Isle of Man-based online gambling operator 666Bet has gone temporary offline as it migrates to a new platform. The 666Bet website currently displays a splash screen informing players that the site was “performing a scheduled upgrade to our platform. We hope to be up and running again very shortly and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.” The MetroPlay site, which 666Bet acquired in September from DMG Media, is unaffected by the disruption.
On Thursday, 666Bet’s official Twitter feed alerted customers that there would be “no access to our site for up to 24-hours from this evening whilst we migrate to a new website. This migration will enhance all of our operations including our payment system.” On Friday, the site asked players to “please bear with us as we work to get our site up and running.”
In November, 666Bet CEO Barry Martin (pictured) announced plans for a major product overhaul that included a new sportsbook partnership with BetConstruct and a new payment provider. The new website, which would operate under MetroPlay’s Alderney gaming license, was supposed to launch on Dec. 15
666Bet formerly operated on a platform provided by the Isle of Man-based Novigroup. On Thursday, 666Bet players reported receiving emails stating the following:
“As of 18.12.2014 Novigroup Ltd will no longer provide its betting and gaming services to 666bet customers. The website will remain open solely for the purpose of allowing all customers to withdraw their remaining account balance. We wish to reassure you that all customers’ funds will be paid promptly and in full.”
However, this email was followed more or less immediately by a message from “the 666BET team” saying:
“You may have just received an email from [email protected], please disregard this communication. As of 17:00 hours on 18/12/2014, Novigroup Ltd no longer provide their services to 666BET. Please do not worry, your account balances will remain intact and there is no need to withdraw any of your funds. All customer accounts will be carried over to our new platform. Due to the migration to our new and improved website, our site will be down until tomorrow. During this period you will be unable to log-in or make any transactions. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.”
Over the past couple months, online gambling forums had been filling up with 666Bet customers complaining about delays in processing withdrawals, which prompted a 666Bet rep to report the company was “suffering from delays with our payment system … When we launch our new site the affected customers will be compensated.” A post on 666Bet’s Facebook page on Thursday assured customers that the new site “will greatly enhance our operations and improve areas such as our payments system. We do hope you will stick with us during this downtime as we work to move away from Novigroup.”
