Read the breathtaking texts one of Australia’s biggest online bookmakers sent a punter after refusing to pay out his winning bet: ‘Thieves and cheats’
Two of Australia’s biggest bookies have been accused of brazenly trying to rob their own punters – before reluctantly admitting their ‘mistakes’.
Daily Mail Australia can reveal Sportsbet has been caught trying to cheat one punter out of $658 winnings on a $350 bet he placed on a T20 cricket match between Saudi Arabia and Cambodia on Monday.
The bet wagered Faisal Khan would hit more than 86.5 runs, and the Saudi delivered, going on to smash 101 before being caught out.
But Sportsbet refused to pay out and branded the bet a loss.
The Melbourne punter – who asked to be known only as Cameron – told Daily Mail Australia he was stunned by the decision.
But the excuse provided by a Sportsbet customer service representative turned his shock to utter disgust.
In that online chat, which has been provided to Daily Mail Australia, Sportsbet dismissed the issue as nothing more than a routine error.
‘Everyone makes mistakes sometimes,’ Sportsbet support worker Lucien told Cameron. ‘It’s been fixed now if you refresh. Was that all for today?’
Pictured: Saudi cricketer Faisal Khan
Sportsbet dismissed not paying out on the win as simply a ‘mistake’
The customer service representative refused to discuss the mistake further and instead activated their AI chatbot to ask if Cameron would recommend Sportsbet to a fellow punter.
When Cameron continued to press for answers, he was issued a ‘penalty’ by the unhelpful rep.
‘You treat your customers like s***,’ Cameron lashed out.
‘Whoa. That’s a penalty Cameron. There’s no need for that kind of language,’ the rep replied, adding a thumbs down and glum-faced emoji.
‘Let’s both take a deep breath, and you can tell me what I can help you with (adding a keyboard emoji and a finger pointing downward).’
Sportsbet corporate communications manager Luke Holmesby repeated the excuse that ‘mistakes happen’ when quizzed by Daily Mail Australia about the row.
‘This was a manual error in our pricing and settlement process,’ he said. ‘Upon notification from a customer, the market was promptly re-settled, and the bet was immediately paid out.
‘Sportsbet has comprehensive re-settlement documentation and process guidelines to address any errors. We encourage any customer who believes a mistake has been made to contact us directly.’
This bet was a winner, but dismissed as a loss until Sportsbet was reminded it was a winner, and then it was again
A Sportsbet customer service rep objected to some old fashioned Australian feedback
A Victoria Police source told Daily Mail Australia he had never come across a large betting agency making a similar ‘mistake’ in all his years of investigating gambling practices.
‘Believe it or not, I’ve never heard of this,’ he said. ‘I would’ve thought it’s an automated calculation by any sports betting authority.
‘I do know they farm out all the markets to independent betting ‘experts’ to set the prices of all fields.
‘I would’ve thought that once it’s all lodged, it’s an automated calculated deposit into your account.’
Sportsbet is largely unregulated in Victoria as it is registered as a bookmaker in the Northern Territory.
The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission is only able to investigate if it breaches Ministerial directions applied by the Victorian Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation.
Cameron told Daily Mail Australia said he was now placing his bets with Sportsbet rivals, Bet365.
‘Sportsbet don’t give me any promos,’ he added. ‘I can’t even join bets with mates.
‘Sometimes I try to put a $500 live bet paying $1.85 and they say my max is $12. Soon as you start to win they cut you off.
‘No industry in the world treats their customers worse than betting agencies.’
Melbourne antiques dealer Frank Grulli, 75, agrees. He has been feuding with TAB since Melbourne Cup day when he landed a $7000 jackpot on the winner Knight’s Choice, which came in at odds of 151 to 1.
An email from the TAB demanding Mr Grulli obtain a statutory declaration confirming his identity
But the TAB refused to allow him to withdraw his winnings over a minor discrepancy with the date of birth on his account.
Mr Grulli claims the mistake was made by the betting agency.
‘I know my date of birth,’ he said. ‘But they want me to sign a stat dec and do all this other stuff and won’t let me withdraw my winnings.
‘They’ve blocked my account, but I can still bet and I can still put money in.
‘They want a stat dec with the driver’s licence. I’ve offered to go to the head office with my driver’s licence and do it directly and they said, “no, you’ve got to do it online”.
‘Because of my age, I have trouble downloading things and doing things online.’
Mr Grulli said the ordeal had caused him great stress.
Frank Grulli, 75, has been feuding with TAB since Melbourne Cup day when he landed a $7000 jackpot on the winner Knight’s Choice (pictured), which came in at odds of 151 to 1.
‘I’m only a small punter so I never really withdrew from my account … usually I just leave it in there and have small bets,’ he added.
‘I’ve never had real big wins, maybe $500. This was seven grand … and now I’ve put back in a grand already because I couldn’t take it out. So they’re just forcing you to bet.’
On Wednesday, after being alerted to the issue by Daily Mail Australia, Ms Grulli’s winnings were released by the TAB.
The betting giant declined to comment when contact by Daily Mail Australia.
