Disgruntled snooker enthusiast forfeits £1,300 in sports winnings due to a post on Facebook
In a recent incident, David Gardiner, a 65-year-old sports betting enthusiast from Kettering, England, found himself the victim of a betting slip fraud. Gardiner had won a bet of 1,300 GBP (1,526.16 EUR) by backing Kyren Wilson in the World Snooker Championship, with Wilson's victory against David Gilbert in the championship being at odds of 12/1 (12.00).
Gardiner, excited about his win, posted his betting slip on a World Snooker Tour (WST) post on Facebook. Unfortunately, this decision exposed his betting slip to potential risks. A man, believed to have taken a screenshot of Gardiner's betting slip, illegally claimed the winnings at another Coral branch, which was 100 miles away. The incident was reported by various media outlets.
Upon visiting his local Coral betting shop to collect his winnings, Gardiner was informed that the betting slip had already been cashed in at another branch. Coral subsequently refused to pay Gardiner his winnings, blaming him for the incident. However, Gardiner has no claim to the winnings that were cashed in at the other Coral branch.
The fraudster's identity remains unknown, but the case is currently under investigation by Action Fraud (the UK's national reporting center for fraud and cybercrime). CCTV footage from the branch where the winnings were collected shows a man scanning the barcode from Gardiner's betting slip.
This incident has raised concerns about the security of sharing betting slips online. A spokesperson for Entain, the company that operates Coral, urged customers to keep their betting slips safe and not to share them until they have been safely cashed out to prevent fraud. They emphasized that social betting platforms may have weaker security infrastructures, making posted slips vulnerable to manipulation or imitation by malicious actors seeking financial gain.
Posting sports betting slips on social media can also lead to loss of privacy, as publicly posted slips reveal betting choices and possibly amounts wagered, which can be exploited by fraudsters or those aiming to profile and target individuals for scams. Additionally, revealing betting slips online can provoke heckling or hostile messages from other bettors, as social platforms offer an anonymity layer removing accountability for such behavior.
In light of this incident, it is crucial for bettors to prioritize the safety of their betting slips to prevent fraud and protect their privacy. Users should be cautious about the information they share publicly to minimize the risks associated with online betting.
