I have held an online account at Paddypower.com since February 2006. I opened my account with €100 euro. I only ever bet on UK horse racing. Over the course of the next 15 months I deposited a further €500 and never made a withdrawal. The highest amount that my account ever reached was €1654.15.
On 28th of May 2007 my balance totalled €1392.28. A profit of just €792.28 over 15 months. This means that I averaged winnings of €13 euros per week. Now my account is limited to peanuts. There has been a restriction placed on my account which allows me to bet little more than pennies.
When I called up to enquire why this may have happened, I was told that it was a trading decision and they did not have to give me any more information. When I explained that I was a customer for over 15 months and would now have no option but to close my account as a result of this, they simply replied that this was the course of action that they hoped I would take.
I know that these are difficult times for bookmakers since most have lost American customers. But have things really gone so bad now that books don't even want recreational players. I mean, you would certainly not class me as a professional player. I would even feel that it would be generous to class me as a recreational player. So if books like Paddy Power do not even want customers like me, then what exactly do they want???
If the answer is that these cowardly bookmakers only want losing accounts and will not allow players to win any significant amount of money at all. Then I would have to ask, what is the purpose of anyone opening accounts with them at all???
Before anyone suggests that I use the exchanges, I would like to point out that I have already got a Betfair account. In fact that is where I am going to put some of the money which I have now withdrawn from my Paddy Powerless account. I did like to have bookmakers accounts though for variety and occasional better odds in the place / Each way markets.
If these bookmakers are trying to compete with the betting exchanges (which allow you to win limitless amounts of money). This is not the best strategy to employ in the long term. In fact, I can see it as being nothing other than suicide.
On 28th of May 2007 my balance totalled €1392.28. A profit of just €792.28 over 15 months. This means that I averaged winnings of €13 euros per week. Now my account is limited to peanuts. There has been a restriction placed on my account which allows me to bet little more than pennies.
When I called up to enquire why this may have happened, I was told that it was a trading decision and they did not have to give me any more information. When I explained that I was a customer for over 15 months and would now have no option but to close my account as a result of this, they simply replied that this was the course of action that they hoped I would take.
I know that these are difficult times for bookmakers since most have lost American customers. But have things really gone so bad now that books don't even want recreational players. I mean, you would certainly not class me as a professional player. I would even feel that it would be generous to class me as a recreational player. So if books like Paddy Power do not even want customers like me, then what exactly do they want???
If the answer is that these cowardly bookmakers only want losing accounts and will not allow players to win any significant amount of money at all. Then I would have to ask, what is the purpose of anyone opening accounts with them at all???
Before anyone suggests that I use the exchanges, I would like to point out that I have already got a Betfair account. In fact that is where I am going to put some of the money which I have now withdrawn from my Paddy Powerless account. I did like to have bookmakers accounts though for variety and occasional better odds in the place / Each way markets.
If these bookmakers are trying to compete with the betting exchanges (which allow you to win limitless amounts of money). This is not the best strategy to employ in the long term. In fact, I can see it as being nothing other than suicide.
