International bookmaker Betjack has found itself in the middle of an investigation launched by racing authorities in Australia over allegations of not paying bettors their winnings.
Racing Victoria Chief Executive Bernard Saundry had some harsh words for Betjack, calling the operator “parasites who have been paying no returns to the Victorian racing industry” for using their product. Saundry calls on the federal government in Australia to take action against the bookmaker and other international operators who offer bets to Australians from outside the country.
According to Sydney Morning Herald (SMH), Betjack has also been accused of not paying bettors their winnings even though the company has an Australian bank account with local bank Westpac that bettors are told to use to deposit money into their accounts. The Australian paper cited numerous instances of Betjack refusing to pay its punters, including bettors at a Melbourne golf club that are allegedly owed more than $150,000 and another bettor allegedly stiffed of $200,000 in winnings before having his original deposit returned and told not to bet with the site again.
Slow payments complaints have also plagued Betjack, which reportedly has ties to a Gold Coast-based company, Parkview Corporate Services (PCS), controlled by Jeffrey Myles Kemp, and has accounts with both Westpac and ANZ. Last month, PCS tried to hired more employees, seeking telemarketers with “backgrounds in racing, the stock market or futures trading.”
POLi Payments CEO Jeffrey McAlister confirmed to SMH that his company has provided online payment services to Betjack. “We’ve got a contract with them,” McAlister said. “They don’t do significant business with us but nonetheless they do have an Australian bank account.”
According to Saundry, the site is operating illegally in the country and takes advantage of unsuspecting bettors. “Punters electing to bet with unapproved international bookmakers are not only transacting with a business, which is breaking the law, but they may risk doing their money cold,” he added.
