Massive windfall

A gambler who is suing Australian betting site BetEasy for more than AU$1.2m (US$876,342) worth of unpaid winnings has said that her betting account was opened by an employee of Crown Resorts and that she didn’t agree to the site’s terms and conditions. This account was reportedly created after she joined the casino operator’s Signature Club rewards program.

Renee Bell received just AU$250,000 (US$182,571) when her five parlay bets with BetEasy (formerly CrownBet) were all winners. She is looking for the difference between the AU$1.44m (US$1.05m) total winnings she claims she is due and the money that has already been paid out.

A directions hearing on the case is set to take place on November 13 in the Supreme Court.

Defense’s stance

BetEasy claims that its terms and conditions, presented upon registration, state that a max of AU$250,000 can be paid out in a given day to a bettor, no matter how much the potential winnings of a wager may be.

she did not agree to the terms as she was not the registrar of the account

Bell replied to this defense by claiming that she did not agree to the terms as she was not the registrar of the account in August 2015. She did not know she even had an account with CrownBet until she received an e-mail three days after signing up for the Signature Club. 

Court documents state: “When she joined the Crown Signature Club she did not agree to CrownBet’s terms and conditions and such terms and conditions were not brought to her attention; and when she first logged in to her CrownBet account she did not agree to CrownBet’s terms and conditions and such terms and conditions were not brought to her attention.”

Wagers in question

Bell wagered AU$500 (US$365) across five multi-bets on horse races around the country and an Australian rules football game in May 2018.

Each of the horses was either bred or partly owned by Bell’s relatives.

One of the bets was a AU$100 (US$73) five-leg parlay involving four horses and one Australian rules football game. Each of the horses was either bred or partly owned by Bell’s relatives. All of the selections were successful, with the winnings adding up to AU$1,260,748.80 (US$920,705). 

BetEasy only paid out AU$250,000 plus Bell’s stake for the initial bet, with the four other wagers being canceled and refunded.?

Max payout policy

BetEasy’s website states that anyone that opens an account or places a bet agrees to the platform’s terms and conditions.

Said terms state: “The maximum payout for a multi-bet for racing and sports or a combination of both is $250,000. It is your responsibility to ensure that it stakes according to the limits.”