The largest online sports betting operator in Australia – Sportsbet – is set to pay a massive amount of money to its customers following a ruling of a local gambling regulatory body. The watchdog issued a decision that the bookmaker unfairly cancelled some customers’ bets on Australian Football League (AFL) matches after claiming that the odds that had been offered were errors.
The bets that no player would make 40 (or more) disposals in round-10 AFL matches were accepted by the company earlier in 2019. However, before the first game of the round that was to be held in May, Sportsbet announced its decision to cancel all the aforementioned bets, which were accepted on an average of AU$1.75, and informed its users that it had the right to do so under the terms and conditions in case of “obvious or manifest errors”.
After it so happened, that no AFL player made over 40 disposals in the round, the decision of the Australian bookmaker to call the bets void fuelled a strong wave of criticism. Several punters also filed complaints with the gambling regulatory body in the Northern Territory, where the Australian online sports betting operator holds its operating licence.
The Racing Commission Says Punters’ Bets Were Unfairly Called Void
On October 31st, the Northern Territory Racing Commission, which currently controls and monitors the gambling sector in the state, handed down a decision on the customers’ complaints. The watchdog described the bets as legal and issued an order under which Sportsbet would have to pay out the winning bets to the customers who had placed them. The number of players who would benefit from the ruling was not revealed by the regulatory body. Sportsbet also preferred not to comment on the matter but some individuals close to the industry suggested that the total amount of winning that is to be paid by the company could reach up to AU$9 million.
The state’s gambling regulatory body revealed that it considered whether the so-called “obvious errors”, which were mentioned by Sportsbet as the reason why the bets were called void, were clearly visible to the average punter who had a reasonable knowledge of betting, the AFL and the sport in particular.
Considering the fact that four of the nine prices offered by the online betting company were higher in comparison to the prices that were previously offered for the same bet, the Northern Territory Racing Commission shared it was quite arguable that the prices were offered by an error. In addition, the watchdog said in its ruling that each of the pricing “error” did not meet its requirements to consider them placed by an obvious error.
A Sportsbet spokesman shared that the gambling operator acknowledges the determination of the Northern Territory Commission and will take actions to pay out the winnings in the accounts of the affected customers as soon as possible.
- Author
Olivia Cole
