Complaint Review: Any Sportsbook - Internet

I disagree, Irwin. Legal or not (and it's probably less clear cut than you may think) this consumer did not "deserve" to be ripped off. If he was engaged in some sort of victimizing crime, or the drug trade, or something of that nature, I would agree with you. The situation here is different. Nobody is victimized by illegal gambling except for the gambler (and in some cases his family and creditors, but in those cases there is a psychological compulsion demanding treatment, not scams). Consumers are solicited and lured in with promises of big returns and sign up bonuses. Most of them are probably ignorant as to the legal status of their activity, and even more ignorant as to the complicated process most of these casinos have devised to prevent you from ever collecting your sign up bonus (or any other money you may win). These companies take advantage of the shaky legal ground they are on. They operate from countries with virtually no legal systems, and are pretty much out of the reach of American authorities. This gives the consumer no recourse when he is defrauded, and you can bet there are alot of online casinos that take full advantage of this. But does this mean that the naive consumer deserves to be scammed? I think not. Most online casinos are not scams (at least not any more than land based casinos). They can make plenty of money without ripping people off. They have virtually no overhead, no big expensive hotels to build, no security guards and dealers to pay, etc. But there definitely are scammers out there, and there are a few things you should do before signing on with an online casino. Check around the web for reviews of the site - you can bet that a casino that continually scams its users will have an awful lot of complaints floating around. Verify your sources - don't trust that a casino-review site that is supported by casinos is going to give you an honest opinion. Next, familiarize yourself with the terms and conditions of the site, especially in regards to any sign-up bonuses. Most sites will require that you gamble ten or twenty times the amount of your sign up bonus before you can collect it, and some even require a notarized letter from you in order to collect any money. Finally, be aware that online casinos are notoriously slow in paying out. The check they send you is issued by an outside organization, and is probably routed through a few different countries to avoid legal hassles. Expect to wait anywhere from three to six weeks before receiving your money.

I disagree, Irwin. Legal or not (and it's probably less clear cut than you may think) this consumer did not "deserve" to be ripped off. If he was engaged in some sort of victimizing crime, or the drug trade, or something of that nature, I would agree with you. The situation here is different. Nobody is victimized by illegal gambling except for the gambler (and in some cases his family and creditors, but in those cases there is a psychological compulsion demanding treatment, not scams). Consumers are solicited and lured in with promises of big returns and sign up bonuses. Most of them are probably ignorant as to the legal status of their activity, and even more ignorant as to the complicated process most of these casinos have devised to prevent you from ever collecting your sign up bonus (or any other money you may win). These companies take advantage of the shaky legal ground they are on. They operate from countries with virtually no legal systems, and are pretty much out of the reach of American authorities. This gives the consumer no recourse when he is defrauded, and you can bet there are alot of online casinos that take full advantage of this. But does this mean that the naive consumer deserves to be scammed? I think not. Most online casinos are not scams (at least not any more than land based casinos). They can make plenty of money without ripping people off. They have virtually no overhead, no big expensive hotels to build, no security guards and dealers to pay, etc. But there definitely are scammers out there, and there are a few things you should do before signing on with an online casino. Check around the web for reviews of the site - you can bet that a casino that continually scams its users will have an awful lot of complaints floating around. Verify your sources - don't trust that a casino-review site that is supported by casinos is going to give you an honest opinion. Next, familiarize yourself with the terms and conditions of the site, especially in regards to any sign-up bonuses. Most sites will require that you gamble ten or twenty times the amount of your sign up bonus before you can collect it, and some even require a notarized letter from you in order to collect any money. Finally, be aware that online casinos are notoriously slow in paying out. The check they send you is issued by an outside organization, and is probably routed through a few different countries to avoid legal hassles. Expect to wait anywhere from three to six weeks before receiving your money.

I disagree, Irwin. Legal or not (and it's probably less clear cut than you may think) this consumer did not "deserve" to be ripped off. If he was engaged in some sort of victimizing crime, or the drug trade, or something of that nature, I would agree with you. The situation here is different. Nobody is victimized by illegal gambling except for the gambler (and in some cases his family and creditors, but in those cases there is a psychological compulsion demanding treatment, not scams). Consumers are solicited and lured in with promises of big returns and sign up bonuses. Most of them are probably ignorant as to the legal status of their activity, and even more ignorant as to the complicated process most of these casinos have devised to prevent you from ever collecting your sign up bonus (or any other money you may win). These companies take advantage of the shaky legal ground they are on. They operate from countries with virtually no legal systems, and are pretty much out of the reach of American authorities. This gives the consumer no recourse when he is defrauded, and you can bet there are alot of online casinos that take full advantage of this. But does this mean that the naive consumer deserves to be scammed? I think not. Most online casinos are not scams (at least not any more than land based casinos). They can make plenty of money without ripping people off. They have virtually no overhead, no big expensive hotels to build, no security guards and dealers to pay, etc. But there definitely are scammers out there, and there are a few things you should do before signing on with an online casino. Check around the web for reviews of the site - you can bet that a casino that continually scams its users will have an awful lot of complaints floating around. Verify your sources - don't trust that a casino-review site that is supported by casinos is going to give you an honest opinion. Next, familiarize yourself with the terms and conditions of the site, especially in regards to any sign-up bonuses. Most sites will require that you gamble ten or twenty times the amount of your sign up bonus before you can collect it, and some even require a notarized letter from you in order to collect any money. Finally, be aware that online casinos are notoriously slow in paying out. The check they send you is issued by an outside organization, and is probably routed through a few different countries to avoid legal hassles. Expect to wait anywhere from three to six weeks before receiving your money.

I hate to say this but if you lost money while being involved in an illegal activity then you got what you deserved. If you really want to gamble then go to a legitimate casino, God knows there are plenty of them across the U.S. and Canada now.

I hate to say this but if you lost money while being involved in an illegal activity then you got what you deserved. If you really want to gamble then go to a legitimate casino, God knows there are plenty of them across the U.S. and Canada now.

I hate to say this but if you lost money while being involved in an illegal activity then you got what you deserved. If you really want to gamble then go to a legitimate casino, God knows there are plenty of them across the U.S. and Canada now.

I hate to say this but if you lost money while being involved in an illegal activity then you got what you deserved. If you really want to gamble then go to a legitimate casino, God knows there are plenty of them across the U.S. and Canada now.