One of the largest bookies in the UK, William Hill, has joined a number of other gambling operators by declaring the cancellation of a serious number of ante-post bets at a short notice. The decision made by the gambling company came as a reminder to customers that bookmakers’ Terms & Conditions allow the companies to cancel bets long time before the bets’ acceptance.
The decision of William Hill for ante-post bets’ void has followed similar announcements made by 188BET and BetBright.
Tuesday saw the Swiss customers of the company receive e-mails which confirmed the decision of William Hill to stop accepting bets from Switzerland-based punters. The firm’s move came surprisingly but was justified by the British gambling operator with “regulatory reasons”. As revealed by the company, all unsettled bets on customers’ accounts would be cancelled as of June 28th.
As reported by The Guardian, which claims to have seen evidence of one bet on 2019 Wimbledon Championships that are starting on July 1st, the British bookmaker intends to cancel. The customer affected has put a €1,500 stake that could lead to a potential payout estimated at approximately €77,000. Initially, William Hill did not provide the punter with an opportunity for a bet cash-out, which would allow them to reinvest the money at the existing market odds.
UKGC Says BetBright Handled Well the Ante-Post Bets Situation
As mentioned above, the decision of William Hill to cancel some bets which could potentially generate massive payouts follows similar decisions which 188BET and BetBright made earlier in 2019.
BetBright made the announcement that it would stop trading only several days before the start of the Cheltenham Festival which took place in March. The liabilities related with ante-post racing were then taken by another operator, 888.com, which had acquired its wagering and technology platform assets at the price of £15 million. BetBright’s sportsbook was transferred to BetVictor at a later stage.
Both companies have faced a lot of criticism due to their ante-post bets cancellation.
However, back in March, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) explained that it was satisfied with the way the ante-post bets situation was handled by BetBright after launching an investigation into the company. Still, at the time when the UKGC announcement was made, the customer whose ante-post bets were cancelled by the company said they were preparing to launch a lawsuit against the former operator of the bookmaker, Dedsert Ltd. At the time when BetBright revealed its decision to cancel some of the punter’s bets, the potential payout they could have received for the money staked was approximately £30,000.
According to the punters whose bets were void, BetBright could have been made by the UK gambling regulatory body to use the received £15 million from the aforementioned acquisition to cover liabilities, as it would have been possible for the company to prevent liquidation risks and to guarantee fair customer treatment.
- Author
Olivia Cole
