Offshore betting operator Sportsbook.ag has been down for more than two days, prompting growing concern from users about the safety of their funds.
Players first reported the site was down on Monday evening. The Sportsbook.ag homepage initally ran an error message. It was then updated to say the site was down for planned maintenance.
Radio silence from Sportsbook.ag
However, Reddit users grew concerned when the site was still down on Tuesday and then Wednesday.
Another wrote:
Timeline for Sportsbook.ag return?
However, the Sportsbook.ag homepage was updated Wednesday with a new message, perhaps in response to an Action Network story on the downtime.
“We apologize for the extended outage that has gone past our planned window,” the new message said. “Please be assured we are working as fast as we can to restore services, including customer service emails.”
The update reassured some users they were not being “rugged.”
Risk with offshore sportsbooks
Sportsbook.ag’s poker arm also said it aimed to be back online by 1 am EST Thursday, according to a user on the Sportsbook Review forum.
Regardless, the scare is another reminder of the risks associated with offshore sportsbooks.
The offshore market has continued to thrive in recent years, despite the spread of legal sports betting and high-profile exits from the market by prominent names like 5Dimes.
Sportsbook.ag’s own Google search data shows growth despite minimal marketing.
What is driving that growth?
Many users are playing offshore out of necessity as large states lag on legalization.
As one forum member put it:
“We are most likely out thousands… all because Florida shut down the Hard Rock Sportsbook.”
