Just before Christmas, our inbox, chat and phone lines were hopping, all looking for information on a brand new book, LowVig. Apparently this operation had an agreement with BetOnline to take over any of their reduced juice customers, once the Panamanian bookmaking giant stopped offering -105, even to grandfathered customers. Oddly enough, we have been trying to get some straight answers on the LowVig operation for over two weeks and still have a question mark on this brand new operation.
For starters we took a look at the original email to BetOnline low juice players. “BetOnline provides our software and markets, so we work closely with them. And, since they know you want low juice action, they shared your email with us for this invitation,†stated LowVig in their introductory email.
Players have reiterated to us over and over that the LowVig website looks like a carbon copy of the betonline.com website. It is going to be very similar, because they use the same software. However, even the wording, design and intracacies of many pages are identical between the two sites. Apparently BetOnline also hosts the LowVig site (or both are hosted by the same company) as their IP addresses are nearly identical.
We asked BetOnline about their relationship.
“We offer them our web services but do not do their wagering or customer service,†a BetOnline rep told us. They added that they do not ‘back’ LowVig and are not sister companies in any way. OK . . . So we asked the question, “What happens if LowVig has a few bad weeks and runs into problems, is BetOnline going to come to players’ rescue?†We were told that they have “nothing to do with LowVig financially†and that, though they view LowVig as a trusted group, they will not come to their rescue if troubles arise.
On the surface, it sure looks like BetOnline is involved with the LowVig operation. What business in the WORLD would say 'We have customers that we are trying to change, let’s give them an option to get out, before the changes take effect'. Many players we have spoken with did not even consider a move from BetOnline until after they got the ‘invitation’ email from LowVig. Players seemed content to stay with a reputable outfit that has paid them in the past and were willing to just fork over the extra juice.
After several emails to their main email address went unanswered, BetOnline gave us a contact at the management level of LowVig. We did hear back from LowVig management quickly and they assured us that "LowVig.com and BetOnline are separate companies." Management added that they, "fortunately struck a deal with BetOnline that allows their low juice players to transfer funds (Book-to-Book) "fee free" for a limited amount of time." The original email had that limited time ending on January 1. We heard from more players this week that the deadline was changed to Saturday, January 7.
Several players that we corresponded with were quite skeptical simply becuase there is no phone number listed on the website. To keep costs minimized, LowVig is using email as their only form of communication right now. We have asked several times for a contact number of some sort and like players, have not gotten one either.
So until more information is made available we still have that question mark on LowVig. Several oddities just make us wonder. Why would there be a fee to transfer money to LowVig? We have not heard of transfer fees before, especially between ‘trusted’ companies. Why would BetOnline allow their customer base to be poached? Is this an expansion of the BetOnline offerings with just a different skin or a situation like Diamond Sports and Bookmaker, where there are two separate companies, but the larger in some way does back the smaller outfit?
And why doesn’t anyone have a phone number for the operation, certainly someone in the building owns a cell.
Right now we are hoping for answers to all of the questions above and the ones posed by players. But, until then, we urge players to proceed with caution. Reduced juice players at BetOnline could transfer a portion of their balance to try this operation out. Still, keep in mind, here at OSGA we only recommend books that have made it through at least one football and baseball season, especially places that have no phone contact.
To find more reduced juice sportsbooks check inside the OSGA.