Mr Viral
Disputes between casinos and patrons are normal, and most of the ones that grab headlines usually have to do with glitchy software that denies a seven-figure payout to (un)fortunate players.
Players Seek to Cash Out on Parlays on Concluded Games
Yet, the Nevada Gaming Control Board is usually busy settling much smaller amounts, with the watchdog confirming that it has denied $40,000 in payments to casino and sportsbook patrons arising from disputes between the players and the casinos.
Such matters are referred to the regulator and settled by its members. The best-detailed case concerns a multi-leg bet that took place after a few of the games had concluded.
A complaint filed by Taemee Feuer, a gambler, was reviewed by the board. The plaintiff accused Red Rock Resorts of not paying out their due, but the claim raised suspicion among regulatory members. The parlay bet would have normally won $7,700, but the times of some of the featured events were changed, supposedly allowing many punters to know in advance the results.
Feuer was paid $502, with another $7,285 withheld by the sportsbook which discovered the error and referred the matter to the regulator. The regulator has been known to side with operators in such cases.
Whenever winnings are disputed on the grounds of what the watchdog suspects to be bad faith practices by punters, the watchdog tends to side with the company affected rather than the patrons.
Patrons who were supposed to score similar payments to Feuer also had their wagers voided for the same reason. However, this is not just a reflex that regulators had in the matter – assuming that operators are always right.
Rather, the investigators found out that although Feuer claimed she did not know the fact that the two games she had bet on had concluded before she placed the wagers, investigators duly observed that she had placed three identical parlays worth $100 and within 3 minutes of each other.
Investigators, including board member George Assad, similarly made a point that there was an unusual betting activity surrounding the betting on the specific parlays in question. Feuer was not the only person who felt suddenly compelled to place wagers on the same parlays, with investigators suspecting that the matter was well-known at the time other people were placing their wagers.
The NGCB Takes Dim View of Gimmicks Involving Unfair Betting
“To me, there was some kind of knowledge by someone on these chat rooms that knew these games had already finished hours earlier, but the game was mistakenly left on the board for betting. All of a sudden they passed this information on to other chat rooms and friends and everybody ran to the kiosks and tried to take advantage, and to me, committed a fraudulent act of gaming,” Assad argued, backed by other members.
The board similarly denied three other requests for due payouts by one Paul Sansone, once again against Red Rock for $1,168, by one Paul Siettenhaugh against Paris Las Vegas for $9,768, and finally, by one Shawn Wales who sought the largest payout – $19,9999 from the Silverton Casino Las Vegas.
Although no further details in these other cases were provided, the regulator had denied to honor payments to the plaintiffs, siding with the operators instead.
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