$389K Winning Bets Mysteriously Canceled By BETMGM 💸

[Wagerallsports]

Navy veteran won close to $400,000 on BetMGM only to have his bet mysteriously canceled​

James Liddell
3/20/25


A U.S. Navy veteran who won close to $400,000 on a NBA game had his bet canceled after BetMGM cited an “obvious error.”

Seven hours before the Chicago Bulls took on the Indiana Pacers on March 2, Mark Aiello said he placed four $500 bets on assists and rebounds for the game. The Chicago resident needed six legs to go his way to secure his cash prize.

“When you have a little, kind of, skin in the game, it’s exciting,” he told CBS News Chicago on Wednesday.

Aiello admitted that the odds were not in his favor, peaking at 350-1. To his disbelief, it was his lucky day.

All six legs of his bets had allegedly come in, which was supposed to bank him $389,000.

“Once the game was over, I was just, my heart was racing. I was incredibly excited,” he said, adding that he was thinking of “all the things he could give” his young daughter – including a college education.

But moments later, the dad said he noticed something peculiar on his BetMGM app: all his bets were grayed out.

Just before tipoff, Aiello’s would-be winning bets were allegedly canceled, and his hopes of raking in his six-figure fortune vanished.

Aiello said he received the message: “These wagers were voided due to an obvious error.” According to Aeillo, the error was due to “incorrect or inflated odds per the house rules.”

The dad said that BetMGM traders reviewed at least one of his bets before he was allowed to place it, leaving him confused. Aiello said the bets had stood for seven hours since he initially placed them the morning of the game

“So I'm wondering where the obvious error was,” he added. “They said because of their mistake, they could do whatever they wanted to.”

BetMGM and other sports betting operators in the state must explain “obvious errors” to the Illinois Gaming Board if a customer files a complaint.

The company told CBS News Chicago that it submitted a complete report on Aiello's bets to regulators. The man is now waiting for the state to investigate the incident.

The Independent has contacted BetMGM and the Illinois Gaming Board for more information.

 

[Tanko]

Looks suspect by the book. But, since they cancelled the wagers before the game, you can't really say they were purposefully not wanting to pay.

Would suck to be Aiello. From top of the world to feeling like crap.

 

[pragmatic]

How did he win $400k, if the bets were canceled before the game?

Oh, my fault. Because that wouldn't make a good story & headline.

MGM is one of my least favorite books. But if they truly canceled pregame, there isn't much of a case. Also figure we're not getting the full story, and there was some level of angle-shooting.

 

[Wagerallsports]

So the bets stood for 7 hours and the book says were cancelled just before tipoff

why would they wait that long ???

I would not rule out the possible possibility that they saw he had not logged in again since the wagers were placed or before the games were completed, and then voided them after they hit, before he logged in again

 

[JDS]

We need to know the odds on each leg to determine if they were bad lines, no ticket available ?

 

[sharpsquare]

I don't like it not even a little bit

but the fact that they canceled the bets pregame is going to give them the cover they need so he is likely not going to have much of a case here.

but its not a good look and that's putting it lightly

 

[sharpsquare]

We need to know the odds on each leg to determine if they were bad lines, no ticket available ?

I was wondering the same thing

 

[JDS]

I was wondering the same thing

They would’ve all had to be plus money props on each leg 4X on $500 bets.

 

[Tanko]

They would’ve all had to be plus money props on each leg 4X on $500 bets.

Assuming he bet 4 parlays of 6 legs each on all the same props at $500 apiece (why would you split it up like that for 4 duplicate tickets???), he would need to average +138 on each prop to get to $90K per ticket = $360k.

But, assuming it was only 1 ticket that was hitting the 6 leg parlay with a $500 bet... he would need to average +200 odds per prop bet.

 

[Wagerallsports]

They reviewed his first longshot and allowed it

Then allowed the others

They assumed he had no shot

I would love to ask this guy if he logged in at all in between making the wagers and before the games were over

Because if he didn’t, they probably didn’t cancel them right before tip off. They were probably canceled after they hit and they saw he had not been logged in since making the wagers and knew he wouldn’t know any difference.

 

[jjgold]

It looks like the odds were way off good from MGM. I agree the guy took shots.

He pretended he was just an average player that didn’t know anything confiscate entire account

 

[JDS]

It looks like the odds were way off good from MGM. I agree the guy took shots.

He pretended he was just an average player that didn’t know anything confiscate entire account

No actually that’s not clear yet without a ticket posted.

 

[phillyflyers]

BETMGM is a fukkin disgrace and a bunch of ripoffs.

They held this dude's bet for 7 hours and then said it was an obvious error?

Bullshit.

 

[JDS]

BETMGM is a fukkin disgrace and a bunch of ripoffs.

They held this dude's bet for 7 hours and then said it was an obvious error?

Bullshit.

If that's the case then I would agree. Not clear though when they cancelled the bet in that story.

 

[jjgold]

These stories are always hilarious, reporters always leave out the real story

 

[Miz]

on average, offshores are more ethical than domestics

 

[jjgold]

on average, offshores are more ethical than domestics

Yes