I wanted to share the awful experience I have had with Betway.com for the benefit of the community.
I opened an account in the summer to back Chris Froome for the TDF at their best price offer. I took advantage of the standard bookmaker sign-up bonus offers, getting £135 in 'bonus balance'.
After Froome obliged I tried to withdraw half of my (approx £1,300) balance. I was prevented from withdrawing anything. They referred me to a clause, buried down at no.11 in their Bonuses Ts & Cs;
"11. You will be unable to withdraw any amount from your account until you’ve either met the wagering requirements or played through all funds in the Bonus Account.".
When I asked what this meant, they informed me I would have to bet £1,050 at odds of 2.0 or more before I could withdraw anything.
I'm familiar with bookmaker bonuses, and the idea that these can't be withdrawn as cash. But to apply a total restriction on any withdrawals, including money I had deposited is ridiculous and unfair. I offered to cancel the bonus, but they refused.
They then restricted my account, offering me a max bet of £2 in many instances. So I was faced with the prospect of having to place 500+ bets with them before I could withdraw a penny of my own money!
I offered to bet the full £1,050 amount on one bet, in order to clear the condition. They initially agreed, but then changed their minds.
This condition ("unable to withdraw any amount") was not displayed on the email carrying the bonus offer. Instead the email contained the line "Bonus funds may only be withdrawn once wagered 10 times or more at odds of 2.0 or higher" which of course would be perfectly reasonable.
Even if you take the strict view that it is the punter's responsibility to read through and understand all the small print on an operator's website before accepting a bonus, in this case they have fundamentally moved the goalposts by restricting the account, thereby making the meeting of the conditions effectively impossible in any reasonable timeframe.
I have had various correspondence with Betway with no success "You'd need to place some bets before the real money can be had. We hope that you understand as to the requirements on your account, and we are confident that you will be able to create a lovely return while meeting them."
And with eCogra "It is the player’s responsibility to read and fully understand both the General and Promotional Terms and Conditions of a site before they start to play".
I wanted to highlight this for the community, to prevent others from falling into the same trap.
I would also be interested to hear others' views on whether this is simply a case of a casino style bonus condition being unfairly applied to a sports account, or if it is an example of more widespread unscrupulous behaviour by Betway.
Are Betway a legitimate, trustworthy company?
I opened an account in the summer to back Chris Froome for the TDF at their best price offer. I took advantage of the standard bookmaker sign-up bonus offers, getting £135 in 'bonus balance'.
After Froome obliged I tried to withdraw half of my (approx £1,300) balance. I was prevented from withdrawing anything. They referred me to a clause, buried down at no.11 in their Bonuses Ts & Cs;
"11. You will be unable to withdraw any amount from your account until you’ve either met the wagering requirements or played through all funds in the Bonus Account.".
When I asked what this meant, they informed me I would have to bet £1,050 at odds of 2.0 or more before I could withdraw anything.
I'm familiar with bookmaker bonuses, and the idea that these can't be withdrawn as cash. But to apply a total restriction on any withdrawals, including money I had deposited is ridiculous and unfair. I offered to cancel the bonus, but they refused.
They then restricted my account, offering me a max bet of £2 in many instances. So I was faced with the prospect of having to place 500+ bets with them before I could withdraw a penny of my own money!
I offered to bet the full £1,050 amount on one bet, in order to clear the condition. They initially agreed, but then changed their minds.
This condition ("unable to withdraw any amount") was not displayed on the email carrying the bonus offer. Instead the email contained the line "Bonus funds may only be withdrawn once wagered 10 times or more at odds of 2.0 or higher" which of course would be perfectly reasonable.
Even if you take the strict view that it is the punter's responsibility to read through and understand all the small print on an operator's website before accepting a bonus, in this case they have fundamentally moved the goalposts by restricting the account, thereby making the meeting of the conditions effectively impossible in any reasonable timeframe.
I have had various correspondence with Betway with no success "You'd need to place some bets before the real money can be had. We hope that you understand as to the requirements on your account, and we are confident that you will be able to create a lovely return while meeting them."
And with eCogra "It is the player’s responsibility to read and fully understand both the General and Promotional Terms and Conditions of a site before they start to play".
I wanted to highlight this for the community, to prevent others from falling into the same trap.
I would also be interested to hear others' views on whether this is simply a case of a casino style bonus condition being unfairly applied to a sports account, or if it is an example of more widespread unscrupulous behaviour by Betway.
Are Betway a legitimate, trustworthy company?
