Holiday Whine: Bettors Call for Refunds After Devin Booker’s Early Exit
It was not a Merry Noel for all bettors on Sunday. That was especially true up for those who wagered on Devin Booker’s takings to the basketball game court.
The Phoenix Suns asterisk ward had missed trine games due to a groin hurt after falling 58 points against New siege of Orleans on Dec. 17, and he missed II more games before inwards the month due to a leg injury. However, on Saturday, ESPN’s Baron Adrian Wojnarowski reported Booker was localize to takings for the Suns holiday game against the Mile-High City Nuggets.
But Booker’s payoff was short-lived. He exited the NBA mettlesome after simply quatern proceedings due to woe another groin injury, according to multiple reports.
Bitter Bettors Take to Social Media
That left wing a bitterness gustatory perception for some who wagered on prop bets FanDuel and DraftKings offered on Booker, especially those who included him inwards parlay bets.
During the gamy and comfortably into Monday, those who matte aggrieved around the state of affairs took their cases to societal media. On Twitter, virtually any tweet from the sports betting giants got replies calling for them to vacuum bets on Booker.
FanDuel eventually announced shortly after 2:30 pm ET Mon that it would present refunds inward the signifier of free bets to those who lost consecutive prop bets made on Booker. It also gave similar refunds for parlays – including single-game parlays – where only if the Booker bet lost.
DraftKings, as of 4:30 pm ET Monday, had not proclaimed any plans for a refund.
Why Do Refunds Happen?
The apply of refunding sports bets has suit more prevalent inward the post-PASPA online wagering era, especially when it comes to wagers tied to single participant performance. There feature also been times when sportsbooks get offered liberal bets or credits when a blown send for may trail to a disputed outcome.
Sportsbooks consider such refunds as upright client service of process inward hopes bettors testament stay with them. In some instances, operators can buoy have the credits they extend to bettors as refunds and deduct that from their revenue gaming revenue. That put up facilitate cut down their tax liabilities.
But for many traditionalists inwards the industry, be they bettors or bookmakers, the displace to repay such bets rankles them. The assumption behindhand sports betting is simple, and it involves risk. That includes the lay on the line of the player leaving the game early due to injury, ejection or a coach’s decision.
Besides, participant props are ilk other total wagers. They’re two-way bets with o'er and below options. So, the sportsbooks paid come out the below bets as winners, as they should.
If you play on a prop expecting to get a refund if said participant gets ache during the biz then respectfully you shouldn’t live betting props,” tweeted Circa Sports Sportsbook Operations Manager Jeffrey Benson early Mon morning.
Benson also called out operators, though not past name, for allowing such doings inward the number 1 place.
“Void Booker” is trending. I’ve ne'er seen a bigger group of babies than the give me my money backwards on a prop crowd. It is insufferable
— Jeffrey Benson (@JeffreyBenson12) December 26, 2022
Enough is Enough
A pair of years ago, I thought that moves PointsBet made with its “Karma Kommittee” were OK because they were for sinful circumstances. Like, when it gave a return after the New Orleans Saints lost inwards the NFC Championship inwards January 2019 after a missed give interference call.
But the movement has since spiraled come out of contain and likely testament go along that way of life as long as sportsbooks can care for the credits as write-offs. It’s time for the use to end.
I’m not betting on that, though.
Instead, the next clip a star player leaves a spunky early, we’re likely to reckon fifty-fifty to a greater extent of an outcry.