DraftKings Refunds Penn State Bets After Upset to Indiana
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Big Ten football returned to action this weekend, at it did not disappoint. The conference saw great games and two crazy upsets, with Rutgers and Indiana pulling off huge upsets in Week 1.
Although Rutgers cruised in its upset win over Michigan State, Indiana and Penn State finished in controversy.
As the game between the Hoosiers and Nittany Lions went into overtime tied at 28, Penn State drove down on its first overtime possession and scored easily. Indiana had to answer, and they did, making the score 35-34. Indiana decided to go for two to secure the win.
Then this happened.
Indiana upsets Penn State in overtime pic.twitter.com/pROzRXaJZ6
— Abby Drey (@ADreyPhotos) October 24, 2020
Hoosiers quarterback Michael Penix Jr. scrambled to his left and took off for the goal line to secure an upset win over No. 8 Penn State. Penix Jr. reached out like Michael Jordan in space jam to get to the pilon. The call on the field was that he reached there, giving Indiana the win.
The call went to review with how close it was and depending on the angle, some could argue that the ball went out of bounds first.
https://twitter.com/thefarmerjones/status/1320150777751633926?s=20
Too close of a call to overturn, which ended in controversy on whether Penix Jr. made it to the pilon in time.
One Sportsbook Steps Up
Shortly after the game, DraftKings Sportsbook announced on Twitter that they would be refunding all money line bets made on Penn State. Darren Rovell confirmed the news later that night.
DraftKings is refunding all ML straight bets on Penn State after the controversial OT call on the Indiana two-point conversion.
The company says that bets will be refunded in the form of site credits within 24 hours.
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) October 25, 2020
DraftKings would refund all bettors who had Penn State money line and any live bets made on the Nittany Lions to win. However, having Penn State money line in a parlay was not covered by the sports betting operator. DraftKings announced all bettors should see a refund in their account sometime Sunday.
How Does This Affect DraftKings?
The classy move by DraftKings will help them in the long-term. If bettors see they’ll be willing to take a hit after a controversial ending, then more people will want to sign-up with them.
DraftKings is the second-largest sportsbook in Pennsylvania behind rival FanDuel. The refund will most likely be felt the most from the Keystone State with a huge Penn State fanbase. Regardless, the Boston sports betting operator is only refunding money line bets on Penn State that don’t include parlay bets.
Eating the cost might not hurt as bad as what people may think.
The move is becoming more popular with controversial finishes in sports. Last month, PointsBet and FanDuel refunded customers after Novak Djokovic was controversially disqualified from the U.S. Open.
This is a new way for sportsbooks to build trust between them and their customers. Although a refund might not come after every bad beat or a tough loss, bettors can expect sportsbooks to help them out after controversial endings that could have gone either way.
Penn State fans are waking up with a sour taste in their mouth, checking Twitter, and staring at a still image of a photo that may or may not be proof the Penix Jr. may or may not have actually got the ball to the pilon in time. At least for DraftKings customers, they can find some solace in a refunded money line bet.
