An abrupt and stormy end to the NFL’s first preseason game of 2024 sent bettors scrambling for the fine print.
With the Chicago Bears up 21-17 on the Houston Texans with 3:31 left in the third quarter, lightning in the area and a deluge of rain led to a delay and eventually the cancelation of Thursday's Hall of Fame Game.
The premature stoppage led to bettors wondering if their wagers stood or if they were voided, and it all depended on where the bets were placed and/or on which market.
The Texans were a pre-game favorite of anywhere between -1.5 and -3.5 by kickoff, while the total was listed at 31.5 across the majority of shops.
Some bettors were paid out because the Over was “unequivocally determined.” Other sportsbooks require an NFL game to reach 55 minutes for any and all bets to be settled.
It all depends on the sportsbooks’ house rules. There have been instances in the sports betting past where sportsbooks provided good-faith payouts, but that doesn’t appear to be the case at the major U.S. sportsbooks.
Language studies
All wagers, except ones made on the first half markets, were refunded at Circa Sportsbook in Las Vegas, according to a social media post by Director of Operations Jeffery Benson.
Game was called due to weather. Given it didn’t go 55 mins per our House Rules;
— Jeffrey Benson (@JeffreyBenson12) August 2, 2024
It will be a refund on full game ml, side, and total plus the same for 2h.
Don’t shoot the messenger, I don’t control the weather. https://t.co/7Qx11MJAQ5
Commenters didn’t take too kindly to Benson’s announcement, but Circa doesn’t have the “unequivocally determined” language in their house rules, Benson said in a reply.
That was not the case at online operator DraftKings, which confirmed with Covers that the game “did not go the full distance to be considered action."
Other instances
An ESPN BET spokesperson told Covers that the operator settled all bets per house rules, which state that “if an event is abandoned, canceled, or postponed, then wagers that have already been determined will be graded as such, while those that are yet to be determined will be deemed no action if the event does not resume by the end of the same game week."
FanDuel also confirmed that bets were settled in accordance with house rules: “At least 10 minutes of official time must elapse in the fourth quarter for bets to have action. If a game starts and then is suspended prior to that time and is not completed within 24 hours (as is the case here), all bets that are not unequivocally determined will be voided.”
Fanatics Sportsbook said it followed house rules, which allowed determined markets like anytime touchdown player props and Over 34.5 points to be settled. Bets made on undetermined markets were voided.
Not so great for the books?
While some bettors cried foul over the rules, Thursday’s mid-game cancelation was not necessarily the ideal scenario for many sportsbooks.
The underdog Bears were leading the game when it was halted. The Texans were getting 80% of the spread handle and 64% of the moneyline action at DraftKings, while ESPN BET saw 56.4% of the wagers on Houston at -2.5 this week.
Had this been a different situation or even a regular-season game, could sportsbooks have altered their house rules or made exceptions? It’s possible, and there are examples.
DraftKings refunded undetermined player prop wagers made on San Francisco receiver Deebo Samuel last season after he left the game with an injury, which customers appreciated. Injury-related refunds are more common than event or game exceptions, however, and sportsbooks highly encourage bettors to read through the general wagering rules before placing a bet.
