BetOnline does not offer a new player bonus, but rather an all player bonus, known as the Lifetime Bonus Guarantee. Any qualifying deposit made at BetOnline will garner a 25% player bonus for all methods or a 15% bonus on all credit card deposits. All you have to do is open a player account, make a deposit, and start playing. A qualifying deposit is a deposit of $50 or more (regardless of deposit method). The maximum bonus per deposit is $900, and there is a six times rollover requirement for the Lifetime Bonus Guarantee. Each time you make a deposit, you will need to input a bonus code to claim the bonus. For the 15% credit card deposit bonus, use CCBONUS; for the 25% cash transfer bonus (Moneybookers, NETeller, MoneyGram, WesternUnion, and Bank Wire), use TXBONUS. Bonuses will be credited within 24 hours pending approval.
Promotions
BetOnline offers an array of online poker promotions including a Tournament Bonus Guarantee, Hit & Run Freerolls, and Pop Points, which you can use to buy into tourneys and win cash weekly.
Tournaments
There are more than $150,000 in Guaranteed Tournaments monthly with a tournament schedule featuring scheduled and sit & go tournaments.
Games
Texas Hold ‘em, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, 7 Card Stud, and 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo are all offered at BetOnline Poker.
Software
BetOnline Poker offers a simple software interface with pleasing graphics. The platform does support multi-tabling and offers a variety of features and options that make playing online poker at BetOnline a great experience. View hand history, access your notepad, and custom size your tables right from the game screen. This software is secure and reliable and is compatible with Mac computers, one of the only poker platforms of its kind with no flash needed.
Payment Methods
Payment methods include credit cards, Moneybookers, NETeller, MoneyGram, WesternUnion, and Bank Wire.
Customer Service
With one of the best reputations for customer service in the industry, BetOnline excels in efficiency when it comes to support, offering an in-depth FAQ section as well as support staff accessible via Skype, live chat, phone, or email.
BetOnline History
The Beginnings
BetOnline stems from a sports gambling ring that began in Rochester, New York in 1991. The company moved to Costa Rica in 2000 and then to Panama in 2004. The brand that we know today was originally known as BestLine Sports before the company acquired the betonline.com domain in April of 2007. The current owners of the company wish to remain anonymous, but there are some known names associated with the company. Thus, the history and people that make up the story of BetOnline is spotty.
The founder, Joseph J. Fafone, known as Joe Junior, founded his first illegal bookmaking operations in Rochester in 1991 when he was 29 years old. BestLine Sports was later started by Joe Junior in Costa Rica in 2000. His business continued to grow, and he eventually moved his business operations to Panama City, Panama. At some point, Joe Jr. partnered with John Magnum, though this is believed to be an alias and little else is known about him. Rumor has it that Magnum sold his shares to Charles Bauer, former Infinity Sports CEO.
Charles Bauer
Bauer, also known as Eddie Robbins III, was a successful offshore gambling bookie and was only 23 years old in 1994 when Infinity Sports International was launched in the Dominican Republic. He had grown up in a small Alabama town and had been into gambling since he was a child, so when the opportunity arose to work for a bookie, he jumped at the chance. He later purchased the company from the owner and moved the company to Costa Rica in 1996. Once the industry moved online, Bauer was forced to adapt to the shift and in June of 2000, betinfinity.com was up and running. He firmly believed that because he was operating from Costa Rica, where betting was legal, that it was legal for him to offer his services to US bettors. But as one by one, overseas bookies were being indicted and sentenced to prison, Bauer began to realize the consequences of his success. He then sold his company for an unknown price. He re-entered the business in 2003 using an alias “Bama” and later “Eddie” and served as the brand manager for the BetOnSports leg of Infinity, which later took over the brand.
Though not much is known about BestLine Sports’ founder Magnum, it is believed that he sold his share of the company to Bauer in 2006.
Eric Davis Harp
Another vague person behind the company is Las Vegas’ Eric Davis Harp, who was named as alleged ring leader of the company in an October 2009 indictment. Eric Davis may very well be the real name of man associated with other aliases of Joe Jr., as the only time he’s mentioned in relation to betonline.com is in the one indictment.
Dalton Wagner
In 1998, Dalton Wagner was on vacation in Costa Rica when he met the founders of BetMaker at a poker game. They made an impact on Wagner when he later read about their story in an article. The fact that they came to Costa Rica with nothing, living on credit cards, and later sold their sports betting company for $20 million inspired him to move to Costa Rica in search of something more exciting. Wagner, who was one of the top recruiters in the corporate world, launched Players Super, which become the world’s first Internet only sportsbook. While he didn’t know much about sports betting, he knew how to network and his business grew quickly.
Wagner was a pioneer in the industry, creating partnerships across the board and revolutionizing “Pay Per Head,” supplying local bookies in the US with software, customer support, and phone center at a cost per player rate. This system grew his business exponentially, and he was ready to sell. He eventually sold to BetOnSports, which had a very bad reputation for not paying, and this angered his customers. Wagner stayed on and managed his operations aside from BetOnSports. The BetOnSports brand, however, went out of business in 2006 due to problems with the US government. Fortunately, BetCRIS bailed out many of Wagner’s players, so his reputation stayed fairly untarnished.
Wagner is yet another name in the curious history of BetOnline.
Current Ownership of BetOnline
The current state of BetOnline is still full of holes. The current actual owner is a well-kept secret. It is not likely though that Joe Jr. is still with the company because he was arrested under bookmaking charges in 2009. One report from 2010 states that Joe Jr. sold his share to the former owner of MVP Sports and a man tied to sportsbook.com. Other rumors imply that Wagner is a BetOnline partner, once BestLine Sports purchased BetOnline, though it is believed that he sold the BetOnSports client list and equipment to BetOnline and became engaged their Pay Per Head operations.
Is BetOnline tied to the Mafia?
In 2007, 26 associates of the Lucchese crime family were charged with running a multibillion dollar sportsbetting operation in New Jersey. State Attorney General Anne Milgram explained, “The ring processed $2.2 billion in wagers in little more than 15 months.” According to court documents, one of the sites used by bettors to make these bets was betonline.com.
Furthermore, Joe Jr. is the son of a known Gambino crime family associate, and his father was one of 30 people named in an indictment following Joe Jr.’s arrest, and many others were BetOnline affiliates. There are also other arrests indirectly associated with BetOnline.
It isn’t likely that BetOnline is owned by the Mafia. What is likely is that it is owned by legitimate businessmen who lease their pay per head service to members of crime families.
What is known is that the full story of BetOnline is so unclear that nothing in this article is can even claim to be 100% accurate in regards to individual’s ties with the ambiguous online gambling site. They do have a great reputation for paying players though, which is paramount anyway. Legal papers reveal that Joe Jr. himself delivered a $553,000 payment to a high-roller’s hotel room, alluding to the company’s reputation for great customer service and reliable payouts.
Resources: http://www.onlinebetting.com/betonline/
