BetMGM is an online and casino-based sports betting division of MGM, which generated $850 million in net revenue in 2021 and expects to net $1.3 billion in 2022. Players claim that BetMGM is refusing to pay out winning bets where portions of the users’ wagers include expired bonuses.

One player reports that they wagered $200 on a winning bet for $1,040 using a $200 cash deposit. After they won the bet, BetMGM added $198 to their account. BetMGM told them that because they failed to timely use a $2 bonus the company gave them, they could not claim any winnings. BetMGM said the player had to roll over the $2 bonus 6 times within 3 days of activation, but the player said they used it on a separate, losing wager—not the wager at issue. 

The player reports that BetMGM has not given an explicit response to their complaints, preventing them from pursuing a claim with their state’s gaming department. BetMGM has also disconnected them from the online chat. 

Another player reports that they received a $2 bonus from Borgata Online (MGM’s sister company) on January 19 and wagered $1,140 on a game the same day. The player won on January 23. Borgata paid the bet out then removed $1,038.36 from their account. Customer support told them that the $2 bonus was part of their $1,140 wager and the bonus expired on January 20, so they “claimed back” the player’s winnings because the bet did not settle before the expiration date. BetMGM promised that a supervisor would call the player on a certain date to discuss the issue, but the player received no such call.

At least three players experienced the same issue with bonuses that expired during the Super Bowl. For example, one player received a $5 bonus a few weeks before the Super Bowl and placed a $2,000 bet out of the $2,300 in their account. The bonus expired during the game, and BetMGM said their winnings were forfeited because $5 of their wager included the expired bonus. Two other players made similar reports. 

Where such bonus issues are involved, BetMGM keeps a player’s wager if they lose the bet and claims their winnings if they win. 

BetMGM paid out one player who experienced an expired bonus issue after they wrote chat messages, called, and threatened to report the company to the gaming commission. But overall, players report “regurgitated, erroneous response[s]” from BetMGM. 

In a similar suit against DraftKings, Ryan Cristman sued DraftKings for an unpaid bet.