A Message from Sportsbook Review

[carolinakid]

the rx yrs ago we built was 100x better than the sbr was and will be, forums change

[Sledge187]

Love him or hate him Rudy spoke up and demanded answers. I don't get involved with drama here but Spider banning Rudy shows that SBR is no longer SBR. This place is on life support. Spider please do the right thing and show SBR vets like myself that there is hope by bringing Rudy back. You can ban him after things go back to normal. I hope you do the right thing because we are losing faith in this place everyday. Banning him was a horrible message that can be corrected during a time when this place needs all the hope we can get.

[carolinakid]

the sbr now is on the downside, i dont care how you sum it up, it happen to all forums over the yrs, i can tell you how many great forums went the same way, the rx, everyedge, back in the day vi, i can go on, the sbr is only going to be a shell of what you guys thought it was.......................

[MBENZ]

It's almost comical watching some of you guys turning on Spider like a pack of wolves.Some of the same guys that were thanking him for all his work on the various contest are now forgetting all that.

Alot of short memories here.

[manny24]

the afghanistan pull-out went smoother than this

[shari91]

Rudy is not coming back. End of.

He should’ve been gone permanently after that stupid arse affiliate rant. Like who in the utter f does he think he is?

Go elsewhere with that nonsense. Even I don’t know or even ask that crap. None of my business!!

[Optional]

Please just leave spider alone to do his job and lump the mess on me. I’ve been through worse here before and don’t want him to be disheartened as it can feel quite horrible when you feel you’re copping it for things you don’t even know how to fix. I promise you once I talk to the new owners I’ll say something and until then will wait for Optional’s post. I have been reassured that there is going to be a heavy investment in SBR and it’ll be bigger and better than ever but until I actually speak to someone other than via email, it’s all just gobbledygook to me. Fingers crossed guys

I have been assured they're not useless at all. What the new SBR Store will look like, I can't guarantee as I'm never involved in that anyway. So it may change a bit as far as offerings, etc but we've been assured that the Betpoints will be honoured as good or better than previously.

I'm not a points person obviously but I know many are and this was something that was discussed when a staff member e-met with them.

I've also been assured that they're investing heavily into SBR and the Pro program will continue. But because I've yet to speak to the new owners myself directly other than via email I would prefer someone else comment in here

I'm just very protective of staff here as it can feel very dark and like everyone is piling on you for various reasons - whether it be about a sportsbook going bust or a ban or now this transition. I never want to see someone become overwhelmed or disheartened especially when they had nothing to do with whatever decision was made.

A month ago when the annoucement was made that there would be a transfer of ownership, we were all told the same thing ie nothing would change, etc. Then radio silence for almost a month while the staff still here copped the wrath of posters, tried to figure out how to do things, received no assistance, etc. To not be able to even answer an email or live chat is just unfathomable. But we've been apologised to and acknowledged that this was handled wrongly so it's a wing and a prayer really.

And we all have our own other jobs, families, lives to lead and this has just been so hectic and horrible it almost seems not worth it. But like I keep saying I have all my faith in John and his decisions. In almost 12 years he's never once let me down, even if we made a bad judgement call about something I know he wasn't doing it to screw his staff or posters over.

I may look like a bigger fool than I normally do in 2 months if this all goes pear-shaped but I don't think it will. I've been apologised to as have other staff for little to no communication, etc and until a few things are sorted out I won't be talking with them as I have to maintain some backbone for myself. After that though I'll be more than happy to share what they have to say. From what I've already heard though I think we're ok

Thanks Shari,

Most of what I was going to say you have covered already but I will give my take too.

After having a conference call with a group of people from the new management I am feeling far more comfortable about what they have planned, and working here.


1) Who now owns SBR?

No one wants us mods to discuss site ownership. We have not been told much more than the corporate name anyway, but I can share this much;

They are a legit looking corporation that appears quite large and is easily researched online. There are offices in both Europe and Nth America. They tell me they have a very large number of gambling website properties in their portfolio ranging across poker, casino and sportsbetting. Most of this is not USA focused at all.

I was told the parent company is prepared to invest a lot of money to ensure SBR's success.

More than 2 dozen new staff have been added to SBR's administration system, on top of the public moderators you already know. That's more than 30 staff being invested in for SBR. Just about all of these staff members also only found out about their new project around the same time we all did here. There is a steep learning curve going on, particularly in the hand over of the technical backend systems. Which is why it has felt a bit like a rudderless boat for the last month. We expect that to improve sharply in the next months.

The company expect big things and are willing to put in the money and resources to do it, is the main message about them communicated to me.



1a) Who still works here, doing what?


"SBR Forum" is a new person who is the main Admin contact. Problems with pro-memberships, prize payments and store orders and administrative issues should be directed to him. It's not my place to announce what his name is, but I'd guess he will introduce himself publicly at some point. He is overwhelmed with new things and systems to learn so please excuse any slow replies from him at the moment.

Shari is the forum mod manager. Security issues, complaints, anything to do with moderation policies can go to her.

LT Profits remains as the Contest Manager.

JOH remains as the Service Plays manager.

Spider was mostly assisting with contests and moderation. He is the main person PT has fallen upon for now.

I will be continuing to look after the Sportsbook & Industry and Bitcoin betting forums, assist with general moderation and do the complaint dispute resolution.

JJgold - no idea what his job is, clerking the files maybe? You'll have to ask him yourself if you want to know

We will also be getting one new moderator to fullfil the main Players Talk mod role that Hman was doing.

Mods all report to Shari. Shari and SBR Forum report to the new "boss" who's title is Editor-In-Chief. I doubt that he will become involved in day to day activity, but if you ever feel the need to reach out to someone above the rest of us public staff, you can email forum@sportsbookreview.com for attention of the Editor-In-Chief.



2) Is SBR going to support USA Legal books only now?

The new owner has no connection to offshore and needs to draw a line under that aspect of the business to ensure that it does not negatively affect their deals with US states and licensed entities.

But we will still be helping with complaints about books from ANY mainstream regulated jurisdiction. USA, UK, Canada, Malta, Australia, Isle of Man, Curacao etc etc.

For people with problems with offshore books I will still be around and will do my best to help, or point people in the right direction, privately for now. But anything done officially on behalf of SBR will have to stop. I know that will disappoint some people, myself included, but the future is here and it's regulated. :\



3) Will my pro-membership still be valid?

The pro member system will stay and will be improved. A final decision has not been made on exactly what form it will take and it may take a few months before that does become clear. Deals need to be done before plans can be implemented.

The current tentative plan is to just blanket renew all pro members for a year until the system is in place.



4) What about Bitcoin?

SBR will still be supporting Bitcoin, have bitcoin info and offer help for new users, and use it for prizes. Will it be a store item like now? That is a decision that will be made before the store comes back online. No one knows or can guess that answer right now.



5) Are my points still worth anything?

Your Betpoints will be honored and will be worth at least their current value to pro members. I would not be happy to represent this company if that was not in their plans. They are not nickle and dime guys looking to save money at the edges. I am very confident this will happen even if it takes until next year to come to fruition. (which it very likely will)



6) How and when can I cash out my Betpoints in the SBR Store?

This is one I do not have much of an answer for right now. We will offer giftcards but that is the only item confirmed at this moment. Sport event tix were mentioned. I personally hope we can revamp and extend the sportsbook cash to everyone.

The store will not be back online before new year at this stage. Sorry I can't be more accurate than that right now. Best I can say is that it is seen as a key feature and it is planned to be be better than before.



7) SBR ratings and odds future?

All ratings will be reviewed one by one and re-ranked against the same subjective parameters. The hope is that SBR ratings will be seen across forumville as the best true and accurate ratings available once again. This is a huge job that requires a sportsbook expert to complete but it will be happening over the next couple of months.

The odds feed will be expanded and is planned to be the best free odds comparison service for each USA state available, in the way that we were the best free offshore odds compare service in the past. This can only happen as deals are done with each state and bookmaker so it will be an ongoing process over the next year or so.



8) Is moderation getting tougher?

Mods have been told too many touts and spammers are on the forum now. But there has been no specific instructions to change anything else. We have been told to keep the ship on an even course and do as we did before the changes.

But, key people who did most of the Players Talk modding like Genie and Hman are no longer with us, so you are now dealing with mods who are not used to watching Players Talk and dealing with the day to day matters. If you feel like one of us is getting anything wrong, please PM Shari so she can help get us all get on the same page ongoing. It will be a help if you do.



7) What else might be happening?

Larger and more exciting contest prizes. Probably a "bash" sooner than later. A lot more informational content for the site. Poker should come back way bigger and better than before soon



There is probably a few things I missed that were discussed but the main outcome for me was having learned enough to say all these things with some confidence they are all true.

I was losing a bit of faith in what was happening too, but now my enthusiasm and belief that SBR has a good future is returning. I hope this message helps do the same for you.

[Easy-Rider 66]

OK Optional thx for the info. good read. Patience is a virtue. Good luck.

[shari91]

Well firstly I'm asking for a big ass raise as I didn't know much of the above - If I'm managing you arseholes I want more money!!!

Seriously though we have a strong, sweet, dedicated team here and I can only imagine with additions it'll grow in strength. Let's just back each guys and our fellow posters... we'll get through this. It should all be fine

[Sam Losco]

any idea when the blanket pro renewals will be issued? ive already submitted my pro renewal but it hasnt been approved

[pablo222]

Thanks for the update.

[shari91]

any idea when the blanket pro renewals will be issued? ive already submitted my pro renewal but it hasnt been approved

Every time I answer one of these questions I get tears in my eyes - maybe early menopause?! - but no we don't have a clue. Give me 7 days and I'll hammer them for some answers. To be honest I'm just waiting for everyone to be paid. Until then I'm doing shit

[Roger T. Bannon]

Well Optional's post was interesting. Hard to figure how this group is having so many problems. It does not seem to be the group I thought bought the site. Some very strange alliances across these sites. If I can cash out my points, I do not care.

[SBR Forum]

Dear SBR community - we have an important announcement we want to share with you about Betpoints and the
SBR Store.

On October 15th 2021, the SBR store was temporarily closed until further notice.

All orders that were submitted after October 14, 2021, were cancelled and Betpoints were refunded.

We are aware these changes have caused some confusion about the future of your Betpoints and the value behind them.

As Optional and Shari mentioned, we want to inform you that Betpoints will be redeemable in the future SBR Store.

We are envisioning a new SBR Store and we’re looking to include some of the favorite items like sportsbook bonuses with regulated sportsbooks as well as Amazon gift cards, charitable donations and more.

We consider the SBR community to be the best in sports betting so we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause with our community members.

Stay tuned for more updates on the future of the SBR Store.

If you have any questions, please let us know at forum@sportsbookreview.com.

- The SBR Team

[wquine]

Good to hear. Thanks for an update. You signed off sbr team. Who are they?

Dear SBR community - we have an important announcement we want to share with you about Betpoints and the
SBR Store.

On October 15th 2021, the SBR store was temporarily closed until further notice.

All orders that were submitted after October 14, 2021, were cancelled and Betpoints were refunded.

We are aware these changes have caused some confusion about the future of your Betpoints and the value behind them.

As Optional and Shari mentioned, we want to inform you that Betpoints will be redeemable in the future SBR Store.

We are envisioning a new SBR Store and we’re looking to include some of the favorite items like sportsbook bonuses with regulated sportsbooks as well as Amazon gift cards, charitable donations and more.

We consider the SBR community to be the best in sports betting so we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause with our community members.

Stay tuned for more updates on the future of the SBR Store.

If you have any questions, please let us know at forum@sportsbookreview.com.

- The SBR Team

[juicername]

Thanks Shari, SBR Forum and Optional for clarifying to the best of your abilities.

There's some unique combination of software here with the contests, poker, sportsbook and forum that no other similar site has (at least to my knowledge), so pretty obvious no one would acquire SBR just to let it rot.

[franklee168]

If Rudy had just been a little more patient for all this info, he'd still be here. RIP.

[jackpot269]

Thanks Shri, Optional, and SBR forum, hopefully this information will calm the waters some their are so many here that jump at anything to ruffle feathers. If any way possible to have at least a weekly update or something like that of where things stand going forward it may help!! Just a suggestion if it is a possibility.

[gauchojake]

Some people got very worked up over a chitty board changing hands.

[gauchojake]

Request for the new owners- please buy DanDruffs poker site and fire him. He operates it at a loss fyi. TIA

[USCPHILLYGUY]

Shari glad to hear you are doing well. Please stay safe.

as I mentioned to a very trusted guy in the SBR community, been to Punta Cana (twice) Costa Rica and Vegas ALL ON SBR’s DIME so thank you and you owe me NOTHING! (Well minus the hundy from the pick 6 halftime contest). If you didn’t take advantage of the opportunity, then shame on you.

[shari91]

Shari glad to hear you are doing well. Please stay safe.

as I mentioned to a very trusted guy in the SBR community, been to Punta Cana (twice) Costa Rica and Vegas ALL ON SBR’s DIME so thank you and you owe me NOTHING! (Well minus the hundy from the pick 6 halftime contest). If you didn’t take advantage of the opportunity, then shame on you.

I'm doing ok my darling - not ideal, but ok which is more than many can say. I hope to see you at another bash soon.

This is all a really weird time but so have been the past two years so I'm just going to cross my fingers and click my toes like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. Not much else we can do but try to smile

[romecloneout]

so the forum isnt going away???

kev can breathe again

[A Quant]

Slow clap to Shari, Opti and SBR Forum.

Thank you for the update! Best of luck going forward! Excited to be here.

[Al Masters]

This doesn’t look good for any posters outside of America.

Thanks for sharing Shari and Optional.

[Al Masters]

Well Optional's post was interesting. Hard to figure how this group is having so many problems. It does not seem to be the group I thought bought the site. Some very strange alliances across these sites. If I can cash out my points, I do not care.

40 some pages of you ranting and raving alongside Rudy, you both knew everything that was happening behind the scenes.

Why he got the ban hammer and not you only the mods know.


In the end all the ranting was self serving as your only real motivation is cashing in your betpoints, and they call the non pros broke dik fukks.. well you’re a perfect example of a Pro being just that..sweating a bet points
payout shows where you’re at in life.

Can’t redeem your points till the New Year.
Looks like it’s going to be a tough holiday season in the Bannon Basement.

[juicername]

This doesn’t look good for any posters outside of America.

Thanks for sharing Shari and Optional.

This is true.

[Roger T. Bannon]

40 some pages of you ranting and raving alongside Rudy, you both knew everything that was happening behind the scenes.

Why he got the ban hammer and not you only the mods know.


In the end all the ranting was self serving as your only real motivation is cashing in your betpoints, and they call the non pros broke dik fucckks.. we’ll you’re a perfect example of a Pro being just that..sweating a bet points
payout shows where you’re at in life.


Looks like it’s going to be a tough holiday season in the Bannon Basement.

Sorry Al for steering you in the right direction.

It was everyone else sweating their betpoints. I said my betpoints were toast. I still think they are toast but have an open mind.

Still have gotten everything right and probably have the owner right as well. Just a much bigger affiliate than I realized.

So they are willing to take losses which as I said at the beginning they would have to do.

I know you will not mind this change being a non-US resident since you are only here for the interaction.

[Optional]

This doesn’t look good for any posters outside of America.

Thanks for sharing Shari and Optional.

I don't think Canadians will be forgotten. And where ever I can will be pushing for options that include international posters.

[EasyTiger]

Thanks for the update Optional. Much appreciated!

[hubie69]

Thanks for the update guys!!

[pavyracer]

Thanks for the update guys. This will cut down all the threads created and guesses from us on what the heck was going on the last 4 weeks. Appreciate the long post my Optional and Shari's input.

As far as the Rudy situation I'm not sure what banning him is serving the forum. Everything he "guessed" or knew came out to be true. Others have guessed what was happening and were not banished.

I think he should be back at some point. Maybe give him a time-out period until cooler heads prevail.

[SBR Forum]

The renewal of Pro memberships for Non-US members is yet to be be determined. For US Pro members the renewal process is still in working order. However, there are issues for renewal with Non-US Pro members. We are working on a process to verify sportsbook deposits as well as build out a bigger list of international regulated books. If that cannot be accomplished soon without an alternative approach, then we will extend Pro memberships another 3 months for Non-US members who have had their Pro membership lapse after October 14.

[Sam Losco]

The renewal of Pro memberships for Non-US members is yet to be be determined. For US Pro members the renewal process is still in working order. However, there are issues for renewal with Non-US Pro members. We are working on a process to verify sportsbook deposits as well as build out a bigger list of international regulated books. If that cannot be accomplished soon without an alternative approach, then we will extend Pro memberships another 3 months for Non-US members who have had their Pro membership lapse after October 14.

what is soon?
mine runs out dec 3 and then i will be moved to non-pro and i assume paid out as such if i cash in a contest. meanwhile, ive filled the form and have fulfilled the requirements to have my pro extended a year weeks ahead of the dec 3 date

[cade]

Thanks for all the updates, Shari, Optional and SBR Forum. Much appreciated