LAS VEGAS (AP) -
A Las Vegas casino took an unusual step
Wednesday and offered refunds to gamblers who lost money when the
Seattle Seahawks beat the Green Bay Packers on a controversial touchdown
at the end of Monday night's game.
Derek Stevens, owner The D
Las Vegas, seized on the attention being paid to the much-derided
decision by replacement officials handling the NFL game and became the
only casino in Las Vegas to offer refunds.
"I know exactly how it
would feel if I was laying the number and I saw what happened," Stevens
said. He declared himself "disgusted" with the ruling and said he just
couldn't accept the outcome.
The Seahawks won 14-12
after a Packers defender and Seahawks receiver fought for the ball on a
final "Hail Mary" pass play. Officials missed an offensive pass
interference call and then decided there had been simultaneous catch by
the two players. Under NFL rules, that gave Seattle the touchdown and
the win.
Nevada gambling regulators said Stevens could make refunds if he wanted.
Another Las Vegas sports book operator worried the move set a bad precedent.
"Whenever there are bad
calls we're going to start refunding? Based on what?" said Jay Kornegay,
race and sports book director at The LVH casino. "We're supposed to pay
out winning wagers based on official final scores by the league, in
this case the NFL."
Some offshore online betting outlets have also issued refunds.
Stevens, who has been
renovating and rebranding the high-rise downtown casino formerly called
the Fitzgerald, said D Las Vegas will refund straight and money-line
bets made on the Packers until Sunday - but only on wagers made at his
sports book.
State gambling regulations
prohibit a sports book from rescinding a wager without prior approval
from the Nevada Gaming Commission chairman.
The chairman, Mark
Lipparelli, said a refund is different from rescinding a bet. He said
that in his four years on the regulatory panel he couldn't remember a
similar move.
"It's not a rescission. It's a refund," Lipparelli told The Associated Press. "That's within their discretion."