FanDuel Incorporated reverses New Jersey non-payment decision
After earlier refusing to pay out on twelve bets it declared had been placed during an 18-second computer glitch on Sunday, New Jersey sportbook operator FanDuel Incorporated has now reportedly relented by announcing that it intends to honor every one of the contentious wagers.
Decision includes $82,000 won on NFL wager:
According to a Thursday report from the Associated Press news service, FanDuel Incorporated refused to say how much the decision will set it back although it did detail that the pay-out is to include the $82,000 owed to Newark resident Anthony Prince.
With about a minute left in last weekend’s National Football League (NFL) contest that saw the in-possession Denver Broncos trailing by two points to the visiting Oakland Raiders, Prince reportedly placed a $110 wager on the home team to win. Although he should have received odds of 1/6, he was purportedly erroneously given the more lucrative probability of 750/1.
Denver subsequently kicked a 36-yard field goal to win the match by a final score of 20-19 but Prince was denied his pay-day at the Meadowlands Racetrack as FanDuel Incorporated reportedly offered up the excuse that it was not obligated to pay for obvious errors.
However, FanDuel Incorporated has now reportedly reversed this original decision after consulting with officials from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement while moreover taking the unprecedented step of promising to give away another $82,000 this weekend by adding $1,000 to the accounts of 82 randomly selected punters.
Budding sportsbetting industry:
The Associated Press reported that the incident represented one of the first of its kind since New Jersey legalized sportsbooks in June while Kip Levin, Chief Operating Officer for New York City-based FanDuel Incorporated, declared that his firm would be using the event ‘as a learning experience for our new customers about how sportsbetting works’.
Reportedly read a statement from FanDuel Incorporated…
“Above all else, sportsbetting is supposed to be fun. As a result of a pricing error this weekend, it wasn’t for some of our customers. These kinds of issues are rare but they do happen. So, this one’s on the house. We are paying out these erroneous tickets and wish the lucky customers well.”
Regulator ‘encouraged’ by reversal:
Kerry Langan, a spokesperson for the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, reportedly told the Associated Press that she was ‘encouraged’ by FanDuel Incorporated agreeing to honor the wagers while detailing that the regulator intends to ‘continue to work with’ all of the eastern state’s sportsbetting operators in order to ensure ‘the implementation of industry-wide best practices’.