Betfred is under fire having been accused of backtracking on a pledge to honour outstanding customer balances in the failed online bookmaker MoPlay.
The Manchester-based firm won the auction to take over MoPlay’s UK and Ireland customer list from a liquidator in Gibraltar last month.
MoPlay stopped trading in February after its parent company, Addison Global, went into liquidation.
Customers with funds in their accounts were unable to withdraw their money but, after the auction for the customer list, a statement from MoPlay in mid-March suggested it had been able to secure an arrangement whereby another operator would honour customers’ cash balances, enabling to withdraw their funds and continue to play.
MoPlay’s former clients were told that Betfred would contact them with details of how to set up an account and access balances and approximately 180,000 MoPlay accounts are understood to have migrated to Betfred a few weeks ago.
Out-of-pocket MoPlay clients claiming discrimination
However, it is clear that many accounts were not switched and several former MoPlay customers have since approached the independent body Justice4Punters, an online forum that campaigns on issues affecting gamblers, to complain that their balances did not shift to Betfred.
The accounts in question appear to have been restricted, either by Betfred or MoPlay, because those customers were considered unprofitable by the operator.
Second operating scandal envelops Betfred
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Probably the UK’s largest independent bookmaker, the company has been one of those highlighted in a report which reveals that the Gambling Commission allows operators to choose the level of protection afforded to customers’ deposits in the event of a betting firm falling into the hands of administrators. A number of high-profile online bookmakers do not distinguish between customer funds and the accounts of the firm in question, meaning that their client list would be left fighting for scraps with other debtors should a collapse ensue.
