Sportsbook.com does the right thing on shock Seahawks win

Monday’s controversial and shocking last minute win for the Seattle Seahawks against the Green Bay Packers was still reverberating around the US mainstream media when online sportsbook chief Russ Candler of Sportsbook.com announced that his company was to refund bettors on the Packers, saying it was “the right thing to do.”

Russell Wilson’s last-second Hail Mary not only beat the Packers, but it turned the winning bet around 100 percent, according to widespread media reports.

The Packers led 12-7 prior to the play, and that would have covered the 3- or 3.5-point spread that most sportsbooks had for the line. However, a controversial call on the last gasp effort gave the Seahawks the win, ensuring big losses for many Packers fans.

The disputed call on the final pass into the end zone allowed Seattle to win the game despite the Packers kicking off as a 3 point favourite.

Several sources said that over 70 percent of the wagers in Las Vegas were on Green Bay, and that if the final call had been ruled an interception the sportsbooks would have paid out $7.6 million to Packer backers and collected $3.6 million on those who bet Seattle.

Instead, the bookies coughed up $3.2 million, but earned the $8.4 million wagered on the Packers.

In making his refund announcement, Candler said: “I can’t stand winning unfairly so I am going to give the punters their money back.”