Restricted

[cybernet69]

Holy mosses, now had my account restricted....

With regret, we have restricted your Betfair account with a delay to Exchange market data (odds and volumes). The restriction is in accordance with our Terms and Conditions; in particular the intellectual property clauses with reference to Betfair data. For further information, view our T&C’s at http://forum.betfair.com/aboutUs/Terms. ... -betting-1. The relevant terms are highlighted below.
Your data usage profile represents that of a commercial user. Note that usage of Betfair Exchange market data by any user in a commercial context requires a data licence. Betfair offers a commercial data licensing scheme, details of which can be found at https://developer.betfair.com/get-started/.
Should you wish to consume data for testing and or analysis, please use delayed data as applied to your account or the historical data services - https://apps.betfair.com/data/.
‘6. Cancellation, Termination, Suspension and Breach

We may restrict your access to Betfair, suspend or terminate your account, withdraw your offers for bets, void any bets outstanding to your account, cancel any unmatched bets or cancel and void any outstanding or matched bets in our absolute discretion without cause at any time including if:

v: ... your account’s ‘public market data’ usage (‘public market data’ includes market prices, traded Volumes and market depth) could represent ‘business usage’ (‘business usage’ includes any use by a betting operator or any use by an individual or organisation supplying data or services to a betting operator)’
Kind Regards
Betfair Limited | Winslow Road | Hammersmith Embankment | London | W6 9HP.
Registered in England and Wales under company number 5140986.

[ANGELS15]

How has this come about? Was it normal trading activities or using the test mode?

[cybernet69]

How has this come about? Was it normal trading activities or using the test mode?

Both.

After a long telephone conversation it would seem they are cracking down on test mode activities.

They now want £299 to un-restrict my account as they said I am classified as a commercial user. WTF

[Bluesky]

It's a crying shame BF don't have any decent competition. They know damn well you can't really go anywhere else, so they can more or less do what ever they want.

[LeTiss]

That's bloody poor!

What do they classify as a 'commercial user' then?

Is it the number of transactions placed? - if so, that will kill off a great deal of bots, and automated trading!

[cybernet69]

That's bloody poor!

What do they classify as a 'commercial user' then?

Is it the number of transactions placed? - if so, that will kill off a great deal of bots, and automated trading!

I placed more test mode bets than I did real bets in a 7 day period. But my account has been funded since 2009 and I always maksure I place live bets.

I have 2 systems running on the same account, 1 for live and 1 for test so I can analyze the difference.

I thought when you bought a BA subscription that covered you for BDP etc ?

[marksmeets302]

I would just forget about the test mode; you learn much more from the real markets anyway. Use small stakes and put in a couple of safeguards against overbetting.

[cybernet69]

I think Peter needs to change his marketing literature as he states with BA test mode you can try out different strategies until your hearts content.

Doesn't look like that statement is true anymore.

Once I have got the funds out of my BF account, will open a new one with no possible way of them linking the two back together. I already know how to do it, although it is a pain.

[welshboy06]

I think Peter needs to change his marketing literature as he states with BA test mode you can try out different strategies until your hearts content.

Doesn't look like that statement is true anymore.

Once I have got the funds out of my BF account, will open a new one with no possible way of them linking the two back together. I already know how to do it, although it is a pain.

As long as you dont plan on using the API yourself (without BA) as they charge £299 for an API key.

[cybernet69]

I think Peter needs to change his marketing literature as he states with BA test mode you can try out different strategies until your hearts content.

Doesn't look like that statement is true anymore.

Once I have got the funds out of my BF account, will open a new one with no possible way of them linking the two back together. I already know how to do it, although it is a pain.

As long as you dont plan on using the API yourself (without BA) as they charge £299 for an API key.

They want £299 off me even though I am using BA as they state I am a commercial user. In the meantime my account is heavily restricted with delayed odds, volumes and bet matching.

[welshboy06]

I think Peter needs to change his marketing literature as he states with BA test mode you can try out different strategies until your hearts content.

Doesn't look like that statement is true anymore.

Once I have got the funds out of my BF account, will open a new one with no possible way of them linking the two back together. I already know how to do it, although it is a pain.

As long as you dont plan on using the API yourself (without BA) as they charge £299 for an API key.

They want £299 off me even though I am using BA as they state I am a commercial user. In the meantime my account is heavily restricted with delayed odds, volumes and bet matching.

Yeah I understand that, I was trying to say that, If you plan on using the Betfair API as well as BA then you'd probably be better off paying the £299 on your current account.
But if you don't, then yeah opening a new one would obviously save you the cash.

[jimibt]

Mark,

I had one of the original API keys (from 2009 ish) and had been using it with live data pretty heavily most days, especially in the past 18 months. However, one day in january this year, i received an identical email to yours informing me that i was using the data as if a commercial user etc. I contested the issue for a few weeks, mainly because it had also affected my BA and OTHER software accounts in a detrimental way (no volume etc). I had to fight hard to get this second level of restriction lifted, which allowed me to use all 3rd party apps. However, they would not budge on granting me back my live api key. As BA works fine and I can test strategies after a fashion with the delayed key, I've left things as they are.

At the very least, you need to plead with them to restore the functionality to 3rd party apps, even if it means you no longer have your api key, otherwise as you've noted, your current BF account is useless.

Hope it turns out fine.
jim

[cybernet69]

Mark,

I had one of the original API keys (from 2009 ish) and had been using it with live data pretty heavily most days, especially in the past 18 months. However, one day in january this year, i received an identical email to yours informing me that i was using the data as if a commercial user etc. I contested the issue for a few weeks, mainly because it had also affected my BA and OTHER software accounts in a detrimental way (no volume etc). I had to fight hard to get this second level of restriction lifted, which allowed me to use all 3rd party apps. However, they would not budge on granting me back my live api key. As BA works fine and I can test strategies after a fashion with the delayed key, I've left things as they are.

At the very least, you need to plead with them to restore the functionality to 3rd party apps, even if it means you no longer have your api key, otherwise as you've noted, your current BF account is useless.

Hope it turns out fine.
jim

Hi Jim,

Thanks for this.

However, i thought if I had a BA subscription then this covered me as BA pay for the api key etc ?

Not sure I fully understand what there accusing me of here as what stops BF from doing this to other users who use BA for live and test strategies ?

If I try to run BA now, markets go in-play / suspended constantly, prices jump all over the place and there is a massive delay in placing trades etc.

I think Peter needs to publish a sticky on this otherwise people could end up paying for BA subscription which then becomes useless.

Cheers,

[jimibt]

Hi Jim,

Thanks for this.

However, i thought if I had a BA subscription then this covered me as BA pay for the api key etc ?

Not sure I fully understand what there accusing me of here as what stops BF from doing this to other users who use BA for live and test strategies ?

If I try to run BA now, markets go in-play / suspended constantly, prices jump all over the place and there is a massive delay in placing trades etc.

I think Peter needs to publish a sticky on this otherwise people could end up paying for BA subscription which then becomes useless.

Cheers,

yup, this was exactly what i had occurring. my issue was that i was using quite a lot of my own handrolled stuff via the API and was using the live key. I would have let it slide tbh, had it not been for the fact that it also impacted on my 3rd party apps. I emailed BF explaining that these 3rd party apps had their own API keys and that my usage on those was now completely useless. After much to-ing and fro-ing, a switch must have been flipped as the BA stuff started to work again. Alas, the live API key was never reinstated and similarly, i was informed that a one off fee of £299 would more or less sort it. I politely informed the BF team that I could happily do what I needed to do via the 3rd party apps and let it slide at that.

I may in due course look to get the live api key again and view this charge as a cynical tax on innovation, but hey, they are are being pussy whipped by paddy power these days, so not much of the protruding under carriage being proudly exhibited by the exchange team these days... anyway

[cybernet69]

I think someone needs to smash their servers remotely.