I placed a bet at the bookies they gave me a price for the event it won but now they say its void for no reaso

Question

it event was a football game the bet type was match action i went to the bookies there was no price for the event so the assistant rung up hq and got the price she then put it on my betslip and accepted my bet , i then took the winnin slip back and they said it was void because there was a change in the tv scheduling and because the game wasnt live on tv the bet would be voided!!!! this was william hills by the way whats this about???

Answer 1

Incredibly, the law is weighted heavily in favour of bookies. They get to make their own rules, pretty much. Any bookmaker can refuse to pay out on any bet, without giving a reason. And actually, this is not a rare occurrence. In horse racing it is quite common for the bookies to declare that they won't honour your bet, particularly if the result was disputed.

They have to return your stake money, though.

Bookies are robbing b*st*rds, at best.

What TOM A said is a little misleading. The so-called statement of fair treatment is a set of guide lines drawn up by the bookmakers. It is not law. Bookies do NOT have to show good cause to refuse to pay out on a bet. They will show you a copy of their terms and conditions of trading, and there is supposed to be one on display in every betting shop, and every website.

The bottom line is that in LAW, they are under no obligation to prove that your bet was invalid. This is at odds with almost every other trader in the high street. In 1990 an action was brought against William Hill's Bookmakers by a syndicate, when WH refused to pay out almost £140,000 on an accumulator bet. The court ruled that, due to the particular nature of the wager involved, and that race fixing is often impossible to prove to the satisfaction of the rules of evidence, WH's were not in breach of contract for refusing to honour the bet.

Your only recourse in law is to challenge the validity of their terms of trading in the European Court. Your right to a fair hearing in criminal OR CIVIL proceedings is enshrined in Article 6 of the Human Rights Act. The refusal of Bookies to present evidence of wrongdoing in regards to their failure to pay out a winner, is in direct contravention of the presumption of innocence, and fails to satisfy the rules of evidence.

Answer 2

Chris, it's a bit difficult to answer your problem without more info. I'm surprised there was no price available in the shop if the match was due to be shown live on TV.

Most UK bookmakers take bets on lots of matches that aren't televised and in some cases watched by a couple of hundred spectators at best (Scottish lower division games for example) so I suspect there is more to it than a change in the TV schedules or 'greedy' bookies.

If you bet on the match but it was then cancelled and replayed in a different week then Hills rules are quite clear that all bets on the original game are void. A key player could be back from injury or suspension by the time the match is played which could alter the game significantly.

Your best bet (sorry) is to ring Hills customer service rather than write and ask for clarification on why bets for that particular game were voided. Their number's 0800 5870026.

Answer 3

What Johnny Depp stated about 'bookies can refuse to pay out a bet, without giving a reason', is untrue. There is a statement of fair treatment towards customers in every bookmakers, available for the customers to read. You can ask to read it yourself, and also, they have to give you an explanation as to WHY the bet was voided, they can't just tell you that it isn't a winner.

Answer 4

What the previous posters said was correct, but you might want to lodge a dispute with the Bookmakers Association about it - http://www.abb.uk.com

It might not get you anywhere, but you never know.

You can learn more at:

http://www.OnlineBettingExposed.com

Answer 5

Write to William Hill's head office. Include a photocopy of the winning slip. Tell them you are a loyal customer and you feel cheated by them. Tell them you will take your custom elsewhere in the future.

They might very well decide to make a "discretionary payment" to you.

Answer 6

Because of match fixing several years ago, bets on some single games - I think FA Cup games are excepted - are not permitted, unless they are shown on TV, so that they can be seen to be free of obvious fixing. The decision by which you were affected should be within William Hill's football rules and you are entitled to have the appropriate rule pointed out to you. I think the reason you were refunded would have been because acceptance of such a bet would have been illegal. I do not think the above contribution merits much credence although I think some bookies have been known to make too much of "palpable error".