how does betting payout work – and how not

More Bad Luck...

Cyril's Betting Advice
Cyril's Betting Advice

I have come across a number of instances where payment has been refused or curtailed.

The first was a few years ago but nevertheless fits the bill. A punter bet on three world cup games where the selected team would score at least three goals each. The odds looked very good so the punter queried the figures but was given an assurance, his slip was signed to that effect, that the odds were correct. The bet was successful and the punter went along to collect his winnings and was offered around an eighth the amount he should have received. The old chestnut of an excuse. Wrong odds given.

The second bet covers the recent European Cup Finals. The unlucky punter decided to have a treble on three teams, each to win,, the correct scores and the three teams to win to NIL. Now anyone versed in football betting would realise straight away that the bet should never have been accepted. However it was accepted on the website. And with odds of almost 3.500/1. The bookmaker paid out £70.00. Explaining that the bet was “placed in error”. Not, you will notice, “accepted in error”. Unfortunately the punter hadn’t a leg to stand on.

The next hard luck story is a little unbelievable when you realise that the odds involved are just short of £300.000. On this occasion the punter had a six team accumulator. Spread across different leagues. To his surprise the full six were successful. Oh joy. Not for long however. Some of the odds for some of the matches had been transposed on his betting slip. This had to be down to the clerk who accepted the bet as punters aren’t allowed to write their own odds on betting slips. Despite the bookmakers admitting it was their fault the punter received just £19.00. IT REALLY DOES PAY TO CHECK YOUR BETTING SLIP WHEN ASKING FOR A PRICE.

Back to the Euros of last year. No good for England nor for the punter who has placed £5.00 on England to win 2/1. The odds, a real mouthwatering 4,000/1. Our punter, being no kind of fool, queried the odds. He was assured they were correct. England duly obliged and he looked forward to banking £20,000. Of course he didn’t receive what he was due. Despite the fact that he had another betting slip with the same odds receipted on it, he was only paid the “correct” odds of 8/1.

Probably the unluckiest of them all was the punter who chanced £1.00 on a 1,000,000/1 football bet. He wasn’t paid out because he used the WRONG COUPON to enter his selections on.

All these instances could have been avoided. Mainly, by the bookmakers having staff who knew their job. Who had been trained properly.

In view of some recent happenings, I feel sure that had one or two of these unlucky guys had the wherewithal to go to court they might well have been victorious. The day when the bookmaker call squeal ”wrong odds given” might well be a thing of the past. The Small Claims Courts could well find themselves a little busier in future. Just my thoughts on things.