DraftKings Refunding All Deebo Samuel Bets

Injuries are an unfortunate reality in sports, as evidenced by Deebo Samuel’s first-half shoulder injury during Saturday’s NFL Divisional Round playoff game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Green Bay Packers. One of our top sportsbooks promptly reacted to the injury and its impact.

The rapid growth of the U.S. legal sports betting industry raises concerns about how our top sports betting apps will handle unforeseen incidents. The results of games and the profitability of bettors often hinge on the availability of key players, making their presence crucial to the outcome.

In the case of Deebo Samuel, DraftKings sportsbook has decided to refund all bets on him, including single and parlay bets where he was the only selection that did not win.

A precedent already set?

DraftKings has proactively addressed a potentially significant issue by promising to refund certain bets involving Samuel.

Only bets that directly led to Samuel’s injury from a losing single or parlay bet will be refunded.

Underscoregs do not predict game-ending injuries and should not be expected to do so. Gambling involves chance, and Deebo’s shoulder injury was an unexpected occurrence. Bettors should view this as part of the excitement of our top sportsbook promotions.

In the past, sportsbooks have been willing to refund bets that involve injured players. For example, during Week 1 of the NFL season, when Aaron Rodgers suffered an Achilles injury during the game between the New York Jets and the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football, sportsbooks offered refunds on both single and parlay wagers.

Just business?

DraftKings is helping out their betting customers by handling the Deebo Samuel injury situation. This could be seen as a gesture of goodwill from the major U.S. sports betting company. It may also be considered a necessary expense for the business, as it serves as good advertising for their DraftKings promo code.

It is uncertain if other sportsbooks will follow DraftKings’ example in refunding bets involving Samuel, but the attention and positive feedback DraftKings has received may encourage more NFL prop betting sites to do the same.

What about other bets in the Green Bay/San Francisco game?

Could Samuel have helped the San Francisco 49ers to dominate the Green Bay Packers on Saturday? It’s a possibility. Despite being 9.5-point favorites, the 49ers only won by 3 points in a tense game. The final score of 24-21 allowed the Packers to cover the spread.

What if the Over/Under was set at 50.5 points? If Samuel had scored one more touchdown, would it have pushed the total points over the line?

DraftKings did not refund any of those bets, causing some uncertainty for both bettors and sportsbooks in the future.

We must commend DraftKings for taking action in response to an unfortunate injury that impacted a heavily betted-on game.

DraftKings’ choice to refund all wagers on Deebo Samuel was probably the correct decision, however, it could potentially lead to a series of intricate issues that sportsbooks will have to address moving forward.