How Often Do Sports Books Refund Bets for Bad Officiating?

PointsBet in NJ has refunded pointspread and money-line bets for the blown call in the Saints/Rams game Sunday. Haven't heard of any Las Vegas books doing the same. Does this happen often?

The blown call the question refers to was a controversial no-call for blatant defensive pass interference on a third-and-10 for the New Orleans Saints at the Los Angeles 13-yard line during the Conference championship game. An L.A. Rams cornerback initiated contact with the New Orleans Saints receiver while the pass was on its way to him.

The penalty would almost certainly have changed the outcome of the game in favor of the Saints, but the no-call allowed the Rams to win and proceed to the Super Bowl.

We can't say exactly how often this occurs, but we can say that in the new sports betting environment, "righteous refunds" such as this are pretty much the en vogue marketing move for the start-up sports books.

Certainly in this case, it did make headlines for PointsBet.

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Ray Jan-25-2019

Dangerous precedent

I found it amazing that those bets were refunded. The book called it good Karma. I call it stupid. What happens next time someone wants a refund. I can here the cries "You did it for them. Why not for me?" I can imagine the lawsuits the next time someone feels "jobbed by the zebras". It reminds me of the Albert Brooks movie Lost in America when they try to get the Desert Inn to refund their nest egg that they lost in Vegas.

Roy Furukawa Jan-25-2019

Have to agree

I agree with @raysue305, not being consistent in applying rules can open a big bag of worms for the sportsbook in the future based on setting a precedent of refunding losing bets on a bad call. All rules are known before any bet is made and now change the rules after the outcome? Sounds crazy to me a book would even think of doing that.

Kevin Lewis Jan-25-2019

Once again, CET is in the vanguard

They just announced that anyone who because of a game-deciding bad call, has a heart attack and collapses onto the sportsbook floor will be given a complimentary buffet line pass, which can be transferred to the bettor's next of kin if necessary.

Question of the Day - 25 January 2019

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