5Dimes Sportsbook Caught Up In Pit Bull Poker Flap

As luck would have it, some online sportsbooks happened to be using the Pit Bull Poker skin as part of its suite of product offerings.  Pit Bull Poker, as reported this past week by Gambling911.com, has shut its doors, the owners apparently arrested by local authorities in Costa Rica. 

It is common practice for these Internet sportsbooks (and other online poker rooms for that matter) to utilize one poker network.  As an example, the iPoker Network out of Europe provides an online poker "skin" to a number of sports betting sites including England's largest, William Hill.  Poker networks rely on these brands to drive players into their pooled network. 

There is one potential drawback.  "Skins" can fail even though the company utilizing it - like a William Hill - are as financially solid as they come.

5Dimes Sportsbook, run from a 560 square foot office out of San Pedro, Costa Rica, was one of those companies utilizing the Pit Bill Poker "skin", and customers are now left wondering what responsibility, if any, a group like 5Dimes might have in making sure poker players get paid.

A complaint has surfaced on the Sports Book Review forums illustrating the point:

"I have played with 5dimes for a couple of years. I played alot of poker through their flash poker room which was a skin of pitbull poker. It is came out that pitbull poker poker owners were playing there against customers and cheating them. It is has been verified on 2+2 poker forum by the pitbull poker representavivre Dave he went to shop and they were packing up servings trying to get away and the authories were called and they have been arested. Also on parttimepoker there is an article explaing what happened. I called 5dimes and explained and they said they will be not be reimburing for anything, I played in the biggest cash games there buying in for 500 at a time. There is no telling how much money I was cheated out of. 5dimes says that since they were in business with pitbull poker and they are no longer in business that they cant recover my stolen funds, thats not my problem that is theres. I should be compensated by 5dimes that is there responsiblity not to be in business with crooks I intrusted my money and there integerity there is why I played. PLEASE HELP!"

Sometime later the customer in question engaged in an Internet chat session with "Tony", the owner of 5Dimes.

Here is how that chat went down:

Please wait for a site operator to respond.

You are now chatting with 'Diana'

Diana: Hello. How may I assist you today?

fareed: I need to speak with tony

Diana: Just a moment please

Please wait while I transfer the chat to 'Tony'.

You are now chatting with 'Tony'

Tony: how can I help you today?

fareed: Hello tony, I have called referring to flash poker room situation and was blown off, I then posted at SBR about situation and sent email with link to thread and now my account is dissabled. I played alot on flash poker room at the biggest tables, I am member of 2+2 poker where scandal of cheating has been revealed by daves Brenes employee at pitbull now there owners are arrested I am justing wanting some type of compensation seeing there is no teeling how much money I was cheated out of, I have been good customer and have referred player that loses thousands , I just want this made right sir

Tony: really, losses of thousands?

Tony: you've got so many notes on your account for "issues" that my new notes didn't even fit

Tony: and you like to play your little "take care of everything I need or I'll run and post"

fareed: I tried to call and speak with some one but was not taken serious

Tony: i don't think there was a single thing wrong at pitbull other than they turned out to be underfunded

Tony: well, I the authority going no higher than me, and from your notes and action, I don't see why anyone should take you seriously

Tony: *well, the authority going no higher than me, and from your notes and action, I don't see why anyone should take you seriously

fareed: no there is many players at 2+2 poker who have come together with various instances, I just know for sure one time I was called with 10 high and for 1.2k pot and that is not possible

fareed: I understand they are a diffent company than you

Tony: Poker transfers 02/19/2008 to date:

Tony: Transfers to Flash Poker from 5d: $7,564.18

Tony: Transfers from Flash Poker to 5d: $10,227.16

Tony: Transfers to 3D Poker from 5d: $5,960

Tony: Transfers from 3D Poker to 5d: $3,242

Tony: do you want to share those figures in all your posts, or do you want me to?

fareed: I will share those as I do not have them and I tried contacting pitbull poker for hand histories not even blasming you

Tony: "5dimes has screwed me out of thousands! "

Tony: is that you?

fareed: I just know of one player I played with and he is supposedly one the superusers, yes I was mad because support basicaaly hung up one me

Tony: well, i don't blame them

Tony: "5dimes has screwed me out of thousands! "

Tony: is that you?

fareed: I fell like I should be heard when I refeer my best friend who has deposited around 6k and never withdrew

Tony: lets try this one more time...

Tony: "5dimes has screwed me out of thousands! "

Tony: is that you?

fareed: yes that was my post as I was very upset not to be even heard the amount of money could well be in the thousands sir, I mean just a little understanding would have been nice

fareed: as you can see I also posted that my email was reponedtoo

Tony: "reponedtoo" what does that mean?

fareed: I also explained that 5dimes was a skin of pitbull poker and I played at 5dimes because of the integerity you have earned

fareed: responed too

fareed: responded to

Tony: and explain how "5dimes has screwed me out of thousands!"

fareed: I was obviously involved in hands where supersusers beat me out of money , please check link at 2+2 with over 1k posts concerning this,I dont expect 5dimes to refund all that juct a something saying hey we had no contraol of pitbull poker that we did business with, I mean i refer poeple and always say you dont have to worry about 5dimes they are straight up but pitbull poker was not straight so as 5dimes is I assumed you would make it right

Tony: [23:11:19] Tony: Transfers to Flash Poker from 5d: $7,564.18

Tony: [23:11:19] Tony: Transfers from Flash Poker to 5d: $10,227.16

Tony: what more do I have to say?

Tony: how about we're honoring all winnings from pitbull even though we know they're not going to settle their figure with us

Tony: how about all funds transferred to that skin are being honored

Tony: too difficult to comprehend those facts?

fareed: I won money and have had night where I lost 4figures, I know I have played against superuser and he was one who called with 10 high on river allin, no one in world calls that

Tony: "and 5Dimes screwed me out of thousands!"

fareed: if you have hand histories you can see this

Tony: i don't have hand histories

Tony: and i don't have any e-mail requests for hand histories

Tony: now that pitbull has closed up shop, that is the end of that opportunity

Tony: everyone on 2+2 is so damm smart, then what were they don't on such a bad network?

Tony: i still think all this "superuser" crap is non-sense

Tony: but it killed a company

Tony: you have my stance on things, what else you need me to answer?

fareed: Well tony I still want to be a customer and would appreciate sometype of rebate on at least the one instance I know for sure, i mean all I am asking for is some type of gesture to resolve problem

Tony: i see no problem

Tony: i see only accusations

Tony: i see a customer who won on a network

Tony: now, I in no way think there were any so called "super-users" on the pitbull network

Tony: but if in any way I thought there were, do you think I would allow 5Dimes customers to continue to play there?

Tony: and this is a yes or no question, i don't want a paragraph from you

fareed: I know at the biggest buyin that I played buying in for $500 we all discuedd at 2+2 I was cheated by superuser that DAves Brenes confirms

Tony: i asked a yes or no question

Tony: simple question

Tony: you plan on answering?

fareed: and I think you would not intenationally involve 5dimes with crooks

Tony: and i don't involve myself with customer's like you

Tony: we'll keep your account closed

Tony: 5Dimes no longer needs you as a customer

fareed: wow nice customer serice

Tony: its clear from all the notes that 5Dimes is not capable of living up to your standards

Tony: consider it me doing you a favor

Tony: plenty of other A+ companies out there for you to play with

fareed: Well I deposited my money with you and if has been cheated through your flash poker romm, I will tell my story at all my forums just to warn your customers and future ones.

The most important part of this conversation might very well be this:

Tony: [23:11:19] Tony: Transfers to Flash Poker from 5d: $7,564.18

Tony: [23:11:19] Tony: Transfers from Flash Poker to 5d: $10,227.16

Tony: what more do I have to say?

Tony: how about we're honoring all winnings from pitbull even though we know they're not going to settle their figure with us

Tony: how about all funds transferred to that skin are being honored

Tony: too difficult to comprehend those facts?

So in the case of 5Dimes Sportsbook, it appears as if they are honoring payments to those owed by Pit Bull Poker even though they themselves have little recourse in recovering funds from Pit Bull's "arrested" owners. 

5Dimes on the surface seems able to write off these losses.  What about companies that cannot?  And once again, is 5Dimes truly responsible?

A somewhat morbid comparison to this situation might be the crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407 over Buffalo earlier this year.  It's doubtful that few, if any, of the 49 people killed that night had any idea when they booked their flight that they would be doing so with Colgan Air.  That's because Continental Airlines handled and marketed the flight on behalf of the company.

The accident has since been ruled as "pilot error".  So how culpable is Continental Airlines since none of their employees were operating the doomed flight?

Flight 3407 was adorned with the insignia, colors and name of Continental Airlines, much the same way that 5Dimes Pit Bull Poker "skin" reflected the 5Dimes brand.  Flight 3407 operated on behalf of Continental Airlines and has assisted in the investigation related to the crash. 

Continental Airlines has been named in the suit filed by victims family members, but likewise Bombardier, which manufactured the plane, was also named in the suit. 

Continental owned the plane that crashed in Buffalo much the same way that 5Dimes Sportsbook owned the "skin" that has now abruptly shut down.  Continental Airlines fed their customers into Flight 3407 just as 5Dimes fed its customers into the Pit Bull Poker skin. 

So, yes, in this sense, 5 Dimes Sportsbook and all other companies that utilized the Pit Bull Poker "skins" do hold some accountability.  5Dimes, to its credit, seems to understand this and they are taking the necessary steps to assist affected customers....even if they are shutting down some of these customers accounts in the process.

Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher