Pointbet not only off-line, but millions stolen

[bigboydan]

Indonesia-based Pointbet (SBR rating F) off-line; estimated to have stolen millions. Pointbet.com was showing as a 'parked' domain yesterday morning, advertising other gambling-related websites. The domain is using a new server and IP address, suggesting the site was manually moved as opposed to experiencing technical issues- a common problem for Pointbet. Pointbet was blacklisted a little over one year ago after SBR confirmed the website was operating illegally from Batam Island. Many of the book's Asian handicap bettors were victims of AsianOdds & Game2bet which also disappeared just over one year ago.

[jackal]

Could a betting exchange like Matchbook or Mansion offer a bailout plan similar to the one Betfair offered for Sporting Options?

The exchange offers stiffed players a reduced commission structure where they deposit new funds and meet a certain rollover requirement. The exchange benefits because it has new customers and increased action which offsets the short term lower commission concession.

It seems to me like everyone would have some benefit from this set-up and the markets would become very efficient with the increased liquidity.

[althelegend]

If you made a deposit to pointbet by credit card you might be able to re-claim from your credit card company on the basis that pointbet defrauded you.

In cases of fraud, credit card payments are re-imbursed.

[sportsfanatic]

Could a betting exchange like Matchbook or Mansion offer a bailout plan similar to the one Betfair offered for Sporting Options?

The exchange offers stiffed players a reduced commission structure where they deposit new funds and meet a certain rollover requirement. The exchange benefits because it has new customers and increased action which offsets the short term lower commission concession.

It seems to me like everyone would have some benefit from this set-up and the markets would become very efficient with the increased liquidity.

This is never going to happen because Pointbet is not an exchange but a book. Betfair bailed out Sporting Options customers to protect the reputation of betting exchanges in Britain.

[bigloser]

If you made a deposit to pointbet by credit card you might be able to re-claim from your credit card company on the basis that pointbet defrauded you.

In cases of fraud, credit card payments are re-imbursed.

Pointbet did not accept Credit Cards. I use this as a kind of warning . If a book is not able to get past the CC companies vcalidation then something must be wrong.
They did have a misleading advertisement that suggested they took credit card payments but when you clicked on the link it took you to moneybookers. I opened an account but never funded it. Thought the ad was deceptive.

[new2betting]

Why would anyone even want to use pointbet when there are so many other options?... especially if they knew it was based in Indonesia which is known for certain instability.

[pibedoro]

Why would anyone even want to use pointbet when there are so many other options?... especially if they knew it was based in Indonesia which is known for certain instability.

because not everyone is brave and smart as much as you are

[guillermogs]

Something to do now? Kind of a collective demand as with other scams?

Or simply there is no solution and we have to forget that money?

[UncleChris]

My fahter always told me:"When you run into danger you must expecting to die."

[JoshW]

Why would anyone even want to use pointbet when there are so many other options?... especially if they knew it was based in Indonesia which is known for certain instability.

Because Pointbet was a major player in Soccer booking. That is why this closure likely took millions if not tens of millions down with it. Lot of people felt good playing with them after several years of no slow plays and their lines were certainly in line with some of the lowest juice Asian handicap lines.

I have to give SBR credit for resisting calls to raise their rating. If you do searches you will see several threads calling out SBR for not raising their rating out of the Ds, but SBR held firm.

[kiwi]

It was not necessarily a mistake to bet at Pointbet. I won a lot through using them because of their great odds and was lucky not to have much money in my account when they got problems.

If one play with such a book one should be aware of the risk and do withdrawals regularly so that the money in the account don't become too much.

I still use the other asian books and because I use some different books the risk is shared (I guess not all of them will disappear at the same time). If one of them quits again the winnings I did with them are already higher than the possible losses can be.

[RickySteve]

I phoned Moneybookers regarding Pointbet. The merchant services rep wouldn't confirm whether or not the Pointbet account is currently funded, but she said they are working on refunding Pointbet clients as best they can.

[kiwi]

Thanks for interesting info.

[Shagrath]

I phoned Moneybookers regarding Pointbet. The merchant services rep wouldn't confirm whether or not the Pointbet account is currently funded, but she said they are working on refunding Pointbet clients as best they can.

How, especially if the pointbet account is empty?

[fantabaldu]

I phoned Moneybookers regarding Pointbet. The merchant services rep wouldn't confirm whether or not the Pointbet account is currently funded, but she said they are working on refunding Pointbet clients as best they can.

As best they can...

They are maybe joking ?
2 weeks ago i wrote an email to moneybookers about pointbet situation...

After one week they call me back by phone..
Do yu want to know what they told me ?
That were 45 days , i repeat 45 days that for them were not possible to contact pointbet because they did not replay to mails...
But sorry after 45 days thet they did not replay they they still held them like merchants...

Thiis is the "correct" behaviour of moneybookers"...

At the and the person at phone with me was without words...

And now we hope they can give bach us Pointbet money...

I really don't think so..

[GLopez]

I phoned Moneybookers regarding Pointbet. The merchant services rep wouldn't confirm whether or not the Pointbet account is currently funded, but she said they are working on refunding Pointbet clients as best they can.

Can confirm this, I also phoned them and got an email today:

"Unfortunately we are only able to refund a limited number of cases where a customer has made a deposit via Moneybookers to Pointbet and have not received their winnings. Even in such cases we can only refund the deposit amount rather than the deposit amount plus the winnings.

In the meantime we are doing our best to reach an agreement with Pointbet to return any other funds to their customers. However, I'm sure you appreciate that we have no control of their activity."

So it seems there is some money in their account, or at least still within reach of Moneybookers.

[fantabaldu]

Can confirm this, I also phoned them and got an email today:

"Unfortunately we are only able to refund a limited number of cases where a customer has made a deposit via Moneybookers to Pointbet and have not received their winnings. Even in such cases we can only refund the deposit amount rather than the deposit amount plus the winnings.

In the meantime we are doing our best to reach an agreement with Pointbet to return any other funds to their customers. However, I'm sure you appreciate that we have no control of their activity."

So it seems there is some money in their account, or at least still within reach of Moneybookers.

This can be considered better than nothing but it's not enough...

They go on to held Pointbet like normal merchant after that for 45 days they have no news and answer to all their e-mails...
This is an absolutly uncorrect behavior because in these 45 days Pointbet have stolen very much money to customers more than what moneybookers can refund to them...

[Dead Money]

I don't want to sound like an asshole here, but any NONAMERICANS get stiffed with Pointbet?????


This is pretty much what Neteller has done to Americans. Maybe even more frustrating cause the Neteller site is still up and running.

Hopefully someone will pick up the slack and offer a bailout.

Maybe we can get Jamie-Uk to talk to all of his good friends at Betfair for everyone.

[tacomax]

Not quite sure it's comparable to the Neteller situation. But yes, lots of non-Americans were the victim of Pointbet.

Unfortunately, with the way things are in the industry I'd say that chances of bailouts are a lot lower than they would have been a year ago but, as always, the lower your balance the better your chances.

[pibedoro]

i am european if that can help deathmoney and i have been stripped $7.5k from PB, was using moneybookers

[bigloser]

This is pretty much what Neteller has done to Americans. Maybe even more frustrating cause the Neteller site is still up and running.

.

Nothing like

[Shagrath]

im also from europe, lost 8100 €

[metallurg]

I have lost 5.700 $. I paid through Moneybookers. And I do not think, that there are chances something to return

[Bill Dozer]

"Unfortunately we are only able to refund a limited number of cases where a customer has made a deposit via Moneybookers to Pointbet and have not received their winnings. Even in such cases we can only refund the deposit amount rather than the deposit amount plus the winnings.

Moneybookers is probably refunding recent credit card deposits with any reserve money PB was required to maintain. It would be interesting to hear from a person who depsoited via EFT and received a MB credit.

[JoshW]

Have never heard of Moneybookers doing this in any other case. I can't imagine how they can decide who gets the money. If anyone finds out the details or amounts, would love to hear it.

[Bill Dozer]

If PB had to keep any money there, which I don't know if MB required, MB has to be using it to protect its credit card charge-back rating.

[althelegend]

I have always understood that moneybookers will not send deposits to books in cases where clients have funded their moneybookers account through their credit card.

[jackal]

I am also non-USA and i have been stiffed for just under $9000.00 using moneybookers.

[RickySteve]

Nauseatingly ironic.

When Asian sportsbook PointBet signed with iovation to expand its business, PointBet owner, Mr. Ong Ongko Wiyono, was successful at growing his business through mail-in deposits. However, now he realizes he needs to accept credit cards to expand his business further. “I have been hesitant to accept credit cards for fear of large fraud losses,” Wiyono said. “With iovation I am a step ahead with fraudster information shared by other online gaming companies and I can contribute to the DRA with research from our site.”

http://www.iovation.com/pressroom/051107.php

[pibedoro]

sure it is rickysteve, they wanted to combat online fraud and later there and then without any hesitation defrauded us of our money!!

[fantabaldu]

here you can see an interwiew to Moneybookers' head of marketing Thorsten Sandhaus that told that he will make the posiible to refund some moneybookers customer stolen by Pointbet..

http://www.theonlinewire.com/articleView.aspx?ID=2537

So i suggest to write to Mb with an individual payout claims..
I don't know how many hopes we have to have give back all money but they assure to make all the best they can...

[RickySteve]

here you can see an interwiew to Moneybookers' head of marketing Thorsten Sandhaus that told that he will make the posiible to refund some moneybookers customer stolen by Pointbet..

http://www.theonlinewire.com/articleView.aspx?ID=2537

So i suggest to write to Mb with an individual payout claims..
I don't know how many hopes we have to have give back all money but they assure to make all the best they can...

You mean there's a site out there that actually cares about players and attempts to help them? What an incredible idea...

[fantabaldu]

I only think that Mb received to much message and calls about Pointbet situation and especialy with the bahviour that they had with Pointbet in last 3 months when nobody was paid by Pointbet by Moneybookers..
I've already wrote than Mb called me by phone..and for 45 days they are no able to communicate with Pointbet...this is absolutly uncorrect..
They finally have understood the bad behavior they had and i think they have to much pressurre from customers about this and they are afraid to lose many clients..

I don't know how many money they are able to give back but why lose this chance...
I am trying everithing to have bak part of the money that pointbet stole from my pockets...

[braveheart1]

I do not know how Mb can decide which customers are going to compensate in a way. Maybe those who had pending withdrawals via moneybookers? Or those who had deposited with Mb more money than they had withdrawn? Any idea?

[guillermogs]

I had two pending withdrawals with MB, but I don't know if MB can know how many pending withdrawals they are of if this info is only in Pointbet (so in any place).
The problem in my case is that via MB I have retired from Pointbet more money than I have deposited, so I don't know if there are any possibilities to recover this money.

Regards.