Hi all,
I know that this is not the most appropriate forum but I'm hoping that I can get some insights from highly knowledgeable forum members here.
So here is the story:
I've been betting for more than 5 years, mostly with Pinnacle and very rarely with Bet365/WH. I prefer very few bets with high stakes and with its high limits, Pinnacle actually suits my needs very well. Around July 2011, I started trying Betfair and it gave me another alternative to Pinnacle. At the end of 2011, I bet in 28 markets (only) raking in 105k GBP in winning, I know the figure seems big but it's mostly because of two big wins and some of the bets are actually hedges for my Pinnacle bets (full betting history available below).
Then in Jan 2012, Betfair suspended my account out of the blue for "premium charge avoidance" and then 2 weeks later they linked my accounts with a some other accounts and charged me almost 50k GBP because, allegedly, "the accounts is the distribution of a single betting strategy". They also mentioned their T&C (
"Accounts that relate to one person, entity, API subscription or a Master account (Trading version only) with related Sub accounts are treated as one customer for the purposes of transaction charging."
This surprised me because basically Betfair used a single clause that seems to be constructed vaguely and ambiguously enough to give an all-purpose magical weapon for them to link accounts for the purpose of PC calculation. It's not obvious to me how they are supposed to relate multiple accounts to one person, how does it work? If there is any relationship between two accounts, Betfair can link them together?
I know some cynics will just reply:
"Rubbish.........if Betfair suspended, linked your account, and took the money, they must have a very good reason."
Yeah, yeah, I'm pretty sure the police must have good reasons when arresting someone and the court must have good reasons when they sent someone to prison. Ever heard of a false arrest and wrong verdict?
Now suppose that Betfair is actually very good and gets 90-95% correct all the time, so how about the 1 out of 10 or 20? What would you say to them? "Whooppps.... sorry, you must be unlucky that you belong to the 5-10%, I suggest you just accept your fate then."
So even though you may not believe that I'm in the 5-10%, I hope that you can provide some suggestions about what I can and should do if I'm in the 5-10%.
So here's what I have done after that:
- Asked an independent third-party reputable website that is highly experienced in handling sportsbook dispute. I am extremely grateful that he has been very helpful, believes and stands by me since the beginning of the case. However, we are currently stuck waiting at the gambling commission's decision since Betfair refused any attempt for mediation and did not wish to disclose any information whatsoever regarding this case to us even when I specifically waive my right with regard to the Data Protections Act.
- Filed a complaint to LGA Malta, however after their initial standard reply acknowledging the receipt of my complaint, their silence has been total despite weekly attempt to email them asking about the progress update of my case. This is not surprising since it's actually already published in this website and several others as well:
Best Worst 2008
- Contacted a law firm in UK for a lawsuit. For me, UK is an obvious choice because it has arguably the most complete betting regulations thanks to its long history with traditional bookmakers such as WH, Ladbrokes, Bet365, etc. It also has good legal system with lawyers/solicitors specializing and experienced in sportsbook dispute. However, jurisdiction is an issue since as an international customer, my account is with Betfair International Plc, which do not reside, do business, nor have assets in the UK. Betfair does their business in UK via another company, TSE LP. Both these companies are subsidiaries of Betfair Group Plc, however parent group and all their subsidiaries are all separate entities. So, the only way I can sue in UK is if I include the parent company, Betfair Group Plc, which means that I need to have a case against Betfair Group Plc, which probably means that I need a lawsuit on the legality of the premium charge itself, a substantially much bigger case than mine right now.
- Tried to find a law firm in Malta, however most actually specialize in helping sportsbook move their gambling license to Malta so I have my doubt about their integrity since there may be a conflict of interest for them.
With regard to this case, I am willing to share:
* My full complaint to the gambling authority, provided that you agree not to disclose it (since I'm not sure about the sensitivity of this, I'll choose only a select few with whom I can share this). This includes full correspondence with Betfair since the beginning of the case.
* My betting history since the opening of my account and premium charge statement (I don't think this is sensitive, so I can share it with almost whoever that asks).
Those are all the available information that I have since in my case Betfair basically investigated, judged the case, then simply confiscated the money without disclosing ANY evidence whatsoever.
So I'm stuck and feel really powerless now because there doesn't seem to be anything else that I can do besides waiting a year for LGA to suddenly wake up and make its decision.
All opinions, suggestions, and feedbacks are welcome and highly appreciated. Thanks.
See Related Threads:
I know that this is not the most appropriate forum but I'm hoping that I can get some insights from highly knowledgeable forum members here.
So here is the story:
I've been betting for more than 5 years, mostly with Pinnacle and very rarely with Bet365/WH. I prefer very few bets with high stakes and with its high limits, Pinnacle actually suits my needs very well. Around July 2011, I started trying Betfair and it gave me another alternative to Pinnacle. At the end of 2011, I bet in 28 markets (only) raking in 105k GBP in winning, I know the figure seems big but it's mostly because of two big wins and some of the bets are actually hedges for my Pinnacle bets (full betting history available below).
Then in Jan 2012, Betfair suspended my account out of the blue for "premium charge avoidance" and then 2 weeks later they linked my accounts with a some other accounts and charged me almost 50k GBP because, allegedly, "the accounts is the distribution of a single betting strategy". They also mentioned their T&C (
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Log in or register now.
):"Accounts that relate to one person, entity, API subscription or a Master account (Trading version only) with related Sub accounts are treated as one customer for the purposes of transaction charging."
This surprised me because basically Betfair used a single clause that seems to be constructed vaguely and ambiguously enough to give an all-purpose magical weapon for them to link accounts for the purpose of PC calculation. It's not obvious to me how they are supposed to relate multiple accounts to one person, how does it work? If there is any relationship between two accounts, Betfair can link them together?
I know some cynics will just reply:
"Rubbish.........if Betfair suspended, linked your account, and took the money, they must have a very good reason."
Yeah, yeah, I'm pretty sure the police must have good reasons when arresting someone and the court must have good reasons when they sent someone to prison. Ever heard of a false arrest and wrong verdict?
Now suppose that Betfair is actually very good and gets 90-95% correct all the time, so how about the 1 out of 10 or 20? What would you say to them? "Whooppps.... sorry, you must be unlucky that you belong to the 5-10%, I suggest you just accept your fate then."
So even though you may not believe that I'm in the 5-10%, I hope that you can provide some suggestions about what I can and should do if I'm in the 5-10%.
So here's what I have done after that:
- Asked an independent third-party reputable website that is highly experienced in handling sportsbook dispute. I am extremely grateful that he has been very helpful, believes and stands by me since the beginning of the case. However, we are currently stuck waiting at the gambling commission's decision since Betfair refused any attempt for mediation and did not wish to disclose any information whatsoever regarding this case to us even when I specifically waive my right with regard to the Data Protections Act.
- Filed a complaint to LGA Malta, however after their initial standard reply acknowledging the receipt of my complaint, their silence has been total despite weekly attempt to email them asking about the progress update of my case. This is not surprising since it's actually already published in this website and several others as well:
Best Worst 2008
You do not have permission to view link
Log in or register now.
You do not have permission to view link
Log in or register now.
- Contacted a law firm in UK for a lawsuit. For me, UK is an obvious choice because it has arguably the most complete betting regulations thanks to its long history with traditional bookmakers such as WH, Ladbrokes, Bet365, etc. It also has good legal system with lawyers/solicitors specializing and experienced in sportsbook dispute. However, jurisdiction is an issue since as an international customer, my account is with Betfair International Plc, which do not reside, do business, nor have assets in the UK. Betfair does their business in UK via another company, TSE LP. Both these companies are subsidiaries of Betfair Group Plc, however parent group and all their subsidiaries are all separate entities. So, the only way I can sue in UK is if I include the parent company, Betfair Group Plc, which means that I need to have a case against Betfair Group Plc, which probably means that I need a lawsuit on the legality of the premium charge itself, a substantially much bigger case than mine right now.
- Tried to find a law firm in Malta, however most actually specialize in helping sportsbook move their gambling license to Malta so I have my doubt about their integrity since there may be a conflict of interest for them.
With regard to this case, I am willing to share:
* My full complaint to the gambling authority, provided that you agree not to disclose it (since I'm not sure about the sensitivity of this, I'll choose only a select few with whom I can share this). This includes full correspondence with Betfair since the beginning of the case.
* My betting history since the opening of my account and premium charge statement (I don't think this is sensitive, so I can share it with almost whoever that asks).
Those are all the available information that I have since in my case Betfair basically investigated, judged the case, then simply confiscated the money without disclosing ANY evidence whatsoever.
So I'm stuck and feel really powerless now because there doesn't seem to be anything else that I can do besides waiting a year for LGA to suddenly wake up and make its decision.
All opinions, suggestions, and feedbacks are welcome and highly appreciated. Thanks.
See Related Threads:
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