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JERSEY CITY, N.J.—One of the world’s most famous professional sports bettors has spoken out on the ongoing controversy involving sportsbook BetMGM refusing to pay out over $200,000 in winning wagers to a Virginia high school special education teacher.
Not surprisingly, Gadoon “Spanky” Kyrollos was backing the bettor, not the book.
Teacher Kris Benton, of Springfield, Virginia, earlier this month made three two-leg parlay bets on the women’s World Cup match between the Netherlands and Vietnam with BetMGM, via a mobile app, and won a total of $214,500.
But MGM refused to pay him his winnings, claiming incorrect odds were accidentally set for the wagers.
The sportsbook also refused to pay him under what would’ve been the correct odds, hilariously claiming it doesn’t know what the correct odds would’ve been.
Kyrollos is one of the most famous and most successful sports bettors in the country, if not the world.
He’s been banned from numerous sportsbooks around the U.S. because he wins so much.
Gambling 911 showed Kyrollos a news article about the controversy and also a TikTok video where another famous professional sports bettor, Trent Attya, lambasted BetMGM for its decision to stiff Benton.
So what does Spanky think about the controversy?
“In my opinion, the sportsbook has the right to cancel the bet before the game starts,” he told Gambling 911 in an exclusive interview.
“In this situation, the game ended and they cancelled the bet after it won, which is wrong.
“Had the bet lost, would the sportsbook refund the player?
“The sportsbook can not put itself in a situation with the perception that winning wagers get cancelled and losing wagers stand.”
By Saturday morning, it was revealed that BetMGM had finally paid Benton in full following an epic social media campaign and an intervention by the Virginia Lottery.
By Tom Somach
Gambling 911 Chief Correspondent
tsomach@aol.com
