#1 RATINGS and REVIEWS of SPORTS BOOKS thread. Poster input appreciated.

[Rating Place]

One last thing. If there is any sign of trouble, it will be posted. Prior to Bitbook stating that they were closing shop, I posted "do not deposit at Bitbook at this time" and their rating was dropped.  If any of us see a warning of trouble, it should be posted.

Some times with the books, I give them some time before coming out with a rating since it may be unfair to the book as well as players looking in. I waited on Darkbet and they have now disappeared. Now I'm waiting on BetVIP.

[Legions36]

Hi Peeps can u look into BTCSportsMatch as im trying to withdraw my balance and it wont let me threw the system. There is this message saying they are closing:Due to a legal issue, we are suspending operations. Please cancel any orders and withdraw your balance or email support from your authorized email address for a manual withdrawal. Matches for March 27 and beyond have been voided. We appreciate your support over the last 3 years.
I emailed them to send my BTC, can u find out more?

[Rating Place]

Hi Peeps can u look into BTCSportsMatch as im trying to withdraw my balance and it wont let me threw the system. There is this message saying they are closing:Due to a legal issue, we are suspending operations. Please cancel any orders and withdraw your balance or email support from your authorized email address for a manual withdrawal. Matches for March 27 and beyond have been voided. We appreciate your support over the last 3 years.
I emailed them to send my BTC, can u find out more?

I just went to the withdrawal screen where it asks how much you would like to withdraw. Are you able to get to that screen?

[Rating Place]

"A" rated books
Anonibet A
NitrogenSports A-
Betcoinsports A-

"B"rated books
Casinobitcoin B
Cloudbet B 
CoinBet B
DirectBet B
SBObitcoin B-
Jetwin B-

"C" rated books
Bitbm C
BTCSportsmatch C (closing)

"D" rated books
Bitcoinlivebets D-

"F" rated books
Bitcoinsport
Bitsaloon
StakeBTC

NR
Bitbook - Closed but paid players.

[Legions36]

Hi Peeps can u look into BTCSportsMatch as im trying to withdraw my balance and it wont let me threw the system. There is this message saying they are closing:Due to a legal issue, we are suspending operations. Please cancel any orders and withdraw your balance or email support from your authorized email address for a manual withdrawal. Matches for March 27 and beyond have been voided. We appreciate your support over the last 3 years.
I emailed them to send my BTC, can u find out more?

I just went to the withdrawal screen where it asks how much you would like to withdraw. Are you able to get to that screen?

I got my payout via email then within the hour the sent me back saying i was paid, but i will also say my account still shows my balance so if u here people trying a fast one u know the truth. The withdraw link didn't work for me in the cashier thats why I emailed them. Im pretty said about this place closing always something good has to get sh-itted on.

[Rating Place]

Darkbet temporarily offline

Hi everyone,

We have decided it would be best to take DarkBet offline in anticipation for our launch, meanwhile myself and the team will be able to continue improving the platform in a more stress-free environment.

continuing the Beta while we work on these last major implementation would not be a pleasant experience for our users, so we unanimously decided that this was the best course of action. On the bright side, this will greatly speed up the progress and even allow us to make some new improvements and additions.

We are very thankful for everyone who has participated in the Beta, the contribution has been beyond what we had expected. A lot of you have emailed and PM'd us about suggestions, bugs and overall made a huge contributions to DarkBets future.

We recommend that those who have funds in their accounts withdraw these before 1. April, however we will be answering PM's and emails contentiously until our launch in case someone missed this email/announcement.

PS. All VIPP, DBP and BTC balances will be kept, as well as any user history and logs.

We hope everyone returns for our launch and thanks again for all the support!

Thomas

[Rating Place]

nextbit.co just opened. At this time they are only taking a few soccer matches daily.

Many sports betting sites use cheap marketing tactics like bikini-clad women and flashy banners to try and lure people in. But let’s face it: there are better sites out there for bikini-gazing. What you want is gimmick-free sports betting with Bitcoin. We get it.

Built by Bitcoiners and sports betters, NextBit.co is a new Bitcoin-based gambling site that offers a simple and secure sports book. No bikinis. No flash. Just fair, fun, and anonymous sports betting that starts and ends with Bitcoin.

But enough about banner-babes, let’s talk about something even sexier to online gamblers. That’s right—security. 

Other sports books claim they are secure, but are they really? Some sites use weak code and cut corners in infrastructure, making them as vulnerable to theft as a Las Vegas casino with no surveillance. 

What makes NextBit different?

NextBit is designed by a team of security experts and programming gurus, so you can rest assured your winnings will always find their way into your wallet.

NextBit security infrastructure includes:
256 AES Encryption
Separate servers that manage transactions and the website, reducing attack surfaces and keeping your Bitcoins secure.
Independent Bitcoin wallets that allow you to openly track bets in the blockchain.

Not only is NextBit one of the most secure sports books on the web, but we’re also one of the easiest to use. Being sports bettors ourselves, we were tired of gambling sites that looked as cluttered as a hoarder’s garage, which is why we created NextBit: a clean, clutter-free, and easy to navigate betting site.

At NextBit, just pick your event, enter a wager, review the odds, and send your payment. That’s it. Four clicks and you’re done.

Remaining true to the spirit of Bitcoin, all betting with NextBit is anonymous. No emails. No accounts. No Facebook login links. We believe your identity is your business. Like the uninterested doorman at your favorite bar, NextBit waves you on in without ever asking for an I.D.

And finally, in solidarity with the Bitcoin community, NextBit.co is proud to be a 100% Bitcoin-based sports book. We pay our employees and only do business in Bitcoin.

So come place a wager with NextBit today. And stay tuned for all the new features and updates we’ll be regularly rolling out. 

Cheers and may the betting gods guide your next wager.

-Team NextBit

[Gogo ppp]

Peeps u shouldn't put Bitbook in the same category as F rated books it gives off the wrong signal to people. They are paying people not screwing them. What if down the road they ever decide that they want back in then people will remember that they were in the same category as a stiff book. Separate category would be better for these things, they deserve much better than that. Just my thoughts when I look at the rating sheet.

Bitbook.biz paid depositors for 48 hours, and are now incommunicado.

There are depositors who weren't aware of the close down during that 48 hours and are now - unsuccessfully - trying to reach bitbook.biz:

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=523426.0

They've been trying to reach Bitbook.biz for 5 days now.
And of course there have to be others who are not aware of this forum and/or this thread in the same situation.

So this book does deserve an F.
Out of the blue announcing "We're closing down, submit your withdrawal request" is the right way to do it.
Disappearing after 48 hours and disabling/not responding to depositors who still have funds there is not the right way to do it.

I was totally unaware of this as I thought they have paid everyone out.

Now Peeps is aware of this also, but he hasn't changed it back to an "F" rating, even though customers are being stiffed.

[Gogo ppp]

Alabamafan1 on Bitbook

They have users 10+ days to withdraw their balance after they made the announcement they were closing. People who had 50+ BTC in bitbook did not have any problem withdrawing during those days and bitbook made it clear the site was going offline after 7 days had passed and they said it would be up for a few more days. Do not call bitbook a scam direct bet, they never were and it is not the fault of them that these users did not check their accounts or the latest news in 10+ days

It's irrelevant what term is used for Bitbook.biz, or, what the owner's intentions are or were.


"Do not call bitbook a scam direct bet, they never were and it is not the fault of them that these users did not check their accounts or the latest news in 10+ days"

It's also not the fault of their customers that they didn't feel a need to check in every 10 days to see if this  book was going to go out of business and cut off all contact after 10 days.



He could still pay them - if he has the money to do so, and/or the desire.

The fact is that customers are being stiffed, and the owner is aware that he is stiffing them.

[Gogo ppp]

Jetwin upgraded to B-

Jetwin's opening rating was a "D". The reason for the low rating was in large part due to their rules. Their rules state that they can confiscate player's funds for a multitude of reasons. While many post up books state similar rules, the bad books will use those rules. The good books never use confiscation rules for syndicate and steam plays. They ban the player but all winnings are paid. Jetwin seems to be using their rules as a scarecrow tactic.

Why do they get into the B's so fast? Books need to earn the respect here not just an ease of access if u want them to respect or if u want anyone to take u serious Peeps. Going from a D to a B overnite is overboard. Some people will count on these ratings Peeps and I have also sent over people from other forums to look at these ratings, if things go wrong then this will be taken as a joke. I hope u understand what I'm trying to get at an A book really needs to be an A and people need to know that they are safe. Consider this when rating, we need things to get bigger and better, people are already scared. I wish more books with history would use bitcoins.

What you say is valid and in almost all other circumstances a book will not be raised two grades.

My thought process was that Jetwin should have been a B- book but that their rules granted them free reign to confiscate funds. My thinking now is that the rules are just stock rules used by other books that aren't intended to be used.  I feel that my original grade was much too low.

I also like what Jetwin is doing with risk management where I'm secure on their plans to pay players. Some of these 3x rollover books scare me. This is the reason that Stakebet opened at a "D" and I stated the only reason they were a "D" is that they haven't had a slow pay yet.

The only thing keeping StakeBTC from being a "F", because of that bonus, is that they haven't had one complaint as far as payouts. StakeBTC opens at "D".

I do appreciate the feedback and if you and others feel that Jetwin should have a lower grade, then the grade will be lowered.

Agree with Legions.


Peeps - "I also like what Jetwin is doing with risk management where I'm secure on their plans to pay players."

You are secure on their plans to pay players.
Even though they have numerous onerous terms in their T & C and the most ridiculous bonus rollover terms in the history of sportsbooks, you asked them and they told you that all of those terms will be ignored and they will not steal from players.

There are numerous sportsbooks out there, and none of them feel a need to post all of the justifications for possible future theft that Jetwin has in its T&C.

But you asked them, and they told you the only thing they could tell you, "Oh we're really good guys and we were just funning" and you believe this and move them up 2 ranks, after they're in existence a few weeks.
You take the word of complete strangers at face value, as if this came from the management of the Greek or Pinnacle, and not from anonymous people on a bitcoin forum, in a sub-culture where there have already been numerous stiffings and problems.


Legions - "Books need to earn the respect here not just an ease of access if u want them to respect or if u want anyone to take u serious Peeps."


Peeps - "My thought process..."
Here's where you get into trouble.

[Rating Place]

Even though they have numerous onerous terms in their T & C and the most ridiculous bonus rollover terms in the history of sportsbooks

untrue. I'm also not sure how you can downgrade a book based upon bonus rules when many books don't give bonuses.

[Rating Place]

I'll post some rules of other post up books.

Bookmaker

26. BookMaker reserves the right to take away any bonus -such as a free plays- any time, without explanation

1Vice - They can take all of your funds for multiple reasons.

Other sanctions could include:

Administration fees
Refusal of payouts
Reversal of wagering transactions

[Rating Place]

Please post if anyone had a problem or knows of a complaint against Jetwin.

[Legions36]

I'll post some rules of other post up books.

Bookmaker

26. BookMaker reserves the right to take away any bonus -such as a free plays- any time, without explanation

1Vice - They can take all of your funds for multiple reasons.

Other sanctions could include:

Administration fees
Refusal of payouts
Reversal of wagering transactions

1vice is a good place and won't screw people. I have used them and know of numerous people who have enjoyed there stay when they have played there.
U know what I just realized that also accepts bitcoins and gives out good bonuses and have been around for a few years already. Betowi and sportsbettingonline, both owned the same Betowi gives 100% bonuses. Probably good for a C rating and that $500 deposit bonus and betting a few hundred per bet. They do convert to usd but it's also 100%.
Also something else to note anything related to Pinnacle in anyway is an A++

[Legions36]

Alabamafan1 on Bitbook

They have users 10+ days to withdraw their balance after they made the announcement they were closing. People who had 50+ BTC in bitbook did not have any problem withdrawing during those days and bitbook made it clear the site was going offline after 7 days had passed and they said it would be up for a few more days. Do not call bitbook a scam direct bet, they never were and it is not the fault of them that these users did not check their accounts or the latest news in 10+ days

It's irrelevant what term is used for Bitbook.biz, or, what the owner's intentions are or were.


"Do not call bitbook a scam direct bet, they never were and it is not the fault of them that these users did not check their accounts or the latest news in 10+ days"

It's also not the fault of their customers that they didn't feel a need to check in every 10 days to see if this  book was going to go out of business and cut off all contact after 10 days.



He could still pay them - if he has the money to do so, and/or the desire.

The fact is that customers are being stiffed, and the owner is aware that he is stiffing them.

I don't get it why would they pay everyone except a few people? Give it time, maybe someone could figure out how to contact them.

[Gogo ppp]

Alabamafan1 on Bitbook

They have users 10+ days to withdraw their balance after they made the announcement they were closing. People who had 50+ BTC in bitbook did not have any problem withdrawing during those days and bitbook made it clear the site was going offline after 7 days had passed and they said it would be up for a few more days. Do not call bitbook a scam direct bet, they never were and it is not the fault of them that these users did not check their accounts or the latest news in 10+ days

It's irrelevant what term is used for Bitbook.biz, or, what the owner's intentions are or were.


"Do not call bitbook a scam direct bet, they never were and it is not the fault of them that these users did not check their accounts or the latest news in 10+ days"

It's also not the fault of their customers that they didn't feel a need to check in every 10 days to see if this  book was going to go out of business and cut off all contact after 10 days.



He could still pay them - if he has the money to do so, and/or the desire.

The fact is that customers are being stiffed, and the owner is aware that he is stiffing them.

I don't get it why would they pay everyone except a few people? Give it time, maybe someone could figure out how to contact them.

"I don't get it why would they pay everyone except a few people?"

I can only speculate -

 perhaps he was under capitalized, and paid until he ran out of funds, at which point he cut off all contact;

perhaps he changed his mind and decided he wanted to keep some of the funds for himself.



"Give it time, maybe someone could figure out how to contact them."

Hopefully you are correct and he reappears and makes everyone whole.

[Rating Place]

 I'm thinking of revamping the ratings. Bitbook, Blockbet, Bit365 all looked like great sports books at one time and all are out of business. New bitcoin books keep opening up and they are trying to share the same piece of pie.

I think that longevity should play a higher role in the ratings system. . All books, with exception of Anonibet, they have been in business since 2011, should be knocked down a grade. A "B" book should be "B-", an "A-" should go to "B+". Jetwin down two grades since I jumped the gun. There are going to be many more bitcoin books to go under and an "A" rating should be reserved for books with a long term history.

If anyone disagrees, let me know now. Thanks

[DirectBet]

I'm thinking of revamping the ratings. Bitbook, Blockbet, Bit365 all looked like great sports books at one time and all are out of business. New bitcoin books keep opening up and they are trying to share the same piece of pie.

I think that longevity should play a higher role in the ratings system. . All books, with exception of Anonibet, they have been in business since 2011, should be knocked down a grade. A "B" book should be "B-", an "A-" should go to "B+". Jetwin down two grades since I jumped the gun. There are going to be many more bitcoin books to go under and an "A" rating should be reserved for books with a long term history.

If anyone disagrees, let me know now. Thanks

It doesn't matter how long the book is in business. All that matters is what practices they are taking to protect users funds.

Bitbook was considered by many the most trusted Bitcoin sportsbook, it was their slogan and they never failed to pay a winning bet. Yet one day they too disappeared without paying all their customers.

You might argue that the more time the book is in business, the less chance there is for them to disappear. But on the other hand, the more time the book is in business, the more customers they have, the more deposits they hold, the more incentive for them to steal it and disappear.

Take for example Full Tilt Poker. They were the second largest on-line poker room for a decade, endorsed by dozens of top players, you would have rated them AAA+++ and players felt confident to keep there millions, yet they too stole hundreds of millions dollars from players deposits and had Poker Stars not buy them out, most of that money would have been gone. Same for Ultimate Bet, Absolute Poker, all top on-line poker rooms at the time with the exception Poker Stars.

If security is your concern, for rating purposes, you should dig deeper into what is done to protect users funds.

I made a post here several weeks ago on this matter explaining what steps needs to be taken to protect users funds. Currently, no Bitcoin sportsbook offers any real protection on deposits and therefore none of them should be rated A.

I made this post before Bitbook went out of business and unfortunately I was spot on with my warning.

Here again is my post :

For your Bitcoins to be safe in a sportsbook account, the sportsbook needs to store all user-owned Bitcoins (deposits and winnings) in a separate account from the account used to pay for their daily operations, in a similar way that Poker Stars is doing for its Poker players. In addition, it needs to make sure that there is always more than enough funds in the segregated account to cover all user balances in the event that everyone will want to withdrawal their entire balances at the same time.

Furthermore, they need to prove that they control the Bitcoins in the segregated account, and allow an independent 3rd party to audit it at any time.

Finally, they need to demonstrate that access to the cold storage of Bitcoins is not limited to one or two persons, otherwise, in the unfortunate event that something terrible happens to them, the Bitcoins will be gone. For this reason, the sportsbooks need to provide a 3rd independent and trusted escrow service with an access to the segregated Bitcoins that are used to cover user balances, and an authorization to distribute them to their owners in unfortunate circumstances.

To the best of my knowledge, none of the Bitcoin sportsbooks follow this practice or a similar one, and therefore your Bitcoins are not safe in any of them.

Stating that they have the Bitcoins in a cold storage is meaningless. They need to prove it, they need to allow an independent 3rd party to audit it at any time, and they need to show how you will get your Bitcoins in the unfortunate event that the people in control of it die.

Recently, there have been many Bitcoin sportsbooks that disappeared with all user balances. Unfortunately, as history has learned us, this will continue as long as there is no true protection to the users, similar to the one provided by Poker Stars in the poker industry.

[adjiadjo]

Anonibet A++ from me , (not using other books yet,any recomendation with parlay in it?)
fast deposit , fast withdrawl , and fast bet settled  

[Rating Place]

I'm thinking of revamping the ratings. Bitbook, Blockbet, Bit365 all looked like great sports books at one time and all are out of business. New bitcoin books keep opening up and they are trying to share the same piece of pie.

I think that longevity should play a higher role in the ratings system. . All books, with exception of Anonibet, they have been in business since 2011, should be knocked down a grade. A "B" book should be "B-", an "A-" should go to "B+". Jetwin down two grades since I jumped the gun. There are going to be many more bitcoin books to go under and an "A" rating should be reserved for books with a long term history.

If anyone disagrees, let me know now. Thanks

It doesn't matter how long the book is in business. All that matters is what practices they are taking to protect users funds.

Bitbook was considered by many the most trusted Bitcoin sportsbook, it was their slogan and they never failed to pay a winning bet. Yet one day they too disappeared without paying all their customers.

You might argue that the more time the book is in business, the less chance there is for them to disappear. But on the other hand, the more time the book is in business, the more customers they have, the more deposits they hold, the more incentive for them to steal it and disappear.

Take for example Full Tilt Poker. They were the second largest on-line poker room for a decade, endorsed by dozens of top players, you would have rated them AAA+++ and players felt confident to keep there millions, yet they too stole hundreds of millions dollars from players deposits and had Poker Stars not buy them out, most of that money would have been gone. Same for Ultimate Bet, Absolute Poker, all top on-line poker rooms at the time with the exception Poker Stars.

If security is your concern, for rating purposes, you should dig deeper into what is done to protect users funds.

I made a post here several weeks ago on this matter explaining what steps needs to be taken to protect users funds. Currently, no Bitcoin sportsbook offers any real protection on deposits and therefore none of them should be rated A.

I made this post before Bitbook went out of business and unfortunately I was spot on with my warning.

Here again is my post :

For your Bitcoins to be safe in a sportsbook account, the sportsbook needs to store all user-owned Bitcoins (deposits and winnings) in a separate account from the account used to pay for their daily operations, in a similar way that Poker Stars is doing for its Poker players. In addition, it needs to make sure that there is always more than enough funds in the segregated account to cover all user balances in the event that everyone will want to withdrawal their entire balances at the same time.

Furthermore, they need to prove that they control the Bitcoins in the segregated account, and allow an independent 3rd party to audit it at any time.

Finally, they need to demonstrate that access to the cold storage of Bitcoins is not limited to one or two persons, otherwise, in the unfortunate event that something terrible happens to them, the Bitcoins will be gone. For this reason, the sportsbooks need to provide a 3rd independent and trusted escrow service with an access to the segregated Bitcoins that are used to cover user balances, and an authorization to distribute them to their owners in unfortunate circumstances.

To the best of my knowledge, none of the Bitcoin sportsbooks follow this practice or a similar one, and therefore your Bitcoins are not safe in any of them.

Stating that they have the Bitcoins in a cold storage is meaningless. They need to prove it, they need to allow an independent 3rd party to audit it at any time, and they need to show how you will get your Bitcoins in the unfortunate event that the people in control of it die.

Recently, there have been many Bitcoin sportsbooks that disappeared with all user balances. Unfortunately, as history has learned us, this will continue as long as there is no true protection to the users, similar to the one provided by Poker Stars in the poker industry.

You make some good points that I will address later. After watching Bitbook go under I still feel that longevity is important. These books have a player base. New bitcoin books don't have that player base.