Scam Checker Report Scams Online

Online Sportsbook scams are a multimillion-dollar business. Over the last 5 years we’ve seen players lose millions of dollars, not because their bets lost, but because they sent money to scam sportsbooks. Here at Sportsbook Review, we rate every known sportsbook and issue SCAM Alerts to protect you and your money. Before you even think about sending money offshore, check the SBR SCAM Alert and the Rating Guide.

Don’t be the next victim. Be aware of these common scam tactics you may encounter.

1.  New Sportsbook with Large Bonuses (25%, 40% or more) – this is a very common tactic of new operations that don’t know what they are doing. They open a new sportsbook (especially around football season) and offer large bonuses to get players to sign-up. Their business model is flawed from the beginning and will eventually lead to financial troubles, slow/no-pay disputes and eventual shutdown. Also beware of offers that combine High Bonuses with Reduced Juice, or Lines (odds) that are way out there. Obscure or soft lines can only mean one of two things: a lack of volume or that the book itself is gambling on events.

Promotions with high bonuses are also used by well-known scam operations to entice unaware players to deposit funds in their sportsbooks.

Remember: If a promotion looks too good to be true, it probably is.

2.  Telemarketing or Cold-Calling – is a sign of desperation that the book may be getting ready to run for the hills. Scam telemarketers will use a variety of tactics to get their hands on your money. Some try to bully you, while others will charm you. In many cases it is a single high-pressure call or other pressure tactics requiring immediate decisions (usually to make a deposit). Watch out for anything that sounds fishy.

Remember: If a promotion over the phone does interest you, insist written information be sent to you before agreeing to make the deposit.

3.  Outright SCAM Sportsbooks – usually open up right around football season. This type of scam operation is known as the deposit-only sportsbook because they do whatever it takes to get you to deposit your money with no intention of ever making pay-outs. The easiest way to spot a fake is to look for an address or phone number. If the site lists a phone number, call it and ask for their address. If they do not readily give you a valid address, consider them suspect and do further research before making a deposit. These rogue operations often use large bonuses, spam email and other shady tactics to lure players.

Remember: In this completely unregulated industry, you have to do extra research because there are no safety nets and only you are responsible for your funds.

Sportsbook Review recommends that players only make deposits at sportsbooks rated B- or higher. Once you find a sportsbook, stay up-to-date on scam operations, relevant events and business deals within the offshore sports gambling industry. Things change on a regular basis. That’s why SBR offers a variety of RSS feeds and news wires you can use to access breaking news on scam operations, management changes and rating guide upgrades and downgrades.

SCAM ALERT

02.26.10 (12:14 PM CST) GolfAndBet; scam sportsbook still taking bets

GolfAndBet (unrated) displays the following message on its webpage to visitors acknowledging that the sportsbook is insolvent.

GolfAndBet homepage message:

“We at Golf and Bet is committed to providing our customers a bit more than usual. It has been appreciated by our members that have flowed above our expectations. Unfortunately, it has also led to our generous bonuses during start up have been too expensive why we decided to take a temporary timeout in the meantime we are working to resolve the situation.

During that time we will not accept new deposits from our customers and do not make disbursements. We hope for your understanding and that you are assured that we will do our best to operate properly as soon as possible. Of course, it also means that our goal is that all the outstanding balances should be paid out in full in accordance with our bonus rules.

Despite this message, which is signed by managing director Stefan Gladh, stating that new deposits would not be accepted, a player wrote to SBR on 2/24 indicating that he deposited €100 on January 25th, and attempted to withdraw winnings on February 5th.”

SBR contacted Stefan Gladh asking him to confirm that no new deposits are being taken. Stefan claimed that deposits were not being processed and that the sportsbook is currently looking for investors. This is a direct contradiction of the information SBR received in its player complaint. SBR asks that players owed from when GolfAndBet first displayed its insolvency message file sportsbook complaint reports. GolfAndBet has been added to the SBR sportsbooks ratings guide at F.

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