A BetSafe Sportsbook player has filed a betting dispute involving an NBA wager.
The player wagered €100 on the Under 94.5 for the 1st half yesterday’s New York Knicks vs. San Antonio Spurs game at the odds of 1.85 (-117).
The wager was accepted. However, right before the game tipped off, BetSafe allegedly voided the bet by citing that the wrong odds were inserted. However, this claim would not hold up after a review of what the odds actually were during the market history.
SBR Odds Line History to the Rescue
By analyzing SBR Odds line history on the totals market activity for the under in the Knicks vs. Spurs game on March 17, the following can be seen:
The line legitimately was at 94.5 and there was a greater market average on the under, at approximately 1.8696 (-115) or 2¢ different than the price the player says he accepted. In other words, there was no error with the line the player locked in for his NBA wager.
When he pointed this out to BetSafe, he was told that the online sportsbook was within their right to void the wager.
However, the player correctly argues that as his wager was in-line with the market, a case cannot be made to suggest that the bet deserved to be cancelled. He attempted to reason with BetSafe, but the betting site would not budge and maintained that they were correct to cancel the ticket in question.
Sportsbook Review has followed up with BetSafe to discuss this betting complaint.
BetSafe players in need of assistance should submit a sportsbook complaint form.
When is it OK to cancel bets?
To keep consistent with the bet in question, let’s assume you’ve bet on the under of a 1st half of an NBA game. Let’s say the line opened at 94.5, and has changed in either direction by 3 or less points (i.e. 93.5, 92.5, 91.5, and/or 95.5, 96.5, 97.5) this is common market movement. If a sportsbook is late to the party and forgets to update their number as the market moves (referred to as “falling asleep at the wheel”), the industry standard suggests that sportsbooks should honor this wager. However, players who commonly pick off stale numbers might find the welcome mat removed from underneath them and find their account closed. The winnings meanwhile should be paid.
Let’s assume a line opened at 94.5 and did not move at all. If a sportsbook types in 104.5 -110, this would be a classic example of a clear palpable, human error. Bets on this are considered taking a shot and should be voided.
If the total line is consistent but the juice (vigorish) is inflated, then it could be OK to cancel a bet. For example, let’s say the unchanged line of 94.5 was not offered at -110/-110, but instead offered at -1100 / +1000, this is a clear example of an outrageously bad line, and the lines manager who entered this might find himself out of a job if such errors continue. Players who feast off on the under would also find themselves out of the sportsbook in all likelihood.
source : www.sportsbookreview.com
