Did you bet on Draymond Green player props Sunday night? If you did, you might’ve been one of the people who cashed in huge.
Klay Thompson returned to the Warriors lineup for the first time since the 2019 NBA Finals, but that wasn’t the only notable event ahead of Golden State’s game against the Cavaliers. Green aggravated a calf injury in pregame warmups but decided to start the game ceremoniously with Thompson’s return being so monumental for the team. Green’s intention, though, was to leave the game after just a few seconds. Seems innocent and warm-hearted enough, right?
Well, not in today’s legal sports betting environment.
At 8:31 p.m. Sunday night, the Warriors and some media outlets tweeted that Green would be on the court for the tip-off and then removed from the game. The game was set to tip at 8:40 p.m. In those nine minutes, sports bettors rushed to their apps to bet ‘under’ on Green’s player props, many even tying multiple props together in same game parlays.
Draymond Green will be on the court for the opening tip-off to honor Klay Thompson but will not participate in the remainder of the game due to left calf tightness he experienced during his pregame warmup.
— Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) January 10, 2022
Here is the bizarre sequence that became very expensive for sportsbooks.
Draymond Green is not playing tonight (left calf tightness), but he still wanted to be on the floor with Klay for his return.
So Green was there for the opening tip and took a foul so he could check out of the game ❤️ pic.twitter.com/puAzOy3rxe
— ESPN (@espn) January 10, 2022
Knowing that Green would start — but not play for more than a minute — was a massive opportunity for sports bettors. Some made “life-changing money” on Green ‘under’ props and same game parlays, as some sportsbooks were slower than others to catch on.
Twitter sports betting personality, Joey Knish (@JoeyKnish22) said, “DK left this up under SGP significantly longer than anywhere else. So I’m sure their liability is significant and are looking for a way out. FD has stricter limits on this stuff and pulled it faster, hence easy decision to pay (and get good PR). Hope ppl get paid.”
Twitter Sounds Off While Making Money Hand Over Fist…
This result was horrific for several books, including FanDuel, Caesars, BetMGM, and PointsBet, as bettors hit same game parlays into the six figures. DraftKings, in fact, lost over seven figures on Green player props, per ESPN’s Dave Purdum.
“Industry sources estimated DraftKings paid out more than $1 million on the Green props, with payouts across the sports betting market believed to be in the multiple millions,” Purdum writes. “The majority of the liability came from bets that were placed within the last 10 minutes before the game tipped off.”
Here’s a roundup from the Twitterverse of stories about gamblers cashing in on Green ‘unders’:
Draymond Green unders cash on DraftKings. 💰
If a player plays, his stats should always stand. If the book wants to void it as a courtesy, such as voiding overs if a player only plays a minute – that’s on them. Thanks for doing the right thing DraftKings. pic.twitter.com/8ZwrVcFQs5
— MrOverUnder (@MrOverUnder) January 11, 2022
These are NOT my tickets. They were DM’d to me.
This is a SMALL sample size with what is at stake here. I’ve seen MILLIONS (plural) of dollars worth of tickets on this.
He played and recorded a stat. This is a HUGE moment in the history of gambling and how this is graded. pic.twitter.com/VJKsD5uwzI
— Beau L. Wagner⚡️ (@BeauLWagner) January 10, 2022
Special thanks to @Marcus_Beau_VIP, @TheMisterMarcus @BeauLWagner, @kiiLkenny and the #MoonieGang on this massive win. Couldn’t have done it without you guys. Life-changing. pic.twitter.com/tIE7XPCYLw
— Bets McGee (@mcgee_bets) January 11, 2022
MORE. 😂 pic.twitter.com/JE5swKySS3
— ™️Marcus (@TheMisterMarcus) January 11, 2022
DraftKings Does The Right Thing After Investigation
While most books paid ‘under’ bets immediately, DraftKings reviewed the wagers, including parlays and straight bets, and its payouts were delayed. In the end, DraftKings did the right thing and paid these bets out to winners. Furthermore, DraftKings gave any players who bet ‘over’ for Draymond Green’s props their money back in free bets.
“DraftKings will be grading all Draymond Green under markets as winners and issuing cash refunds for all bets on Draymond Green over markets,” a DraftKings spokesperson told Gaming Today in an email. “Customers will see settlement and crediting happening by the end of today.”
This is a complex story, however, and could have longer-term ramifications on the sports betting business.
Here’s the Twitter take from Captain Jack Andrews, a professional gambler and bettor advocate.
As reported elsewhere, DraftKings has paid all wagers and voided any overs on the prop.
The right move. Now we'll wait to see if House Rules get modified.
If I were DK, I'd lobby the NBA to deter this sort of thing from happening again.
— Captain Jack Andrews (@capjack2000) January 11, 2022
Also, it would not surprise some around the industry if books decided to ban bettors who took advantage of the news. Here’s pro bettor Rufus Peabody:
My original tweet was drafted hastily & comes across as very black-and-white on what is very nuanced topic. I see both sides. SGPs are very popular. Lots of demand from rec players & opportunities for sharps. Lots of surface area for books to defend and large potential liability https://t.co/DLB31NoNrF
— Rufus (@RufusPeabody) January 12, 2022
The Draymond Green situation is not necessarily unique. Information travels fast, and sometimes bettors get it before the books. We’ll be watching the ripple effects.
About the Author
