PurePoker did a hit-and-run?

[RakePayer]

On Feb 11, I attempted to withdraw about $1500 from my PurePoker account. Up until today, I didn't get paid.

Calls to Player Support were fruitless
- Apparently there are some "unspecified difficulties"
- The "best I could do was have patience"
- It was "impossible to say when the cashout would arrive"

Today (or yesterday) the PurePoker site went offline.....

I'll be pitching a bitch later this weekend, when I get to my home emailbox.

 

[freakin]

Hmm. Same thing happened to me. I didn't realize the sites were offline. This could be bad.

 

[TrixSlice]

I'm glad someone posted this. I was going to post it, but I don't participate much here. I deposited $4,000 into this Poker room and waiting for about the same withdrawal. They keep saying 24 hours and nothing! Now their site is offline, and I'm worried. I'm thinking of contacting NETeller to warn them. I'd hate to see this place withdrawal their NETeller balance and run, $4,000 is a lot of money to me.

 

[jetset]

This is what they have up on the site:

Temporarily Offline

Unfortunately our website is temporarily offline.

We will be online again shortly.

Thank you for your patience.

I don't have this in my database from some reason, can anyone tell me what software/network this is - we can possibly probe in that direction?

 

[JohnGalt]

Futurebet

 

[jetset]

Oh, s*** that's not good news - these guys have a bummer reputation and are not good communicators, especially when it's an issue that's bad news.

I'll have a go at them, nevertheless.

Any other developments please post them here.

 

[JohnGalt]

I got an email yesterday,

"Dear XXXX,

We'd like to invite you to visit us and check out some of the great new games and bonus offers we have for you!

If you have any questions or concerns with our system we'd love to hear from you. Please contact one our customer service representatives at:

Email: [email protected]
Toll Free Phone: 1-888-689-8522

Thank you. "

Hmm...

 

[jetset]

Interesting. I've just checked again now and the site is still down (07h50 - GMT +2)

And I have not yet received a response from the Futurebet people or Pure Poker, although I contacted them over a weekend and that may be the reason for the lack of reaction.

 

[jetset]

Here's the official response from Futurebet as the licensor of PurePoker:

Hi Brian,

Thank you kindly for your e-mail, unfortunately, the site is
"temporarily" down due to financial restructuring by Pure Poker. We are
working closely with them in order to rectify the situation and come to
a quick resolution regarding their player concerns.

If you have any further questions or concerns please do not hesitate to
contact me.

Sincerely,
Arnold

--
Arnold Lal
Director of Client Relations
Email: [email protected]
Direct: 604-909-3317

Futurebet Gaming Systems
Suite 1300, 1500 West Georgia St
Vancouver, B.C. Canada
V6G 2Z6

That "financial restructuring" sounds ominously like a euphemism for broke, and I have pressed Futurebet for details of arrangements for looking after the owed players in the event that this restructuring does not pan out. I've also suggested to them that it might be a good idea to communicate with their player base and let them know what's happening as developments occur.

BTW after doing some homework it appears that Pure Poker has not committed to the eCOGRA standards or seal requirements, so that avenue is not going to work, I'm afraid.

 

[TrixSlice]

Glad you recieved a response. I assumed with a Poker room my funds would be secure. What I don't understand is my profit at this place wasn't much, which means they took my deposit and used it to pay other players. What is a Poker room doing taking huge amounts of player money out of the bank?

Sounds like the owner decided to take an early year bonus. Hopefully I'm wrong, and hopefully this 'futurebet' works things out.

 

[Simmo!]

... due to financial restructuring...

I changed my credit card provider recently but I managed to complete this tricky financial restructuring manoeuvre without any website down time at all. Quite an achievement i thought.

 

[hogua]

I am owed over $3500 by this site (pure poker).

I requested a cashout on 2/14 and am still waiting. Customer support tells me that my request was forwarded a that I'll be contacted within 24 hours. I've been told that daily for over a week, and no one has contacted me.

While the homepage is still "temporarially down", I was able to find my way to their cashier page. I entered my account id and password expecting to be able to log in and see the status of my cashout. Instead I got the following message:

"The selected account has been set to inactive. If this is an error, please contact customer service."


This was the first, and probably the last, time I ever deposit at a Futurebet sie.

 

[RakePayer]

I can confirm this....my account is inactive as well.

Whether I ever play at a Futurebet site again, will largely be determined by how they handle this incident.

 

[The Dude]

I'm going to try and yank some chains on this today. Meanwhile, I am baffled beyond belief why some of you have dumped so much money into these joints.

 

[Vesuvio]

I'm going to try and yank some chains on this today. Meanwhile, I am baffled beyond belief why some of you have dumped so much money into these joints.

Agreed it looks a bit reckless, but I'm far less baffled by people depositing at dubious outfits that give good bonuses than by those throwing their money at slots at somewhere like 32Red Each to their own...

 

[The Dude]

Agreed it looks a bit reckless, but I'm far less baffled by people depositing at dubious outfits that give good bonuses than by those throwing their money at slots at somewhere like 32Red Each to their own...

Well, we're going to seriously disagree here. When you dump money into a joint, you are not only supporting their business, but you are directly supporting everything they stand for - including their ethics and capabilities to run a casino.

You (2nd person plural - directed at most everyone) need to see beyond the "good bonuses" and take a bit more responsibility with your role as a player.

 

[Pinababy69]

Well, we're going to seriously disagree here. When you dump money into a joint, you are not only supporting their business, but you are directly supporting everything they stand for - including their ethics and capabilities to run a casino.

And what percentage of complaints here at CM originate from uninformed players "chasing" bonuses at less than reputable casinos/poker rooms?

 

[Vesuvio]

When you dump money into a joint, you are not only supporting their business, but you are directly supporting everything they stand for - including their ethics and capabilities to run a casino.

On the whole casinos would be happier without the "support" of bonus hunters. It's not a glowing endorsement when you play somewhere with the sole aim of making money from them.

And what percentage of complaints here at CM originate from uninformed players "chasing" bonuses at less than reputable casinos/poker rooms?

There's nothing to suggest these players were uninformed. They just took a calculated risk with probably a small percentage of the money they've earned from doing the same thing in the past. Of course complaints arise because of bonuses - without bonuses the casinos wouldn't need to cheat as they can just rely on the house edge to take your money (not to say they wouldn't cheat anyway!).

Besides, where would the fun be in this site without complaints and disputes? "Which slot's hot?" isn't for everyone.

 

[Pinababy69]

Besides, where would the fun be in this site without complaints and disputes?

Not so sure that Bryan and some of the people who have been screwed over by rogue casinos would agree that it's "fun". But hey, whatever floats your boat Vesuvio.

 

[ergopro]

There are a lot of poker players out there that deposit and win big...As of my opinion...not many of them have had Futurebet red-flagged if they haven't visited any watchdog sites...How can anyone know? There are numerous operations that seem fancy and reliable with good bonus offers that eventually rip their players off...

 

[The Dude]

There are a lot of poker players out there that deposit and win big...As of my opinion...not many of them have had Futurebet red-flagged if they haven't visited any watchdog sites...How can anyone know? There are numerous operations that seem fancy and reliable with good bonus offers that eventually rip their players off...

Speaking from experience, in many cases of player problems - players fail to do any investigating whatsoever on a casino, they just click some banner and off they go. What stops someone from Googling a casino name or software provider? That's how you know.

Google "futurebet", "online casino problems", "black widow casino problems", etc., etc., and you have a lot of information to deal with. But some people don't give a hoot how they throw their money around. I'm not trying to be critical - this is merely an observation.

 

[hogua]

I'm going to try and yank some chains on this today. Meanwhile.

Thank you for jumping into this so quickly. Any help and/or answers will be greatly appreciated.

I am baffled beyond belief why some of you have dumped so much money into these joints.

I did do some research on Futurebet. I saw they had some past problems but looked to be working to make amends

I noticed they were listed as "under observation+" by Casinomeister. However, I also saw thr following on this site as well:

have spoken with one of the owners of Futurebet, and he answered many of the questions that I had about their operations. And each issue that I had with his operations were answered. I am pretty much satisfied that this company is on the right track: players are to be protected from failed casinos, and operators are to conduct business in an ethical manner. This was one of my main concerns about their operations.

With Futurebet going on record as protecting players from fraud and ensuring that operators are ethical, it sure sounded like they are turning things arounds and put the past issues behind them.

Hopefully, Futurebet will honor their commitment to protect players and will use this situation to prove thier commitment to protect players.

 

[The Dude]

...I am pretty much satisfied that this company is on the right track: players are to be protected from failed casinos, and operators are to conduct business in an ethical manner. This was one of my main concerns about their operations.

This was over a year ago and they seem to be slipping off to where they used to be before then. I'll be getting a hold of them to see what's up.

 

[TrixSlice]

CasinoMeister, I had no idea what futurebet was or thought I should search for them. I assumed Poker Rooms had no idea to screw players as they make their profits on the rakeback. I'm new to Poker and had no idea a Poker room would ditch.

I notified NETeller, they reminded me that they do not provide a collection service (I know) but they would do the best they could. I appreciate any help.

 

[uungy]

CasinoMeister, I had no idea what futurebet was or thought I should search for them. I assumed Poker Rooms had no idea to screw players as they make their profits on the rakeback. I'm new to Poker and had no idea a Poker room would ditch.

I notified NETeller, they reminded me that they do not provide a collection service (I know) but they would do the best they could. I appreciate any help.

I give a big to Neteller, they helped me with casinoforaces, I have been waiting for a withdrawal for nearly a month. I contacted Neteller, and they chased my money, and got paid! So you may have a good chance!

 

[freezer]

I also thought I had done my homework before playing here. In addition, I felt that being a PokerRoom skin definitely helped their credibility. In the past, I would never have given a second thought to depositing on any PokerRoom skin. Every time I played, there were about 5000 people in the poker room and I'm not even sure if that was their peak time or not. I'm not surprised that people have "large" sums of money here. Their bonus was 100% to $1000 for 6 months. It clears painfully slow at the low limits so I'd assume people were playing the higher limit games thus requiring a bigger bankroll. This also led me to think that they weren't being hit by all the .5/1 and 1/2 LHE players but actually making decent money off the rake. Oh well. Glad the CM and jetset have made/are making inquiries.

 

[TrixSlice]

I want to note here that I did in fact play at the casino, as they offer a casino AND poker room. But I also did deposit $4,000.

 

[RakePayer]

Site is back up again. Accounts are still inactive.
$1000/$1000 bonus is being advertised again.

Apparently they are luring new meat to the grinder....

 

[Jay]

Just to add in.. (I've been offline for a week or so)

I'd played at another FutureBet site back in January (?) and had no significant problems with cashouts, other than a day or three of unexplained delay. PurePoker offered a huge bonus, so I figured what the hell. Plus they have a cool blackjack feature...

Cashout delayed, site offline, and now I return and my account is "inactive". No sign of my money. Just my (missing) two cents. I'll pitch-a-bitch if that's useful... Been several weeks patient so far.

(edit: And I did do my homework... here. I usually don't check many other places. FutureBet is listed as "under observation", rather than rogue, with the last update almost two years ago, and PurePoker isn't mentioned at all. I didn't realize there was still such a big issue (on the order of "we've locked the accounts of everyone we owe money to, so that we won't have to pay".. mega-rogue behavior. sigh.. if it looks too good to be true...)

 

[Reef]

I still have not been contacted. It's been about 3 weeks since I requested a withdrawal.

 

[TrixSlice]

Purepoker keeps telling me through email that my $4,000+ is safe but I can not touch it as my account is disabled. They assure me it's there though - laugh.

NETeller public relations has sent two emails to the iDollar 2 merchant on my behalf, but they have not responded to NETeller.

 

[sdaddy]

NETeller public relations has sent two emails to the iDollar 2 merchant on my behalf, but they have not responded to NETeller.

There's also a NETeller investigations department, who helped in my dispute with African Palace. Maybe they should be handling this instead.

[email protected]

 

[Reef]

So Tino (?) called me today. He says that they have taken over PurePoker. The old owners have split. How futurebet gave these idiots a license in the first place is beyond me. Anyway, moving on. Purepoker is under new management and doesn't have $ to pay out besides eventually getting people's deposits back to them.

So right now I'm out nearly $1300 in winnings. I cashed out my initial deposit a little more than a month ago when they were still paying.

Ironically, I just got this email after the call:
"Dear XXXXXX,
Your request to withdraw $X,XXX.00 has been sent.
If you have any questions or concerns we would love to hear from you. Please contact one of our customer service representatives at:
Email: [email protected]
Thank you!

anyway thanks to pokerroomreview.com for their efforts in getting my $ back

 

[jetset]

This is BS, and reeks of the same sort of dishonesty as the Royal Dutch fiasco in the archives here.

If they take over the operation, they take over its rights and obligations as well....including monies owed legitimately to players and not just their deposits.

I think as a starting point you should forward this to Neteller investigations, copied to the clowns at Futurebet....I'm sure they will not want to have Neteller pull their facility from FB operations.

This really is disgraceful - was this person a manager and did he give you a name?

Please keep us advised of developments here...this could be a major issue.

 

[Jay]

I got a call from that guy..

I was owed over $2000 (I'd already made a small withdrawal earlier that had gone through). He offered $200 and said it was that or nothing. So now my account is unlocked with $200 in it. No idea if I'll actually get it to my Neteller account.

He said the PurePoker owners went bankrupt, and disappeared owing players $60k total (which isn't a lot if they owe me $2000+ alone). Futurebet of course has no intention of making good on the losses.

So I'm screwed out of all my winnings (not even "we're removing the bonus and giving you everything else".. I had $1200 of winnings too), and I basically get my deposit back (which means I can't really appeal to Neteller either, because I'm getting back the deposit.. eventually)

Futurebet is on the "watch list". I can't imagine how they're staying off the Rogue list.

 

[The Dude]

I got a call from that guy..

I was owed over $2000 (I'd already made a small withdrawal earlier that had gone through). He offered $200 and said it was that or nothing. So now my account is unlocked with $200 in it. No idea if I'll actually get it to my Neteller account.

He said the PurePoker owners went bankrupt, and disappeared owing players $60k total (which isn't a lot if they owe me $2000+ alone). Futurebet of course has no intention of making good on the losses.

So I'm screwed out of all my winnings (not even "we're removing the bonus and giving you everything else".. I had $1200 of winnings too), and I basically get my deposit back (which means I can't really appeal to Neteller either, because I'm getting back the deposit.. eventually)

Futurebet is on the "watch list". I can't imagine how they're staying off the Rogue list.

Well, I know when it time to stop considering a casino group "under observation".

I apologize to anyone who felt that since they were under observation that their casinos were safe to play at. Futurebet casinos are back on the not recommended list - and I've provided a complete up to date list of all Futurebet casinos/pokerrooms as well.
https://www.casinomeister.com/rogue-casinos/
https://www.casinomeister.com/rogue-casinos/

Avoid these at all costs.

 

[The Dude]

So Tino (?) called me today. He says that they have taken over PurePoker. The old owners have split. How futurebet gave these idiots a license in the first place is beyond me. Anyway, moving on. Purepoker is under new management and doesn't have $ to pay out besides eventually getting people's deposits back to them.

Well that's not what Futurebet told me - and this is the reason why these guys are getting tossed back into the "rogue" section.

These operators need to pull their heads out of their ass. When I place a software provider or casino group in an "observation" status, I'm putting my rep on the line. When these people pull stunts like this, my reputation is damaged - and if you want to piss me off - that's how you do it.

Casino operators like this need to leave the industry and make room for legitimate businesses.

 

[jetset]

We're still pursuing the Futurebet guys but no response so far.

If these reports are true this is totally unacceptable behaviour by the new owner and Futurebet.

 

[jetset]

Progress report:

A director at FutureBet has assured me that all will be well. This is what he has to say:

"Rest assured that all Purepoker players with be taken care of, as FB needed some time to coordinate..."

In the meantime, this is a guy you can contact:

[email protected]

These people have been told what is going on and that it is not acceptable in today's industry. They have confirmed the change of ownership, which implies the previous owners have done a bunk.

If they are professional, FB will do the same as Microgaming, Crypto and RTG when a licensee goes down the tubes - they will look after the players themselves if necessary.

Nevertheless, Futurebet does not have a good track record and I would not get my hopes up just yet.

 

[TrixSlice]

I got an email from Tino asking me for a number to contact me at. Emailed him back, expecting a call today. So Jay, you were only offered $200 on $2,000? I'm sure as hell not settling for less than my deposit. I deposited $4,000 just a week or two before they shut their doors on me. I know they have it. Good idea in emailing investigations. I assumed if Public Relations thought it was appropriate they'd forward my emails to the correct department. Anything and everything is worth a shot now.

 

[Edvard]

I have not been contacted either, today i got an email that said i was supposed to get paid but so far i have not got any money.

I deposited a grand to play mostly casino and some poker.

 

[jetset]

I got an email from Tino asking me for a number to contact me at. Emailed him back, expecting a call today. So Jay, you were only offered $200 on $2,000? I'm sure as hell not settling for less than my deposit. I deposited $4,000 just a week or two before they shut their doors on me. I know they have it. Good idea in emailing investigations. I assumed if Public Relations thought it was appropriate they'd forward my emails to the correct department. Anything and everything is worth a shot now.

Trix, recommend you tell this creep when he phones and tries to screw you out of what is rightfully yours that Futurebet has been contacted and has said that players will be looked after in full. The new owners have an obligation to do that.

I don't think at this stage I would want to accept a lesser amount until all other possibilities have been exhausted, and at least FB are communicating now, which is a step forward.

These new owners may have agreed with FB to take on this dog of a poker site and look after the owed players in return for a special deal on the license. Then if they can knock the players down in their demands they have to pay out less, which gives them more (if you see what I mean)

 

[Aindreas_Daoc]

Well, I know when it time to stop considering a casino group "under observation".

I apologize to anyone who felt that since they were under observation that their casinos were safe to play at. Futurebet casinos are back on the not recommended list - and I've provided a complete up to date list of all Futurebet casinos/pokerrooms as well.
https://www.casinomeister.com/rogue-casinos/
https://www.casinomeister.com/rogue-casinos/

Avoid these at all costs.

Does anyone know what Futurebet's relationship is to Pokerroom? On that futurebetlist.html there are a bunch of pokerrooms that apparently uses Futurebet's cashier system, but Pokerroom's software? This includes Purepoker.

Is Pokerroom able to help in this debacle?

 

[The Dude]

As far as I know, pokerroom.com has nothing to do with Futurebet.

The Futurebet CEO is back in touch with me and has promised that this situation will be cleared up as soon as possible. They should have a public statement by early next week.

 

[hogua]

I got my call as well. Prior to having my account disabled, I had a balance of just under $3800.

During the call, it was clear that I'd only get my original deposit ($1000). Basically the offer was take of leave it... oh and if you take itm you can't cahsout for several weeks AND you must play poker to help me generate rake so I can afford to pay everyone.

With a gun to my head, I had to agree.

So, at this point, my account is active with $1000 and I still have to play at a site that screwed me out of about $2800 (assuming, I really do get my original $1000 sometime in the future).

 

[paul02085]

Wow, what a robbery. Futurebet is scum if they do not make this right.
Really sad.

 

[jetset]

This is despicable, but Futurebet has done similar things to players before. I can recall one *rescue* attempt that routed players to another licensee and imposed further WT on their already qualified account balances.

I've re-posted this latest complaint at WOL because poker players need to be warned about these people and their highly questionable way of doing business. It would be good if other members spread a similar warning elsewhere to stop others being caught up in this affair.

Despite their assurances to Casinomeister and myself that this matter was being addressed, it is clear that Futurebet is allowing the new owners of PurePoker to do whatever they want to do to the players, and that does not suggest that Futurebet has any intention of doing the right thing in this case right now.

For your convenience, here's what I have posted over at WOL:

There appears to be some highly questionable and player-dangerous activity going on at PurePoker.com, a Futurebet licensee that recently closed "for technical reasons" that have turned out to be "financial restructuring" and a change of ownership/management.

The original owners/managers are alleged to have done a bunk, leaving players unpaid after stalling them for some time on cashouts. Futurebet must have been aware of their situation yet apparently allowed them to continue operating and are now claiming they were taken by surprise.

Another Futurebet licensee has taken the site over, says Ron Katz of Futurebet - he also claims that FB are trying to sort out a deal for players but it takes time to "coordinate" this.

MEANWHILE: The new managers have been contacting players and telling them that all they are going to get back are their deposits on a "take it or leave it" basis - the post from one player reproduced below is typical of the sort of highly questionable offer that is being made.

The new owners refuse to meet the site's obligations to the aggrieved players, and Futurebet don't seem to be doing a helluva lot about this disgraceful situation either.

Extreme caution is therefore recommended around these venues.

Here's an example of the sort of thing that is going on - there's more at the other site [Casinomeister].

QUOTE

I got my call [from PurePoker] as well. Prior to having my account disabled, I had a balance of just under $3800.

During the call, it was clear that I'd only get my original deposit ($1000). Basically the offer was take it or leave it... oh, and if you take it you can't cashout for several weeks AND you must play poker to help me generate rake so I can afford to pay everyone.

With a gun to my head, I had to agree.

So, at this point, my account is active with $1000 and I still have to play at a site that screwed me out of about $2800 (assuming, I really do get my original $1000 sometime in the future).

UNQUOTE

 

[Jay]

I got an email from Tino asking me for a number to contact me at. Emailed him back, expecting a call today. So Jay, you were only offered $200 on $2,000? I'm sure as hell not settling for less than my deposit. I deposited $4,000 just a week or two before they shut their doors on me. I know they have it. Good idea in emailing investigations. I assumed if Public Relations thought it was appropriate they'd forward my emails to the correct department. Anything and everything is worth a shot now.

I wasn't offered anything and I didn't settle. I didn't sign anything, certainly. Guy called me and said there was no money, and my deposit was still available, so I could have the rest of my deposit money back if I wanted it. I said yes. There was no negotiation.. just take this $200 or take nothing.

Thanks Bryan.. I knew there was some risk with an "under observation" casino, but I figured I'd give them a shot. (I still don't play at *any* RTG casinos, ever..)

 

[Jay]

If they are professional, FB will do the same as Microgaming, Crypto and RTG when a licensee goes down the tubes - they will look after the players themselves if necessary.

Really? They seem like rogue scumbags to me so far (like Playtech.. oh wait.. Playtech's not officially rogue.. just scumbags with a fake player grievance process when their licensees steal from their players and alter transaction logs)

Thanks for the email.. I'll give that a shot.

 

[The Dude]

I have no idea why anyone is making any "deals" yet. I don't think anything has been finalized - I have been assured by FB's CEO that all players will be taken care, and it should be happening early this week.

Players should not be making any deals that aren't 100% satisfactory. You guys need to wait it out a few more days before making any decisions. For those of you that have made some arrangemnt already - you probably just got shafted.