Las Vegas – Nevada
Running a sportsbook is fraught with all types of challenges. Getting the right point spreads and odds can be the difference between making or losing a million dollars in a single day. But other seemingly mundane information must be entered into the database so that operations run smoothly.
8 Days ago, Bellagio in Las Vegas posted incorrect start times on some Chinese and Korean baseball games. These are games that would otherwise get basically zero action if not for Covid shutting down the entire U.S. economy. Well, about fifty players were able to bet on those games which had already started. The mistake cost Bellagio over $250,000. Among the bets was a $250 10-leg parlay that paid over $137,100.
These mistakes happen from time to time. When you consider the total amount of games put into the system every year and then time changes etc. Any little mistake could cost thousands or even millions.
These mistakes don’t happen often enough to where people have made a living chasing the anomaly. But when they happen, you bet heads roll behind the scenes.
Paying out winners of these types of bets may serve as its own kind of advertising however. You know that every time this happens, it will spark a new wave of time error hunters (“shot-takers” as they are called in the industry). These guys will end up betting on other events (where the game time is correct) and spending money on drinks, food and even rooms. So don’t feel too sorry for the sportsbook when this happens. Plus the Bellagio is owned by MGM, a company with billions of dollars in reserve.
image from booking.com
