Bookmaking goliath Sportsbet has caved to public pressure, agreeing to pay out on previously voided 40-disposal AFL multis from round 10 at revised odds.
Punters were outraged when informed by the sports betting giant that their multis had been voided, after having originally accepted the bets.
Nine-leg multis, comprised of bets that no player would record 40 or more disposals in any of the nine AFL Round 10 matches, had originally paid out at odds of 120 to one.
But the bookmaker has refused to pay out on the original odds, claiming that the inflation of odds was an “obvious error”.
Sportsbet pointed to section 1.12.1 of the company’s Rules, Terms & Conditions covering ‘Errors’, stating “we reserve the right to correct any obvious or manifest errors and to void any bets where such has occurred.”
Sportsbet voided the bets, claiming that they had “picked up the error early – well in advance of the AFL round – and notified our customers and returned their funds in line with our terms and conditions.”
However, some users claim they were not informed of cancellations to their bets until several days after the fact.
One punter claims he is owed $30,000 by the bookmaker, with an estimated $9 million owed to bettors.
The company released a statement on Monday, saying “in recognition of missing the mark, we’re going to reinstate our customers’ bets and pay them at the correct odds.”
Bets were reportedly reinstated with lowered odds of around $1.30 on average across the nine legs, where previously odds had been set as high as $2.30.
Punters were left short-changed, with the leaner odds meaning multis originally paying 120 to one were reduced to 10 to one.
Meanwhile, many Sportsbet users have been quick to point out that losing ‘Yes’ bets placed on the 40+ disposal market had not been voided until Monday afternoon.
A ‘Sportsbet Lawsuit’ Twitter account has amassed more than 1,300 followers furious with the injustice in less than 48 hours.
The account claims to have enquired with leading Australian law firm Slater & Gordon in regards to a class action lawsuit against the betting agency.