New Jersey regulators have ordered FanDuel to pay out several soccer bets that were incorrectly priced.
Last week, New Jersey’s gambling regulators ordered FanDuel Sportsbook to pay out on several soccer wagers that were incorrectly priced.
First reported by ESPN, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (NJDGE) ruled on Thursday that FanDuel must pay out several disputed soccer bets that were placed in mid-July.
In a statement, the NJDGE said: “DGE’s general policy is to not automatically void wagers when errors occur on the part of sports wagering operators. Although operators are free to request that those wagers be voided after patrons have placed bests, DGE treats those requests on a case-by-case basis.
“This practice encourages operators to have appropriate controls in place to avoid offering erroneous sports wagers, and they reinforce the integrity of sports wagering in New Jersey and confidence in the industry by the public.”
The odds mistake
The dispute is centred around odds FanDuel offered on soccer matches and whether the prices posted were the result of an error on the bookmaker’s part. Between 12 July and 15 July, bettors in the Garden State placed bets on several soccer leagues including MLS, the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A.
FanDuel listed FC Cincinnati at +5 goals (-134) against Atlanta United. It is still not clear if the pricing error should have been shorter on the spread or the odds. This is similar to a 2018 mistake where and NFL which was priced incorrectly, however, in 2018 the incorrect odds were only available for a couple of seconds.
According to ESPN, “tens of thousands of dollars were wagered on the games” over four days in New Jersey, with a potential payout of more than $100,000.
Most of the bets in New Jersey were parlays placed online, however, at least two of the bets which totalled $10,000 were placed in-person at FanDuel’s sportsbook at Meadowlands.
FanDuel pins error on an outside vendor
Unlike the 2018 error, FanDuel has blamed the latest error on a third-party vendor.
In a statement issued on Friday, FanDuel said: “Today, the [Division of Gaming Enforcement] ruled that a total of 10 online customers and one retail customer who placed wagers on erroneous soccer markets should be paid out after an investigation into a new bet type that was installed by a vendor incorrectly resulted in erroneous lines being made available to customers.
“FanDuel Sportsbook appreciates the DGE looking into this matter on our behalf. We regret that this error happened, believe it is important for customers to know that there is a review process for these issues, and thank the DGE for their collaboration in the matter.
“Customers impacted will receive their winnings in their online accounts immediately and our retail customer has been contacted to come into the Meadowlands to receive his winnings.”
What about other states?
The sportsbook operator also took bets on the incorrect line in the state of Indiana. However, FanDuel is not being forced to pay the bets in the Hoosier State.
The Indiana Gaming Commission allows operators to cancel bet son obvious pricing mistakes. According to the state’s sports betting statute, “A certificate holder or vendor may not cancel a wager that has been accepted, except in the event of obvious error, at the certificate holder’s or vendor’s discretion.”
