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Bellagio Blunder Yields Possibly The Largest Loss In Vegas Sportsbook History

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The Bellagio reported nearly a quarter-million dollars in winning wagers placed at MGM Resorts in Las Vegas on Sunday. The bets were on Korean and Chinese baseball games after start time, due to an incorrect manual entry. The Nevada Gaming Control Board is investigating the occurrence, one that is possibly the largest loss in Vegas sportsbook history.

Approximately 50 wagers were placed between 1:30 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. with the slate of games starting as early as 1:00 a.m. Almost all of them were entered on self serve kiosks at the Bellagio. One of the bets was a $250, 10-leg parlay that paid out an excess of $137,000. At this time, it is unknown if wagers were made by a single bettor or multiple different people. While the amount is alarming, this isn’t the first time the Bellagio (or other Casinos) has suffered a past-post loss.

Past-post errors are more typical in the sports world than you might expect. They happen occasionally when an employee enters an incorrect start time or a typo. “It’s happened to all of us,” Westgate sportsbook director John Murray told the outlet. “I think every sportsbook probably since the beginning of time has dealt with this at some point.” Depending on the circumstances, the bettor may or may not be able to keep the earnings. But the books are required by law to turn to the GCB any time there is a dispute around more than $500.

There are at least a couple of things to take away from what I am calling the Bellagio blunder. A quarter-million dollars may sound significant to the casual bettor. But compared to the billions risked on daily sports wagers, it is almost microscopic. On the one hand, the fact that a $250,000 past-post loss is record-setting tells how savvy Vegas oddsmakers are. On the other hand, the notion that it happens somewhat frequently shows that there are some incompetencies that can be exploited.

In the past, the Bellagio has offered past-post bet winners two options. Keep the money and never come back, or return it and be welcomed back after the dispute gets resolved. The Bellagio is by no means the only casino in Vegas, or the U.S., for that matter. I don’t know about you, but I know what I would do. I would listen to the wise words of a man by the name of Steve Miller: Take the money and run.

 

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