Popular online betting site BetVictor attracts many customers by offering them a 100% match free-bet on their first deposit (up to $50). Or so we thought.
In order to receive the free-bet, you must place a wager on a game with odds greater than 2.00 (thats +100 for you Americans). After you have done that, you must verify your account by sending a picture of your ID (such as a drivers license) in to the staff.
A user who would like to remain nameless completed both of these steps only to be denied multiple times. In the spirit of Frostbet’s Watchdog blog, we will break down the full story.
The Situation
This user contacted customer support when he realized that he was not credited with the 100% free-bet after he made a play on a +105 line. They notified him that as an international user outside of the United Kingdom, he was required to send proof to GlobalID@BetVictor.com. The following e-mail was sent two and a half days ago:
The user provided all of the necessary information including full-name, account user-name, account ID, and a JPEG photograph of their drivers license. We censored out their personal information just to be safe, but we can confirm that picture of their ID was clear, valid, and proved they were older than the minimum age in their region (which was 18).
After a long wait, they finally responded to the user with the following e-mail:
“It is with regret that we have been unable to verify your details from the information you provided”. Thats it. No explanation as to why they were unable to do it. Maybe that would slide if they didn’t take forever to verify your documents, but having someone wait over 60 hours to give them a half-assed response? That is careless.
The user did not stop there. They wanted a faster response, so they took to BetVictor’s live-chat system to see what was going on. They were immediately disconnected when inquiring about the issue:
This is very suspicious. An immediate disconnect following inquiry into the matter. They tried another chat, only for it to be even less helpful than before. The chat agent simply avoided the issue, and refused to provide the reasoning for not accepting the ID despite it having all of the necessary information on it.
We will keep you updated if there are any new developments sent to us. For the mean time, avoid using BetVictor until it becomes clear that they are going to be honouring their promotions.
Update
According to the user, they contacted customer support again and sent the link to this article. They were immediately redirected to a manager on duty who resolved the issue instantly, without them having to wait another 60 hours.
Frostbet’s Watchdog blog is here to give you a voice in a community that is always held silent. If you ever have any problems with sportsbooks and have proof to back it up, please contact us via e-mail or Twitter. We would be happy to write an article about your situation, giving you the attention necessary for resolving it. Although we were only talking about $50 in this one, its important that someone holds sportsbooks accountable.
Here is a picture of their bonus funds. It appears as though BetVictor gave them an uncapped bonus on their first wager, not limiting them to $50. The power of voice.