Should Bets on Injured Players be Refunded?
When Aaron Rodgers went down for the season with his torn Achilles, he effectively settled every Futures bet placed on him. Everyone who bet on him to go Over his total (passing yards for the game, passing touchdowns for the season, etc) lost, and everyone who bet on the Under won. Naturally, people who bet the Over across various markets were upset. The logic goes that he only played 4 snaps this season, so he had no chance to hit any of his totals this year. Some Sportsbooks decided to refund these wagers, while other Sportsbook did not.
The question is whether or not bettors should expect refunds or not. Of course, it’s always nice when a Sportsbook decides to offer this to customers, but they are certainly not obligated to. No one ever seems to feel sorry for all the Under bets that Sportsbooks are paying out, and of course, they’d never expect or have rules that they could void those bets.
Bettors need to understand that betting is a form of gambling, which of course carries risk. It’s always nice to get a break from the Sportsbook, but bettors should not feel like they are required to do so. This may cause bettors to want to use different Sportsbooks that may be more inclined to offer refunds when players get hurt, but it doesn’t mean they’ll offer this every time it happens, and there’s other rules you’d have to be aware of when placing bets with that Sportsbook.
It’s a tough situation whenever a star player gets hurt. There isn’t one right answer. However, if bettors come to accept that all bets carry risk, and that they never expect a refund from the Sportsbook, they’ll be in a better position to succeed and enjoy betting on sports. It’s always important to remember that injuries can be beneficial as well.
Injuries are part of the highs and lows of sports betting. It’s part of the deal whenever a bet is placed.
