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Several of the top sports books in the country, including DraftKings, found themselves exposed to millions of dollars of losses on Sunday.
The issue came about thanks to the PGA Tour Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which featured a shortened a event due to inclement weather throughout Southern California.
DraftKings, however, left odds up for the event after Saturday’s third round and even into the day on Sunday. But when bettors noted that and turned it into millions of apparent winnings, the company turned around and voided all of the bets and changed its rules, leaving users furious.
@DKSportsbook how can you void a @Wyndham_Clark future? Was he the outright winner or not? Do the right thing #DraftKings #pgabetting
— Scribs (@Scribonomics) February 5, 2024
Good morning to everyone NOT @DraftKings & there fraudulent bullshit of voiding perfectly good wins just bc @PGATOUR calls the damn tournament after 54 holes. Absolute racket, casino decides to void whenever they’re losing, total bullshit. #gambling #DraftKings #sportsbetting
— BS_Slayer🐂🥷 (@BS_Slayer_) February 5, 2024
DraftKings Appears To Change Golf Rules Mid-PGA Tour Event To Save Millions
What makes it even worse is that it appears that DraftKings changed its own golf betting rules during the event to avoid paying out winners.
The initial rules state that bets should be paid out so long as players completed 36 holes. But in the revised terms, it states that all bets placed after the final shot of the previous round would be considered void.
That change saved the sports betting giant millions and millions of dollars.
Not only did people bet on Wyndham Clark, the eventual winner. But they also parlayed Clark with several other top five and top 10 finishers.
While that may seem unfair, the onus is on DraftKings to suspended betting.
So long as lines are live, and are able to bet, you’d think the company should stay on the hook.
At very least, DraftKings should award some sort of compensation in form of free bets.
Instead, it left bettors on the hook for its own mistake. Which, beyond being a bad look, could prove illegal if the rules really were changed mid-event.
Steven Petrella of Action Network tried to break down the situation.
“…If you bet Wyndham Clark to win Friday and the tournament ends early, you’ll still win,” Petrella wrote on Sunday afternoon. “But if you bet him Sunday morning and the tournament never resumed, your bet will be void”
UPDATE:
DraftKings has issued the following statement regarding the controversy:
“We are currently reviewing the settlement of certain bets placed on this weekend’s Pebble Beach Pro-Am following the cancellation of the final round due to severe weather. DraftKings’ house rules are currently the same as they were at the start of this event.”