Snatched From The Jaws Of Victory

I had one of the weirdest experiences with online betting yesterday and feel a bit miffed with what went down.

It all started on Friday afternoon. I was emailed from one of the well-known betting firms in Britain as I was a client and they offered me a free £25 bet on any football market .

All I had to do was place one bet of twenty-five pounds or more and the free £25 would immediately be credited to my account.

I tried logging into my account right away but had trouble getting on - the browser kept stalling. I decided there and then to give up trying and see it as a sign that I shouldn't bet.

Then, yesterday morning, I had a change of heart and tried to access the site on a different computer.

This time it worked.

I knew what I wanted to bet on. Every single tipping resource I use had Birmingham City as the hot favourites against Sheffield United.

I placed £25 on the Blues and I got the immediate refund. My plan was to use the free bet next weekend as I didn't fancy betting on anything else.

So, it went down to the match itself.

Birmingham scored well into extra-time to finish it 1-0 so I was lucky to have won.

Or so I thought.

I logged back into my account to check if the winnings had been added and they hadn't. I proceeded to check my bet history and the bet wasn't placed!

I can't understand what happened. I emailed the site and they are adamant that I did not place the bet but I am nearly certain that I did.

There is no evidence to back my claim up, either - they could have easily scratched this bet from their records knowing I wouldn't have anything to prove I am right.

I withdrew the money from my account. There's something suspicious going on and I don't want to give them my business if things like that are going to occur.

I should have listened to my instinct from the start.