Herald Correspondent
The trial in which betting company Bezbets allegedly defrauded a punter who placed a bet and won US$5 400 will continue on Wednesday with the presiding magistrate expected to deliver a ruling in an application for discharge at the close of the State’s case.
Last week the investigating officer Detective Walter Muri told the court that indeed the company made a misrepresentation to the complainant.
Detective Muri told the court that indeed there is a ticket showing that the complainant placed a bet and won US$5 400 which Bezbets is refusing to pay.
“The misrepresentation was that the Bezbets system showed that after placing the bet the punter would win US$5400.
Detective Muri told the court he did not see anywhere written that Bezbets does not bet exceeding US$50.
The State closed its case after leading evidence from Detective Muri.
When this trial kicked off the complainant insisted that he was indeed defrauded of his money after winning a bet.
The punter told Mr Kandiero that Bezbets suddenly changed rules after noticing that he had won a bet.
“In order to terminate evidence, Bezbets went on to delete my account. They offered me US$1 800 and I refused to accept it since I had won US$5400,” he said.
The punter further told the court that in another bid to conceal the offence, Bezbets opened a counter charge of fraud against him which was declined prosecution during vetting.
“I have been placing bets of more than US$50 for close to two years and losing large sums of money but when I won a bet on October 26, 2023, Bezbets refused to pay me.
“There is nowhere on their roulette system where it is written that US$50 is the maximum stake per bet, their system allows you to play any amount up to US$10 000,” he said.
The punter also submitted that Bezbets verbally introduced to him the rule that US$50 is the maximum stake per bet upon realising that he had won.
Bezbets is represented by its manager Robson Chinamasa.
Chinamasa pleaded not guilty on behalf of the company to fraud charges when he initially appeared before Mr Simon Kandiyero.
Prosecuting, Mr Thomas Chanakira alleged that on October 26, on the Bezbets online platform, the complainant placed a bet on the roulette with a stake of US$394.
The platform gave had a potential win of US$5 400, provided the bet was won. But after winning, the company refused to pay the complainant and engaged him intending to pay him US$1 800.
Bezbets is being represented by Brighton Pabwe from Venturas and Samkange Legal Practitioners.
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