BetsAvenue - proceed with caution

[arbster]

I didn't want to post this in Casino Complaints, as I don't really know if I have one yet, but after consulting with Bryan I wanted to post something here.

Back in January I played at BetsAvenue. Having had a decent session I cashed out my winnings a few days later. The cashin was delayed a while, but at the start of this month I received a confirmation that my cashin had been processed - withdrawals to Neteller usually take 24-48 hours from this payment processor. Unfortunately, nothing arrived in my Neteller account. Since then I feel like I've been strung along a little, to be honest, but the payment processor seem to be working on little information.

The upshot is that it appears BetsAvenue may be in the process of an ownership change. As a side-effect they have not provided any funds to the payment processor for the settlement of player cashouts. I've been assured by the people I've spoken to that the situation will resolve itself, but it might be advisable to avoid depositing significant sums here until the money starts moving again.

[jetset]

The other thing you have to watch out for in ownership changes is crookery by either the old owner or the new one. We have a dispute that suggests something like that might be going on with Royal Dutch Casino elsewhere on this site, and there have been instances in the past involving other online casinos, too.

What happens is the old owner claims all the players are paid to make the books look good. Sometimes this is deliberate fraud because they have not really been paid and the new owner is saddled with an irate player.

Then you get dicky allegations that players making claims on the new owner are fraudsters who are not in fact due any reward.

Alternatively, you might have a questionable new owner who alleges that according to his/her records from the old owner all players have been paid and he/she is therefore not liable. This sort of lowlife will usually then refuse (or claim to be unable) to produce records backing his/her refusal to pay.

It is just another reason why players need to be careful and discerning in choosing gambling venues in a largely unregulated industry.

[arbster]

Thanks for the useful background, jetset.

I would say that in my situation I am comforted by the presence of a respected intermediary - Virtual Exchange. These guys provide payment processing for a lot of casinos, and confirm that my payment is still pending. It is unlikely, imho, that they could be duped into thinking I am not entitled to my payout.

Anyway, Bryan is on the case for me too, so I'm doubly confident of a satisfactory outcome

[Casinomeister]

Originally Posted by arbster

...Anyway, Bryan is on the case for me too, so I'm doubly confident of a satisfactory outcome

Their emails are bouncing. Ho hum.

[arbster]

Heh... strike the comment about confidence.

[Casinomeister]

Originally Posted by arbster

Heh... strike the comment about confidence.

Have no fear, I have another lead

[arbster]

My cashout appeared in my Neteller account last night, in full. Many thanks Bryan for your influence on this one. I'll be checking your wishlist forthwith

For others considering playing at BetsAvenue, I was told a couple of days ago that they are not taking new player deposits. This move obviously shows some integrity, whilst they deal with whatever internal changes they're going through. The Odds On software was good to play, etc, so I would probably recommend this casino once they have successfully changed, hands, or whatever.