Are you a Betzone customer wondering why you are suddenly unable to sign in to your account?
You’re not alone.
Over the coming weeks thousands of bettors will attempt to log on and place bets with Betzone, only to find out that they have to go through the sign up process all over again.
So what on earth is going on?
The good news is that you have not been banned or anything like that. It’s nothing to do with that bonus you took or your win to loss ratio. The truth is that Betzone have changed ownership and switched to a new platform.
Up until now they had been running on Playbook Gaming’s platform, but have moved over to GiG (Gaming Innovation Group).
Here is what that means for you.
A New License
Betzone are a white label brand, which means they pay another company to provide their sportsbook platform. Betzone run the brand, but the platform provider runs the site and everything that goes on in the background.
More often than not, that also means the white label brand is operating under the platform provider’s license.
Up until now, Betzone had been working with Playbook Gaming, but for reasons I will come on to, they have made the switch to GIG. Playbook are UK based but GIG have their headquarters in Gibraltar.
However, the Betzone brand is also coming under new ownership, with a company called Richmond Atlantic Limited taking the reins. They have their own newly acquired gambling license and have chosen GIG as their platform partner, so the setup will be a little different.
This means a whole new set of terms and conditions, since customers are making a new agreement with a completely different company.
Although the site will keep running as normal on the face of things, what will actually happen is that the site will close down and then immediately relaunch on the new license and new platform.
This is why customers will have to sign up again. The brand is the same, but you will technically be using a new site.
Betzone Customers’ Money is Safe
If you are a Betzone customer, there is no threat to any money in your account. The company isn’t in financial trouble, in fact they are doing this in order to improve their product.
While they haven’t yet given a specific date for the switch, they have said it will happen no sooner that the 15th of January. The company will give at least 48 hours notice too.
From what they have said I would expect the new site to launch sometime between the middle and the end of January.
For now, it’s best to withdraw any money in your account and wait for the switch to happen. If you are reading this after the old site has already closed, you will need to email [email protected] to withdraw your funds. You will need identity documents to do so.
Any bonuses or free bets should be used as soon as possible, and any open bets will be honoured – Betzone have made sure not to offer markets that end after their closing date.
Why Did Betzone Change?
Betzone is a good brand with a healthy number of customers. I think they have plans for expansion.
Richmond Atlantic Limited have taken over the Betzone brand, but the two men registered at Companies House, Ian Blackburn and Nicholas David Hudson, are both owners of Betzone too.
This suggests a restructuring rather than a takeover. They have created a new company to run Betzone. Blackburn has only been involved since 2023 so things are obviously changing, and it may be that they are planning to launch more brands under this new company, with Betzone as their flagship.
Time will tell.
In terms of the platform change though, things are much clearer.
Playbook Gaming are a relatively small company with only a handful of brands using their platform. GIG are massive. For a company hoping to expand, bigger and better business partners make sense.
GIG also have industry leading tech in the area of responsible gambling, and that is what attracted Betzone in the main.
A spokesman for Betzone said this of GIG:
“Their proven technology track record, customer centric tools and industry leading compliance and RG solutions make GiG the perfect partner to scale the Betzone brand, supporting our plans for rapid growth and exciting new business opportunities in a sustainable and responsible manner.”
This is great for customers, as it shows Betzone are committed to doing things right. GIG will definitely be a more expensive platform than Playbook, so Betzone are putting their money where their mouth is.
GIG’s comprehensive compliance innovation solution provides a seamless risk assessment and management tool which can dynamically adjust player interactions based on their risk levels.
Their advanced LogicX and DataX technologies mean marketing communications and financial checks can be tailored to individual customers. This makes it easier to comply with the UKGCs customer protection and anti money laundering regulations.
In other words, Betzone will be a safer place to bet and the compliance side of the business will be easier to manage from their end. Their interface will be much more powerful too, which is an improvement for punters.