Friends accused of online betting scam

Jan 7 2009 by Dan Warburton, The Journal

TWO basketball fanatics threatened legal action yesterday after their online betting accounts were frozen and they were accused of a sophisticated internet scam – claiming it’s all because they won.

Dave Forrester, from Gateshead, and Paul Nilsen, 34, from Lemington, Newcastle, thought they had struck the jackpot when a sports accumulator gamble earned them nearly £3,000.

But only hours after their flutter bagged them the big cash prize, they were told their accounts were being investigated for being part of an elaborate online betting scam.

They were accused of defrauding the 10Bet website by opening a number of accounts in an effort to make multiple bets.

And despite a series of emails, the internet site has refused to pay up, prompting Mr Forrester, a solicitor who lives with his wife Claire, 29, a media manager, to threaten legal proceedings.

Last night the father-of-one, who has spent more than 25 years avidly following British basketball, said: “Our knowledge is from knowing the league and knowing who plays.

“All that takes is research and following a team. This wouldn’t have happened if we had placed an accumulator on a football game.

“It’s frustrating because we genuinely assessed the odds and chose the bets we thought would win.”

The pair say they are owed approximately £2,970 after Mr Forrester placed £42 on a four-piece accumulator, while Mr Nilsen pledged a total of £27 on the same bet.

The bets relied on the results of four games from the British Basketball League, including a game involving the Newcastle Eagles.

And despite the pair’s persistent attempts to contact the betting company about the accusations, they have been unable to withdraw their cash – and have also lost their stakes and the money that was already in their accounts.

Paul, a part-time sports reporter, said: “We only bet for a bit of a laugh and it was a once-in-a-lifetime bet that came off.

“The worst thing about it is that they’ve said we’ve broken betting rules by discussing odds. There’s nothing to stop you talking about results. We’re not some organised crime ring or a betting sports syndicate.

“We didn’t influence the outcome of eight professional sports teams, that’s nonsense.

“I’ve been following the sport for more than a decade. We won the bet and they didn’t like that, it’s as simple as that.”

Mr Forrester has reported the 10Bet website to the Independent Betting Adjudication Service and is awaiting a reply.

Last night he said he felt let down and that he believed the whole saga gave betting companies a bad reputation.

The 35-year-old, who has an eight-month-old son named Rory, said: “They were all generous bets – one of the teams had not won a game all year and we were betting against them. It was not a fluke, the bets were obvious.

“We say this is their fault, not ours. Our bets were hardly going to break the bank. I put £42 on the accumulator and Paul put £27 on it.

“By 10pm that night 10Bet had already updated our accounts, and we had the winnings but then they decided they didn’t want to pay.

“From what they are saying, the suggestion is that if the bet had not come in, we would have had our bets refunded. We were made to feel like criminals.”

Last night a spokesman for the 10Bet website refused to comment. He said: “We can not disclose any information related to any of our customers.”