On the back of a weekend where our official positions drew 3 voids from injuries, we wanted to put a short article out there to say that this is a WELCOME change from the corporate bookmakers.
We personally have spent a lot of time on the customer support lines with the majors to convince them that this was necessary. Not saying we were the ultimate catalyst, but hopefully part of the change that was required.
The broader story was that players were getting injured in whatever code they played in, and the multi or prop stake was effectively ruled as a loss. This could be acceptable, if it was in the final quarter, or last portion of any game. However, if the event had happened in the early portions of a game, it was an incredibly unfair position for the bookmakers to take considering the player had not had any chance to attempt to get the total, or whatever prop line it was they needed to achieve.
It was also very open to nefarious behaviour on behalf of the players (and coaches) in some instances. There are currently open federal charges in the US against current and former NBA players and coaches for pulling themselves out of games with injuries whilst holding the opposing position against their stat line on the bookmakers, effectively guaranteeing themselves a pay day. You can read more about this at these news articles:
Not saying that is happening in the Australian codes, but it was a situation that had to be addressed to bring credibility into the leagues if injuries happened. Which is always a possibility in contact sports, which both the AFL and NRL are, and some of the hardest in the world.
After much pressure, the majors, including Bet365, Sportsbet and TAB have provided coverage for their customers for this very thing.
This is the 365 offering:
This is the Sportsbet offering:
And TAB also has one, along with others. Now they are not perfect, but they do provide coverage for the 1st half of any match, which is a substantial upgrade on where things were.
In contact sports, things are very unpredictable. And especially with the advent of the new concussion protocols, where players are often pulled from the field even if they wish to stay out there. We don't see scenes like this any more...
Went to a brawl and a game of rugby league broke out!
However, both leagues are played at a frantic pace, and the chance for injuries is now more prevalent than ever, and having coverage for it helps a lot.
Bring on the next rounds!
Cheers,
Game Day Edition Team
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