Virginia Teacher Has Bets Cancelled By BetMGM
A Fairfax County teacher believed he had lucked out with a potential winning of $214,500 from his Women’s World Cup parlay bets. However, his victory was short-lived when BetMGM Sportsbook reversed the outcome, returning Kris Benton’s wager money.
The betting operator attributed the reversal to an “obvious error” in the odds for these bets. The operator clarified that the odds of +6600 (equal to 66-to-1) were mistakenly listed when he placed three separate bets totaling $3,250 on the Netherlands vs. Vietnam Women’s World Cup match held on August 1.
When a previously deemed “winning” bet is canceled, the focus shifts away from its outcome – whether it was a success or failure, instead the wager becomes null and void. This is the rationale behind BetMGM’s decision to refund Kris Benton’s $3,250 stake for his trio of distinct bets.
Kris Benton has indicated that his parlays were all associated with the Netherlands/Vietnam match, although the exact number of legs (or individual bets) within each parlay remains unclear. Parlay bet odds are often elevated due to the requirement that all the constituent legs within the bet must be victorious.
Despite his BetMGM account indicating his win, he was unable to withdraw the $100,000 of his supposed winnings as the wager had been “voided.”
Kris Benton’s Thoughts
Benton shared his perspective on the situation, stating, “They informed me that due to their error, they held the authority to take any action with my account balance. Additionally, they failed to substantiate their alleged mistake with any supporting evidence.”
An email addressed to Benton detailed the emergency of an issue that led to an inflation of the corners market odds, which, in actuality, were not intended to be presented at that specific value.
Consequently, the email clarified that the accurate odds remained ambiguous due to this discrepancy, serving as the rationale behind the invalidation of the wager. Benton voiced his frustration, highlighting the sportsbook’s assertion that their error granted them the ability to manage his account balance, while simultaneously expressing doubt over the authenticity of the claimed mistake in the absence of supporting evidence.
In an attempt to alleviate the inconvenience stemming from the cancellation of his parlay bets, BetMGM extended an offer of a $100 bonus bet to Benton.
BetMGM Protected
Dr. Patrick Rishe, a sports business analyst at WashingtonUniversoty in St. Louis, explained the presence of legal provisions in the fine print that can potentially shield a betting company, granting them the authority to retract winnings.
The provision in question falls within the “obvious errors” section of BetMGM’s terms and conditions, granting them the power to nullify wagers under specific circumstances. This provision, theoretically, allows for other listed scenarios like system glitches or incorrect game scoring to also justify voiding bets.
A more legally murky aspect in BetMGM’s terms and conditions states that wagers may be voided if the “odds are incorrect given the probability of the event occurring.” the scope of this provision could technically extend to every line posted by a sportsbook. Instances of this nature have been occurring since the legalization of online sports betting by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018.
Historical precedent, however, does not favor BetMGM and its stance.
Conclusion
Benton shared that he has not yet reached out to the Virginia Lottery, the regulatory body overseeing sports betting within the state. While a few lawyers have made initial contact with Benton, he has not engaged in any conversations with them.
The Virginia Lottery responded in a statement to the Action Network, affirming ongoing communication with BetMGM regarding the matter. The state commission confirmed that, as of now, no formal complaint has been submitted by Benton.
