Bookmakers in the UK reacted in different ways to the decision of the International Council of Cricket to declare England the winner of the fourth Test with Pakistan at the Oval. The game finished without a result when the Pakistan team refused to take the field in the post-tea session after umpires accused them of ball tampering.
Paddy Power and Sunderlands decided to pay out on an England win and void all other bets, returning the money wagered by punters on Pakistan and the draw.
“We think this is the fair result and one that doesn’t leave our punters stumped. In these situations Paddy Power doesn’t look at our rules but we ask ourselves what we would consider to be a fair result if we were the punter,” said a spokesperson for the Irish bookmaker.
Ladbrokes, Totesport and William Hill announced they will be simply paying out on an England win.
“It\’s a fairly unsatisfactory set of circumstances for all concerned and we would have preferred it if the game could have come to its natural conclusion,” said Robin Hutchison of Ladbrokes. “But we don\’t feel there is anything we can do other than pay out on the official result. To do otherwise would set a poor precedent.”
“Our rules are clear in that we pay out on the official result, so therefore it is an England win. Obviously those that backed Pakistan and the draw can consider themselves extremely unlucky and we can only hope that this situation never arises again,” commented Paul Petrie of Totesport.
“The official result was an England win, and that is what we are paying out on,” said Graham Sharpe of William Hill. “Our rules state we pay out on the official result. It\’s sad for some punters but that\’s all we can do,” added Rupert Adams of William Hill.
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