[Kindred]

Read this article on Calvin Ayes website about Top Bet and how it was started by the thief behind the Futurebet Scams. Anything to do with, or even mentioned in the same sentence as Futurebet should be avoided at all costs. If they were the last sportsbook on the planet I would never gamble again. Covers screwed it's readers over with BetEd and now they promote this shithole

Noel Samson addicted to OPM: Other People’s Money

Ed Drake
July 12, 2011
1 Comment

Emmanuel R Samson IV aka Noel Samson

Manila is the Asian hub for the online gambling industry; with a solid infrastructure and a fair and reasonable regulatory system, the Philippine city has attracted many reputable online gaming companies looking to service the exploding Asian gambling market and a few well funded startups. Unfortunately, as we find out in our latest investigative piece, Manila is also attracting some of the less reputable players in the gaming industry.
We started hearing a buzz about a new gaming company setting up shop in Manila. The company was snapping up former employees from Sportsbook.com, BetUS.com and others that were hit hard by Black Friday and Blue Monday. So we wanted to find out who was taking the plunge into the Asian market.
The company’s corporate name is World Hub Services and they are taking bets online as www.topbet.com.
Alarm bells went off when we did a quick Google search of Top Bet’s customer service phone number. It’s the same number as an SBR Rated F Sportsbook FeltStars. If you don’t know FeltStars consider yourself lucky, they were part of the FutureBet/IGS/Gametech group headed by Boston native and software whiz Joe LaCascia and his partner Filipino-Canadian Emmanuel R Samson IV from Surrey British Columbia.
Emmanuel R Samson IV is better known in the gaming industry as Noel Samson.
In 2001 Noel Samson moved from British Columbia to Manila intent on becoming the authority for online gaming in the Philippines. He began pitching to potential gaming operators a complete gaming solution that included LaCascia’s Futureweb gaming platform and a licence to operate online gaming from the burgeoning market.
Samson raised 500k from investors, friends, family and particular group of motorcycle enthusiasts who were all looking to cash in on Noel Samson’s promises on an online gambling goldmine that the Futurebet had to offer. Things began to fall apart when Samson failed to gain the blessings of the Philippines government and then unable to help the investors launch the gaming sites. Rather than return to Canada or return the half of a million dollars he took from investors, Samson settled in Manila full-time and lived like a king on his embezzled cash.
Most investors moved on, licking their wounds from their bad investment but the certain motorcycle enthusiasts weren’t about to let Samson walk away with their hard earned cash. The group began sending people to Samson’s mother’s home in Surrey BC looking for her son or the cash that was taken. Noel Samson’s mother remortgaged her home in an effort to pay back the investors but it still wasn’t enough to cover the money Noel had embezzled.
Over the past few years, Noel Samson has continued to peddle promises of payment processing and influence with the government but Samson has access to neither. We spoke with several gaming executives who had been taken for upwards of $20,000 in hopes of gaining an ecommerce solution through Samson before learning he couldn’t deliver on those promises. Our sources say Samson is using the money he takes from unsuspecting executives to pay off his Canadian debts as the original Futurebet investors continue to demand repayment.
Now that you know Noel Samson’s history, let’s look at his latest operation.
Samson managed to convince a local Filipino and another backer from China into investing in a new US facing sportsbook.(We’ll let that sink in) The investors put up $1.5 million in hopes of cashing in on Samson’s latest pipedream. As my grandfather says, “that’s a fart in a windstorm.” Or as Calvin more eloquently states in “Beware of the Pee-Wee Hermans of online gaming” it doesn’t even come close to the minimum $20 million dollar entry fee today’s market demands.
The cost of doing business in the gaming sector has exploded exponentially in the past decade and to seriously think you can create a new brand that will target the US market with such limited funds is ludicrous.
Noel Samson was enjoying the newly invested cash until his financial backers began asking for deliverables and proof that their money was being put towards the promised sportsbook. That’s when their corporate site, http://worldhubservices.com quickly went online. The site lists a corporate address located in a residential tower in the exclusive Fort district of Makati.
We do not think it’s practical or even possible to operate a gaming company from a condo tower in the Fort. That and there are legal issues with running a gaming business from your home. The company doesn’t have a gaming licence in the Philippines. In fact, the Philippines regulators say that nobody from their group has even talked to them about a licence. It really wouldn’t matter in any event, offering services to the US is illegal under online gaming law in the Philippines.
The TopBet.com website lists that it’s located in the British Virgin Islands with their financial transaction being processed in Curacao. We have doubts either are true. Samson’s history says they won’t have a reliable ecommerce solution capable of meeting their future US customers’ needs. Perhaps the gentlemen from Linwood would be able to help them out.
Samson has been bragging to people around Manila that his company can’t hire people quick enough because they are growing so fast. This is interesting because the link to their “Current Jobs” section is broken. It’s obvious the $1.5 Million isn’t being spent on web designers or office space.
One thing we do know Samson is spending money on is hiring staff. They have made some decent hires; Canadians who have been in the gaming industry for several years. Though we’re told none of the Canadians working for World Hub Services have legitimate work permits; theywill be acting as perpetual tourists to avoid running afoul of Philippine immigration law.
The company’s CEO has a decent reputation in the industry. By having his name attached to the project, they will likely draw some reasonably talented people from the Canadian gaming market. One other thing it does for Samson is that it keeps his name out of the public eye, so that when the shit inevitably hits the fan, he’ll have a few human shields to keep any from landing on him.
We won’t name the CEO or any of the hires here as we feel they are already victims of Noel Samson’s latest endeavours. We only hope that those hired by Samson can salvage their reputation in this relatively small community we call the online gaming industry.


http://calvinayre.com/2011/07/12/bus...vices-top-bet/

I found the Calvin Ayre story quoted in an gambling911 story about theories that Topbet is a reincarnation of BetEd. If you interested in that story here's the link

I have no idea about any relation to BetEd but the involvement in any form with Futurebet should make this an F book

[bigboydan]

Covers already went through enough with the BetEd scandal so I would have thought they would have used better judgement before doing something like this but, I guess not though. Just sucks to see something like this though because if Topbet (SBR Rated F) goes belly up at some point it just puts more work on my colleagues as well as myself in regards to disputes and obtaining/securing a possible potential bailout. Although, I feel everyone within the industry knows that no book in there right mind would do that after what happen last time IMHOO.

[Trident]

Hey Boys,

I know the guys running Top Bet well and I think they are doing a great job.

Top Bet has 1 free payout per month and pay outs take 5 – 12 business days and I am hoping in time they can take 12 days out of the equation. They say 12 days is rare but IMO its better they tell you this up front instead of saying 2-3 days and making you wait 12.

If you have any questions give their customer service a call at 1- 877-528-6748 and they have operators that speak English that will help you out.

Keep winning my friends,

Lou.

How could you ever endorse a high risk book like this after what happened at BetEd.

[ChuckyTheGoat]

Good article. F this guy.

[SBR_John]

Quote:
Hey Boys,

I know the guys running Top Bet well and I think they are doing a great job.

Top Bet has 1 free payout per month and pay outs take 5 – 12 business days and I am hoping in time they can take 12 days out of the equation. They say 12 days is rare but IMO its better they tell you this up front instead of saying 2-3 days and making you wait 12.

If you have any questions give their customer service a call at 1- 877-528-6748 and they have operators that speak English that will help you out.

Keep winning my friends,

Lou.
How could you ever endorse a high risk book like this after what happened at BetEd.

Its just sad. I really don't know what to say. Dumbfounded.

[bigboydan]

Its just sad. I really don't know what to say. Dumbfounded.

I know what to say about this one Mr.Walker however, It's definitely NOT for public viewing though.

[TyroneGoHome]

http://calvinayre.com/2011/09/13/bus...-to-slaughter/

I agree John, just shameful on their end. Here is another story about the topic.

[Bcatswin]

Shit seems not to stop

[bigboydan]

Looks like Covers has taken down the Topbet (SBR Rated F) banner temporarily pending an investigation of its prior business practices.

[Joe Dogs]

Unbelievable,good article

[taxer]

Looks like Covers has taken down the Topbet (SBR Rated F) banner temporarily pending an investigation of its prior business practices.

This is because SBR called them out good job guys.

These guys sent me a package in the mail last year , actually called in and the rep barely knew how to speak english and stumbled and mumbled all over himself.

LOL

Did me a solid come to think of it.

Bless that latino fellow

[pokerplayer22]

Covers put their banner back up and are recommending people to play there again.

[taxer]

Covers put their banner back up and are recommending people to play there again.

Somebody should do something about this

[Bill Dozer]

Read this article on Calvin Ayes website about Top Bet and how it was started by the thief behind the Futurebet Scams. Anything to do with, or even mentioned in the same sentence as Futurebet should be avoided at all costs. If they were the last sportsbook on the planet I would never gamble again. Covers screwed it's readers over with BetEd and now they promote this shithole

I found the Calvin Ayre story quoted in an gambling911 story about theories that Topbet is a reincarnation of BetEd. If you interested in that story here's the link

I have no idea about any relation to BetEd but the involvement in any form with Futurebet should make this an F book

No relation to BetEd although BetEd folks would reboot if they thought they could get away with it. TopBet's database, servers, player accounting and software is the same as the other Futurebet scams. That's enough reason to avoid them. Even if Topbet was going to make a half honest run of it, Futurebet would likely take them down like they have for about 100 other labels. The only exception is Oddsmaker and BetonUSA which are Futurebet partners and joined the board of directors as they robbed the other labels from SafariCasino to Linesmaker. I wouldn't be surprised to hear TopBet gets hit with a bunch of 10 teamer winners courtesy of fake accts created by their Futurebet partner.

[FuzzyDunlop]

Somebody should do something about this

Besides pointing and laughing?

[Ingram$]

how could they make such a stupid mistake?

[SBR_John]

The sports gaming portal business such as Covers and TheRx have been significantly financially weakened by crack downs and companies leaving the US market. They have also been hurt by bad business decisions. Most if not all of these new books are reincarnations of failed books and just plain ole run of the mill scammers. Players who try to fund accounts there and give personal info are asking for trouble.

[bigboydan]

No relation to BetEd although BetEd folks would reboot if they thought they could get away with it. TopBet's database, servers, player accounting and software is the same as the other Futurebet scams. That's enough reason to avoid them. Even if Topbet was going to make a half honest run of it, Futurebet would likely take them down like they have for about 100 other labels. The only exception is Oddsmaker and BetonUSA which are Futurebet partners and joned the board of directors as they robbed the other labels from SafariCasino to Linesmaker. I wouldn't be surprised to hear TopBet gets hit with a bunch of 10 teamer winners courtesy of fake accts created by their Futurebet partner.

I remember all the above happening and It really bad too I might add because it put a lot more work on both of our parts in regards to helping players out with all the disputes that came through SBR over the years that caused us all to work double and in some cases even triple duty type shifts.

in regards to your comments I've quoted below goes:

I wouldn't be surprised to hear TopBet gets hit with a bunch of 10 teamer winners courtesy of fake accts created by their Futurebet partner.

I sure wish Bodog (SBR Rated A) had some odds posted on it is all because, I fully expect that to happen sometime in the "future" to the point where I'd like to actually "bet" on it.

[Nicodemus]

I have been searching through the posts on Topbet and the recent comments (posts
since about spring 2012) have been generally positive in terms of people getting paid.
Not to say there haven't been a few complaints and I realize they may be connected
to sites that have had problems in the past.

But any comments as to whether they are currently operating in a reasonable manner?
(As in they are not major scamming now?)

thanks

PS - I ask because I have a small balance there (which started from a free NFL bankroll
contest).