Travis, Mate! Bet365 Has Kicked Me Out!

June 18, 2017 | government, sport

If you have an online gambling account that hasn’t been closed or severely restricted, the company believes you are a loser, and is treating you like a mug.

Update Sep 2022: Well, this pop-culture reference has dated pretty badly. As all good jokes are better when explained - Travis Fimmel is an actor who was on popular TV show Vikings. Online betting company Bet365 had him feature in wall-to-wall ads that everyone watching live sport in 2017 would have seen. The general idea of the ads was that we're all friends, part of this delightful betting community together. There, now you can enjoy the sarcasm as originally intended.

Travis, cobber! You told me that the final whistle is never the final whistle. That the turnstiles would never stop turning. That the cheering goes on forever. That we were part of something big.

Travis Fimmel’s image projected onto a stadium — Travis enjoying a nil-all draw between two failed states, probably.

But I’ve been shut out, Travis! What did I do wrong?

Message reads: Hi Mathew, Following a review of your account by our Trading team, we regret to inform you that we are no longer able to offer you our telephone betting service and whilst our online service remains available to you, betting restrictions will be applied on any future bets placed, with the exception of minimum bet limits for NSW and Victoria thoroughbred races. Should you wish to continue to use our services, the Sports offers and promotions available to you will be restricted to the following standard offers which remain open to all customers: 365 Best, 365 Tote, 365 Mid+, Best Fluctuation, Feature Meeting Offer, Fixed Win Guarantee, Racing Value, Bore Draw Offer, Soccer Multi Bet Offer, Footy Multi Bet Offer, Parlay Offer, Euro Basketball Offer, Tennis Multi Bet Offer, Each-Way First Goalscorers and Extra Time Extra Chance. Kind regards, The bet365 Team — I need to charge my phone.

Could it be a mistake, Travis? Here is the complete list of bets I placed in my last six months:

A screenshot from the bet365 app, showing a list of 18 bets placed between October 2016 and November 2017. The total outlay is $380 and the total return is $1257. — I did OK, but I'm no David Walsh.

I messaged Bet365 and had no response. I called them up but the service rep wouldn’t answer my questions:

“The only thing I can say is that your account was subjected to a full review, it was a management decision to place the restriction, and we can provide you with no further information.”

What does this mean, Travis? There’s a hint in the Bet365 terms and conditions:

4.2 bet365 reserves the right to close or suspend your account at any time and for any reason.

“Any reason” in this case seems to be that I won more money than I lost. Staking $380 over six months for a return of $1257 makes me an unacceptable punter.

Here’s what I reckon, Trav:

If you have an online gambling account that hasn’t been closed or severely restricted, the company believes you are a loser.
It must be hard to win big with the types of bet I’ve been restricted to. That might explain why sports multis are advertised so heavily - they’re hard to win consistently and appeal to the most casual gamblers.
Independent bookies are obliged to bet to lose a certain amount (which could be around $1000-$5000 depending on the venue), while these corporates can do as they please. We grant these companies licences that allow them to fleece us without their having to take much risk in return. That’s inconsistent at best, and pokies-level shameful at worst.

I’m not complaining, Travis. Bet365 had the right to cut me off, and I knew it - I’d heard the stories and wanted to see it for myself. The governments that grant licences under such terms ought to pull their bloody socks up, though. And the next time you’re projected onto a building would you let your fellow members know that they’re being treated like mugs?