FreeSportsbook.us Scam
FreeSportsbook.us is one of the unique scam sportsbooks to pop up in the past few years. Instead of an offshore office and a management team that operates in another country, FreeSportsbook.us is one of the few sportsbooks that many have alleged that was operating inside the United States.
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FreeSportsBooks.us And Its Alleged Operation Inside The US
Of course, if you know anything about online gambling in this country and more specifically, online sports betting, this is a significant problem. The US government has made a habit of busting online gambling sites, even those based overseas, so one can imagine the potential consequences of operating a site from inside the country.
Issues Immediately – Early Signs Of The Scam
The Off Shore Gaming Association was the first site to point out the issues surrounding FreeSportsbook.us on one of their “Bad Bet Updates” posts. The sportsbook itself opened in the summer of 2011 and immediately drew red flags. The “big draw” at FreeSportsbook.us was a “free” $2.50 to play with, no deposit required. However, the site did little to inspire confidence with gamblers. Most of their webpage was used to entice players to deposit using other methods.
A One-Man Show For FreeSportsBooks.us & Lack Of Deposit Methods
Most troubling was FreeSportsbook.us urging players to send them money via PayPal. PayPal, is the world’s largest e-wallet and is used to send money around the world for a variety of services, including online gambling. One big problem though, PayPal has been outlawed from processing gambling transactions for nearly ten years. Other e-wallets, such as Neteller and Skrill left the market over five years ago as well. OSGA goes onto allege the FreeSportsbook.us is a one-man show and that one guy answers the phones, takes wagers and does customer service. The guy even goes as far as to tell players that he “needs to speak with accounting” when referencing issues with payouts.
Operating in the US? – A Matter Of Time Before A Crackdown
More worrisome and what is an eventual ticking time bomb is the fact that the sportsbook is operating within the United States. They claim to be a legal site, but have an IP address within the borders of New Jersey. Operating an online sportsbook from the United States is illegal and it’s a matter of if, not when, the federal government busts down your door. Suffice to say, depositing at a bookmaker that is run inside the United States is a terrible idea. There’s no reason to risk playing at a site this suspicious and with such a high level of risk. Even if FreeSportsbook.us was a reputable outfit and was paying players, they’re near 100 percent to get busted by the Feds.
Behind Payouts in July – FreSportsBook.us Just Another Scam
Even before OSGA issued their warning about the “sportsbook” being a potentially dangerous place for players to store funds, users at Covers.com had already discovered their scam back in late July. One user had been promised a check on June 30th and was continually told that his “cashout was being processed”, but more than three weeks later – he received nothing. The site closed down a few weeks later.
FreeSportsBook.us May Have Only Impacted New Players
FreeSportsbook.us likely didn’t cost much to bettors. However, players that did fall for their ruse were likely extremely new to sports betting and didn’t know any better. Those experienced bettors who took the plunge undoubtedly knew the risks associated with new sportsbooks, especially those with such shady backgrounds. Most new bettors are complete novices and their first foray into online betting is often an ill-advised place. For instance, forum users at some sites still solicit transfers from players while telling them that they work for a sportsbook as agents.
Avoid Every Site That Uses Only Paypal For Gambling
While that’s a separate issue, sportsbook scams like FreeSportsbook.us still proliferate, even five years later due to how ill-informed players when it comes to betting online. Do not deposit with PayPal to any site that offers point spreads and other markets and calls themselves a legal sports betting site. Also, read over our legal page and FAQ for betting in the US market.
In Conclusion – FreeSportsBook.us Scam
There’s no denying that the only way to know this types of actions is to read about it. Sadly no one talks openly about it and new players may fall to the marketing attempts on several other scamming sites. We believe our job is also to inform players of such pending financial danger, for this reason if you are still looking for information about sportsbook scams visit our main review page about scam sportsbooks sites, where you’ll find the similarities between the sites and the tactics they all seem to use.