Gambling

stinkermoloney

Hypothetical question

If you win a bet with a bookmaker, is the bookie legally obliged to pay out on the bet?

Tom Young

Hypothetically yes. Circumstantially no.

Victor

I thought specificly the answer was "legally no", a court won't enforce a gambling debt.

Most bookmakers will pay out. Sometimes, they won't if they feel it was a bad bet (bad as in unfair or tainted, not bad as in they didn't win).

Hobart

stinkermoloney wrote: »

Hypothetical question

If you win a bet with a bookmaker, is the bookie legally obliged to pay out on the bet?

No. He is not. I think it is covered under gaming. It works both ways.

Where it gets complicated is where a gambler has an account with a bookmaker or credit card debt owed because of gambling. I know of one case in Europe where a woman (successfully) sued for debt she had accrued on her CC due to gambling.

In the UK this is covered under void contracts (a google will give you more info).

Our man in Havana

I take it gambling per se is illegal yet regulated in this country?

So if you win a bet the bookie does not want to pay, he simply voids the contract and gives back the bet?

NoQuarter

if theres something wrong with a bet as in its late and the race or whatever has started the bet will be void, if the punter is tryin to claim that they wrote something they didnt and the bet is a winner, the bookies just wont pay!

chancers ted!

Our man in Havana

We are talking about bets where a bookie won't pay for his own reasons, ie real bone fide winning bets.

NoQuarter

bookies cant do that!
not the official ones like PP and ladbrokes anyways....

homah_7ft

What about when they make a mistake with the odds? They don't have to payout then.

NoQuarter

how do you mean make a mistake with the odds? there are computers that show when the price has changed, at what exact time they changed...

Our man in Havana

They can simply void bets that they don't want to pay. You can't sue a bookie.

Of course if a bookie kept doing it he would go out of business.

Jo King

Gaming & Lotteries Act 1956.
Gambling debts are debts of honour!

36. —(1) Every contract by way of gaming or wagering is void.


(2) No action shall lie for the recovery of any money or thing which is alleged to be won or to have been paid upon a wager or which has been deposited to abide the event on which a wager is made.


(3) A promise, express or implied, to pay any person any money paid by him under or in respect of a contract to which this section applies or to pay any money by way of commission, fee, reward or otherwise in respect of the contract or of any services connected with the contract is void and no action shall lie for the recovery of any such money.


(4) This section does not apply to any agreement to subscribe or contribute to any plate, prize or sum of money to be awarded to the winner or winners of any game, sport or pastime not prohibited by this Act provided that the subscription or contribution is not a stake.

johnnysmurfman

Gaming contracts are void ab initio due to illegality. There is no obligation on a bookie to pay you out on a winning bet but generally speaking they will be reluctant to refuse to pay you. If they do refuse you can object to their bookmaking licence but you may not sue.

CantGetNoSleep

So does that mean I can bet thousands on my credit card tomorrow and refuse to pay if I lose any of it?

johnnyskeleton

If they take a bet not intending to pay out, it may be theft

Our man in Havana

Normally where they refuse to pay out they return the stake.

NoQuarter

thats only if theres something wrong with the bet, bookies cant just decide to void any bet for the hell of it!

mikemac

I've read the terms and conditions in the local bookies (most have it on a display somewhere) and they agree to take cases to arbitration. I'm not sure what organization decides these matters but you could persue this I suppose

Our man in Havana

bookies cant just decide to void any bet for the hell of it!

Yes they can and there is nothing you can do about it. You can't sue a bookie.