histories of unfairly dealing with players. In addition to the already established sportsbooks, many fly-by night scam attempts are made by rogue operators in possession of industry mailing lists. While
EasyStreet Sports is not designated as a
blacklisted sportsbook, its poor rating is largely attributed to the
theft of $46,000 from a winning casino player accused of robot play. |
EasyStreet spams former sportsbook players
7/15/2011 10:37 PM
VIP Sports to close August 1st, 2011VIP Sports (SBR rating B+) has announced it will close on August 1st, 2011. VIP Sports and sister sportsbooks
nine.com and BetGameday.com each display a note atop their homepage asking players to request a payout within the next two weeks. SBR is following up with VIP to ask what will happen with pending futures bets, and to inquire on who players should contact if their funds are not requested prior to the August 1st closure date.
VIP Sports historyVIP Sports has long been a player favorite, with a reputation of catering to their "VIP" customer base by offering personalized rewards programs.
VIP Sports was based in the Dutch Antilles, operated by parent company Stockdale Investment Ltd. VIP Sports was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2005, and continued its prominence by acquiring the MyBookie Group which included
nine.com and Betcom.com. VIP Sports also acquired the English Harbor Casino Group in November of 2005. In the spring of 2006, VIP Sports announced a full year gross profit of more than $80M, citing a 26% growth from 2005. VIP Sports lowered it's profile in the fall of 2006, deciding to no longer accept new player registrations from the United States on the heels of the UIGEA act. VIP Sports continued to operate a well-run sportsbook for the next six years. Its next major announcement came in January of 2011, when the sportsbook announced that its grandfathered Washington State players could no longer maintain accounts with VIP, amidst legal questionmarks surrounding players from that state.
Players with any questions pertaining to their upcoming withdrawals for VIP Sports or any sister sportsbook should write to SBR at help@sportsbookreview.com. SBR may also be reached by phone during normal business hours at 1-830-255-4677.
6/18/2011 11:38 AM
WSEX Sportsbook ignoring old payout requests?WSEX Sportsbook (SBR rating D-) update.
WSEX is currently slow-paying its users $494,018. The payout requests range from October 2009 to May 2011. WSEX has provided generic updates to players throughout its downswing—where its rating was adjusted
nine times—pinning the delays on their processors. |
WSEX player reports payment
3/4/2011 04:46 PM
Cashpoint Sportsbook account closure dispute
Cashpoint (SBR rating C-) dispute. A
Cashpoint Sportsbook player states that his account has been terminated. The player registered with Cashpoint, depositing €100 and placed
nine bets before having his account closed. The sportsbook stated only that it would no longer accept bets from the player. The player's concern is that the sportsbook is only willing to pay him via bank wire, whilst he deposited by eWallet. SBR is investigating. |
Cashpoint complaints
3/4/2010 11:40 AM
Stryyke updateStryyke (SBR rating D) has reported the payment of four players. SBR has written the players to confirm. The players requested their payouts from August 5th to December 10th of 2009. €2200 was paid to the players collectively.
nine players remain owed €11,443.
Stryyke has claimed that three of the players have had payouts rejected due to fraud. SBR is inquiring with Stryyke on the allegations.
3/3/2010 04:12 PM
Dimeline Sportsbook: botched bonus updateDimeline Sportsbook (SBR rating D) addresses bonus complaint SBR
reported on March 2nd. On January 5th 2009 a player deposited €2000 in exchange for a €2000 cash bonus with an 8X rollover. The bonus was double credited resulting in the players balance increasing by an extra €4000 in bonus money. The player slowly wagered €20,182 toward his rollover throughout baseball season. On January 1st of 2010 Dimeline removed €4505 in bonus money from the account, leaving the player with his original deposit.
Dimeline discovered the crediting error when the player requested Moneybookers payment, additionally, the player was
nine months past Dimeline's posted rule on rollover completion time. The rule is stated as follows:
Rollover is calculated on the lower of the risk or win. Rollover must be completed within 90 days. If a player fails to meet the rollover the real money bonus amount will be converted into free money and a rollover is no longer required.
At the time of the adjustment, Dimeline states the player was down $1200. Dimeline has offered to refund the players €2000 deposit in full, noting that any proration of bonus play would leave the player with a significantly less return.
2/15/2010 12:30 PM
Stryyke players report paymentStryyke (SBR rating D) players report payment. €4,378.51 was paid to eight players that had requested payments as far back as November 26th. In total
Stryyke now has
nine remaining slowpay complaints totaling €6696 in player debt.
2/13/2010 12:34 PM
Stryyke players report paymentTwo
Stryyke (SBR rating D) players have confirmed payment. The payment requests were made on November 23rd and December 31st for €715.31 and €200. There are still
nine outstanding slowpay reports against
Stryyke totaling €5730.45 in player funds owed. The oldest payment request was made on November 10th.
Stryyke player: I have received all the money that was owed to me from Stryyke. Thank you for all your help.
I received my payout earlier today, thanks for your help.
Update: Since this report was published, a third player has confirmed receiving payment today for €426.50, the payment was requested on December 9th. Stryyke now has eight outstanding slowpay complaints levied against them for a total €5303.95 in player debt.
1/27/2010 02:21 PM
Free Super Bowl squares contest filling fastThere are
nine spots left in
SBR Forum's free $1,000 Super Bowl squares contest. | View
free contest registration thread.
9/29/2009 03:16 PM
BetAfterBet update: €22,924.60 owed to players BetAfterBet payment complaints have not slowed down since SBR began reporting on the Malta-based sportsbook September 18th.
nine new slowpay complaints have come in against BetAfterBet, bringing the total owed to players up to €22,924.60. BetAfterBet has been downgraded to D.
SBR asks owed BetAfterBet players who have not contacted SBR to fill out the
sportsbook complaint form.
9/22/2009 02:34 PM
Two new Dimeline slow-payment complaints surfaceTwo new
Dimeline Sportsbook (SBR rating D) payment complaints have come in. The first player requested a payout of $780 June 13th via Moneybookers, which was slated to take 10-14 days. After waiting for a month and a half,
Dimeline stated on July 28th that the player would be sent a check. He has yet to receive any payment. The second Dimeline player requested a withdrawal of $2,000 on August 17th and has not received his check. Dimeline has repeatedly told both players the check would arrive "any day".
SBR has
nine outstanding Dimeline slowpay complaints totaling $21,747. The withdrawal requests were made from May 2nd to August 17th.
1/10/2009 11:07 PM
Stryyke (not rated) clears delinquent payoutsSince SBR's
initial report in November Stryyke has paid all
nine players who have complained of payout delays. Delays ranged from one week to over a month. Player concern was high due to a lack of communication from the sportsbook and the withdrawals being requested through the book's main payout method, electronic transfer service, Moneybookers. Recent withdrawal reports from December suggest Strykke has improved over November. Stryyke blames being short-staffed in December for slow-payment, which did not exceed 10 days.
"As we were not working with the full staff during the Christmas and New Years weeks, we couldn't process all payouts in a timely manner. Some customers unfortunately experienced delays with their payouts."
9/15/2008 07:42 PM
Waubet (not rated) closes after week of stalling users
WauGaming.com:
Dear Wauw user, For a while we’ve known that we’d need more invested capital into our company in order to reach Break Even on our current activities. Unfortunately we haven’t succeeded in raising the necessary investor capital, and thus we’ve decided to close down our business. The total amount due to our customers, meaning also your balance/funds if relevant, are to a large extend secured via the demand by the Maltese Lotteries and Gaming Authority (LGA) for separation of company funds and customer/user funds. Some of these funds are kept as reserves at 3rd parties for up to 9 months though and thus we’re not able to pay everybody’s full balance straight away. We’ll cooperate fully with the LGA in order to try and find a solution securing that everybody will have their funds paid as soon as possible. We’ll give further information on the homepage and by email when relevant. We’re very sorry for the inconveniences brought on you by this, but hope you’ll understand that we’re doing everything possible in order to try and satisfy all involved parties in this difficult situation. Kind regards, Wauw Gaming
The sportsbook has been posting messages about server problems and needing "spare parts" for over a week. A player waiting for funds requested prior to the website coming off-line observed characteristics often associated with high-risk bookmaking:
"I have never had any problems with them earlier. But their limits have always been exceptionally high even for smaller leagues and their odds have been very slow moving even when the market has been moving fast. Signs of danger maybe". Waubet joins fellow Malta-based defunct sportsbook
BetChance (SBR rating F) in telling players that they may or may not receive their funds in
nine months.
8/24/2008 11:27 PM
BetFirstClass WarningThe unrated sportsbook is one of 11 betting websites on its platform. They share the same IP address.
nine of those sites are registered under a proxy service. The other two, NetBet777.com and BetDragon.net have the same whois registration as one of the biggest bookmaker thieves in 2008,
Atlantisbets (SBR rating F). The new sportsbook, which has started an advertising campaign with at least one forum website, has copied the about us page and terms of service from
SBG Global (SBR rating D-). SBG customer service states they are unrelated to BFC. BFC uses an unknown brand of software, also used by
BetCascade (SBR rating F). SBR will ask FirstClass management to comment before initiating rating coverage.
6/24/2008 09:42 PM
nine new withdrawal complaints filed in 2008 by Europlay players
The sportsbook was downgraded to F today after the ninth
Europlay victim of 2008 reported his account in delinquent status. These recent no-pay complaints total an amount owed of over $11,000. Requests date back to 2007. One player has contacted the Trade Commissioner at the Austrian Embassy. He was told the bookmaker is not listed as a registered business. It is unknown if the book has an office in Austria. SBR has confirmed the book's server is in the country. SBR is currently requesting banking information from players in an effort to gain more information about the operation's status.
Trade Commissioner :
We refer to your e-mail of 17 April 2008 and fear that you have fallen victim to a website (http://www.europlay.at) which has been set up with fraudulent intention. We have made our own investigations and ascertained the following facts:
A similar website http://www.europlay2000.net already exists and is run by the Austrian company Unternehmensgruppe Lindenau using the trade name Europlay Sportwettcafes. They are located at Andritzer Reichsstrasse 56, A-8045 Graz, Tel. 0043 316 697869, Fax: 0043 316 697869-12, email: office@europlay2000.net, and are not connected in any way with Europlay International.
With regard to Europlay International in Austria we could not trace a company by this name. The telephone number 0043 3182 62230 is not a Graz telephone number. At the address Münzgrabenstrasse 86, A-8010 Graz, used to be a company by the name of BT-Montage Schlosserei, Maschinen- u. Rohrleitungsbau GmbH which has moved to Salzburg and is now insolvent. What business is currently located at this address, we do not know. We have passed your e-mail to the regional Chamber of Commerce in Graz. We are sorry that we are unable to give you a more favourable reply.
12/28/2007 11:12 AM
BetRuss enters the SBR Rating Guide at C-. BetRuss is a new Costa Rican sportsbook using DGS Software and IDSCA server hosting. The sportsbook employs 40 individuals including former managers of
nine.com (SBR rating B+) and Absolute Poker, and line managers formerly with HeritageSports (SBR rating B) and
LasPalmas (SBR rating B-). BetRuss' startup model is now a rare one as few books will enter the U.S. serving market without the help of a turnkey service provider. Despite the upfront investment by BetRuss, players are advised to wait to see if the book will establish and prove itself before trying. BetRuss has been online for one month; is still working on site glitches; and offers a high cash bonus along with high betting limits which it will unlikely be able to maintain once it begins marketing campaigns. The book's management tells SBR it aims to be a recreational sportsbook excelling in customer service and financial processing options.
9/30/2007 11:18 PM
LazerWager enters SBR rating guide at D+. The sportsbook is a turnkey operation serviced by
GPS Global SA, which markets its services as Evolution Sports. The latest post-up sportsbook to utilize this operation and market its sportsbook was
SexyWagers (SBR rating D), which closed in good standing last November. Although Lazerwager has employed former management of
nine.com (SBR rating B+), the book is owned by unknown "investors" and should initially be viewed as a high-risk turnkey sportsbook.
9/9/2007 11:15 PM
AztecGaming (SBR rating D) reemerges on the Futurebet network. The long-time Word Gaming licensee and Sportsbook.com (SBR rating D+) partner site has been off-line for nine days leaving players to turn to SBR for clues on when and if they will be able to access their accounts again. It's likely players will have to work hard to get their accounts reinstated under the new system as is currently the case for BetOnUSA (SBR rating D) users. Players are advised to pursue withdrawals as soon as possible. This perennial slow-paying operation is known for using stall tactics when the football season takes a turn in the players' favor. It remains to be seen if the newly migrated sportsbooks will inherit Futurebet slow-pay practices effecting thousands of players.
3/30/2007 06:50 PM
Ten players report receiving Sportsbook.com withdrawals after seven weeks.
For almost two months
Sportsbook.com (SBR rating D+) and sister books were unable to pay after losing the service of two payment processors. The many users who continue to wait are extremely encouraged by the confirmed payments.
nine players reported receiving bank wires. One SBRforum poster reported receiving a check.
1/10/2007 02:16 PM
nine downgraded from A to A-
11/30/2006 11:44 AM
nine, now on-site and fully integrated with
VIP Management Services, receives upgrade from B+ to A.
11/30/2006 11:41 AM
nine raised from B+ to A
11/18/2006 10:12 AM
nine (SBR rating B+) completes move to
IGW software.
nine absorbs sister sportsbooks
BetCom (SBR rating B+) and
MyBookie (SBR rating B+).
10/29/2006 11:51 PM
nine (SBR rating B+) to change sportsbook software from
ASI to
IGW. The switch is planned for the middle of next week.
10/15/2006 11:04 AM
SportsInteraction (SBR rating C-) players request funds; sportsbook stalls for time. SIA admits to being one week behind with some larger payouts. The book has dealt with the issue by asking players to verify ID and to fax in the same documents multiple times. SBR has received
nine payout complaints from players waiting for larger sums. When these clients have asked for the status of their payouts, accounting informs them that the documents are either not on file, not yet verified, or they must resend.
"
They first claimed they never got my fax...then I faxed it to them and they said they got it, and still they won’t do anything. I have sent it twice, they have verified that they received it, and still they do nothing". - N. A.
"The last correspondance received from SIA was October 5th. They claim to be making a short review of my account. A week seems a little more than short". - B. N.
"They suddenly asked for my SSN for so called ’’identity verification’’ purpose. After complaining with them, they are willing to accept photo ID, utility bill, etc as an alternative. That’s fine, and I sent them all the required documents on Oct 3rd. And confirmed with their live chat rep that documents have been received and forwarded to their accounts department for review. But after a whole week, I still have not heard of anything back from their accounts department. I talked with their live chat rep a couple of times, and heard some different kinds of excuse , documents not received, huge backlog, documents goes to supervisor first then to accounts department". - B.Z.
10/10/2006 09:48 AM
Leisure & Gaming plc to divest in US-focused properties The brands, which include
VIP (SBR rating A+) and
nine (SBR rating B+) are expected to continue as is under private ownership. SBR has learned that several A+ sportsbooks are competing with a management led bid to acquire the properties.
10/3/2006 02:35 PM
nine (SBR rating B+) to leave Costa Rica and operate from Curacao, along with sister site
VIP (SBR rating A+). Both brands are owned by Leisure & Gaming plc.
nine.com users will not experience an interruption in service.
6/28/2006 12:34 PM
SBR Bill Dozer reports: Newest Leisure & Gaming Plc sportsbooks,
nine, BetCom and MyBookie receive upgrades from B to B+ after inheriting A+ rated VIP Sports’ wagering rules and policies.
VIP’s terms of service were implemented today.
6/28/2006 12:29 PM
nine, MyBookie & BetCom raised from B to B+
6/24/2006 11:36 PM
Email Response Test Results: Sports bettor "
Bucky McCarthy" tested the email support of 12 sportsbooks.
WSEX (SBR rating A+) came in first at 13 minutes.
USSportsbook (SBR rating D+),
Tradewinds (SBR rating B-) and
nine (SBR rating B) followed close behind with near perfect replies. View full results here:
June Email Response Test.
6/20/2006 07:02 PM
Tradewinds Group (SBR rating B-) to be rebranded as "JustBet." Regency Sportsbook (SBR rating B-) will be the first sportsbook in the family to move its players under JustBet.com August 1st, 2006. Tradewinds General Manager tells SBR that the company plans to push the new brand, which won’t use the inconvenient extension ".co.cr." Tradewinds hopes to experience the same recognition and growth that Grand Central Sports achieved when it transformed to
nine.com, prior to being acquired by
Leisure & Gaming plc. Tradewinds has been upgraded to B- after seven months without a player
complaint. SBR is scheduled to meet with ownership and management in July.
3/14/2006 11:36 PM
SBR Mailbag: nine no-pay complaints from
Internet1x2(SBR rating F-) users received in March. Players should continue to steer clear of this scam sportsbook which recently launched a new marketing campaign promoting its soccer offerings.
2/16/2006 11:39 PM
nine (SBR rating B) office tour: SBR’s latest photo shoot covers one of the nicest offices in the business. The
nine building has been remodeled to promote the brand, which is now owned by A+ rated VIP Sports.
View photos here.
1/19/2006 12:13 PM
SBR Bill Dozer reports: AllSportsCasino (SBR rating D) back online after
nine days, some payouts processed. The sportsbook is switching from its stand-alone IQL software system to World Gaming’s turnkey service which manages lines, client support, and accounting. The book blames a complicated migration for payout delays. Currently AllSportsCasino sister sites (
Phoenix Rising LTD) are going through the same process. The company tells SBR they did not release information regarding the switch in order to maintain its needed staff. This is AllSportsCasino’s second stint with World Gaming hosting services.
12/10/2005 09:27 PM
Powerhouse VIP Sportsbook (SBR rating A+) reaches a market value of $125 million USD (68 billion Costa Rican). After gobbling up up
nine.com, SBR sat down with the honorable Alistair Assheton, CEO of VIP in the executive offices in Curacao, Netherlands Antilles:
SBR: Is VIP still in the acquisition mode?
Mr. Assheton : "Yes. We will be extremely selective however. We would look to acquire a strong brand with strong management that could compliment our present operation."
SBR: Any names you could mention?
Mr. Assheton : No. From your early report on our previous acquisition of
nine.com, I don’t especially think you need me to name names, correct?
SBR: Yes sir. Thank you Mr Assheton.
Mr. Assheton: It’s my pleasure.
11/27/2005 11:37 PM
SBR Bill Dozer reports: Players fear SSP International (SBR rating F) has finally ceased operating. SSP’s
excuses for withholding payment in 2005 included technical difficulties and claims that the company’s assets were frozen due to an impending sale. The website has been off-line for
nine days and emails have not been returned.
11/14/2005 02:00 AM
777Rock upgraded from C- to C+, MyBookie /
nine Group upgraded from C+ to B
11/9/2005 07:10 AM
VIP Sports (SBR rating A+) to acquire the MyBookie Group to include nine.com and Betcom.com VIP will also acquire English Harbor Casino group.
8/25/2005 10:28 AM
GCS family upgraded from C to C+,
nine - SBR initiates coverage at C+
12/20/2004 11:23 AM
SBRLines becomes available today! Web site owners may now add
SBRLines to their own web site. The rich stats and real time XML odds feed can be branded as the web site owners own proprietary odds. Even the links to the sportsbooks are configurable to allow the web site owner to enter his own tracking links. Web site owners can choose between a lite version with five sportsbooks or the full version with
nine. The sportsbooks on the SBRLine feed are world class sportsbooks.