In a summer of huge developments in the off shore gambling industry, none may be bigger in players’ eyes than the move over the weekend by The Greek and BetJamaica. BetJamacia closed and the Greek has decided to let their US players leave. Luckily for bettors, Heritage Sports is providing the out that players need.

We have always had Heritage rated very highly, and I can’t remember the last complaint that we have had on them. However, there are many conflicting postings around the various gambling forums regarding the deal being offered by the two sportsbooks from Jamaica and Heritage. New customers should also keep in mind that thier funds currently at Heritage are being guaranteed by The Greek, so trying out the new book is a no-lose proposition.

Players with balances will have their funds available at Heritage Sports and can get their accounts started at Heritage quickly. In addition, players who remain with Heritage will get a 10% Free Play welcome bonus. New players can simply ‘take the money and run’ if they choose. To accommodate this, Heritage will send the payout via Check or person-to-person transfer at no charge. However, players who reject the offer from TheGreek and BetJamaica will most likely be shut out of further opportunities to play at Heritage.

Once player who do complete any necessary rollovers  and are playing with Heritage can request a payout at any time. There is a $55 fee for checks and wires and of course Western Union and Moneygram have their own dollar specific charges. Heritage has already made some changes to accommodate players by upping their max payout via check to $3000.

And Heritage told me that there are more changes coming, mostly in response to the new influx of players who were very used to all that two of the top books anywhere offered. Heritage will be increasing their wagering menu to include some of TheGreek’s tennis, boxing and golf bets. They also will being to offer a wider menu for the four major U.S. sports, quarters, alternate lines and more will be coming in the next few weeks.

We were told, “We are trying to get all of the players that would like to join us situated first. Then, we can work on expanding our menu to accommodate what the Greek’s players are used to,” a Heritage representative told us. 
Several players we spoke to are worried that their volume or style of play will get them booted from their new Sportsbook. We were told that players have already been evaluated and everyone is welcome. We have not heard of many instances over the years of Heritage letting any players go, but their previous clientele was a) exclusive and b) mostly recreational.

The top question on every players mid is “Why?” Why did two of the top Sportsbooks leave the U.S. market prior to the very lucrative NFL season? The fact that the U.S. government is waging war on online betting operations that take U.S. customers was certainly a huge factor. Add to that the difficulties with processing, as BetJamaica and TheGreek had always identified the ‘gambling code’ on transactions. And finally, the fun and enjoyment had simply gone out of the business of bookmaking. As I was told by the upper management at BetJamaica, “The U.S. government took all the fun out of this business years ago”.

Though we are extremely sad to see these two operations go, we couldn’t agree more. The pressure by the Feds has certainly taken a good amount of the enjoyment out of online gambling for everyone, while scaring both players and operators out of the market.