DraftKings Sportsbook Posts, Pulls ‘Never Forget’ Parlay That Regulators Called ‘Reprehensible’

Written By Grant Lucas on September 11, 2023
DraftKings logo company headquarters in Boston

DraftKings Sportsbook screwed up.

On the 22nd anniversary of arguably the most infamous terrorist attacks on American soil, DraftKings promoted a parlay on its New York sportsbook, calling it the “Never Forget” parlay.

The bet called for the New York Mets, Yankees and Jets to win their respective games on Monday night.

DraftKings issues apology for parlay

Apparently it didn’t take long for DraftKings to come to its senses and take down the parlay.

Shortly after, the gaming company released an apology.

NY sports betting regulators respond

The New York State Gaming Commission, which oversees and regulates the NY sports betting market, didn’t hold back when asked about the DraftKings parlay.

As reported by Mike Mazzeo of Legal Sports Report:

“This was reprehensible. We expect all licensees to exercise sensitivity.”

Sportsbooks have stumbled before

Unfortunately, it’s not terribly uncommon for legal sportsbooks to seemingly cross the line.

Earlier this year, for example, Caesars Entertainment faced a lawsuit surrounding its use of “risk-free” within its promotional offers. Many states have since directed legal sportsbooks to do away with the term.

Similarly, Barstool Sportsbook came under fire in Massachusetts for its use of the phrase “Can’t Lose Parlay.” Many called it misleading, as, obviously, it could lose.

Arguably a little more egregious, Fanatics rolled out a promotion in Ohio that offered a customer a $30 bonus bet on its sportsbook after he purchased a $30 hat through the merchandise store. State regulators immediately had Fanatics pull the promo, as it could easily lure underage bettors to the sports betting service.

Photo by Charles Krupa / AP Photo
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Grant Lucas

Grant Lucas is the managing editor for PlayNY. A longtime, award-winning sports writer, Grant has covered gambling and legal sports betting since 2018, when he got his start reporting on the New Jersey and Pennsylvania industries. He now oversees PlayNY as New York expands legalized gambling to sports betting and online casino gaming.

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