BetMGM confirms victory in past-posting dispute
A BetMGM spokesperson confirmed Wednesday that the Nevada Gaming Control Board has ruled in favor of the sportsbook in a dispute over tens of thousands of dollars of past-posted wagers made at the Bellagio.
ESPN reported Tuesday that the Control Board had decided to void more than $200,000 in outstanding parlays that were placed June 28 on Korean and Chinese baseball games after they had started.
“I can confirm that we’ve now received word from the NGCB that it has approved our request to rescind and refund the past-post wagers,” the spokesperson said via email.
The bets were allowed to be placed because incorrect start times were posted on some games because of a manual entry error, according to an ESPN report at the time. Nearly all of the about 50 wagers were placed on self-serve kiosks at the Bellagio between 1:30 and 3 a.m. when the games in question started at 1 and 2 a.m.
Nearly a quarter-million in winning wagers were reportedly placed in what is believed to be the largest past-posting loss for a sportsbook in Las Vegas history. Some tickets were cashed before the sportsbook realized the error, ESPN said.
The dispute provoked strong opinions across the sports betting landscape. Some bookmakers said past-posting bordered on theft, while some bettors pointed out that the wagers still could have lost, even with the extra information, and that the mistake was the book’s fault regardless.
Contact Jim Barnes at jbarnes@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0277. Follow @JimBarnesLV on Twitter.