las-vegas-gambler-challenging-william-hill-sportsbook-on-$40k-non-payout

Las Vegas Gambler Challenging William Hill Sportsbook On $40k Non-Payout

William Hill said the odds were wrong on a golf longshot and reduced a customer’s payout from $40,000 to $1,000. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

My wife and I often call a happy surprise “like finding $20 in your jacket pocket.” Well, this story is the opposite of that.

On November 22, 2023, a Las Vegas gambler bet $200 on massive longshot golfer Joel Moscatel Nachshon to win the first round of the 2023 Fortinet Australian PGA Championship. He was going off at 20,000-to-1 at the William Hill Sportsbook.

Moscatel did, in fact, win the first round with a course record-tying 63 and eventually finished seventh in the tournament.

William Hill told him it made a mistake when it posted the odds

The gambler had the bet slip from his online sportsbook account, which showed that he won $40,200. But when he went to cash it in, William Hill told him it made a mistake when it posted the odds. Instead, the sportsbook said, the odds should have been 400-to-1, so it paid him $1,000 in winnings.

**It should be noted that winnings on a $200 bet at 20,000:1 should be $4m and at 400:1, they should be $80,000. Perhaps the numbers reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal are incorrect or maybe there is some sort of winnings cap. Either way, there is a sizeable difference between what the gambler thought he won and what William Hill says he won.

A patron dispute hearing officer with the Nevada Gaming Control Board heard arguments from both parties last Thursday and will deliver a recommendation to the Board.

William Hill said that, according to its terms and conditions, it reserves the right to correct any “obvious” errors.

The customer said that his gambling account showed the $40,200 in winnings for five days after the golf event concluded.