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A number of Barstool Sportsbook and theScore Bet customers had their live bets on the Giants-Cardinals game Sunday voided after initially being counted as wins. Penn National, which owns the sportsbook, claims the bets were mispriced.
Live player props for Giants vs. Cardinals did not change from their closing numbers in what appeared to be a software error, Chase Howell of the Action Network reported.
After the Giants beat the Cardinals 31-28, the live bets were graded out as winners (or losers, in some cases). Some account holders withdrew their funds and some received withdrawal approvals.
Most others, however, saw their accounts suspended, with users unable to access their accounts. That was Sunday. As of Wednesday night, those users still can't access their accounts to withdraw or bet.
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And this is why media outlets and US regulated sportsbooks simply do not mix. The controversy serves to anger Barstool Sports fans, even though owner Dave Portnoy and company have no say in what Penn National does with the sportsbook these next few weeks.
Portnoy bought back Barstool Sports from Penn back in August. He founded Barstool Sports in 2003. Portnoy commented at the time that Barstool Sports and Penn National had “gone our separate ways.” Penn said the divestiture was completed in exchange for “non-compete and other restrictive covenants.”
But Penn continues to use the Barstool name until the sportsbook is rebranded as ESPN Bet some time this fall. This type of negative press is something ESPN will likely have a tougher time dealing with as that media outlet has done an admirable job of covering the US regulated sports betting landscape up to this point. As of Thursday afternoon, ESPN's dedicated reporter in the space, David Payne Purdum, had yet to comment on this matter.
Kudos to @The_PropFather on Twitter for bringing this to the industry's attention.
Looks like they voided the rest of the bets on Barstool for the Giants/Cards game and refunded original bets.
— The PropFather (@The_PropFather) September 20, 2023
How did they pay some people, but not pay others??? Either pay all or pay none.
Don’t let your traders fall asleep at the wheel and this wouldn’t be an issue next…
Penn National is no stranger to controversy. The company forced the termination of a popular Barstool Sports personality after he made some insensitive remarks.
Regulators in some states already appear to be siding with Penn National.
"Pursuant to Indiana law, operators are permitted to cancel wagers due to obvious error," Jennifer Reske, the deputy director for the Indiana Gaming Commission, told the Action Network. "They do not need to request permission from the IGC prior to taking the action."
Massachusetts regulators are scheduled to hold a meeting on Friday, according to the Action Network.
- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com
