Teacher's Bet: Virginia Lottery Wants Answers as to Why BetMGM Cancelled $214K Bet
The Virginia Lottery on Tuesday promised Gambling911's Thomas Somach it will get to the bottom of a controversy surrounding BetMGM's decision to cancel a Fairfax County teacher's $214,000 winning bet based on what it claimed to be an "obvious error".
The local CBS affiliate in the county WUSA9 first reported on how a high school teacher and soccer coach, Kristopher Benton, had placed bets for a total wager of more than $3,000 on the Netherlands vs. Vietnam match in the Women’s World Cup through the BetMGM app on Monday.
Three separate live single game parlays at 66 to 1 odds were placed on the app resulting in the $214,500. With gambling sites regularly offering what are known as "odds boosts", it is not entirely unusual for a company to feature more enticing parlay odds. Live betting also requires a quicker reaction time and affords little time for gamblers to study the actual odds. Additionally, an "obvious error" is close to impossible with a three-game parlay as opposed to say a "true obvious error" like the Kansas City Chiefs +14 at home against the Houston Texans. Even in this situation, the book would catch the mistake before the game is even played and void the wager.
In addition to the reporting by WUSA9, other local media outlets took notice of what seems more like an "obvious injustice" than an "obvious error". The popular morning drive show Elliott in the Morning featured an entire segment on the controversy Monday.
Listen to "EITM: Bettor Not Be Incorrect 8/7/23" by DC101 (WWDC-FM) via #spreaker https://t.co/nOvx6KLm4w
— gambling911 (@gambling911) August 8, 2023
BetMGM posted his winnings and an ecstatic Benton immediately requested his first daily maximum payout of $100,000 last Tuesday morning. Benton received an email from the company confirming the withdrawal process. But hours later, at approximately 2:30 p.m. on the same day, the bets that said “WON” were now “CANCELED", according to the WUSA9 report. Needless-to-say, Benton was dumbfounded.
“This was going to be a life-changing moment for us, and then in an instant, it was all taken away without any notification whatsoever,” Benton told WUSA9. “I was completely devastated. My wife and I had already started discussing what we were going to do with the money.”
Making matters worse, the company apologized for "the inconvenience" and offered what would be akin to a 52 cent tip on a $300 dinner at a high class steak house, a $100 bonus bet instead of $214,500 the gambler is rightfully owed.
As suggested by just about every single industry analyst and gambler alike who has stayed on top of this story, "Would they have voided the wager and returned his stake if he were on the wrong side of this “obvious error”?" The obvious answer is a resounding No.
Would they have voided the wager and returned his stake if he were on the wrong side of this “obvious error”?
— Joe Brennan Jr (@joebrennanjr) August 6, 2023
(The paltry $100 bonus consolation is not a great look for their customer service) https://t.co/xeboBhCgqf
A Virginia Lottery spokesperson has since advised Gambling911 they were unaware of the controversy and have since contacted BetMGM. We would note that the Lottery was quick to respond to G911's inquiry on Tuesday and that any delay in responding was a result of employees being sent home early Monday due to severe storms in the region.
The Lottery also confirmed it had not yet received an official formal complaint from Mr. Benton.
BetMGM is teamed up with European partner Entain to offer mobile sports betting in the US. The company, which owns Ladbrokes in the UK, realized its first profit in the US this last quarter. Entain has hardly been immune to controversy. Last year, the firm was handed down a record £17m fine over its inaction as individual customers spent hundreds of thousands of pounds. It was Entain’s second regulatory settlement in three years. One individual was allowed to deposit £742,000 in 14 months without appropriate checks on what they could afford.
In what has now become an industry insider joke, Entain was awarded the "Most Socially Responsible" award at SBC Americas version of the Oscars for three straight years back in May.
From the Guardian:
The commission’s regulatory settlement with Entain includes terms forcing the company to implement an “improvement plan” to tighten up controls designed to prevent money-laundering and tackle gambling addiction.
“This is the second time this operator has fallen foul of rules in place to make gambling safer and crime free,” said the regulator’s chief executive, Andrew Rhodes, referring to a £5.9m fine issued in 2019 for similar failings.
“There were completely unacceptable anti-money laundering and safer gambling failures. Operators are reminded they must never place commercial considerations over compliance.
“They should be aware that we will be monitoring them very carefully and further serious breaches will make the removal of their licence to operate a very real possibility. We expect better and consumers deserve better.”
GB Gambling Commission chief executive Andrew Rhodes warned last summer that Entain could potentially lose its license in Great Britain if the group continues to breach rules and regulations in the market.
The Virginia Lottery has promised Gambling911.com a thorough review of this matter. G911 has also reached out to Mr. Benton.
- TC Jackson, Gambling911.com Correspondent
