Still waiting for payout

A UK bettor claims that a sportsbook owes him ￡5m ($6.5m) for a wager he placed on Liverpool to win the UEFA Champions League in June 2019.

a ￡20 ($26) bet featuring three games

Darren Hope placed a ￡20 ($26) bet featuring three games in the soccer competition. The first required Liverpool to beat Barcelona 4-0 in the second leg of the semi-final at odds of 400/1. He also wagered on Tottenham Hotspur to beat Ajax in the other semi-final, and then for Liverpool to defeat Spurs in the final.

The Coventry-based man allegedly visited the BoyleSports retail sportsbook the day after Liverpool’s victory with his winning bet slip. Sportsbook staff supposedly told Hope that they were unable to pay the winnings at that location. Therefore, he wrote his name, phone number, address, and signed the slip before handing it over to staff.

Since then, Hope claims that BoyleSports has lost his winning betting slip, meaning he now has no proof of the wager which should have returned the whopping ￡5m ($6.5m).

Conflicting information

Hope said he received a phone call from BoyleSports confirming his winning bet on the night of the final. The person on the phone asked for his bank account information and gave him a transaction number. They confirmed it would take about 90 days for the money to reach his account. By September 25, Hope still hadn’t received any funds to his bank account.

BoyleSports denies that this happened, stating that the sportsbook in Foleshill Road, Coventry was not even operational at the time. The Independent Betting Adjudication Service informed the bettor that it could not continue with the complaint as BoyleSports claimed that the particular sportsbook did not open until November 2019.

Clinging onto hope

Hope initially lodged a complaint with BoyleSports before sending correspondence to the Action Fraud team and the Independent Betting Adjudication Service regarding the matter. None of the authorities took any action.

yet to receive an email response or any money

As reported by Birmingham Live, Hope is still working hard trying to get some of the winnings. He wrote a letter in February to BoyleSports confirming that he would accept half of the winnings as a settlement. However, he is yet to receive an email response or any money from BoyleSports.

Speaking with local media, Hope said: “We are talking about a multibillion-pound company, so it’s peanuts to them. It’s a breath of fresh air to them. I’d be living in a new house if I had that money.”