FanDuel issues $750K in refunds after an epic bad beat on MNF
FanDuel issued $750,000 in “bad beat” refunds on Tuesday following a wild end to the Baltimore Ravens’ 4742 victory over the Cleveland Browns the previous night.
The Ravens were leading by three points when the Browns attempted a desperation play with two seconds remaining. A short Baker Mayfield completion to Kareem Hunt led to over a half- dozen laterals, with a pair of fumbles recovered by the Browns in between. Wide receiver Jarvis Landry ultimately was pushed out of the back of the end zone by Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey for the final two points.
FanDuel confirmed to Field Level Media on Monday night that one bettor stood to lose a $40,000 wager placed on the Browns +4.5 points at -130.
That bettor was one of many provided a reprieve on Tuesday, with FanDuel tweeting, “Losing your bet on a last second safety isn’t exactly a great way to end the night... We know.
“Don’t worry, we’ve got your back! We’re refunding all pre-live straight spread bets placed on the Browns +3, +3.5, and +4.5 from last night’s game.”
The safety still cost the bettor a potential profit of $30,769.23.
FanDuel said the Ravens vs. Browns was the most bet game of the weekend. The final play resulted in a sevenfigure negative swing for the sportsbook, with FanDuel going from a potential push at Browns +3 to paying out the winning wagers on the Ravens.
After Justin Tucker hit a 55-yard field goal to give the Ravens a 45- 42 lead with two seconds remaining, the moneyline was being traded at Baltimore -100000 to win vs. +2600 for Cleveland.
One Colorado customer at the sportsbook turned a $525 eight-leg parlay wager around individual player performances on Monday into a $275,808 payout. SPONGEBOB, SLIME, FOOTBALL: NICKELODEON READY FOR NFL GAME >> Get ready for SpongeBob SquarePants running out of the tunnel, players being covered with digital slime after touchdowns and commentary from the cast of “All That” when Nickelodeon airs an NFL playoff game.
CBS Sports and Nickelodeon revealed their plans for the kid-focused channel’s broadcast of a wild- card game on Sunday, Jan. 10. The Nickelodeon feed will be tailored for younger audiences with the usual broadcast airing on CBS and online at CBS All Access.
CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus said adding a broadcast for families with young children was part of the discussions with the NFL when negotiations began on which networks would receive the additional games.
LEAGUE WILL WAIT ITS TURN FOR VACCINE >> The NFL won’t be cutting in line to get the coronavirus vaccine.
“No one should be thinking about the vaccine going anywhere other than our first responders and the most vulnerable people right now,” said DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the NFL Players Association.
“We’re in complete harmony with the union in that we feel that it’s vital that frontline healthcare workers and another essential service workers are at the front of the line,” said Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL’s chief medical officer.
“The rollout of the vaccine is going to be driven by public health concerns and what medical and government officials determine to be the most efficacious for risk reduction across society as a whole. We’re prepared to support that effort,” Sills said.
Dozens of NFL players, coaches and staff members have contracted the coronavirus this season, but aside from flareups in Nashville and Baltimore, teams have in most cases been able to minimize outbreaks.
LEAGUE REPORTS 14 POSITIVE PLAYER TEST RESULTS >>
The NFL says there were 14 new confirmed positive COVID-19 tests among players and another 31 positives among other personnel in the league’s latest round of testing. Screening last week included 16,340 tests administered to 2,389 players and 25,517 tests given to 4,571 personnel.
NO LOCAL BUBBLES FOR PLAYOFFS >> The NFL issued a memo Tuesday night informing teams they will not be allowed to force players and personnel to stay in a localized bubble during the upcoming postseason.
The decision keeps in place the league’s current COVID-19 protocols, which were recently reinforced to much improved numbers. Testing for the period from Dec. 6-12 found 14 players tested positive, along with 31 from other team personnel. Last week, there were 18 positive tests among players and 27 among other personnel -a drop from about 75 each of the previous two weeks.
Teams may still provide hotel rooms for players if they voluntarily choose to stay in one, but players will not be required to do so other than the night before a game. If a player or staff member does opt to stay at the team-provided hotel, they will be required to wear an electronic tracking device at all times.