Illinois Gaming Regulators Say BetMGM Rightfully Voided $389,000 in Winning Sports Bets
In a complaint brought by a customer who claimed his winning wagers were not paid, the Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) has taken the side of online sportsbook BetMGM.
Mark Aiello, a Chicago resident, placed many wagers on the March 2 NBA game between the Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers, according to an April story published by Casino.org. After seeing that the lines were rather lengthy, Aiello was persuaded to place a wager on six player props pertaining to rebounds and assists.
When Aiello opened his BetMGM Sportsbook app after a few of his bets had hit, the $500 wagers he believed had earned over $389,000 were shown as void, and the initial sums were returned to his account. According to BetMGM's house rules, wagers may be canceled in the event of a "obvious error of incorrect or inflated odds."
To get his profits reimbursed, Aiello complained to the IGB. However, the online sportsbook, which has a license to provide mobile wagering in Illinois thanks to its affiliation with Par-A-Dice Hotel & Casino, was sided with by the state gaming department.
BetMGM Properly Rejected Bets
The IGB stated in its order dated June 3 that Aiello had made four single-game parlays. The odds for the four $500 wagers were +17500, +25000, and +35000, respectively.
The BetMGM trading staff discovered that the odds were wrong about an hour later; they should have been +1860, +2700, +3200, and +3600 instead. Eleven minutes prior to the start of the Bulls vs. Pacers game, Aiello's four wagers were canceled. BetMGM informed the IGB of the "obvious error" and the canceled bets.
"In this case, the evidence demonstrates that a human error led to BetMGM making the pricing available to patrons at a level that significantly diverged from the intended pricing for the March 2, 2025, Bulls-Pacers game. The evidence further shows that the incorrect pricing was not a question of poor judgment by BetMGM in its assessments of likely statistical outcomes, but instead was the result of a specific, identifiable failure by BetMGM staff to follow the necessary and established procedures for pricing updates,” the IGB wrote in its order dismissing Aiello’s complaint.
“This conclusion is corroborated by the fact that all meaningful actions BetMGM took to correct the error occurred prior to the commencement of the subject Bulls-Pacers game. Thus, all evidence is consistent with a good faith effort by BetMGM to correct the human error it made before the game,” the ruling continued.
The Pacers Continue to Play
The Pacers had an unexpected one-game lead over strongly favored Oklahoma City in the NBA Finals, while Aiello's Bulls were eliminated from the NBA Playoffs. In a thrilling 111-110 victory, Indiana won Game 1.
Indiana is still the underdog in the series. BetMGM has the Thunder as the 10.5-point favorite for tonight's Game 2 in Oklahoma City, with the moneyline set at OKC -600, Indiana +425.
Even though they lost Game 1 at home, Oklahoma City is still the series favorite. The odds for the Thunder to win their first NBA championship since moving from Seattle in 2008 are -350. The Pacers have a +275 chance of winning their first NBA title.
