The online gambling company Bet365 was inundated with complaints during a busy round of Champions League fixtures this week following a service outage.
This was made worse by the fact the company is an official sponsor of the Champions League.
The issue the firm experienced meant that gamblers were unable to use the cash-out option on open bets and subsequently lost out on thousands of pounds. This option allows those placing the bets to settle the wager before the end of the match for a smaller prize total. The compromise is the bettor is guaranteed a return and the firm doesn’t have to pay out the full amount of the winnings had the customer waited till the final whistle.
This option is frequently used for ‘accumulator’ bets that are placed across multiple games and offer a higher risk/reward proposition.
Bet365, who recently launched gambling products in Brazil, experienced a technical issue which meant customers were unable to cash out while the result was still in their favor. Many customers commented that the results had changed by the time they were able to cash out, effectively costing them money. The reverse is also possible with some customers’ winnings increasing due to the firm’s issues.
Many customers took to social media to express their frustrations, including one stating the company should have to refund everyone who bet on the night’s fixtures.
