A punter who placed an ingenious wager on Super Bowl LV that netted him $374,000 (£270,000) could be prevented from claiming his reward by the sportsbook that took the bet.
Yuri Andrade, one of a nearly 25,000 strong crowd in Florida that saw the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeat the Kansas City Chiefs, noted that the American bookmaker Bovada were offering odds of +750 (15/1) that somebody would streak during the big game.
And the 31-year-old, sensing an opportunity to make some easy money, called round his friends and together they placed more than $50,000 on there being a streaker at the flagship event.
All that was left was for Andrade to strip down his birthday suit and get onto the pitch, which he achieved in the fourth quarter of the game thanks to the diversionary tactics of a decoy who caught the attention of stadium officials.
He was jailed for trespassing and it needed $1,000 to bail him out, but that was small fry for Andrade given what he has just won at the bookies.
Or so he thought….
Integrity Questioned
Like a dodgy magician, Andrade was found out when he boasted about his antics in an interview with radio station Wild 94.1
It also emerged that the sort of pink singlet that he was wearing when he entered the field of play bore the slogan ‘Vitaly Uncensored’ – an adult entertainment website owned by Vitaly Zdorovetskiy, who was behind the streaking of Kinsey Wolanski at the Champions League final of 2019.
Boavada, who took the bets from Andrade and his chums, were made aware of the interview and investigated a series of irregularities in the prop betting market. They have since decided that all ‘Will There Be a Streaker – No’ bets will be refunded, while those who wagered on ‘Yes’ will be handled on a case-by-case basis. Legitimate wagers will be paid in full.
“Our players have always trusted us to ensure the integrity of all props offered in our sportsbook,” a statement from Bovada read.
“We will continue to make sure that any publicity stunts or ill-intended behaviour cannot adversely affect the outcome of a player’s wager.”
Meanwhile, a report on the Front Office Sports website claimed that one punter had lost their $8,000 winnings after the investigation and had their account closed. He or she was told by Bovada that they were ‘in breach of our terms of service and player agreement,’ and that their ‘business relationship’ was ended.
Should Bovada Have Paid Up?
You might be thinking this is all a bit unfair on Andrade – after all, there was a streaker at the Super Bowl, as he had wagered.
But bookmakers take a dim view of anybody trying to influence the outcome of a sporting/novelty event that they are betting on, and there is an argument to suggest that Andrade attempted to defraud the company – an altogether more serious offence.
In the UK, the terms and conditions that all punters accept when they join a betting firm are such that there simply wouldn’t be any room for confusion – if you bet on something and then make it happen, you will not see a penny for your troubles.
And if that means streaking on a winter’s day, it might mean you lose your dignity as well as any sizable winnings you were hoping for.…
In horse racing, a sport founded on betting, owners and trainers often bet on their own horses and this is perfectly acceptable