Why Bet Revolution doesn't deserve your business.
Until very recently, I had never placed a bet or made a deposit on Bet Revolution. I have a select few books that get the majority of my action because I feel safe having my money there and I have used them for years. Getting small contest payouts at new, smaller sites gives me the opportunity to try these sites out and see if I am interested in entrusting them with larger amounts of my money.
Recently I placed 2nd in a weekly NCAA Football contest, which gave me a $75 bonus account at Bet Revolution with an 8x rollover requirement. (I have no interest in giving free advertising to the website hosting the contests so I will not mention the site by name publicly.) The stipulations of the prize money are stated on the contest site as below:
$75 for 2nd place, 8x Rollover, Max Win $150 with no deposit.
The day I won the $75, I contacted the site that runs the contest, just to make sure the requirements to cash out were cut and dried.
Highlights of this email to remember:
-I spell out my intent to complete the rollover, and then cash out an amount greater than $150.
-Contest Manager explains what I would do to complete a cashout in this scenario.
There were more emails sent between me and Contest Manager to further clarify cashout requirements, such as the minimum deposit required after clearing rollover to allow a successful cashout, and the hold time for such a deposit before a cashout could be allowed.
On Dec. 19, 2011, the rollover requirement had been met, and my account sat at a balance of medium 3 digits. I sent an email to Bet Revolution asking how I could proceed with a cashout. A full business day passed, and on Dec. 20, 2011 at 5 PM I called their toll free number. I spoke to a CS representative named Robert, who told me he was happy to process a cashout for $150 and "trim the excess." This is a questionable term I have never heard used by a sportsbook employee. Only when pressed, he went on to explain that "trim the excess" meant any cash won in my account above $150 would be confiscated after I requested a cashout. He explained that in the rules it states that I have to make a deposit before winning a contest prize, if I want to cash out more than $150.
Again, the rules of the contest, in which there is no mention of a requirement to deposit prior to the contest being won. Also recall that I had discussed my intention to deposit *after* clearing the rollover with Contest Manager.
After the phone call with CS rep Robert I spoke to Contest Manager via email, repeating what I had been told, shocked at the completely different set of rules that were suddenly being used. At this point Contest Manager agrees to speak to Bet Revolution on my behalf in an attempt to secure the funds that I had won which were rightfully mine. Here is the email reply I received from Contest Manager.
Note the sentence, "You should be entitled to all winnings if a deposit is made and rollover meet [sic]" which would lead me to believe that this is what is normally allowed of contest winners.
At the same time I received an email from Bet Revolution, basically affirming what I had been told by CS rep Robert on the phone.
Things to note:
-In this email, they say that there is a max win of $150 because there was no deposit made during the winning week. In the phone call with CS rep Robert the same night, he told me I had to deposit before winning the contest. Their CS staff doesn't even know what the rules are.
-The phrase "place your withdrawal or continue enjoying the benefits of the revolution" sounds like an ultimatum. They have already said I am not entitled to more than $150 in winnings no matter how much I have actually won, or what my account balance is. If I decide to not withdraw and instead "continue to enjoy the benefits of revolution" what happens then? I keep betting but even if I win I can't cash out anything above $150. If I do cash out all the money above $150 disappears. What exactly is there to enjoy in that? This is insane.
-They link to the contest rules and conditions, which are the same ones I have shown twice in this post. There is no mention of a requirement to deposit before the contest or within a week. There is only a mention of depositing within a week to take advantage of a special bonus.
On Dec. 22, I hear back from Contest Manager. Bet Revolution has told him I am still only eligible for a maximum $150 cashout, no matter how much money I have won.
Within 4 hours of receiving this email from Contest Manager, the money above $150 is taken from my Bet Revolution account. Without notice, without warning, without an email from Bet Revolution or anyone, money is taken from my account. I had previously been told by CS rep Robert that they would "trim the excess" when I requested a cashout. I had not requested a cashout. Bet Revolution took it upon themselves to take the money from my account anyway.
Now I'm pissed. I email Contest Manager and let him know I'm not happy about any of this. He assures me that he's on my side, he fought for me to have access to all the money that I won, and shares with me an email from his contact at Bet Revolution that contains some very questionable, accusatory overtones.
Keep in mind I am a brand new customer who has never had any dealings with this book. And this is how I am viewed because I was fortunate enough to clear a rollover requirement? "Taking advantage" of a situation? All I did was clear the rollover and inquire about a cashout. "Clearly against the rules of the contest" - a completely ridiculous sentence when you consider that the rules are as convoluted and vague as they are.
More importantly than any of this is that Bet Revolution keeps referring to a rule that does not exist - a requirement to deposit before the contest or within a week of winning the contest. Nowhere in the rules is this stated! Only is it stated that you must deposit by the following Saturday to take advantage of a special bonus!
At this point I remind Contest Manager of our initial email contact, how I specifically asked him about depositing after clearing the rollover in order to make a cashout over $150, and how no mention was made of a timeframe requirement to do so. Contest Manager suggests that I contact Bet Revolution personally to find a resolution to this situation. Contest Manager also says that he will once again email his contact at Bet Revolution on my behalf.
5 days later I have heard nothing from anyone involved and email Contest Manager. He replies with a quoted email from Bet Revolution and the accusation tone is amplified even further.
Again, find Bet Revolution using phrases that paint me as some sort of criminal, and portray themselves as some sort of victim. He says I have tried to "circunvent [sic] the rules." I have shown "intention and premeditation"? He also says the "rules are VERY straightforward" which is ridiculous. Not even Bet Revolution staff can stick to the same story on what the rules are. On the phone Robert tells me I needed to deposit before winning the contest. Within a few hours an email tells me I had up to a week after winning the contest to deposit.
Contest Manager has clearly done all he can, so he gives me a contact at Bet Revolution named William. I make him aware of the entire situation beginning to end, and also inform him that I have seen the accusatory emails sent by him or his co-workers. William assures me I have done nothing wrong (hilarious) and everything is "normal procedure" and that I have misunderstood the rules - rules which Bet Revolution will stretch and twist to fit what purpose serves them. William offers me a wire transfer cashout for $150 and Bet Revolution will cover the fees. I refuse, and inform him that I will be taking this issue public.
If Bet Revolution is going to be a cheapskate book about a mid 3 figures sum, imagine what "rules" they will selectively enforce to part you from a substantial account balance. Bet Revolution doesn't deserve your business.
----------------------------
CLIFF NOTES:
-Poster wins $75 from contest, completes rollover, turns it into mid 3 figures
-Poster has never had any dealings with Bet Revolution before
-Bet Revolution cites unstated rule to refuse Poster cashout above $150
-Bet Revolution exchanges emails with contest management portraying Poster as having malicious intent although having done nothing wrong
-Bet Revolution takes mid 3 digits from Poster's account without notice and without a cashout being requested
-Bet Revolution is a cheapskate book that should not be trusted with any sum of money
Until very recently, I had never placed a bet or made a deposit on Bet Revolution. I have a select few books that get the majority of my action because I feel safe having my money there and I have used them for years. Getting small contest payouts at new, smaller sites gives me the opportunity to try these sites out and see if I am interested in entrusting them with larger amounts of my money.
Recently I placed 2nd in a weekly NCAA Football contest, which gave me a $75 bonus account at Bet Revolution with an 8x rollover requirement. (I have no interest in giving free advertising to the website hosting the contests so I will not mention the site by name publicly.) The stipulations of the prize money are stated on the contest site as below:
$75 for 2nd place, 8x Rollover, Max Win $150 with no deposit.
The day I won the $75, I contacted the site that runs the contest, just to make sure the requirements to cash out were cut and dried.
Highlights of this email to remember:
-I spell out my intent to complete the rollover, and then cash out an amount greater than $150.
-Contest Manager explains what I would do to complete a cashout in this scenario.
There were more emails sent between me and Contest Manager to further clarify cashout requirements, such as the minimum deposit required after clearing rollover to allow a successful cashout, and the hold time for such a deposit before a cashout could be allowed.
On Dec. 19, 2011, the rollover requirement had been met, and my account sat at a balance of medium 3 digits. I sent an email to Bet Revolution asking how I could proceed with a cashout. A full business day passed, and on Dec. 20, 2011 at 5 PM I called their toll free number. I spoke to a CS representative named Robert, who told me he was happy to process a cashout for $150 and "trim the excess." This is a questionable term I have never heard used by a sportsbook employee. Only when pressed, he went on to explain that "trim the excess" meant any cash won in my account above $150 would be confiscated after I requested a cashout. He explained that in the rules it states that I have to make a deposit before winning a contest prize, if I want to cash out more than $150.
Again, the rules of the contest, in which there is no mention of a requirement to deposit prior to the contest being won. Also recall that I had discussed my intention to deposit *after* clearing the rollover with Contest Manager.
After the phone call with CS rep Robert I spoke to Contest Manager via email, repeating what I had been told, shocked at the completely different set of rules that were suddenly being used. At this point Contest Manager agrees to speak to Bet Revolution on my behalf in an attempt to secure the funds that I had won which were rightfully mine. Here is the email reply I received from Contest Manager.
Note the sentence, "You should be entitled to all winnings if a deposit is made and rollover meet [sic]" which would lead me to believe that this is what is normally allowed of contest winners.
At the same time I received an email from Bet Revolution, basically affirming what I had been told by CS rep Robert on the phone.
Things to note:
-In this email, they say that there is a max win of $150 because there was no deposit made during the winning week. In the phone call with CS rep Robert the same night, he told me I had to deposit before winning the contest. Their CS staff doesn't even know what the rules are.
-The phrase "place your withdrawal or continue enjoying the benefits of the revolution" sounds like an ultimatum. They have already said I am not entitled to more than $150 in winnings no matter how much I have actually won, or what my account balance is. If I decide to not withdraw and instead "continue to enjoy the benefits of revolution" what happens then? I keep betting but even if I win I can't cash out anything above $150. If I do cash out all the money above $150 disappears. What exactly is there to enjoy in that? This is insane.
-They link to the contest rules and conditions, which are the same ones I have shown twice in this post. There is no mention of a requirement to deposit before the contest or within a week. There is only a mention of depositing within a week to take advantage of a special bonus.
On Dec. 22, I hear back from Contest Manager. Bet Revolution has told him I am still only eligible for a maximum $150 cashout, no matter how much money I have won.
Within 4 hours of receiving this email from Contest Manager, the money above $150 is taken from my Bet Revolution account. Without notice, without warning, without an email from Bet Revolution or anyone, money is taken from my account. I had previously been told by CS rep Robert that they would "trim the excess" when I requested a cashout. I had not requested a cashout. Bet Revolution took it upon themselves to take the money from my account anyway.
Now I'm pissed. I email Contest Manager and let him know I'm not happy about any of this. He assures me that he's on my side, he fought for me to have access to all the money that I won, and shares with me an email from his contact at Bet Revolution that contains some very questionable, accusatory overtones.
Keep in mind I am a brand new customer who has never had any dealings with this book. And this is how I am viewed because I was fortunate enough to clear a rollover requirement? "Taking advantage" of a situation? All I did was clear the rollover and inquire about a cashout. "Clearly against the rules of the contest" - a completely ridiculous sentence when you consider that the rules are as convoluted and vague as they are.
More importantly than any of this is that Bet Revolution keeps referring to a rule that does not exist - a requirement to deposit before the contest or within a week of winning the contest. Nowhere in the rules is this stated! Only is it stated that you must deposit by the following Saturday to take advantage of a special bonus!
At this point I remind Contest Manager of our initial email contact, how I specifically asked him about depositing after clearing the rollover in order to make a cashout over $150, and how no mention was made of a timeframe requirement to do so. Contest Manager suggests that I contact Bet Revolution personally to find a resolution to this situation. Contest Manager also says that he will once again email his contact at Bet Revolution on my behalf.
5 days later I have heard nothing from anyone involved and email Contest Manager. He replies with a quoted email from Bet Revolution and the accusation tone is amplified even further.
Again, find Bet Revolution using phrases that paint me as some sort of criminal, and portray themselves as some sort of victim. He says I have tried to "circunvent [sic] the rules." I have shown "intention and premeditation"? He also says the "rules are VERY straightforward" which is ridiculous. Not even Bet Revolution staff can stick to the same story on what the rules are. On the phone Robert tells me I needed to deposit before winning the contest. Within a few hours an email tells me I had up to a week after winning the contest to deposit.
Contest Manager has clearly done all he can, so he gives me a contact at Bet Revolution named William. I make him aware of the entire situation beginning to end, and also inform him that I have seen the accusatory emails sent by him or his co-workers. William assures me I have done nothing wrong (hilarious) and everything is "normal procedure" and that I have misunderstood the rules - rules which Bet Revolution will stretch and twist to fit what purpose serves them. William offers me a wire transfer cashout for $150 and Bet Revolution will cover the fees. I refuse, and inform him that I will be taking this issue public.
If Bet Revolution is going to be a cheapskate book about a mid 3 figures sum, imagine what "rules" they will selectively enforce to part you from a substantial account balance. Bet Revolution doesn't deserve your business.
----------------------------
CLIFF NOTES:
-Poster wins $75 from contest, completes rollover, turns it into mid 3 figures
-Poster has never had any dealings with Bet Revolution before
-Bet Revolution cites unstated rule to refuse Poster cashout above $150
-Bet Revolution exchanges emails with contest management portraying Poster as having malicious intent although having done nothing wrong
-Bet Revolution takes mid 3 digits from Poster's account without notice and without a cashout being requested
-Bet Revolution is a cheapskate book that should not be trusted with any sum of money