Against all the odds, I got £2k back after flop gamble on Gers
League flutter finally pays off for football fan James
Sally Hind
A pensioner has told how he was given a surprise refund on a £2000 failed bet on Rangers to win last season’s league title.
But James Graham fears hundreds of fans will miss out on getting money back after ditching betting slips when Celtic were awarded the 2019/20 title.
The 83-year- old, from Cambuslang, near Glasgow, only found out months after placing the bet that he was due a refund because se Ladbrokes decided to void bets ets that still had a “mathematical cal chance” of winning.
He’s now locked in a fight ght with rival bookie William Hill ill ll for the return of the identical al £1000 bet he placed with them. m.
James said: “I had no idea. I was lucky, lucky really, because Rangers wouldn’t have won the league but the rules state that if the football is not completed you’re entitled to your money back.
“Umpteen people who I told in my local area said they didn’t know the rules. How many could that be across Scotland? People could be due thousands.”
James placed his bet on William Hill’s odds of 19/20 before deciding to have a bigger punt at Ladbrokes.
The SPFL called time on the 2019/20 season in May – giving Celtic, who were 13 points ahead of Rangers, their ninein-a-row title. Clubs voted in favour of the controversial move after crunch talks, which condemned Hearts to relegation.
But with eight rounds still to play, there were fears bets could be voided. James only found out he could try to recoup his cash when he placed a bet months later.
He said: “I was told to go to Ladbrokes
for a deadlocknumberdeadlocknumber. TheThey came back within a couple of days and gave me my £2000 back. I’ve still got the William Hill ticket but it’s in deadlock.”
After Celtic won, Ladbrokes announced it would void “ante post” bets – when a market exists in advance of an event– that still had a chance of winning. A statement said: “We have settled ante post bets in line with our rules, and have paid out on Celtic as champions, Hearts being relegated and Odsonne Eduoard being top season scorer. To be as fair as possible, we also decided to void any ante post bets that still had a mathematical chance of winning, and refund the stakes in full.”
William Hill told the Sunday Mail it would not be returning James’s stake.
A spokesman said: “Celtic were crowned champions. As such, we paid out on Celtic. If we voided all bets, those who backed Celtic would be up in arms, pointing to the fact they were crowned by the SFA.”