Sports

Should Bets On Injured Players Be Refunded? Social Media Is Split

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Aaron Rodgers tended to by medical staff after suffering an injury.

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Aaron Rodgers was injured in his first series of the season on Monday night, ruining an offseason of build up for the star passer’s debut in New York.

The passer tore his Achilles tendon on just the fourth play of the night for the Jets, leading many sports bettors to ask one question. Should bets on injured players be refunded by sportsbooks?

The question comes due to how early the Rodgers injury was sustained. By going down before even recording a single passing yard, we saw a number of bad beats throughout the sports betting world.

Overs on total passing yards and total touchdowns were extremely popular picks on Monday night. All were losers before the start of the second quarter.

Then again, should time of injury impact the decision to refund? Particularly when you know that it’s a possibility at any point in the contest.

The Rodgers injury will not only impact those that wagered on the season opener, but also those that took the quarterback’s season totals, as well as New York’s season win total.

And what about the impact on other players, say, receiver Garrett Wilson? A trendy pick for a breakout candidate, he’ll certainly see a drop in production with backup Zach Wilson under center.

So, that brings us back to the original question: Should bets on injured players be refunded? And to what extent should books go in order to satisfy their customers?

The internet is debating as we speak.

Darren Rovell of Action Network posted a poll for sports bettors to ask about refunded wagers. About 2/3 of those followers said refunds should NOT be posted.

A large portion of gamblers shared that same sentiment.

“Can you believe it’s a new year and people don’t take into account the risk of injury when betting on player props?” one fan asked.

“Can’t believe people think they should be refunded for Rodgers props,” wrote another.

But then, there are those who believe an exception should be made in cases like Rodgers, where he was forced to the sidelines before even recording a stat.

A number of legal books did end up refunding, though not everyone agrees that it was the right call. And those gambling illegally are likely out of luck.

One fan asked maybe the best question in this argument, inquiring, “If you had any of the Jets/Rodgers unders, are you giving your winnings back to the sportsbooks?”

Probably not.

The debate will continue so long as we see these freak early game injuries. But hey, they don’t call it a gamble for no reason.