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Punters are waiting for answers after they were allegedly unable to make withdrawals by bookmaker Bet Deck, only for the site to go “under maintenance” during the middle of the Melbourne Cup carnival.
Some punters have thousands of dollars tied up their betting accounts, which they say they haven’t been able to access since the bookmaker site went down on Oaks Day, with the message “site under maintenance”. Those punters include former clients of Bbet, which recently merged and transferred betting accounts to Bet Deck.
Punters have allegedly been unable to withdraw funds from their Bet Deck accounts, with the site ‘under maintenance’.Credit: Erin Jonasson; Supplied
An industry source familiar with the bookmaking landscape – who asked not to be named, so they could speak freely – estimated Bet Deck and Bbet would have between 150,000 and 200,000 customers, although it was likely only 10 to 25 per cent of those customers would be active.
The bookmaker is licensed with the Northern Territory Racing Commission, which said it was aware of Bet Deck’s operational issues affecting customers.
“The racing commission is an independent statutory authority that operates as an administrative and quasi-judicial tribunal with powers to regulate the racing and betting industries of the NT,” the commission’s chair Alastair Shields said.
“The commission is aware of the issue and are working with The Bet Deck [Pty Ltd] in relation to the matter and anticipates that The Bet Deck will be in a position to make an announcement in the near future.”
A Bet Deck notice to a client.
A majority owner in Bet Deck, Luke Behrmann, told this masthead that directors were in negotiations for the bookmaker to be sold.
“Bet Deck has been in some sales negotiations in recent times,” Behrmann said.
“I guess there’s no for sale sign, but we’ve had some interested parties in recent times.
“We have had negotiations with a couple of parties about selling the business.”
However, he declined to answer other questions about Bet Deck and its operations, including allegations from customers that they were unable to withdraw their money before the site went under maintenance, and pointed to Jeremy Turner as Bet Deck’s authorised spokesperson.
Clients remain in the dark as to whether they’ll be able to regain access to their funds.
Three punters spoke to this masthead on the condition of anonymity, in order to not jeopardise their chances of getting repaid.
One said he believed there was more than $3000 in his account but said he hadn’t been able to see his balance since the site went down. He alleges he tried to withdraw funds before the site went down, only to be told he hadn’t turned over the deposited amount, which he denies.
Another punter said he was unable to access $1200 in his account. He had been a Bet Deck client for at least two years.
Both punters said they were regularly induced to continue betting with the bookmaker thanks to deposit bonuses – an incentive where the bookmaker matches a deposit with bonus bets or cash, sometimes receiving the offer twice-weekly.
A third punter said he had a withdrawal approved by Bet Deck two weeks ago, but the funds never made it to his bank account, only for him to also receive a message telling him he hadn’t met the turnover requirement.
Besides confirming Bet Deck was in negotiations to be sold, Behrmann declined to answer more questions about Bet Deck, saying he was a director but only a minority shareholder. He referred this masthead to Bet Deck’s founder Jeremy Turner, but Turner also declined to answer questions.
“I am a current director and minor shareholder in The Bet Deck but do not hold an operational role so I am unable to answer the majority of your questions,” Turner said.
“At present my understanding is the ASIC register would reflect the current shareholdings of The Bet Deck and I am aware that The Bet Deck is in discussions with the NTRC on a few items.”
An ASIC search lists Turner as a 40 per cent shareholder in The Bet Deck. A business named Waves Main Street Pty Ltd, fully owned by Behrmann, is a 20 per cent shareholder, while Baby Co Behrmann Pty Ltd – jointly owned by Luke and Claire Behrmann – owns the other 40 per cent of The Bet Deck.
Luke and Claire Behrmann were also the majority owners of Bbet. Turner worked as Bbet’s operations manager from October 2018 until December 2021, before founding Bet Deck.
Turner says he sold down to a 31 per cent shareholding of Bet Deck six weeks ago when his operational role at the bookmaker ended.
The Age does not suggest that any of the directors or shareholders of Bet Deck have acted inappropriately in relation to the site’s apparent operational issues.
On Tuesday, Bet Deck tweeted, saying, “To all the bet deck clients awaiting further updates we are currently working through a process with the NTRC and an update will be provided Friday morning. Thank you for your patience.”
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