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I have been betting online with Stan James Bookmakers for many years and have lost a fairly substantial amount of money in the process. Over the past three months I’ve had some luck backing winners at Rugby and Horse Racing and won 13 out of 15 bets making a profit of around £13,000. I now find that every time I place a bet online it is refused and I am advised to phone up instead. When phoning up I’m offered a tiny percentage of what I was previously allowed to stake. It seems that Stan James are only prepared to accept customers who are consistent losers and that anyone like me who manages to go on a good run can get lost. I bet for pleasure not for profit, and i’m not a professional. Many of the thirteen contests I won on, could have gone either way and were decided at the very last moment.
It saddens me that whilst I have shown a loss for every year since I’ve had the an online account with Stan James, on the one occassion where I’ve made a profit they feel it is necessary to take a broadbrush approach and effectively ban me as a customer. I’m sure many of their customers probably hope that at some point they will recoup some of the losses that have accumulated over the years. This can clearly never happen as should they ever enjoy a period of continued success, restrictions will be placed on their accounts to ensure that this doesn’t continue. Add to this that they failed to inform me that restrictions had been placed and then failed initially to respond to my email makes them in my opinion a very shoddy company.
"The new restrictions on your account are directly related to your stakes and returns for this year" – taken from an email from Stan James
Hi Neil
Just shows how weak their assessments are on limiting client account – as you say "a broad brush" approach and they‘ll never have the opportunity to win back the losses. – good!There’s nothing you can do but take it on the chin and move on as there’s plenty of choice on the internet – assuming you’re not restricted by all of then!!
A familiar story, Neil.
In my experience, Stan James are more lily-livered than most bookmakers, but if you make a habit of winning you can expect exactly the same treatment from Bet 365, Blue Square, Boylesports, Hills, Ladbrokes, Paddy Power and Skybet. And given that they don’t want your business, it’s no surprise their customer service is so shoddy.
There has to be a movement whereas punters kick up a massive fuss to try and enforce new regulations, made by the government if necessary. I feel a wee bit annoyed that they’ve done this to the original thread starter. In my book these people are no better than loan sharks.
I wish Betdaq would pick up more punters and bet types so i could just stop using regular bookies. Unfortunately their markets are far bigger than anything on the exchanges though.
Maybe you should just open an account with every bookie and spread your bets out. No one bookie consistantly has the best price, so you’d be using different firms alot. Even arb if you have to, they play dirty so why shouldn’t you ?
You’re not the only one Neil, by a wide margin. Stan James are a joke outfit I’m afraid. Their horseracing traders are clueless and they often don’t know where they’re at. Even their staff refer to the firm as ‘Sid’s Circus’. Most of their decent members of staff they lost when relocating the Wantage office to Gibraltar so the place must be even worse now than it was.
No word of a lie – I rang up for a bet in the Ryanair about two years ago and it was one of the last bets I had with them. I was told I was allowed a maxium of £10 ew on Billyvoddan at 33/1 – in a Grade 1 chase at The Festival. The same year they also limited my stakes to £25 in the County Hurdle and the Grand Annual – couldn’t get much more competitive races or mich more of a turnover on them!
Even arb if you have to, they play dirty so why shouldn’t you ?
A daft suggestion. That will just get your account restricted even quicker. In fact it is having too many accounts with the seperate firms that leads to problems. When you only bet with them when they are best price, they accuse you of arbing anyway.
I read this, and suddenly I’m grateful of our local online bookies (as far as I know … they’re inviting to punters at all times).
Even arb if you have to, they play dirty so why shouldn’t you ?
A daft suggestion. That will just get your account restricted even quicker. In fact it is having too many accounts with the seperate firms that leads to problems. When you only bet with them when they are best price, they accuse you of arbing anyway.
Even on the exchanges ? I’m not an arber and don’t intend to be one, but i wouldn’t blame someone who does in this case where they close an account because someone has a good bit of fortune for a change.
SL is spot on – have heard similar from workmates so think that SJ may well have had a purge in recent months. Tried to get £10 on a first scoring play market in the Super 14’s a couple of weeks ago, was offered £5 at 25’s.
Thanks everyone.
I’ve given up arguing with them now. Here is part of their latest email.
"Clearly we do not wish to lose any Customers, however please consider that we are a business, and our traders are charged with identifying accounts that they feel over time and without controls will be unprofitable"
Send a letter by special delivery to the top man asking for an explanation.. See if you get a reply.
If no reply try writing to BBC’s or other media outlets. Always the slight chance one will run with the story and the last thing a bookie wants is bad publicity.
"Clearly we do not wish to lose any Customers, however please consider that we are a business, and our traders are charged with identifying accounts that they feel over time and without controls will be unprofitable"
Sounds like a business run by pimply-faced mid teens.
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