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.
Counting down the minutes until DraftKings pulls this “never forget” 9/11 parlay pic.twitter.com/dLZftfFXMs
— Nick Guy (@thenickguy) September 11, 2023
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.
