This is my first post here for a mild incident I had yesterday with Pinnacle Sports which refuses to pay my winnings in a tennis game between Victor Troicki and Samuel Groth. The story runs as follows:
- As a professional trader I opened a position with Betfair up to the amount of 3000 euros (Liability 2600). As many times has already happened my betfair bet which was closing my trade was absorbed in very slow pace and therefore I was online in four different bookmakers in order to place a Back bet and close my position before the game start. One of those bookmakers was Pinnacle Sports which finally accepted my bet.
- The game was about to start at 8 pm but was rescheduled due to rain for 7.40 in another pitch. All companies changed their system besides Pinnacle Sports which probably was not aware of this issue. Finally the game started at 7.40
- When the chair umpire called ‘’Time’’ and the two players went to their chairs, SECONDS before the first serve, I covered my open position in pinnacle sports with a ‘’to win’’ bet up to 2600 euros which was closing my trade (I was endorsing a loss in the event that Sam Groth was winning the match). My bet was placed at 7:40:53, which can clearly make everyone understand that it was exactly at the moment that players were preparing for the first serve.
- Seven minutes later Pinnacle Sports CANCELLED my bet by claiming that the bet was placed after the start of the game. I only found it out a couple of hours later when the match had already concluded.
- First of all I was perfectly ‘’in’’ the match so as to monitor any advancements, the correct start time etc, because the money were big and when trading tennis, odds can change very rapidly so I always have to close my positions before the first serve. As said, seconds before the first serve I closed my bet by placing the bet in pinnacle sports.
- When I found out that my bet was cancelled, pinnacle sports claimed that the match started at 7.38 (!!!!) and therefore my bet was not legitimate. This is obviously falsified since I was online and monitor the match and in addition all the sites show as start time 7.40 pm. Whoever watches tennis, knows that at this moment the chair umpire calls ‘’time’’ and the two players go to their chairs to set-up before step to the service line for the begin of the match. So Pinnacle’s argument that the match started BEFORE the official time is highly inlegitimate and mistaken which is purposeful just to avoid paying my winnings.
- In SEVERAL respects, especially in NBA matches, the official start time is let’s say at 2.05 but the match starts ten or fifteen minutes later. The same happens to football matches, if for example fireworks make the atmosphere dizzy etc etc… In this timespace pinnacle accepts normally all bets and I have placed some thousands without EVER having one of them cancelled. If Pinnacle declares that any bet placed upon the official start of certain events, then it has to refund me some big cash back, especially for NBA games…
- One more supporting fact is that Groth won easily the first game of the match, which shows that upon the match start, Troicki’s odds were constantly increasing so I would have no incentive to place a Back bet at 1,82 since they were at 1,93 in Betfair. This fact justifies that my bet was placed pregame.
- I was online and watching the game whilst Pinnacle Sports’ linesman was surely away. Therefore his decision to cancel my bet is arbitrary and I cannot tolerate such a big loss for THEIR mistake. I tried to resolve the issue with Pinnacle Sports, I claimed my long custom to them and of course the logical arguments I am exposing here. They insisted not to pay my winnings. Therefore I need your contribution to effectively get paid what I am owed.
