Steph Curry’s injury against the Timberwolves led to Fanatics Sportsbook refunding $500,000 in player prop bets involving the Golden State Warrior.
Under the bookmaker’s “Fair Play Policy,” if players exit the game in the first half, all player bets are refunded in cash, and parlay legs involving the injured player are voided.
The offer previously applied to first-quarter exits, but Fanatics extended the promotion to cover the entire first half during the NBA playoffs.
In a press release, a Fanatics spokesperson wrote, “We believe in putting the fan first. Fair Play is our way of ensuring fairness when the unpredictable happens.”
Michigan customer nets over $200k
Thanks to the offer, a Michigan customer landed a parlay that had involved a Curry prop bet. The Curry leg was voided, leaving a 3-leg parlay across the NBA and Inter Milan vs Barcelona in the Champions League.
The bettor placed $5,000 on the bet, and the revised odds came at +9240, leading to a $224,773 payout. A Fanatics spokesperson commented that, “This is the largest single payout in Fair Play history.”
Fanatics joined the Michigan sports betting scene last year after acquiring PointsBet in 2023 to launch its sportsbook. The company are now active in 22 states across the US with plans to expand further.
NBA Playoffs Betting
Despite Curry’s exit, the Warriors went on to win Game 1 of the series against the Timberwolves. Minnesota previously upset bettors by dumping out the well-backed Lakers.
BetMGM reported that 96% of bets were on the Lakers to beat the Timberwolves. The LA team was also the most backed to win the Championship, with 16% of tickets at BetMGM. FanDuel additionally reported that more than a quarter of all bets were on the Lakers to take the title.
The best sports betting sites vary in their odds, but following Curry’s injury, the Timberwolves are roughly -200 favorites to progress. They started the series at -180 and went to -160 after losing Game 1, but as news broke that Curry might miss the rest of the series, the line changed again to further favor Minnesota.
The Warriors entered the series as underdogs for the first time in a decade at +150. Following Curry’s exit, they are now +165. The Wolves are +10.5 on the spread for Thursday’s Game 2.
At the time of writing, the Thunder lead the betting to win the Championship at around +125, and they became heavier favorites following the Celtics’ loss to the Knicks on Wednesday. The Celtics drifted to +350 after going down 0-2 in the series. The Knicks are now narrow favorites to win the series, after starting as +350 outsiders.
Adam is an experienced writer with years of experience in the gambling industry. He has worked as a content writer and editor for five years on sites such as Oddschecker, CoinTelegraph and Gambling Industry News, bringing excellent knowledge of the world of sports betting and online gambling. Adam focuses on emerging stories in the ever changing landscape of betting in the US. Read the latest on prediction markets, changing legislation, and sweepstakes.
