FanDuel Will Honor Disputed $82K Football Bet

An 18-second computer glitch led to gamblers getting incorrect odds
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Sep 20, 2018 7:29 PM CDT
FanDuel Will Honor Disputed $82K Football Bet
The FanDuel sports book at the Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford N.J.   (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)

Upon further review, a New Jersey man will get his full $82,000 payout on a disputed $110 sports bet, the AP reports. And several other gamblers who made similar bets at wildly inflated odds will also be paid in full, FanDuel said Thursday. The online sports betting company said it will pay Anthony Prince of Newark the full 750-1 payout he was promised when the company's automated system mistakenly generated long odds on the final moments of the Denver Broncos-Oakland Raiders game on Sunday. The company initially refused to pay the bet placed at its sports book at the Meadowlands Racetrack, saying it isn't obligated to pay for obvious errors. But FanDuel reversed field after consulting with state gambling regulators.

Prince was handed his 750-1 ticket with about a minute left in the game, as the Broncos trailed by 2 points on their final drive. Denver kicked a field goal with 6 seconds left to win 20-19, capping a second half comeback that started with the Broncos down 12-0. FanDuel says its system should have calculated his odds at 1-6, meaning a bettor would have to wager $600 in order to win $100. The company said a 36-yard field goal itself has an 85 percent chance of success. All told, 12 customers, including Prince, were given incorrect odds during an 18-second computer glitch. Levin would not say how much in total the company is paying, but said the promised payouts printed on the tickets or made online will be honored.

(More sports betting stories.)

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