[JoshW]

It is not uncommon, that sportsbooks will do mass mailings of promotions to all their players, despite some players having been told before they can't get a bonus. I don't like the practice, but if the player is told ahead of time they will never get a bonus, I can live with it.

What I don't find even remotely acceptable, is when a book sends out a email to customers, and then later for the first time, tells the player that they can't get the bonus.

BetUK recently did this to a player.

The player emailed us:

I am an account holder at BetUK
BetUK recently sent me an E-Mail offering me a £25 bonus if i bet £100
I subsequently did this, but was then denied the promised bonus because they claim
"Having reviewed your account I can see that management have deemed you not to be a recreational gambler. As a result of this you are unable to claim this bonus"

I'm not sure exactly how they can call me not a recreational gambler - all i did was meet their specified terms and conditions. However, i know it is not fair to offer me a £25 bonus and then withdraw the offer AFTER i meet the conditions.

I didn't view this as fair, especially since the player actually followed through on this and then didn't get the bonus. I emailed BetUK letting them know, but all I got back was:

While I cannot discuss details of any correspondence between BetUK and a player to a third party I will confirm that all BetUK players were contacted in regards to two promotions that we were running for the 2008 European Championships. However, as per the terms and conditions of the reload bonus, no account that has been deemed 'non-recreational' can receive the reload bonus.

I followed up several times, but they sent the same message.

The player actually took the case to Alderney Gaming Control Commission (AGCC). There response was also disturbing:

The facts underlying your complaint are as follows:



The AGCC have investigated the fact that you are missing the Promotion bonus of £25 and have concluded that the reason for this is that all bonuses are intended for recreational gambers. (This is clearly stated in the Terms & Conditions). Professional players or players considered to be abusing the bonus system by any means may have bonuses revoked at the discretion of BetUK management



Unfortunately for you, you are flagged by Bet UK’s traders as being a non-recreational gambler, meaning the bonus was not granted by BetUK Management.



As you appear to be somewhat confused as to why you are classed as a non-recreational gambler, the AGCC investigated your account history. Doing this proved that you are what is known as a Tipster. Bet UK’s terms and conditions describe a tipster in the following way:



The exact term: 1.4.2 Tip Lines



Tipsters are people who publish their betting picks. Some do this for free in newspapers and others charge subscription fees for their service. The result of these tips is that, like arbing, large numbers of people place bets on a selection and we have to cut our price, meaning genuine customers do not get the best price.



Due to this Bet UK are more than within their rights to deny you the £25 bonus as it is stated within their terms and conditions which you have agreed to adhere to when playing on the site.



Having considered the entirety of the information which has been provided to us, both by you and by Bet UK, we are satisfied that the operator acted in accordance with its approved procedures in its handling of the situation. As such, we will not be taking any further action on your complaint.



Your rights as a complainant are set out in Regulation 341 of the Regulations and are clearly set out on the Commission website which may be accessed from the following link http://www.gamblingcontrol.org/index.php?page=23 . If you wish to pursue your complaint further, the matter would first be considered by the Chief Executive Officer of the Commission and, if you are still not satisfied with his preliminary determination of the matter, you may request referral of your complaint to the Commission for a hearing under its Regulation 342. When deciding whether to pursue the matter further please also consider Regulation 343(2), which advises you of the possibility of your being required to pay part or all of the costs incurred by the Commission and Bet UKin this matter.



Kind Regards,


AGCC

The response makes little sense. Even if the player was a professional, the Tipster part is confusing and doesn't excuse not following through on the offer they made.

At this point, it seems nothing could be done, but I wanted to make players aware of what I feel was and unfair decision by the book and the gaming commission.

[tomcowley]

This is obviously unfair by the book and by the commission- and seriously, any book that's going to pull shenanigans over $25....

Also, that makes half of SBR "tipsters" simply by stating what they bet for the day- and the justification for why it's bad is ROFL.

On a related note, is there any gaming commission that isn't a complete joke when it comes to complaints?

[JoshW]

Tom, I have yet to see a really strong gaming commission. In general they side with the book if there is any way to justify it, even if it is largely BS.

[fiveteamer]

did they refund the 100?

[koan153]

I got stung by betuk on this promotion,you do the £100wr and then they give you the two fingers when you ask for the bonus.

[Mudcat]

This is far from the only book that does that. I have had this discussion with players about a few books in recent times. Intertops, Sporbet. I'll probably think of more later. The offer appears explicit but some people receiving the promo are simply ineligible. Not good.

And then there are the books that chase after you with promos but fail to mention that if you accept their bonus offer, you are automatically considered a professional which is against their rules and your bets will only count if they lose. Wager Web.

As a rule, it is always good to contact books ahead of time and confirm any offer no matter how explicit it seems.

[Jamie_UK]

The tipster bit possibly relates to arb sharing , when somebody puts an arb on a forum and then 30 people all go and jump on it , he could have put the arb up or just been one of the first sheeple to get on the bet after it was posted.

None of this is as annoying as Stan James offer when they invite you by email to enter a weekly competition which you cant win because you have not placed a bet in the previous 7 days. duh

[JoshW]

Books ought to be able to screen all promotion emails and mailings against a database of players who aren't eligable. It isn't that hard.