Bookmaker Coral Reluctantly Pays Winning 485-1 Long Shot Bet
One of the UK’s biggest bookmakers, Coral, has reportedly resolved a dispute over payment of a 485-1 long shot wager.
Football punter Chris Fear placed a £1 bet that Bristol Rovers would win against Fleetwood by a three-goal margin with midfielder Jonjo O’Toole scoring anytime during this past Saturday’s matchup. O’Toole scored at the 48-minute mark, resulting in a Rovers 3-0 win.
Coral claimed the bet was taken in error as they do not allow “anytime scorecasts” wagers.
“He gave the odds and took the bet but when I went to collect they said it was a human error on their behalf and wouldn’t honour it, Fear said.
“The bet was an ‘anytime scorecast’ but they now say they don’t do it and that it was a busy betting shop so they can’t expect all their staff to know all the rules.
After news broke that Coral initially refused to honor the bet, calls were made to boycott the bookmaker.
David Stevens, head of PR for Coral, told The Linemakers in an email Wednesday, "This matter has now been resolved to the satisfaction of the customer so we have no more comment to make."
It was not immediately known whether Fear was paid in full and, as of Wednesday evening, the punter has yet to comment further.
- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
