hold-on-to-your-betting-slips playbetwin betting Virgin Media
Ever wondered what happens to all the money that's taken in late bets that aren't honoured? You are not alone.
It's never been something that had crossed my mind until a recent bet I placed in Ladbrokes (an eventual winner at 16-1) was refused payment. "That was a non-runner I think" said the lovely lady behind the desk. Obviously it wasn't: I'd just watched it win.
It turns out that the bet had been placed late, quite a bit late to be fair, but unknowingly, and it had been accepted by the cashier and put through the system.
I got my stake back and although they couldn't show me a policy on late bets they did give me contact details for Customer Services, my £20 back and a copy of my slip.
Only later did I think I must have done that before but not on a winning horse, so I'd have thrown my slip away, the bookmaker has kept my money and I'm none the wiser. That doesn't seem fair.
I contacted Ladbrokes to enquire as to the policy and the validity of my claim. To put it simply, if you're not going to honour a bet don't accept it - everything's computerised these days isn't it? Also, what happens to all the money that you don't return due to late (losing) bets not being claimed? It must be a pretty penny. Perhaps they have a time limit on unclaimed stakes and then donate the proceeds to charity?
To their credit, Ladbrokes dealt with the question very politely and professionally. It turns out that in order to allow some flexibility slips are taken and then paid out (or not) based on how late the bet was placed with some discretion from their staff.
If you want to ensure that a bet placed on virtual races will be accepted as valid then you should use one of the special slips provided for that service. If staff spot a late bet subsequently they will do their best to alert the punter before he or she leaves the shop and refund their stake. All monies taken are kept on account in case of future refund claims.
The key things to remember are always take your slips back to the counter for verification if you're unsure you got your bet on in plenty of time - you may be due a refund. And, if you're betting on virtual races - use the slips provided as the computer can read them and will block late bets.
