DraftKings has been on the receiving end of several lawsuits recently from irate bettors who claim it misled customers with its promotions. The latest complaint is from an Iowa resident who believes he is entitled to a $14.2m payout from the sportsbook operator.
Nicholas Bavas contends that his bets on the 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf event were unfairly voided due to rain threatening to cut the tournament from four rounds down to three.
claims that the operator seems to follow a different set of rules when it’s the one in the wrong
DraftKings still accepted bets on the action despite being aware of this possibility. The complaint claims that the operator seems to follow a different set of rules when it’s the one in the wrong or something unforeseen happens that results in a major payout.
The plaintiff had placed five wagers when the weather was looking bad at 10pm on February 3, including a $100 20-selection parlay correlating to the top finishers in the event based on their current standings. The wager had a payout of $4.6m if successful. He placed four similar parlays, with total estimated payouts of $14.2m.
Tournament officials monitored the conditions throughout February 4, during which there was no play, before deciding to cut the event to 54 holes. This meant that Bavas’ wagers were all successful.
DraftKings proceeded to void all the wagers and refund the stakes, pointing toward futures bets rules relating to when the final shot is hit in an event. Bavas claims that these rules don’t apply to wagers involving several players and said that DraftKings wouldn’t have refunded losing bets due to the weather cancellation.
