Sportsbooks Leaving Billions on Table With Suspensions, Bettormetrics Says

Bettormetrics — an AI Sports Odds Intelligence Firm — released a report suggesting US sportsbooks are leaving billions of dollars worth of handle on the table with their suspension strategies.

A Closer Look at the Data

The key findings of the Bettormetrics report feature three of the nation’s biggest sportsbooks: DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM. The data analyzed was for NBA markets. Here are the highlights:

• FanDuel left an estimated $1.45 billion in handle on the table with an average suspension rate of 15.8% (84.2% uptime) per game.
• DraftKings ranked best, but it still left an estimated $249 million in handle on the table. The sportsbook’s suspension rate was 4.8%, resulting in an industry-leading high 95.2% uptime.
• BetMGM was in the middle, with an estimated $315 million in handle left on the table due to suspensions.

Estimates for “other operators” totaled $596.4 million.

The sample size was 595 games played from the beginning of the 2023-24 NBA season through April 26, 2024. Bettormetrics sourced the handle data from state gaming releases.

What Does It Mean?

The data strongly suggests that sportsbooks leave lots of potential revenue on the table when they suspend lines. But suspension is a part of sports betting. Ask anyone who bets on live games with any sort of regularity, and they’ll tell you a suspension has prevented them from getting their desired wager in.

Assuming suspensions can’t be done away with, sportsbooks can implement practices to limit the time any given line goes unlisted. Robert Urwin, CEO and co-founder of Bettormetrics, said:

“While suspension is an inevitable occurrence in sports betting as traders necessarily evaluate the risks surrounding new situations within games, some sportsbooks are more systematically cautious than others. It’s this situational nuance that leads to more sportsbooks looking at risk instead of the potential rewards around improving its average uptime. In looking at our NBA data of the top three US sportsbooks, it’s clear to see the suspension strategies and the risk management perspectives of each book’s trading desks. While FanDuel is potentially losing out on the most revenue, based on its incredible volume, with a few optimizations it can dramatically increase its margins and create distance between itself and DraftKings as the definitive leader in US sportsbook operations.”

Meanwhile, Sabin Brooks — Commercial Director of Bettormetrics — said the need for efficiency and speed is of the utmost importance. It makes a huge difference in a highly competitive space.

“Every operator is looking for ways to grow their margins, increase wagering and reduce customer attrition. While many sportsbooks externalize their focus on the cost of user acquisition, suspension can help a sportsbook find new revenue from within by becoming more efficient than their competitors. In the US, market share is gained in very slim percentage points. By understanding and addressing these crucial trading efficiencies, sportsbooks can gain potentially billions in lost revenue. A poor suspension strategy is very bad business for customers and shareholders alike.”

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