Winton Veall was once a player who complained after a sportsbook failed to protect him from drunken gambling. Now, he owns several betting sites and has come under fire for his restrictive practices.
Veall Sued a Company over Intoxicated Wagers
Four years ago, Veall took TopSport to court. The 75-year-old complained that he had been allowed to gamble while under the influence of alcohol. In his complaint, Veall said that he placed multiple such bets between 2016 and 2019, leading to significant losses. For example, one session saw him wager some AUD 406K within two hours. The losses led to a proclaimed psychological injury.
Veall and TopSport eventually settled the matter outside the court, making it unclear whether he was compensated. However, the curious thing is that the man has now found himself on the other side of a similar conflict.
Some Customers Are Displeased with Veall
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the businessman has since added a number of gaming businesses under his fold. The news outlet noted that he was co-owner and/or co-director of a variety of online sports betting companies in New South Wales. These include BetNova, BetNow, DashBet, MidasBet, OnlyBets, and PuntZone.
In what is perhaps a somewhat ironic twist of fate, Veall’s businesses have now come under fire due to alleged restrictive practices. One instance involved a horseracing enthusiast who had placed a lucrative wager on BetNow that should have paid out almost AUD 2,600. Instead, he received only AUD 2,000 due to a provision stating that certain bets’ payouts were capped at AUD 2,000.
To top it all off, the winner’s account had been allegedly frozen and subjected to verification checks following the win. Luckily, this story had a happy ending, since BetNow agreed to pay the remaining amount, despite the aforementioned cap.
At the same time, The Sydney Morning Herald noted that some of the betting sites linked to Veall have some negative reviews online. Speaking to the news outlet, however, Veall said that he isn’t aware of any difficulties his team has had with any of his companies’ clients.
In any case, the situation doesn’t seem to be a black-and-white one, since the aforementioned bettor did receive the sum he believed he was owed. At the same time, the Herald noted that there are also positive reports that ultimately praise the Veall businesses’ customer support services.