Sports betting: Parx decides to pay up on disputed baseball wager

It took a couple of weeks, but Parx has decided to pay a sports bettor who took advantage of a flawed line in last month’s two-game series between the Mariners and A’s in Tokyo that opened the major league season.

The bettor, who asked to be identified only by his Twitter handle @FHMayor22, was paid the $636 he won after Seattle beat Oakland on March 21.

Parx officials declined to comment on the matter, which had been investigated by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.

The conundrum happened when Parx left up a line on which team would win the two-game series, well after the Mariners had won the first game on March 20. If there was no winner for the series -- meaning the teams would split the two games -- all bets would be refunded, so FHMayor couldn’t lose.

» READ MORE: Baseball bet causes quite a headache for Parx

Series-winning propositions are fine for three-, five- and seven-game series, but not for those that last just two games.

FHMayor saw that he could still wager on the Mariners to win the series and made several bets at Parx’s sportsbook in Bensalem. The Mariners won the second game, but Parx initially refused to pay. FHMayor says a teller told him it was a “bad line.”

Sportsbooks have the right to refuse payment based on flawed lines, but the public perception of such a policy can be damaging. FanDuel had to pay $82,000 to several New Jersey customers in September after it posted a flawed line during an NFL game.

» FROM THE ARCHIVES: A wild 15-leg parlay at Parx in South Philly paid out $57,000

FHMayor told the Inquirer on Thursday that he was paid $636 on the three tickets he had in his possession. He wagered $777 on a line of Mariners -122.

Of the experience, FHMayor22 said he received “great customer service. They took care of it professionally and in a timely manner.”