The landscape of sports betting is rapidly changing, and Fanatics Sportsbook has made a huge step forward in adapting to the times with the widespread implementation of their Fair Play policy.
Fanatics’ Fair Play policy basically states that if you bet a player prop over, and the player exits the game early due to injury (NFL – before halftime, NBA – before end of first quarter, etc.), then the book will refund your bet.
For example, suppose you had bet the over on Xavier Worthy’s receiving yards against the Chargers in Week 1 (Worthy exited on the Chiefs’ first drive with a shoulder injury). In that case, the policy states that you receive a refund on that bet.
The rule doesn’t apply to under bets. If you bet a player prop under and the player exits early, your bet wins per usual, given the player’s final stat line still falls short of the original number.
In the case of a parlay, enacting the Fair Play policy results in the book voiding the leg containing the injured player, while the rest of the parlay stands as is.
Not too long ago, you had to travel to Las Vegas (or a different territory where sports gambling was legal) in order to legally place a bet on your favorite team to win the Super Bowl. The vast majority of people didn’t think about betting every week, and the idea of regularly betting on sports was often considered somewhat taboo, mainly due to the legality of the matter across the nation.
However, back in 2018, the US Supreme Court ruled that the legalization of sports gambling was a decision to be made by each state, lifting the federal ban. Since then, we’ve seen 38 states legalize sports betting, plus Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico, dramatically changing the landscape of the entire industry, and notably shifting the makeup of the average sports bettor.
The average sports bettor used to be either casual fly-by tourists or dedicated residents of territories where it was legal. Many people would live their entire lives without placing a wager on their favorite sport. Announcers didn't discuss betting odds on broadcasts.
Those days are long gone, though.
In today’s day and age, every single broadcast frequently references the betting odds in some way, shape, or form. It’s become totally normalized.
Sports gambling is no longer a niche activity. For residents of states in which it is legal, gambling has now become another milestone on the list of “fun things you can do once you are older,” just like aging up to the point where you can legally buy an alcoholic beverage or rent a car.
The age of the average gambler has gotten much younger following its widespread legalization. Now, young sports fans grow up playing fantasy sports, and then tend to graduate to online sports betting when they become of age.
So, why am I sharing this with you? It illustrates why Fanatics’ Fair Play policy is such a great idea.
Of course, the original betting crowd still exists, and nothing will change regarding how that section of the audience bets. However, the incoming wave of bettors is mainly comprised of young people who grew up playing fantasy sports, spending years focused on player-centric statistical analysis with little thought about teams’ win/loss records, let alone any point spreads.
This trend has resulted in a significant uptick in player prop betting (and same game parlays) in recent years, naturally shining light on some really frustrating inconsistencies when it comes to betting those markets. However, via their Fair Play policy, Fanatics was the first major book to firmly plant its flag and start taking steps to alleviate those frustrations, with DraftKings, FanDuel, and ESPN BET following suit with similar policies afterwards.
Since launch, Fanatics' Fair Play policy has returned millions to bettors. In Week 2 of last NFL season, Aaron Jones exited the game early, and a $100 five-leg parlay turned into $66,000 after the leg containing Jones was voided. Also, last NFL season, a bettor won $22,000 on an 11-leg parlay when both Jayden Daniels and Deebo Samuel exited early.
In the latest NBA Playoffs, Steph Curry suffered a hamstring injury in the second quarter of a contest that triggered $500,000 in refunds. One bettor’s $5,000 parlay still hit for $224,773 after the Curry leg was voided.
It’s only fair, right? Well, not for the book. It doesn’t work both ways. If you bet a prop under, and the player gets hurt, your bet still wins. So, it’s actually quite generous of Fanatics to institute a policy like this.
However, with so many young, inexperienced bettors entering the market wanting to bet player props, and sportsbooks always striving to either gain or retain the loyalty of new customers, Fanatics’ Fair Play policy appears to be a winning proposition for everybody involved.
