Lukewarm (at best) Heritage Sports experience (long).

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  • Korchnoi
    SBR Sharp
    • 10-20-06
    • 406

    #1
    Lukewarm (at best) Heritage Sports experience (long).
    I got a flyer in the mail from Heritage with a scratch off game. I scratched it off and “won” a 75% deposit bonus to open an account. It seemed like a pretty good deal, so I went to SBR to check up on the sports book. (I still get a lot of junk mail from various sports books that, thanks to SBR, I wouldn’t touch with a 10ft pole.) It had a B+ rating, so I said “what they hey” and gave it a try.

    I deposited 1300 and change to get the max bonus of $1,000 (with 8x rollover req). I place some bets, go to see how I do and my account balance was less than I expected. Apparently their “bonus” is actually a “free-play” although they never used that word on the flyer or their website. I won the bet I made with the free-play, so essentially I felt I was down 1K to start. The terms of their bonus was, at best, vague and I felt a little cheated. I made a big stink and they told me that was their policy and they couldn’t do anything about it (except refund all my initial deposit, which I didn’t want to do because I was up). I’m feeling pretty sour here, but I realize it is my responsibility to know all the terms of signup bonuses before I deposit cash. I feel ripped off, but I guess much of the blame should fall on my shoulders here.

    I continue to bet indiscriminately, but when I log in there is a message for me to review the terms of the bonus. I do, and notice that now if 50% or more of your play is on DIME line baseball, your rollover doubles. I didn’t remember seeing this before, but I suppose it was possible it was there. I hadn’t bet that much anyway, so I just go on making sure not to bet the dime line ballgames. I bet mostly over/under (which has 20 cent lines) for a few thousand in action. I keep winning.

    I go to read the bonus terms again, and now I notice they changed. Now it says if 50% or more of your action is on (any) baseball, your rollover doubles. Having already bet several grand, I ask them about this. They tell me that the promotion was intended to promoter football, so they require that at least 50% of your action is on football to clear the bonus. They never made any mention of this before. Now I’m in scam mode, and I start trolling the internet for stories about their experience with Heritage and what I found was by and large positive, with one guy being peeved at how vague their bonus terms were. I pretend to be as happy as can be with Heritage, because I don’t want to give them any reason to make the situation more difficult.

    I bet only football from now on and keep winning. They didn’t try to double my rollover because my action was less than 50% football as long as eventually I met the requirements and at least 50% of my action was on football. In this regard they were very reasonable, as I thought a scam book would try to stick me on this point.

    Eventually I contact them to see what my action has been and they give me a number that was way too low. I asked them to check again b/c they had already told me my rollover was more than that on a previous occasion. The guy apologized and said he had the wrong date in the computer and that I was good to withdraw.

    The moment of truth. I put in a withdraw request for 2,500 which is the max they let you take out per day using neteller. For two full days, nothing. I ask in chat how long payouts usually take and they said something like for western union, about 1hr for other payments (neteller) even quicker. I go to check the status of my cash out and see that they processed it and it landed in my neteller account while I was in the chat with them.

    I’m much less worried now. I make another request for $2500 a few days later, and it hits neteller immediately.

    I make a third request (leaving peanuts left in my account) and nothing happened for several hours so I live chat them to see what’s up. The guys was concerned that I was draining my account and asked if there was any problem. “We like to know there are no problems.” He said. I told him I wanted to be on politics now (which they don’t offer) which is true. My withdraw hit neteller about 10 min after this discussion.

    All in all, I have mixed feelings about this book. I realize I made part of this mess myself by being less than super-vigilant about bonus terms. I also didn’t copy their terms before I deposited, so I could see what changes they made to their policies later. They did, however, change their policies after the fact which stinks but they did disclose that they have the right to change the terms at any time. I still think it’s bush-league to actually do that. But they did pay me, and once I did my rollover they didn’t make me to through any crap like sending photo-IDs or slow pay me. At any rate, a 75% bonus with 8x rollover isn’t that great. If you choose to take them up on it, just make sure you know exactly what you’re getting into. If you do hold up your end of the agreement, they will pay you.
  • scottyy11
    SBR Wise Guy
    • 03-08-06
    • 693

    #2
    i got the same scratch in the mail.................it was very vague about terms. I did call them and they told me details of the free play and roll over. Never deposited though
    Comment
    • TLD
      SBR Wise Guy
      • 12-10-05
      • 671

      #3
      Very good post. One of the most valuable things at a site like this is reading player experiences like that. And I think the degree to which you criticize them and the degree to which you accept the blame yourself are very reasonable. Thanks for the write-up.
      Comment
      • Sam Odom
        SBR Aristocracy
        • 10-30-05
        • 58063

        #4
        Good Post !

        Heritage ?? Arent they the one that had two 'runs' on their bank within 12months about 4yrs ago and didnt bat an eye?

        Some dumbazz forum owner posted lies about them which caused the runs.
        Comment
        • tacomax
          SBR Hall of Famer
          • 08-10-05
          • 9619

          #5
          Good write-up, Korchnoi. Heritage seem to have a habit of changing their terms which I'm sure is down to the type clientèle they attract from their generous bonus offers. But they're damn good payers.
          Originally posted by pags11
          SBR would never get rid of me...ever...
          Originally posted by BuddyBear
          I'd probably most likely chose Pags to jack off too.
          Originally posted by curious
          taco is not a troll, he is a bubonic plague bacteria.
          Comment
          • chano
            SBR Wise Guy
            • 07-02-06
            • 602

            #6
            You got paid and yet you still complain. You need to find a life. There is more to life than forums and gambling.
            Comment
            • Mudcat
              Restricted User
              • 07-21-05
              • 9287

              #7
              Originally posted by chano
              You got paid and yet you still complain. You need to find a life. There is more to life than forums and gambling.
              What are you talking about? Korchnoi posted an intelligent review which contains information that may be of value to other players here. If you're not interested in people posting sportsbook reviews, maybe sportsbookreview.com isn't the right place for you.

              I like Heritage. They do a lot of things right. But they should never be mistaken for a book that is boldly ready to take on all comers. They have a timid side, as demonstrated by this hidden rule which Korchnoi is bringing to light.

              Thanks Korchnoi.
              Comment
              • tennis28
                SBR Rookie
                • 02-06-06
                • 44

                #8
                It was not an intelligent review. It was an unfair portrayal of one of the best sites around. Not knowing any of the rules correctly for a bonus of that size is his own fault. What is this amateur hour?

                Complainging about a 75% freeplay because you thought it was cash. That is a joke.
                Comment
                • Korchnoi
                  SBR Sharp
                  • 10-20-06
                  • 406

                  #9
                  Reply

                  Originally posted by tennis28
                  It was not an intelligent review. It was an unfair portrayal of one of the best sites around. Not knowing any of the rules correctly for a bonus of that size is his own fault. What is this amateur hour?

                  Complainging about a 75% freeplay because you thought it was cash. That is a joke.

                  I said I take full responsibility for not knowing all the conditions before hand even though they were not explained on their website. However, they did switch their policies on me after the fact which seemed like crap to me. Part of the reason I can still be mad even though I "won" and got paid was that I laid off most of my action. I would have preferred to loose, that way I don't have to do the rollover.

                  I've played with many sites before finding SBR. I've been in situations several times where I started to question the legitimacy of the book and whether or not I'd get paid. Luckily, I wound up losing on those sites (BetRoyal, BetUS). I won on Sportsinteraction and after going through some loops both I and a friend got paid. I mostly arbed these sites on political/entertainment bets when their markets were way off (using Tradesports).

                  I appreciate the feedback I’ve gotten so far, but I’d like to know whether you think Heritage Sports acted reasonably in changing their bonus rules after the fact. If this is typical of B+ books, then there’s no way I’d consider going down into junk territory to do some bonus whoring.
                  Comment
                  • tennis28
                    SBR Rookie
                    • 02-06-06
                    • 44

                    #10
                    when i played there recently, the guy told me about the 50% on baseball rule. Maybe he forgot to tell you. That's a problem with not having rules explicitly stated in writing, which is something they could improve on.
                    Comment
                    • TLD
                      SBR Wise Guy
                      • 12-10-05
                      • 671

                      #11
                      It is never reasonable to change bonus conditions after you have made a deposit in reliance on what you were told those conditions would be.

                      Their claim would likely be that they didn’t really change the conditions as just make more explicit or communicate better the ones that had always existed. I too recall asking them about some bonus offer in September, and they told me it was intended for football and they’d expect one to make at least 50% of one’s plays on football. But it sounded kind of informal and approximate, and apparently the policy was to mention such details only if asked. The later changing of the website that you report would seem to indicate that they decided to communicate the conditions more clearly, perhaps in response to customer complaints about the previously haphazard method of having clerks sometimes mention it and sometimes not.

                      But, in any case, no it’s not reasonable. You should be able to play by the conditions you agreed to, not by others that existed but that they didn’t tell you about, and not by new ones they add retroactively.

                      I experienced more such reneging and other bonus shenanigans early in my offshore career when I didn’t know all the questions to ask and mostly communicated with them by phone rather than in writing. If you insist on getting all the conditions ahead of time and especially if you get them in writing, it’ll be very infrequent—though not unheard of—that a book will play games like this with you.

                      I wouldn’t say there’s a real close correlation between the SBR grades and this kind of thing. My perception is the SBR grades are based 90% on “Is this place safe to have money at? What are the chances they will just out-and-out stiff you?” All other factors combined that make a place desirable or undesirable to play at make up the other 10%.

                      From my own personal experience for instance, the VIP books are more apt than most to play these kinds of games with bonuses, and they’re rated A+. I’m sure there are B, C, and even D books that would never pull something like this, but they may well be less safe for unrelated reasons and thus merit a lower grade by SBR criteria.
                      Comment
                      • chano
                        SBR Wise Guy
                        • 07-02-06
                        • 602

                        #12
                        Originally posted by Mudcat
                        What are you talking about? Korchnoi posted an intelligent review which contains information that may be of value to other players here. If you're not interested in people posting sportsbook reviews, maybe sportsbookreview.com isn't the right place for you.

                        I like Heritage. They do a lot of things right. But they should never be mistaken for a book that is boldly ready to take on all comers. They have a timid side, as demonstrated by this hidden rule which Korchnoi is bringing to light.

                        Thanks Korchnoi.
                        Mudcat, Korchnoi had no business writing up Heritage. His review was not necessary as he agrees it was his own fault for not reading the bonus rules. Therefore, he drags a decent book through the gutter for no just cause. You also mention of a hidden rule, what hidden rule? Remember, he did not get a copy of the rules, nor did he read them. So what was hidden?
                        Your post towards me is uncalled for , you should understand the situation 100 % before having finger diarrhea. Thanks
                        Comment
                        • Korchnoi
                          SBR Sharp
                          • 10-20-06
                          • 406

                          #13
                          Originally posted by chano
                          Mudcat, Korchnoi had no business writing up Heritage. His review was not necessary as he agrees it was his own fault for not reading the bonus rules. Therefore, he drags a decent book through the gutter for no just cause. You also mention of a hidden rule, what hidden rule? Remember, he did not get a copy of the rules, nor did he read them. So what was hidden?
                          Your post towards me is uncalled for , you should understand the situation 100 % before having finger diarrhea. Thanks
                          I just honestly relayed my experience with this book. To the extent that much of this was my fault I did not "drag the book through the gutter."
                          Comment
                          • pags11
                            SBR Posting Legend
                            • 08-18-05
                            • 12264

                            #14
                            Heritage is crap...
                            Comment
                            • ourbet
                              SBR Sharp
                              • 12-23-05
                              • 464

                              #15
                              What was the promo code for that free play please? As I'd certainly like to take advantage of this...if their offer is still a valid one.

                              A 75% free play & 8x rollover with a B+ rated sportsbook would be a nice break for me you see, seeing I'm used to 30% free plays with a 10x rollover.

                              Euphemistically I guess you could argue that "One man’s meat is another man’s poison". Thank a lot fellas!
                              Comment
                              • jjgold
                                SBR Aristocracy
                                • 07-20-05
                                • 388208

                                #16
                                Heritage is a good book but in no way in a Cris, Pinnacle, Greek type class. A nice top 20 book though.
                                Comment
                                • Korchnoi
                                  SBR Sharp
                                  • 10-20-06
                                  • 406

                                  #17
                                  Originally posted by ourbet
                                  What was the promo code for that free play please? As I'd certainly like to take advantage of this...if their offer is still a valid one.

                                  A 75% free play & 8x rollover with a B+ rated sportsbook would be a nice break for me you see, seeing I'm used to 30% free plays with a 10x rollover.

                                  Euphemistically I guess you could argue that "One man’s meat is another man’s poison". Thank a lot fellas!
                                  Sorry, I don't have the code anymore. I "won" the bonus in a scratch off game they sent me in the mail. There was a code on the card, but my guess is it was not one anyone could use. You could try and call them and see if they offer it to you.
                                  Comment
                                  • scottyy11
                                    SBR Wise Guy
                                    • 03-08-06
                                    • 693

                                    #18
                                    Korchnoi your review was A+ that scratch card was shit. You were totally justified in thinking that it was a deposit bonus as the way they made that scratch card it looked like it was a deposit bonus. Nothing on the card even in small print did it mention free play or rollover ?????????? Why not hmmmmmm one reason to deciece people. Why elso would they not mention free play?????? While a certain amount of responsibility is yours as I mentioned I called and found out and as soon as I found out the details I said this is some shady shiit and deceptive which is why I didn't deposit even though it was a ok deal.
                                    Comment
                                    • Korchnoi
                                      SBR Sharp
                                      • 10-20-06
                                      • 406

                                      #19
                                      Originally posted by scottyy11
                                      Korchnoi your review was A+ that scratch card was shit. You were totally justified in thinking that it was a deposit bonus as the way they made that scratch card it looked like it was a deposit bonus. Nothing on the card even in small print did it mention free play or rollover ?????????? Why not hmmmmmm one reason to deciece people. Why elso would they not mention free play?????? While a certain amount of responsibility is yours as I mentioned I called and found out and as soon as I found out the details I said this is some shady shiit and deceptive which is why I didn't deposit even though it was a ok deal.

                                      If you still have the card, perhaps you can post the details for the OP who expressed interest.
                                      Comment
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