As the NFL breathes a collective sigh of relief that Bills S. Damar Hamlin is on the road to recovery, some attention late in the week turned to how the league plans to respond to a canceled game. TheLines has already published what the NFL sports betting rules say about betting on the Bengals vs Bills game. For the most part, sportsbooks have voided bets while paying out props like Tyler Boyd First TD that were included.
With this game going unfinished some futures bets are now in limbo even though the Bengals and Bills have both already exceeded some winning totals or won the division. Let’s take a look at what select operators’ NFL Sportsbook House Rules say about these cases. In some cases, the Rules may not fully specify how a particular instance will be governed. In such cases, contact your sportsbook for clarification.
House rules for sports betting, NFL futures and regular season wins
DraftKings Sportsbook
The changes to the playoffs – we may see a neutral AFC championship – will not affect futures betting.
If the league/governing body officially declares a winner for the relevant season in the specified market then bets will stand regardless of season length, team move, team name change, playoff format etc.
Total winnings may be affected depending on exact bet.
The team(s) listed in the bet must complete all scheduled regular season games (using the regular season week 1 schedule) for bets to have action, unless remaining games during of the season would not affect the result. In the event of a change of venue for one or more matches, bets will stand.
Since the Bills already have 12 wins and the Bengals have 11, each has exceeded their “standard” win totals of 11.5 and 10, respectively. This means the overs were paid out for these bettors, but alternative lines were also available. In the event of a bet on something like Under 13.5 on the Bills, these bets will be void as they will not play 17 games.
Also, both teams have already won their divisions so those bets paid off.
FanDuel Sportsbook
If a season or tournament is unexpectedly shortened, all futures markets/bets will be settled as per the official decision of the relevant governing body after the postponement…
As both teams have been declared by the league winners of their respective divisions, these in turn pay out.
…unless the result is clearly determined before the season is suspended – example Team A could not win more than x regular season games before the postponement, bets on games over x will be settled as losers and bets on games under x wins will be settled as winners billed
For bets to have action the number of games to be considered official must equal the number of games scheduled at the start of the season unless the outcome has already been clearly determined.
Alternative routes may also be affected by this. Ensure that any alternative totals bets placed by you are settled fairly.
Caesar’s Sportsbook
Caesars Sportsbook will not change futures.
a. All futures bets placed will be settled regardless of any structural changes to the playoffs that the leagues deem necessary
However, when it comes to regular season win betting, the rules here state that everything is void.
1. For regular season overall wins, team must play all scheduled games unless otherwise noted.
BetMGM Sportsbook
Futures such as Division Champion and Super Bowl bets on BetMGM are unaffected by the playoff format change or the lost game.
For all game bets, whole season and division bets, all bets stand regardless of a team change or a change in team name, season length or playoff format.
However, bets on regular season wins, exact finishing division placement, #1 seeded and “Team Season Specials” (total yards gained, total TDs, etc.) all include the following clause:
Team must play all regular season games for bets to stand.
Ensure these bets are settled according to BetMGM’s NFL Sports Betting Rules.
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