ESPN Bet Off To Brutal Start After Not Honoring Push In Eagles' Parlay Thanks To Dumb Bylaw

Published|Updated

ESPN Bet launched in early November in select states, but despite being operational for less than a month, the Penn National gambling platform is already receiving quite the reputation thanks to a bylaw pertaining to pushed bets.

Over the weekend, @CalculatorGrant on X went viral thanks to his five-leg NFL parlay. Only he didn't go viral for his massive payout, but because his entire bet was voided due to a dumb house rule.

Grant's same-game parlay included DeVonta Smith to record over 57.5 receiving yards, D’Andre Swift to have over 59.5 rushing yards, Eagles -3, Stefon Diggs over 63.5 receiving yards, and Josh Allen to throw over 1.5 passing touchdowns.

The only leg of the parlay that didn't hit was Eagles -3 with Philadelphia beating the Buffalo Bills 37-34. This would make that particular leg of the parlay a push which would simply adjust the odds and payout, but Grant would be paid for his winnings.

Or so he thought.

In the eyes of ESPN Bet and Penn Gaming, a pushed bet in a parlay voids the entire bet. Other online sportsbooks do not operate this way.

Nobody reads the bylaws, but ESPN Bets do (somewhat vaguely) explain that a pushed bet in a parlay with other winning legs results in a 'no action' result.

“If one or more selections in a same game parlay portion of a Parlay+™ wager settle as a push (for example, due to a total ending up exactly on the number that was selected), the same game parlay portion of the Parlay+™ wager that contained the applicable selection will be deemed a push, except if a selection of such same game parlay portion results in a loss, in which case <Section B, Para 6.2.a> above applies. The remaining selections in the Parlay+™ wager will be graded in accordance with the Operator’s house rules.“

FanDuel's house rules are far more fair.

“Same Game Parlays (SGP’s) will be settled in the same manner. If a selection within the wager is voided, the wager odds will be re-calculated using the remaining legs," FanDuel's house rules state.

This is an odd decision from ESPN Bet and Penn Gaming simply due to how late they are to the online sportsbook game. One would imagine they'd adopt similar rules to the FanDuels, PointsBets, and DraftKings of the world, who have been operating for far longer, but instead, they adopted a rule that will undoubtedly keep players from using the app.

Tags
Written by

Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and all other happenings in the world of golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.