“Bookmakers Are the Wild West”: Court Orders Winamax to Pay Gambler €400,000

A Paris court has ruled in favor of a bettor in a dispute with French bookmaker Winamax, ordering the operator to pay out €400,000, Le Parisien reports.

Winamax had refused to honor the payout, arguing that the customer had placed a multi-leg accumulator (parlay) on matches that had already finished by the time the bets were accepted. The wager combined several outcomes across games played on different continents.

The player’s lawyer countered the allegations sharply:

“To commit such fraud, he would have had to be physically present at stadiums or have informants everywhere — whether in Colombia or Australia. He’s not James Bond.”

A crucial factor in the ruling was the fact that the bettor used the cash-out option, something that made little sense if the results were already known in advance. The court found this to be strong evidence that the player acted in good faith.

Winamax, however, failed to present any proof of fraudulent behavior. An unnamed company insider admitted:

“Operators do whatever they want — it’s the Wild West. We know most players will never seek legal advice.”

In this case, the bettor chose to fight. The court sided with him, but the battle is not over: Winamax is preparing to appeal the decision to a higher court.