A typographical error in a betting line on a National Football League (NFL) match has cost BetMGM $10,500 (£7,500).
The error, which involved the Cleveland Browns v Kansas City Chiefs playoff game in January 2021, was revealed by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement. The body fined BetMGM.com $500 for failing to properly display the odds on a betting market.
The error specifically involved a player prop bet on the performance of the two quarterbacks, Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes and Cleveland’s Baker Mayfield. BetMGM intended to offer bets on whether either quarterback would each pass for 300 or more yards throughout the match, but a manual error saw the “3” dropped, with bettors given the option of whether the players would pass for 00 yards or more.
If either player, therefore, completed just one pass for one yard, the bet would have been a winner. The pair combined for 459 passing yards, thus the bet was a winner, with five BetMGM customers noticing the error, as well as four at Borgata Online, which is owned by MGM Resorts International.
According to state documents, MGM reported the error to the gaming enforcement division in an attempt to void the bets, arguing that the odds were improperly calculated.
But after an investigation, the state said the bets could not be cancelled. Soon after, however, the operator decided to let the bets stand and pay the winning customers.
