A U.S. Navy veteran who won close to $400,000 on an NBA game had his bet canceled after BetMGM cited an “obvious error.”
Seven hours before the Chicago Bulls took on the Indiana Pacers on March 2, Mark Aiello said he placed four $500 bets on assists and rebounds for the game. The Chicago resident needed six legs to go his way to secure his cash prize.
“When you have a little, kind of, skin in the game, it’s exciting,” he told CBS News Chicago on Wednesday.
Aiello admitted that the odds were not in his favor, peaking at 350-1. To his disbelief, it was his lucky day.
All six legs of his bets had allegedly come in, which was supposed to bank him $389,000.
“Once the game was over, I was just, my heart was racing. I was incredibly excited,” he said, adding that he was thinking of “all the things he could give” his young daughter – including a college education.
But moments later, the dad said he noticed something peculiar on his BetMGM app: all his bets were grayed out.
Just before tipoff, Aiello’s would-be winning bets were allegedly canceled, and his hopes of raking in his six-figure fortune vanished.
Aiello said he received the message: “These wagers were voided due to an obvious error.” According to Aeillo, the error was due to “incorrect or inflated odds per the house rules.”
The dad said that BetMGM traders reviewed at least one of his bets before he was allowed to place it, leaving him confused. Aiello said the bets had stood for seven hours since he initially placed them the morning of the game.
“So I'm wondering where the obvious error was,” he added. “They said because of their mistake, they could do whatever they wanted to.”
BetMGM and other sports betting operators in the state must explain “obvious errors” to the Illinois Gaming Board if a customer files a complaint.
The company told CBS News Chicago that it submitted a complete report on Aiello's bets to regulators. The man is now waiting for the state to investigate the incident.
The Independent has contacted BetMGM and the Illinois Gaming Board for more information.
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