BetCRIS Transfers US Operation to Sister Site

2 March 2007

Costa Rica-based sports book BetCRIS.com on Thursday transferred its U.S.-facing business to its recently launched sister site, Bookmaker.com.

The company said in a prepared statement that, as of March 1, existing U.S. account holders can log into BookMaker.com using their same username and password to find that all account details, including open bets and account balances, have been automatically migrated to the site, which will honor all bets, deposits and pending withdrawals.

Bookmaker.com appears to have been launched for the sole purpose of diversifying the company. And the site has evidently been in the works for two years.

"BetCRIS is creating another brand to better serve our U.S. clients," a BetCRIS representative told sports information site CappersMall.com on Feb. 25. "That way we can cater to each market. Each market has different preferences and different funding/withdrawal methods. It will be much better for both sides. We have been working on this for about 2 years now."

All non-U.S. players remain unaffected and will be allowed continuing access to BetCRIS.com.

"This move is the best course for everyone involved--the customers and the company--as it positions the company into two distinct assets in an effort to diversify our company and better focus on each market individually," said Mickey Richardson, BetCRIS.com CEO. "BetCRIS.com will cater to non-U.S., international customers, while BookMaker.com will serve the U.S. market."

Under the terms of the transfer, BetCRIS.com will provide the operating infrastructure for the BookMaker.com brand, including management and personnel.

BookMaker.com provides betting on sports, as well as horse racing, poker and online casino games by telephone, Internet or mobile devices. It accepts P2P transfers, bank transfers, eWallet Express and major credit cards, including Visa and Mastercard.

BetCRIS.com and BookMaker.com representatives could not be reached for comment.