The bet was too good. So they took it back.

A Bitcoin sportsbook, four complaints in seven weeks, and a rule I have never seen anywhere else.

Jimin Jibao in the LED mask. The video for this page is coming.

Between December 2020 and January 2021, BetBTC cancelled my winning bets three times, and once, "by error", charged me €300 in fees. Every time, I got the money back only after I complained with their own rules in hand. The fourth time, they admitted the error and closed my account.

The rule

BetBTC took pre-game bets at the prices of Pinnacle, the best-known market maker in betting. Their rule (a) let them cancel a bet for 20 minutes after you placed it, if the pre-game price dropped about 10% in that time.

Think about what that means. A price drops when the market agrees with you. So if you were right, they could take the bet back. If you were wrong, the bet stood and they kept your stake. None of my bets was ever cancelled because the price moved the other way.

In 20+ years I have never seen a rule like this anywhere else. In a small league, one bigger bet from anyone can move a line by 10%. This isn't a rule about mistakes. It's insurance against customers who are right. Another hurdle they invented.

1. Twenty minutes, then twenty-five

On 5 December 2020 I bet Takamatsu Five Arrows +7 in the Japanese B.League. The bet was voided under rule (a), 25 minutes after I placed it. The rule said: "BetBTC WILL NOT cancel bets placed longer than 20mins ago". I sent them their own rule. The answer came the next day:

BetBTC support email, 6 December 2020: You are right, the winnings were paid. We have also revised the rules for future bets: timing was increased to 30mins. — 6 December 2020. Paid, and in the same breath the window got longer.

2. Voided at half-time

A week later, on 12 December, Obras Sanitarias played Comunicaciones in Argentina. About five minutes before tip-off I backed Comunicaciones twice: +5 at 1.85, and a smaller bet on them to win at 2.817. Those two prices say the same thing about the game. BetBTC's own lines in that league showed the same pair all the time.

Around half-time, with Comunicaciones 11 points up, the +5 was voided. The bet to win stayed, and was paid.

The first answer: "fairly graded" and "there's nothing we can do". Two hours later, why the smaller bet stood, and what I could do about it:

BetBTC support email: we don't void smaller user bets smaller than 0.01btc (for user convenience). You can go ahead and post the info in [a forum] or wherever you want. There is absolutely nothing wrong here, and we don't care with intimidations of this type. — 12 December 2020, 17:25 GMT.

Their audit said Pinnacle's last pre-game price had dropped from 1.852 to 1.681. I had photos and video of Pinnacle showing 1.854 seconds before tip-off. An hour and a half later an admin wrote:

BetBTC admin email, 12 December 2020: according to the rules, we can and do void bets up to 30 mins after the bets were placed. Audit: newodd 1.681, betodd 1.852. We have decided to exceptionally offer you the profits of this bet, as an act of goodwill. — 12 December 2020, 18:53 GMT. "In no way this bet was settled incorrectly", and paid anyway, "as an act of goodwill".

3. The fee

Later that month a withdrawal cost me 0.00964561 BTC in fees, around €300 at January 2021 prices. It was refunded after I complained. Later they called it "a clear error" and "the first and only time it ever occurred".

4. The same thing, again

On 19 January 2021, Obras Sanitarias played Hispano Americano. I backed Hispano Americano: +9 at 1.859, and to win at 4.149. While Hispano led by 6, the +9 was voided. The bet to win, 0.014 BTC, stayed. That is above the 0.01 BTC "user convenience" line they gave me in December.

I recorded the game next to my open bets, and wrote to their supervisors with every case so far. The answer came the same day:

BetBTC admin email, 20 January 2021: There was an error on the voided terms. We now void all bets including smaller than 0.01btc. Your account will be permanently closed within the next 48 hours. — 20 January 2021. "There was an error on the voided terms." And in the same email, the account closed within 48 hours.

As far as I remember, they paid that bet too, and then closed my account. Look at point 3 of that email: once the small-bet excuse stopped working, they simply started voiding small bets as well.

How it ended

Seven months later BetBTC closed itself, and gave its customers until 1 September to withdraw.

BetBTC pinned post, 20 August 2021: BetBTC is closed. We have decided to close BetBTC, in order to pursue other interests. Withdraw any remaining balance until 1st September 2021. — 20 August 2021.

In September 2025 it was offered for sale on a forum, with a floor price of $10,000: "no licenses", 12,247 registered users, and the "full database" and "all historical data" included. The customers' data went up for sale with the brand.

Forum post, 29 September 2025: BetBTC for sale. No licenses. 12,247 registered users. Includes full database and codebase and all historical data. New floor price 10,000 dollars. — 29 September 2025, a sale post on a forum.

What it teaches

Every time, the money came back only because I complained, with the rule and the evidence in hand. Most people never ask why a bet was voided. Save every bet confirmation and every email the day you get it. When they close your account, your history goes with it.

And remember what the rule was for. Being right is the one thing a bookie doesn't forgive.

Don't even start.