Oddsmaker Sportsbook winnings confiscation update
SBR conducted a brief interview with the Oddsmaker (SBR rating F) player who had $45,000 confiscated.
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On February 22nd, SBR reported that Oddsmaker voided $45,000 in player winnings. The player's violation was, according to Oddsmaker, threatening to contact an attorney after numerous unanswered emails regarding his payout status. He deposited $1,000 on December 30th and quickly built a balance he was uncomfortable having at Oddsmaker. After the player's balance increased to $12,000, he decided to wager the opposite sides of his bets with Oddsmaker at Las Vegas sportsbooks. He went on a long winning streak in his Oddsmaker account, with his balance ultimately reaching $45,000.
Oddsmaker disabled the player's account on February 20th. Head of fraud Tony Massina explained that his mentioning legal action resulted in the forfeiture of his balance. SBR called to speak with Tony Massina and was told he had nothing to say, then hung up on. Tony provided an email statement a day prior mentioning the player's legal remark, as well as claiming that the player admitted to being a professional gambler and owning a (non-gaming related) website.
Oddsmaker confiscated $200,000+ from players in 2011 on the grounds that the players were not recreational gamblers. Oddsmaker's terms and condition allow for theft if a player is determined to be a professional. It is unknown how exactly Oddsmaker concludes players are professionals, though in all cases players held a balance of at least $3,000.
Where is Oddsmaker Sportsbook licensed?
Oddsmaker's terms and condition page state that the sportsbook is licensed in Curacao.
SBR researched this and found that Oddsmaker's license expired on September 30th, 2011. Oddsmaker was a sub-licensee of Ocean Communications Ltd; a company which holds one of Curacao's five master gaming licenses. SBR spoke with the CEO of Ocean Communications who confirmed that Oddsmaker's license was terminated. The CEO went on to state that one week after Oddsmaker was no longer a sub-licensee, the company had to remind Oddsmaker to remove its licensing seal from their homepage. While Oddsmaker removed the seal, it failed to update its terms and conditions page.Oddsmaker website: OddsMaker.ag games are fully licensed by the Government of Curacao Netherlands Antilles, are subject to the laws and regulations of the Government of Curacao Netherlands Antilles. The Curacao standard of regulation is largely consistent with that of the United Kingdom, though OddsMaker.ag does more than meet the stringent conditions laid down by the Government of Curacao. Furthermore, the company adheres to the code of behavior defined by the Government of Curacao which prescribes rigorous standards with respect to security as well as a responsible attitude towards issues such as protection of minors or gaming addiction.
Oddsmaker is incorporated as a company in the Philippines. Oddsmaker operates a customer support center in the Philippines as well. The company has a web server hosted in Canada, and an office out of Quebec which provides Oddsmaker with marketing services. The location of the sportsbook server which takes bets and powers the sportsbook's FutureBet gaming engine is unknown.
SBR is continuing its investigation into Oddsmaker and is advising the player privately.