[The General]

On May 30th, 2009, a player with Oddsmaker.com filed a complaint with Sportsbookreview against Oddsmaker.com. The player presented his side of the story in a written request of assistance from Sportsbookreview. The player’s story was very similar to the one Oddsmaker.com countered with when contacted by Sportsbookreview. The player states that he was persuaded to try out Oddsmaker.com with a tempting promotional offer of a $500 bonus with a 5X rollover and a 30 day hold before any withdrawals. Oddsmaker.com confirmed this to be true. Subsequently, the player ran his promotional balance up to approximately $8400. Thereafter, Oddsmaker.com decided to close the account and advised the player his funds were forfeited based on the following reasons:

1. The player had instructed his father to open a separate account and get the same promotion. The father (or whomever) attempted to do so, but was caught and no money was ever played from a second account.

2. The player was rude to the employees at Oddsmaker.com primarily after his account was closed.

3. The player lied to employees at Oddsmaker.com about who advised him that his father could open an account and do so via bypassing VIP service.

4. The player slandered the company Oddsmaker.com on a public forum.

5. The player on the telephone and in anger stated to Oddsmaker.com that he was unhappy and should just close his account on his own. This was during a conversation where Oddsmaker.com was asking the player who may have instructed him that he could open a new account.

After careful consideration and review of these facts, which are mostly agreed upon by each party, I summarize the findings, as a 3rd party arbitrator, as such:

1. There was no harm in the supposed father opening a second account since, even though not desired by Oddsmaker.com, the action was caught and no damage was done to Oddsmaker.com

2. Being rude should never be a reason to have your monies stolen.

3. Lying to a sports book about anything is no reason to have your monies stolen.

4. Slandering a sportsbook on a public forum should be no reason to have your monies stolen.

5. When the player stated that he should just close his account I am certain, he did not say, “By the way, just keep $8400 of my monies, also”.

I view this as a very poor decision on the part of Oddsmaker.com and I believe, based on my experience and the above facts supplied to Sportsbookreview, that the sports book should rethink this matter, and realize that there will be grumpy, rude, lying, slanderous clients that play with their company. Such characteristics in a player do not constitute a legitimate justification for seizing a client’s monies. Neither does the fact that another party attempted to open a second account trying to get the same promotion when there was no foul play between the two accounts. In past dealings with Oddsmaker.com, their company has been willing to assist and supply answers for their decisions regarding complaints. We appreciate that assistance and cooperation Very much, But, this incident need go beyond personal egos and just do what is right, assuming many of my piers agree with my assessment and there are no other explanations for this action decided by Oddsmaker.com.

[TheIntegrityKid]

Agreed

[tacomax]

They're an EOG sponsor. They must be legit.

[The General]

I am hoping Ken will work with me on this matter. He may be able and help this player more than anyone from what I know, having worked with him for many years and partnered with him in EOG in 2005. To me, this is just about doing everything possible, the right way so to get fair resolution. We can try, but we'll never win them all.

[Negative]

2. The player was rude to the employees at Oddsmaker.com primarily after his account was closed.

3. The player lied to employees at Oddsmaker.com about who advised him that his father could open an account and do so via bypassing VIP service.

4. The player slandered the company Oddsmaker.com on a public forum.

5. The player on the telephone and in anger stated to Oddsmaker.com that he was unhappy and should just close his account on his own. This was during a conversation where Oddsmaker.com was asking the player who may have instructed him that he could open a new account.

Weren't they rude too when he won some dimes they closed the account ? Really wonder if they could be such a rude too if he would lose 8400

[englishmike]

Yet another reason why the hypocritical US Govt (of any persuasion) should revisit the issue of legalising online gambling.

Some of this 8K might have found its way into the economy, as would billions more if it was possible to have funds back in the bank within 24 hours from legit, regulated buisnesess based onshore.

[andywend]

Even if the player in question was NOT rude, his father never tried to open up a 2nd account and the player did not lie or slander the company, Oddsmaker would have used another reason to NOT pay the guy.

Its really not that complicated:

If you take advantage of any sort of promotion offered by Oddsmaker.com, they are going to use that against you when it comes time to process your withdrawal.

If you want to have any possible chance of getting paid from Oddsmaker.com DO NOT ACCEPT any bonuses or promotions from them, PERIOD.

[jimmymac24]

I am the guy in this case and I just want to say how much i appreciate Pete with SBR still trying to help me on this case. Yes I was rude AFTER they told me I was going to forfeit my winning because i forwarded the email they sent me to my dad and told him to see if he can get the same promotion. I am not some mean lying sneaky player they are making me out to be. Either way i just want players to know how much pete is helping me out.

Thx again.

[pavyracer]

The General handle this matter very professionally.
Here is a tip for people dealing with similar issues. Don't be rude to customer service and do not have direct correspondence with them via emails or phone conversations with them. Let the pros like The General handle your case and he will do his best to get your money. I went through a similar ordeal a couple years back and with The General's help I was able to cash out all my winnings up to the last penny (with another D book). The General knows which buttons to push to make your money cash out from the books finding excuses to rip you off.

Great job The General.

[Justin7]

Slam dunk case. Pay the player.

[themajormt]

Their logic in not paying the player is so senseless and ridiculous, they were better off just ignoring The Gen's inquiry. There was not one legitimate complaint by the book besides the forwarding of the email BUT they caught that and were not harmed in any way. If they did not catch it and the Dad was expecting a similar pay out, then they might have a gripe and could confiscate the 2nd bonus.

SCAM BOOK!

[Doug]

just don't play at SHIT books.

problem solved

[Skalatharx]

just don't play at SHIT books.

problem solved

.

[The General]

Thanks for the responses. I am hopeful the player gets paid. Pavy, Thanks for the compliment and glad I was able to help you in the past. I don't recall that case, but I am sure to have it on file. Of course, I don't recognize you as Pavy, either.

[jimmymac24]

Thank you General for your efforts. I hope it gets resolved. I think it has become a personal thing because of the heated argument i got into with the guy covering my account. In hindsight if i thought you guys could have helped i would have held back. I was just so angry that they were forfeiting my winning. it was hard work getting 500 up to 8400. I should have just hung up and called you guys. I really didnt know there was this kind of help out there. Its good to know. thx again

[The General]

Jimmy, I fully believe also, that it is a personal thing with ego involved after your argument with Oddsmaker. I gathered this opinion from the response by Oddsmaker. I lead my life in a forgiving and humble manner so to me this seems so trivial and easy to repair. Humility must be learned to have happiness in life me thinks.

[jimmymac24]

I agree with you General. We both got heated on the call. I will be the first one to put out a positive thread if oddsmaker would do the right thing and pay me my winning. this is an opportunity for them to show they can put personal egos behind them and do the fair and just thing. I admit I got too angry about it and should have handled it differently.

I am very grateful your helping me this much.

[Poker_Beast]

Unreal, pay the money. Bullshit!

Keep at it SBR!

[The General]

Hey Jimmy. How did you find SBR? Just curious.

[jimmymac24]

General I looked u guys up a few years ago when i was trying to get information on Betonsports when they were shut down. I got some valuable information back then. I could not remember the SBR name so i used google a few weeks back and found your site. I am really glad I did. In the past I had used the OSGA as well. Please let me know how i can help your site in any way. I really appreciate you going to bat for me. its pretty amazing seeing that i have never even met you.

[Thremp]

This is outright theft.

[always2away]

Does not matter what nonsense excuses are raised. With no real loss to cite, no real claim can be made. Theft is theft.

[j0hnnyv]

i hate oddsmaker. i created an account with them a year ago off shit in the mail with leads like this and they call me atlaest once a month trying to get me to deposit. i tell them theyre a D- rated book who doesnt pay and hates when players win. and they say sir dont believe everything you read in a forum, we do not get good reviews because we do not pay their high advertising fees

f that book.

[unknown Gambler]

Looks like Oddsmaker is not going to pay jimmymac!


http://www.osga.com/artman/publish/article_6983.shtml

[Bill Dozer]

Looks like Oddsmaker is not going to pay jimmymac!


http://www.osga.com/artman/publish/article_6983.shtml

It's common for third parties and advertisers to complicate something simple. The sportsbook was giving out big freeplays to whales on their big bettor list (my guess was from BetOnSports). The player won $8,500 and Oddsmaker, as they often do, created a reason not to pay.

Too bad some are running interference for Oddsmaker. You are either with the player or with the thieves. The worst thing for the player right now is for these reports and threads at other forums to detour the complaint giving Oddsmaker hope that history of this stiff job will come off as a legit dispute.

The only thing publicly sharing the complaint does is prevent others from being scammed and, if the book does intend to resolve, it prevents them from bargaining behind the scenes to get a discount on the final withdrawal amount. Thanks to Jimmymac for sharing this.

SBR did try to work with Oddsmaker first and would have liked to report on a positive ending initially. General Pete has tried hard to help Oddsmaker make the right choices in a dispute that started in May.

[raiders72002]

....

By The Insider
Jun 19, 2009, 14:12

JimmyMac has been a player offshore for several years. He first found OSGA over a year ago when Sportsbook.com was having so many problems playing players. He also informed us at the time that he had been a payer at BETonSPORTS that was caught in the crossfire for a sizeable sum of money when the DOJ stepped in and arrested CEO David Carruthers.
In May, JimmyMac got an email from OddsMaker for a Free $500 account and took advantage of it. This player got into trouble rather quickly after he took advantage of the promotion.
JimmyMac is a pretty serious player and he started winning right off the bat. No problem, OddsMaker pays winners. But, this player engaged in shenanigans followed by missteps in his effort to resolve the issues he created and turned what should have been a good experience with a free offer into a nightmare.
JimmyMac sent the same offer that he received for the free $500 to his father. It just so happens that his father, who really does exist (I guess we all have that in common), has the same exact name and lives in the same area code. So immediately, a red flag goes up at OddsMaker. Then, a second flag – "How did he get this offer?" It did not come from OddsMaker.
While this is going on JimmyMac turns the free $500 into over eight dimes.
OddsMaker confronted the player about his father and the fact that he was given a bonus offer that he was not entitled to. At this point, I believe that they were leaning towards coming to a resolution with this player. This is where JimmyMac ran into what became a big part of his problem. He got heated and denied trying to circumvent their bonus rules for his father. You see, JimmyMac had a VIP clerk and he had his old man email regular customer service/sales clerks saying that he has received the offer. The player continued to dig his own grave as he got so heated with OddsMaker that he told them to close his account. He did not tell them to keep his winnings, but there is a clear recording of a heated conversation in which he makes the request.
The hole was dug even deeper for JimmyMac as he went into a popular gambling posting forum and posted his plight with a thread title of "I got Scammed by Oddsmaker.com".. The thread continued with players chiming in that because of the post, they would never send funds to OddsMaker.
We did get involved as OddsMaker, though not at the Elite or Premier levels, does pay winners and has been extremely helpful when a problem with a player is present to us. I actually thought that this was a very resolvable situation, so much so, that I thought it was an ‘easy one’.
I was dead wrong.
OddsMaker decided to draw a line in the sand on this one. We went back and forth for nearly two weeks with them trying to have upper management see this in a different light. You cannot deny somebody’s winnings because he was rude or lied (thousands of players would be stiffed every day). You cannot keep a player’s money when he tells you to close his account, after all the money is still his. But OddsMaker is standing by the fact that JimmyMac’s father tried to bypass VIP (on his sons’ suggestion) and email support that he was sent a free $500 offer. According to the OddsMaker rules page, this is a case of bonus abuse. They have the right to forfeit a player's winnings when "a player tries to or has someone else try" to take advantage of bonuses.
OddsMaker’s decision here has made it so that nobody wins. OddsMaker loses due to the bad publicity, JimmyMac loses by not collecting and the entire industry suffers another black eye.
We even spoke with The Shrink, the original found of The Prescription and current owner of EOG, where OddsMaker is an advertiser. JimmyMac contacted him as he has a solid relationship as well with OddsMaker. However, his hands were tied as the damage had already been done in a public forum.
Did OddsMaker handle this poorly, certainly. Did Jimmy Mac handle this poorly, absolutely. But does the make OddsMaker a 'scam' sportsbook?
No - OddsMaker was within its rights citing bonus abuse to void JimmyMac’s winnings. Still, I cannot emphasize enough that I think this should have come to some kind of settlement. I must admit being quite frustrated that we could not achieve a positive resolution for JimmyMac.
Here are some general tips that can be used when a problem arises at a sportsbook:
1) Do Not get heated or use terms like stealing or scam when on the phone trying to solve your own problem – most offshore outfits have pretty big egos and take this as a direct personal attack – “Are you talking to me?”
2) Do Not post on any public forums until all efforts by groups like OSGA have failed. Everyone knows that 1000 people read something bad and only 10 read something good. Once the “cat is out of the bag” a retraction really doesn’t have the same impact.
3) DO NOT tell them to close your account. This opens the door to the sportsbook keeping your funds
4) The actual truth is always the best - not a version of the truth
I actually believe that OddsMaker would have made this right for the player had he not violated all four of the above points. In fact, this sportsbook is most likely seeing this now as a type of deterrent. If you want to take a shot at grabbing bonus cash that you are not entitled to, don’t try it at OddsMaker.

[sickler]

Untold?

Just another's opinion with unsubstantiated "facts".

[j0hnnyv]

this just shows that oddsmaker is a joke. the guy won at your book fair and square. pay him his money.

[j0hnnyv]

this case is sickening. we all knew oddsmaker was a terrible book that didnt pay but this takes it to a whole new level.

[raiders72002]

Why did SBR continue with the smear campaign of OddsMaker when OddsMaker hadn't reached a decision on whether the player would be paid or not. Negotiations were still under way. Looks like that's thrown out the window with SBR's front page article.

[Bread]

Was already posted pot stirrer

http://www.sportsbookreview.com/forum/sportsbook...int.html?slf=2

Now go away idiot.

[durito]

Here are some general tips that can be used when a problem arises at a sportsbook:
1) Do Not get heated or use terms like stealing or scam when on the phone trying to solve your own problem – most offshore outfits have pretty big egos and take this as a direct personal attack – “Are you talking to me?”
2) Do Not post on any public forums until all efforts by groups like OSGA have failed. Everyone knows that 1000 people read something bad and only 10 read something good. Once the “cat is out of the bag” a retraction really doesn’t have the same impact.
3) DO NOT tell them to close your account. This opens the door to the sportsbook keeping your funds
4) The actual truth is always the best - not a version of the truth
I actually believe that OddsMaker would have made this right for the player had he not violated all four of the above points. In fact, this sportsbook is most likely seeing this now as a type of deterrent. If you want to take a shot at grabbing bonus cash that you are not entitled to, don’t try it at OddsMaker.

You've got to be kidding me. These are beyond absurd. It should read: Tips for dealing with scam books. None of that would make the slightest difference with a legitimate book.

[MonkeyF0cker]

Raiders,

Why are you Shrink's bitch?

Regards,
Monkey

[AgainstAllOdds]

Raiders get the fuk off the forum you clown.

[MonkeyF0cker]

If a book even attempts to confiscate funds in that manner, the player has every right to scream "SCAM BOOK!" in my opinion.