sportsbet mis-communication??

I do a little sportsbetting as entertainment. This is kind of a taboo thing for a person who supports themselves from AP, as you are playing a negative EV situation, unless you are really good and I am not. But I figure my usually small $110-$220 wagers cost me a couple bucks each in the long run and that's not a bad price for entertainment. Sure beats the price of a movie. :)

So having had a real good run wagering college basketball this season, which is one of the few things I am doing well as my BJ number are in the tank so far this year, I decided to bump up my wagers for march madness. I wagered $550 on the games, I like last weekend going 7 and 4. This weekend, there was only one game I liked all weekend, yesterday so I decided to push the envelope and up invest some more of my winnings. I wagered $1100 on Wichita state +4.5 points. Or that is what I thought I wagered. lol

When I cashed out my ticket, expecting $2100, the amount that flashed on the screen was $3080, nearly a thousand more than I was expecting. No sense being argumentative. I took the cash. I mean it wasn't a cashier mistake as it is all electronic. It only took me a few seconds to consider the possibilities and one such possibility was that my wager was registered as a money line wager, rather than with the points. Problem was with the game now over, the money line odds were no longer up on the big board, having been replaced by the final score. The printed sheets that the sportsbook has available with odds were all empty as it was rather late in the day. I finally located one in a trash can and saw the money line was +180. Some quick math, my $1100 wager won $1980, returning $3080 including the original bet, just as I was paid. So, while my story has a happy and lucky ending, the moral is to be sure and check your tickets closely when purchased. I know I checked my ticket and knew I had the right team as I have had a cashier make that mistake before, but obviously, I didn't check all that closely. Worked out in my favor THIS time.

I'll take lucky over skilled anytime!

That happened to Lonnegan when he was told to place the bet.

Didn't work out well for him. Glad it did for you.

Quote: FinsRule

That happened to Lonnegan when he was told to place the bet.

Didn't work out well for him. Glad it did for you.

My favorite movie.

"To win? I said place . Place it on Lucky Dan."
"That horse is gonna run second!

Quote: kewlj

So, while my story has a happy and lucky ending, the moral is to be sure and check your tickets closely when purchased. I know I checked my ticket and knew I had the right team as I have had a cashier make that mistake before, but obviously, I didn't check all that closely. Worked out in my favor THIS time.

Win or lose by mistake, I also hate when that happens - placing the wrong bet. If you want to prevent it in the future, you better check the odds than the team. It's more likely to place a different bet favouring the same team, than betting on the wrong team alone. By checking the odds you can immediately spot both types of mistakes, (and prevent short-payings). The only exception are odds just below even money - then you would also need to check for the actual side.

I would always be careful with lotto tickets too, because sometimes it is possible to buy for the wrong drawing and not know it. Numbers can be misunderstood as well. Always scan them just in case. There is something new around here where you can scan your tickets once to check them at vending machines, but if you do it twice, the credits are applied to the machine, often unknowingly to customers. This makes the tickets void since they are cashed, so never buy a winning lotto ticket from anyone.

Yeah, I never understood the details but a few years ago some sportsbettor at the Las Vegas Hilton sportsbook walked away without checking his ticket and while idly reading it later realized he had bet heavily on the Favorite but was giving up humungous points as well... he high-tailed it back to get the ticket undone but the line had moved from 31 to 33 points or something and they told him he had to buy an opposite ticket and eat the difference.

Turned out he won on each of the two tickets ... and didn't tip the ticket writer.

It turns out there is a certain order in which to speak to a live person writing a ticket ... and I imagine its even more critical if you are pressing buttons on a terminal.

idk what the proper procedure is but when i go to make a bet i place the money on the counter near me. then after they run the ticket i check it over and if its correct slide the money over to them. if its not correct, i pick the money up then hand them the ticket back and say this isnt what i wanted.

Quote: FleaStiff

Yeah, I never understood the details but a few years ago some sportsbettor at the Las Vegas Hilton sportsbook walked away without checking his ticket and while idly reading it later realized he had bet heavily on the Favorite but was giving up humungous points as well... he high-tailed it back to get the ticket undone but the line had moved from 31 to 33 points or something and they told him he had to buy an opposite ticket and eat the difference.

Turned out he won on each of the two tickets ... and didn't tip the ticket writer.

It turns out there is a certain order in which to speak to a live person writing a ticket ... and I imagine its even more critical if you are pressing buttons on a terminal.

I believe VegasRex told that story on his forum or blog.