Tweet
Does NASA Sports International Play Fair?
November 21, 2000
Serious allegations have been made against NASA Sports International (www.betonsports.com) that has become the “America Online” of the offshore industry with their frequent direct mail advertising. NASA has been under a cloud of controversy regarding an approximate half-million dollar account they are holding. It’s been alleged that the renowned Billy Walters of Computer Boys fame rang up his $100,000 postup to the cool tune of half-million dollars using a “beard” or alias to bet for him under a fictitious name. Supposedly NASA suspected the whole time it was Walter’s action but didn’t act until a payout was requested. Please note it has not been confirmed that the amounts won are Walters. Allegedly they were going to keep the money in any event if he won or lost. NASA implemented a “wise-guy” policy after the payout request that can be found on their website under fraud:
“Any and all bets placed in an attempt in any way to defraud NASA INTERNATIONAL will be deemed void. Any and all bets made or contracted by any professional gambler or member, employee or associate of a professional sports wagering group, or family member of such a person or group, who has not previously identified themselves to management, shall be voided and the balances in such accounts held by NASA INTERNATIONAL.”
With such general language and general terms it would appear to give them the right to withhold almost anyone’s account balance.
While it appeared that NASA’s non-payment issue was limited to the half-million dollar issue above, complaints of non-payment have been made by other players lucky enough to win. This past weekend **********.com a self-appointed offshore watchdog site reported a case whereby a player won $35,468 playing a six-team baseball parlay and has been refused payment for the full amount. Apparently the bettor desired to place one 6-team parlay on NASA’s Internet site, however the $100 wager resulted in a win amount exceeding NASA’s $9,000 limit. In turn the bettor called NASA customer service and was instructed to lower the wager in smaller amounts up to the $100 he wanted to bet. The bettor in turn placed four $26 parlays for a win amount of $8,867 each, which came in under the $9,000 limit.
The winning plays were initially credited to the bettor’s account. However when he subsequently requested a payout of $6,000, he was denied. Allegedly the monies were then withdrawn from his account. As reported on ********** the bettor stated, “I got a call from Scott Kaye (NASA) telling me that he was taking my money out of my account and that was that. Scott said that I didn't mean to make that wager, and that I should be grateful and accept the $8,867 that they were willing to pay me.” In the meantime the bettor continued playing with NASA for about a week winning some additional money and then proceeded to close his account and requested a payout. Instead of receiving any funds the bettor received a fax from NASA’s attorneys requesting that he sign-off on the approximately $26,000 withheld by NASA on the parlay and settle for a total payment of $10,000.
This is not the first reported case of an offshore sportsbook attempting to negotiate a payout for a lesser amount. It’s disturbing as some bettors would view this as “something is better than nothing” and take the deal feeling they had no other alternative. Therefore it’s not possible to estimate how many times an event like this could have occurred.
NASA Sports International is advertised on many websites across the net and is a recommended preferred sportsbook of some of those sites. One sportsbook, Grand Central Sports pulled their advertising banners from one of those sites after learning of these problems at **********. Reputable sportsbooks have to be concerned regarding problems of this nature, especially from a high-profile sportsbook. NASA and head man Gary Kaplan, who goes under the alias “Greg Champion” have appeared in a number of domestic U.S. news articles frequently done by writers who have little knowledge of the offshore industry. Mr. Kaplan’s real name is never used in such articles and his own employees are required to refer to him as “G” to avoid any slipups in front of outsiders. Kaplan also allegedly travels with a full compliment of bodyguards for reasons unknown. NASA is licensed in Costa Rica and while several reputable sportsbooks operate there it’s fast becoming a haven for no-pay books such as Lucky’s Casino (more here) and others. Compared to other countries licensing is cheap and no effective board of regulations exist to deal with bad books. Clearly the reputable books in Costa Rica must act and have Costa Rica establish certain licensing standards and regulations and bear the additional burden so as not to be brought down with the unethical books that operate there. The alternative is to move operations. For more on Costa Rica and NASA click here
Readers are urged to research offshore sportsbooks before sending any postup money. Visit the various message forums on the net. Read about complaints and recommendations. Ask for a recommendation. The offshore sports betting industry is growing at a rapid pace and it’s virtually impossible to keep up with all the available shops out there. I’m confident that the sites that sponsor banners here are ethical and reputable and worthy of consideration. There are several others I would have no problem in recommending. If you have any questions, comments or information you would like to share please visit the forum.
Disclaimer: The incidents reported above are alleged and pending. Efforts have been made to accurately report the events detailed and for the most part are based on corroborating third party representations. Due to the nature of this specific industry, privacy concerns and foreign operations, documentation is difficult. We will provide NASA and or it’s representative equal space and the opportunity of rebuttal of any information contained herein.
Please note NASA Sports International, betonsports.com should not be confused with NASA Sports, betus.com a sportsbook with a similar name.
November 21, 2000
Serious allegations have been made against NASA Sports International (www.betonsports.com) that has become the “America Online” of the offshore industry with their frequent direct mail advertising. NASA has been under a cloud of controversy regarding an approximate half-million dollar account they are holding. It’s been alleged that the renowned Billy Walters of Computer Boys fame rang up his $100,000 postup to the cool tune of half-million dollars using a “beard” or alias to bet for him under a fictitious name. Supposedly NASA suspected the whole time it was Walter’s action but didn’t act until a payout was requested. Please note it has not been confirmed that the amounts won are Walters. Allegedly they were going to keep the money in any event if he won or lost. NASA implemented a “wise-guy” policy after the payout request that can be found on their website under fraud:
“Any and all bets placed in an attempt in any way to defraud NASA INTERNATIONAL will be deemed void. Any and all bets made or contracted by any professional gambler or member, employee or associate of a professional sports wagering group, or family member of such a person or group, who has not previously identified themselves to management, shall be voided and the balances in such accounts held by NASA INTERNATIONAL.”
With such general language and general terms it would appear to give them the right to withhold almost anyone’s account balance.
While it appeared that NASA’s non-payment issue was limited to the half-million dollar issue above, complaints of non-payment have been made by other players lucky enough to win. This past weekend **********.com a self-appointed offshore watchdog site reported a case whereby a player won $35,468 playing a six-team baseball parlay and has been refused payment for the full amount. Apparently the bettor desired to place one 6-team parlay on NASA’s Internet site, however the $100 wager resulted in a win amount exceeding NASA’s $9,000 limit. In turn the bettor called NASA customer service and was instructed to lower the wager in smaller amounts up to the $100 he wanted to bet. The bettor in turn placed four $26 parlays for a win amount of $8,867 each, which came in under the $9,000 limit.
The winning plays were initially credited to the bettor’s account. However when he subsequently requested a payout of $6,000, he was denied. Allegedly the monies were then withdrawn from his account. As reported on ********** the bettor stated, “I got a call from Scott Kaye (NASA) telling me that he was taking my money out of my account and that was that. Scott said that I didn't mean to make that wager, and that I should be grateful and accept the $8,867 that they were willing to pay me.” In the meantime the bettor continued playing with NASA for about a week winning some additional money and then proceeded to close his account and requested a payout. Instead of receiving any funds the bettor received a fax from NASA’s attorneys requesting that he sign-off on the approximately $26,000 withheld by NASA on the parlay and settle for a total payment of $10,000.
This is not the first reported case of an offshore sportsbook attempting to negotiate a payout for a lesser amount. It’s disturbing as some bettors would view this as “something is better than nothing” and take the deal feeling they had no other alternative. Therefore it’s not possible to estimate how many times an event like this could have occurred.
NASA Sports International is advertised on many websites across the net and is a recommended preferred sportsbook of some of those sites. One sportsbook, Grand Central Sports pulled their advertising banners from one of those sites after learning of these problems at **********. Reputable sportsbooks have to be concerned regarding problems of this nature, especially from a high-profile sportsbook. NASA and head man Gary Kaplan, who goes under the alias “Greg Champion” have appeared in a number of domestic U.S. news articles frequently done by writers who have little knowledge of the offshore industry. Mr. Kaplan’s real name is never used in such articles and his own employees are required to refer to him as “G” to avoid any slipups in front of outsiders. Kaplan also allegedly travels with a full compliment of bodyguards for reasons unknown. NASA is licensed in Costa Rica and while several reputable sportsbooks operate there it’s fast becoming a haven for no-pay books such as Lucky’s Casino (more here) and others. Compared to other countries licensing is cheap and no effective board of regulations exist to deal with bad books. Clearly the reputable books in Costa Rica must act and have Costa Rica establish certain licensing standards and regulations and bear the additional burden so as not to be brought down with the unethical books that operate there. The alternative is to move operations. For more on Costa Rica and NASA click here
Readers are urged to research offshore sportsbooks before sending any postup money. Visit the various message forums on the net. Read about complaints and recommendations. Ask for a recommendation. The offshore sports betting industry is growing at a rapid pace and it’s virtually impossible to keep up with all the available shops out there. I’m confident that the sites that sponsor banners here are ethical and reputable and worthy of consideration. There are several others I would have no problem in recommending. If you have any questions, comments or information you would like to share please visit the forum.
Disclaimer: The incidents reported above are alleged and pending. Efforts have been made to accurately report the events detailed and for the most part are based on corroborating third party representations. Due to the nature of this specific industry, privacy concerns and foreign operations, documentation is difficult. We will provide NASA and or it’s representative equal space and the opportunity of rebuttal of any information contained herein.
Please note NASA Sports International, betonsports.com should not be confused with NASA Sports, betus.com a sportsbook with a similar name.