ALWAYS VERIFY YOUR WINNING AND LOSING TICKETS

I recently placed a bet with one of the casinos here in Las Vegas on a college basketball game between Arizona and Northern Arizona. The wager was placed on Arizona -16.5. After watching the game and surviving a few late baskets by NAU, Arizona won 87-70, giving me a half-point cover. I watched the game from my home via the internet and then promptly left my house to cash the ticket. I had a couple other tickets to cash at the same as well. When the sports-writer ran my Arizona ticket through the machine he promptly told me the ticket was a loser. I asked why? He checked the computer and informed me the score was 87-71 Arizona.

I promptly checked the internet via my phone and made a few calls to verify the score. There were several places that confirmed my score, but at the same time several places that confirmed the casinos score. I had to rush to work before the matter was resolved. At work, I was able to stop by another book and check the score there, again 87-71. I talked with the manager, he made a call and informed me that the score that was posted was incorrect and would be changed immediately, 87-70, WINNER.

However, the next morning I went back to where I had placed the bet and tried to cash the ticket again. They repeated, "Losing ticket, sir!" I informed them the score was incorrect and that other properties had changed the score as well, giving them the printed verification from the other property of the final score. I was promptly and loudly informed that, "the final score is a matter of interpretation!" I returned on my lunch hour to find out they had changed the score and I received an apology from the staff and a free lunch.

Bottom line, make sure to verify all of your tickets. You never know when there may be a mistake on either parties side.

On the flip side of that, if you have a lot of tickets, I would not hesitate to have the writer run all of them through, including the losers. Here are some reasons:

1. You may be getting the score from an incorrect source, and assume a bet is a loser, when the casino is right in grading it a winner. I've seen the sports page on Yahoo screw up a few times.

2. On prop bets sometimes there isn't enough space on the ticket to fully describe a bet. For examle a bet on "First score is a touchdown in the second half," may get described on the ticket as "First score is a touchdown." If the first score of first half was a field goal, and in the second half was a touchdown, you might incorrectly assume the ticket was a loser.

3. Sometimes a bet, especially a prop, gets the wrong side keyed in as a winner. If this would not bother your morally, it doesn't hurt to try.

This thread reminds me of this article in the NY Times.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/08/sports/08otb.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=betting%20bets&st=cse

Seems like a decent living to me...