The Court of First Instance of Curaçao has upheld a ruling ordering sports betting operator Parimatch to return $19,630 to a player after confiscating his account balance without proving any wrongdoing. The decision, originally handed down on March 13, 2023, was confirmed yesterday.
Dispute Dates Back to 2021
The case stems from a 2021 incident in which Parimatch froze and seized a customer’s funds on suspicion of fraud. The operator claimed the player had breached its rules by holding multiple accounts.
However, the court found Parimatch had failed to clearly communicate its terms and conditions and could not provide convincing evidence of a violation. The company’s main argument was that the player had accessed his account from multiple IP addresses — a point the plaintiff, represented by the SBGOK foundation for victims of online gaming, countered by explaining that Belarus uses dynamic IP allocation.
Court Sides with Player
The court concluded that the IP evidence was insufficient and that Parimatch should not have confiscated the funds. Both Parimatch and its former master license holder, Cyberluck, were ordered to pay the $19,630 balance, plus 15% in extrajudicial costs and statutory interest dating back to June 22, 2021.
Other Legal Battles and a High‑Profile Partnership
Earlier this year, Parimatch prevailed in a trademark dispute in the England and Wales High Court against Abudantia, which had accused the operator of improperly ending a licensing deal for an online gambling platform. While the court ruled in Parimatch’s favor, it also criticized the company for allegedly fabricating evidence.
On the commercial front, Parimatch recently signed on as the Official Betting Partner of Manchester United for the Asia and MENA regions. The agreement will see the brand’s logo on players’ jerseys in those markets and on LED boards at Old Trafford.
The deal comes as the UK prepares to ban gambling logos on the front of professional athletes’ shirts, though more than half of Premier League clubs still maintain sponsorship ties with betting companies.
