UK punters who wagered on the outcome of the Chelsea-PSG Premiere League match-up with Sky Bet last week thought they’d stumbled onto an incredible opportunity.
The popular bookmaker’s mobile betting site had offered up 25-1 odds that PSG would win the match in extra time…and that’s exactly what happened. But when those punters went to cash out their wagers they were in for a rude surprise, Sky Bet was only paying out 9-2 on that particular wager.
In practical terms, that means a £10 wager on that proposition that would have paid out £260 only paid out £56.
Instead of a pile of cash, bettors who won on the the 25-1 prop received an e-mail from Sky Bet which read:
Dear Sir/Madam – We write in regards to a recent bet(s) placed on Chelsea v PSG. Due to an administration error, th eprice for PSG to win in extra time was incorrectly displayed. We have settled bets placed at the correct odds.
That’s not sitting well with UK punters, or with Labour MP Graham Jones who told the Daily Mail:
Sky Bet are clearly a rip-off company who are willing to take their customers to the cleaners and deceive them. This is typical of the gambling industry.
Sky Bet’s actions were perfectly legal under the company’s terms and conditions which says they can, “…correct obvious errors and either settle bets at the correct odds or void bets.”
At the same time, Sky Bet is taking a public relations hit that’s probably going to cost them more than paying out the bets would have. Such moves, you might recall, are hardly unprecedented.
During the NFL referee lockout in 2012, Paddy Power refunded losing wagers on a Seattle Seahawks/Green Bay Packers game after replacement refs bungled the game winning call. They correctly wagered that purchasing player good will is always a good investment.
So far, Sky Bet is sticking by their guns and have no plans to refund the wagers.