[Taso]

Fellas, it seems you are missing one of the OP's subsequent posts in which he states that he DID declare a verbal raise TO $70. He didnt' just say raise.

In this case the ruling is incorrect, you can put the chips in any way you like once you've stated an amount.

Are you sure you stated the amount? Because in your original post you seem fairly certain you stated "clearly", "RAISE"

If you did state the amount, the ruling was wrong. If you didn't, the ruling was correct.

Edit: By the way, it sounds like the dealer was unaware you stated an amount. Did you tell the floorman that you SAID $70? And if so, what did he say? "You still have to put it in at the same time." ? That would be a bad ruling as well. However, I'm not sure if it would matter at this point, as if the dealer says you didn't say it, I'm not sure if the floor will do anything about it.