Massachusetts regulator allows Penn to void NFL bets following technical glitch
Commonwealth commissioners approve voiding of 257 bets placed on game which had already concluded
Commissioners in Massachusetts have voted to allow Penn Sports Interactive (PSI) to void 257 NFL player prop bets made incorrectly after the game concerned had already concluded.
Bets were made on the Arizona Cardinals vs New York Giants game on Sunday, September 17, totaling $47,759.94 by 59 users after the game itself had ended.
Submitting a report to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC), PSI attributed the glitch to a technical error in its software.
This led to 10 different market types with a total of 14 different market names left open for betting approximately 90 minutes after the outcome of the props were already concluded.
PSI confirmed that software used as part of the Barstool Sportsbook could not process the NFL’s so-called ‘half sack’ statistic, with it only being able to process whole numbers.
This inability to process led to a failure of the program, which in turn left several player prop markets open when they should have been closed.
An increase in activity arising from the slew of NFL games on Sunday created delays in the monitoring of markets, allowing these bets to be placed, with PSI later discovering the anomalous betting once the dust had settled.
The operator has since confirmed a fix to the solution was put in place before the kick off of Thursday Night Football.
Although it approved the cancellation of the bets, the MGC warned PSI and Barstool of the potential consequences should the issue reoccur.
“If this happens again, I may not be so sympathetic to their request,” MGC commissioner Nakisha Skinner said, summing up the mood of the commission as a whole.
Reports on the Sports Betting Dime (SBD) website have confirmed that the issue also impacted bets placed on the Barstool Sportsbook in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
A representative from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) confirmed contact with PSI and that the process to void bets was ongoing, with customers’ accounts being suspended and then reinstated once the voided bets were refunded.
“Barstool experienced a technical error which allowed patrons to place certain prop bets on this game after the results were known. They suspended the accounts of all impacted patrons pending resolution. They filed a report with us, and upon review, we did not object to their course of action to void the impacted wagers in accordance with their house rules,” the representative told SBD.
A similar process is currently underway with the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE).
In the same meeting of the MGC, commissioners voted to allow DraftKings to delay the display of state-required 21+ and over age gaiting language on its advertising at Fenway Park, TD Garden, and the Gillette Stadium.
Attending the meeting, representatives of the Boston-headquartered operator suggested it would involve significant expense to replace the signage, asserting that its existing ads at Fenway and TD Garden confirmed the sportsbook’s status as being only available to those aged over 21.
Commissioners voted to allow a waiver of the requirement until October 2, but confirmed that DraftKings would be required to display the correct signage after this date.