SBR Complaint - BetCRIS applies a 3.5% withdrawal fee to my account out of nowhere

[rayray73]

BetCRIS have suddenly added a 3.5% fee to my payouts. I opened my account in March of this year, and I made my first withdrawals back in August at BetCRIS. These withdrawals were always free. Now they have told me that I am not a recreational player and I have to pay a 3.5% fee.

At no point have they said what I did that was non-recreational. I sure as hell haven't been on a winning streak, if anything it's the opposite.

I feel this is dishonest and not appropriate for a sportsbook with an A+ rating. Now they suddenly decide I'm going to have to pay 3.5% to get my money!? If the book doesn't want my action, okay, but this is something else. I would like to be able to withdraw my funds via BTC, free of charge, as I was allowed to for several months until recently. If payouts were free when I deposited, they should be free until I withdraw it all. If they want to charge fees to withdraw any FUTURE deposits, that is fair and they may do so once they have given me notice of the new fee structure.

All my deposits were with bitcoin, and I only deposited the amount I had in play.

I have sent them several emails. They tell me to contact live chat. I contact live chat, and they tell me to email. It's a joke. I have filed a complaint with SBR and I am waiting for them to respond.

[Optional]

BetCRIS have suddenly added a 3.5% fee to my payouts.

Not just you or suddenly. There have been posts about it since April 2019.

https://www.sportsbookreview.com/forum/sportsbooks-industry/3599873-betcris-3-5-payout-fee-even-bitcoin.html

[HedgeHog]

Is this happening on the US side with Bookmaker and JustBet? I'm looking to re-up but not if there is BTC withdrawal fee.

[rayray73]

Not just you or suddenly. There have been posts about it since April 2019.

https://www.sportsbookreview.com/for...n-bitcoin.html

Thank you for the link, seems like he had the same problem is me.

This seems like kind of weasel move to pull. It's weird that they are rated A+ at SBR. How do these ratings work? I would think this sort of thing would get a book's rating downgraded, never heard of such a thing in my life!

[deeppckts]

3.5% fee arbitrarily added to 'sharp' accounts. Betslip odd changes that have cost me thousands. Sometimes get shorted on btc price at withdrawal time. It's a good question, rayray. What do they have to do to get downgraded? They are A+ for safety of player funds, but no book that charges 3.5% without warning on BTC withdrawals can be A+ if you ask me.

[bookie]

And is that 3.5% triggered by frequent withdrawals, or by any withdrawals from accounts designated as sharp?

If you have to calculate that into the mix it amounts to a soft banning of sharp play. Rayray, did they take your bet points away too?

[HomeRun35]

Is this happening on the US side with Bookmaker and JustBet? I'm looking to re-up but not if there is BTC withdrawal fee.

Someone on the other thread said it happened to them but I just made a withdrawal from BM today and there was no 3.5% fee, got exactly the amount requested and I do have a sharp account.

And is that 3.5% triggered by frequent withdrawals, or by any withdrawals from accounts designated as sharp?

I do not withdrawal frequently if that makes a difference

[jjgold]

There is a difference between a sharp account meaning the normal ones and then the scumbags that are classified as sharp accounts but arbing only (which is not a sharp account in reality) but they withdraw all the time unlike regular sharp accounts that do not withdraw a lot

Huge difference

[bubba]

There is a difference between a sharp account meaning the normal ones and then the scumbags that are classified as sharp accounts but arbing only (which is not a sharp account in reality) but they withdraw all the time unlike regular sharp accounts that do not withdraw a lot

Huge difference

huge difference between someone depositing into an account knowing there is a 3.5% fees on their withdrawals vs imposing the fee when someone already has money in their account.

[HedgeHog]

There is a difference between a sharp account meaning the normal ones and then the scumbags that are classified as sharp accounts but arbing only (which is not a sharp account in reality) but they withdraw all the time unlike regular sharp accounts that do not withdraw a lot

Huge difference

Just like there is a difference between a bettor's advocate site and one that's in bed with their sponsors. A 3.5 % BTC withdrawal fee is unacceptable for an A+ Book....period.

[rayray73]

There is a difference between a sharp account meaning the normal ones and then the scumbags that are classified as sharp accounts but arbing only (which is not a sharp account in reality) but they withdraw all the time unlike regular sharp accounts that do not withdraw a lot

Huge difference

I agree jjgold, huge difference there. You work for SBR, right? Maybe you can ask them to respond to my complaint and my emails and they can contact BetCRIS and look at the history of my deposits and withdrawals. They'll find that I'm not an arber and haven't made any extraneous deposits or withdrawals.

I've sent about six emails so far. Starting about a month ago. I haven't gotten a response yet but I'm still trying! I am confident that with SBR's help here we can get this silly decision reversed. AND JJGOLD I want to see you in this thread compliment me on my good bets and stellar history of minimal deposits and withdrawals I think you will be impressed with it.

But first need SBR to respond to my emails. BetCRIS customer service hasn't been very helpful. I can post some of their correspondence later

[ronald]

I have referenced this issue in the past on this forum. I can only conclude that CRIS does not in fact welcome "sharp action," contrary to what they have boasted for decades. It is bad enough that they now charge some accounts a 3.5% withdrawal fee. It is even worse, and frankly amounts to extortion, when the fee didn't exist at the time of deposit.

Almost every book, including many shit books, does not charge a fee for Bitcoin withdrawals. One hypothesis that has been mentioned on this forum is that CRIS charges the fee in order to discourage those who frequently deposit and withdraw. This is certainly not true in my case. I think I have made one withdrawal from CRIS in 2020.

I have tried to request payouts via cheque, since it is cheaper than paying 3.5%. One time when I tried to make the request, I was told on Live Chat that the cheque option no longer existed. I asked why it still appeared in the Cashier if it doesn't exist. I was told that the method was in the process of being eliminated for everyone and that it would be gone in the next few days. This was many months ago. The cheque option remains available in the Cashier to this day, but I am apparently banned from using it. More recently when I tried to withdraw via cheque, I was told that I could do not do so because all payouts must match the method of deposit. If true, when would anyone be eligible for a cheque withdrawal? Does anyone actually make a deposit by mailing a cheque to CRIS? I asked if a manager could call me to discuss this. My request was denied.

In the old days of CRIS, their customer service was very good. They had a VIP department. You could speak with a manager. They had a phone number. I'm not sure if ownership has changed, but none of these channels are available to me anymore.

As far as I know, Bookmaker does not charge a 3.5% fee for anyone. Some posters have said that Bookmaker and CRIS do not have the same ownership. If that's true, then I don't understand why I'm not allowed to have a Bookmaker account. Whenever I try to get one they say: "sir, please use your CRIS account." I would gladly transfer my funds to a Bookmaker account in order to avoid the 3.5% extortion, but this option is not being made available to me.

I wish someone from CRIS would call me, or email me, or address these issues on this forum. Charging a 3.5% withdrawal fee to "sharp" accounts is in direct contradiction with a book claiming to cater to sharp action. If you want me to bet more, remove the fee. If you don't want me to bet more, then it begs the question: why not? A so-called sharp book should want as much action as possible, and it shouldn't care where that action comes from. Don't you hang a number because you WANT someone to bet it?

Often posters say: "You should try talking to the book directly before complaining on forums." I agree with this principle, but CRIS no longer has a customer service phone number and it is impossible to speak with a "manager" or "supervisor" on Live Chat, as previously mentioned.

I wish SBR would at least get some kind of comment from someone at CRIS about this policy, since I have been unable to speak to anyone from CRIS except various clerks on LiveChat who's only words seem to be: "I'm sorry sir. Management decision."

CRIS should be downgraded if this policy is not reversed. A sportsbook that skims 3.5% on withdrawals cannot possibly be considered A+.

[deeppckts]

"Well don't play there then!"
"It's okay to stiff players if they chase steam or beat the closing number because they're bad for the book's bottom line"
"Their BTC processor probably charges them 3.5%, so this is totally normal."

What other stretch of the imagination are we going to hear to justify this theft?

[jjgold]

Well guys all the real sharps playing on credit with bookmaker with local agents and paid in cash

Is there a 3% on that too?? Let me know

[HomeRun35]

There is a difference between a sharp account meaning the normal ones and then the scumbags that are classified as sharp accounts but arbing only (which is not a sharp account in reality) but they withdraw all the time unlike regular sharp accounts that do not withdraw a lot

Huge difference

At least two people between this and the other thread have said they made only a few withdrawals in the past year. The policy is obviously not as narrow as you're alleging, unless those guys are lying.

I am curious, though. Those that got hit with the 3.5% but don't withdraw regularly, do you guys arb as a good portion of your action there?

At the very least any balances on there should be grandfathered into no withdrawal fee if they do want to implement a new policy.

[Roscoe_Word]

3.5% !

[rayray73]

I agree jjgold, huge difference there. You work for SBR, right? Maybe you can ask them to respond to my complaint and my emails and they can contact BetCRIS and look at the history of my deposits and withdrawals. They'll find that I'm not an arber and haven't made any extraneous deposits or withdrawals.

I've sent about six emails so far. Starting about a month ago. I haven't gotten a response yet but I'm still trying! I am confident that with SBR's help here we can get this silly decision reversed. AND JJGOLD I want to see you in this thread compliment me on my good bets and stellar history of minimal deposits and withdrawals I think you will be impressed with it.

But first need SBR to respond to my emails. BetCRIS customer service hasn't been very helpful. I can post some of their correspondence later

Hey jjgold I am still waiting from a response here. I was hoping we could get to the bottom of this since CRIS has the highest rating possible and we are talking about a large sum of money here. In my humble opinion this makes both BetCRIS and SBR look very bad, almost like maybe they aren't really an A+ book or something. I mean, you probably wouldn't like if you lost 3.5% of your profits, would you jj?

Looking forward to a response from both you and from SBR and BetCRIS here. I believe all of you are better than this!

[HedgeHog]

Another SBR sponsor getting a pass for a shady move. Par for the course.

[rayray73]

Does anyone know how long it usually takes to get a response from an SBR complaint filed?

[Optional]

Does anyone know how long it usually takes to get a response from an SBR complaint filed?

Check you PM inbox. I'll chase it up.

[Stallion]

Don't play at that book then.

[deeppckts]

Don't play at that book then.

That's like telling someone who was just mugged not to walk down that street anymore.

[Barrakuda]

Does anyone know how long it usually takes to get a response from an SBR complaint filed?

Between 3 and 72 months

[Stallion]

That's like telling someone who was just mugged not to walk down that street anymore.

We all choose to play at certain books for many reasons. If he doesn't like the withdrawal fee play at another book.

[rayray73]

So a little update: Optional at least responded to me. Thank you for the courtesy Optional! He just said that SBR has taken the stance that CRIS is in the right here, so I'll need to pay a couple thousand dollars in payout fees.

The new problem is that CRIS keep rejecting my documents. I don't really understand why because their communication is not super clear. They randomly asked for more documents, after I had already received some payouts. I don't know if they are low on funds or what. But here is their entire email:

We kindly ask that you:
1. Take a new picture(s) correcting the issue(s) described above
2. Upload the image(s) again through the Cashier so we may complete the review as soon as possible
IMPORTANT: If you did NOT recently upload any documents to your account, please contact us immediately regarding this email.
For your account security, all documents must be approved before proceeding with the next steps.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation during this security process.
Best regards,
Customer Solutions Team



I would love to know what is the issue described above. We are at 14 emails and counting. I guess they really want to stick it to me for complaining to SBR.

[Optional]

Did I really say they are in the right?

I hope it was more like SBR have discussed this fee with them and they believe they are in the right by their terms and plan to stick to it, so I doubt SBR will ask again or can really do anything for you.

Because I really don't think it's right to not give you notice before they start it either personally.

And your KYC experience sounds awful too. If you end up hitting a brick wall, PM me again and I'll try to help if I can.

[rayray73]

Optional, that is correct. You said that SBR expressed their opinion and BetCRIS basically disagreed. That was the end of it.

My personal opinion is that if SBR really wanted to take a stance, a simple rating reduction to B+ would probably end this practice. End of story. But I am sure it's more complicated than that. There is a lot of money involved here, so I don't really expect SBR to take a strong stance here. Regardless, I really appreciate your attention on my issue! I wish SBR had more staff, as you are the only one that I have ever heard from on SBR's side.

Interestingly, after several days of back and forth, CRIS have now approved one of my documents. I am not sure if the complaint I filed about 30 minutes before the approval has anything to do with it. Either the events are related or it is just an incredible coincidence. Still waiting on approval of the other doc. But at least we are making progress!

[rayray73]

By the way Optional I have included you on the most recent correspondence. It seems that perhaps CRIS' security team is just totally incompetent.

[Optional]

By the way Optional I have included you on the most recent correspondence. It seems that perhaps CRIS' security team is just totally incompetent.

I'll check my email ;-)