Ladbrokes is under increasing pressure to explain what appear to be longstanding issues with its process for accepting and rejecting bets after it emerged that the firm has reached out-of-court settlements with at least three more customers whose bets had apparently been “cancelled”.
The news will add to speculation that Ladbrokes was aware of a potential problem for many months, and is also likely to attract the attention of the Independent Betting Adjudication Service (Ibas), which is currently considering three separate cases brought by Ladbrokes customers in near-identical circumstances. The three cases with Ibas include one which involves an attempt to place a bet with the firm in October 2017.
The Guardian reported last week that Paul Glynn, who attempted to place a £150 bet with Ladbrokes on 2 July last year, had received a full payout of £1,200 on what the firm claimed was a “cancelled” bet. The total number of cases in which Ladbrokes is known to have paid out as if a “cancelled” bet was a winner has now risen to four, and at least six more Ladbrokes customers are understood to be preparing a claim.
All the punters involved experienced the same sequence of events when attempting to place a bet with the firm which was referred to Ladbrokes’ trading department for approval. First, they were shown what appeared to be a receipt for their bet, with a unique “receipt number”. The balance on their account was also reduced by the full amount of their stake. Subsequently, their account history listed the bets as having been “cancelled”, rather than declined.
This is one of several details that could prove significant when Ibas considers its verdict on the three cases before it, which could set a precedent for other claims against the firm. The dispute resolution service may also be keen to know the grounds on which Ladbrokes decided to pay out on at least four similar claims, and whether the bookmaker has reached out-of-court settlements with any more punters in similar circumstances.
Lingfield 12.50 Giving Back 1.20 Et Moi Alors 1.50 Blue Bullet 2.20 Vicenzo Mio 2.50 Broughtons Rhythm 3.20 Keel Over 3.50 Remember Forever
Hereford 1.00 The Go Tou Man 1.30 Massini Man 2.00 Duc De Beauchene 2.30 Jurby 3.00 Pointed And Sharp 3.30 Conna Cross 4.00 Cougar Kid (nb)
Huntingdon 1.10 That’s A Given 1.40 Opechee 2.10 Banditry (nap) 2.40 Mercers Court 3.10 Kingston 3.40 Logan Rocks
Chelmsford 4.15 Brandy Spirit 4.45 Mujassam 5.15 Swift Approval 5.45 Janabiya 6.15 Pheidippides 6.45 Let’s Sway 7.15 Ladweb
Ladbrokes did not respond to a request for comment on Monday.
The fact that the dates of three of the disputed bets are now known to range from October 2017 to July 2018 adds to a sense that Ladbrokes’ procedure for referring bets to traders was deficient for many months. As a result, it remains possible that dozens, and possibly hundreds, of the firm’s customers may have grounds to claim for winnings if they were knocked back on a bet over the past 13 months.
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