Bettors flocked to social media after the NFL Hall of Fame game was cut short Thursday due to inclement weather. Clear winning bets were voided, while other bets were graded. Unfortunately, it all was in the hands of the house rules of where you placed your bet.
Just ahead of kickoff, the Houston Texans were 1.5-point favorites, with the game’s line for total points sitting at 31.5. During the third quarter, the game was called, with the Chicago Bears leading the Texans 21-17.
Depending on which sportsbook you wagered at, various house rules apply in these types of situations, and some might have you scratching your head. We asked various oddsmakers about their house rules and broke down some of the comments.
Breakdown of sportsbook house rules
Circa Sportsbook
Circa Sportsbook and Jeffrey Benson have always been very vocal on social media about injuries, cancellations, and how other sportsbooks handle these situations. They were a large focus Thursday night when it came to Circa’s house rules and bets that ended up void. Below are Circa’s house rules on NFL wagers.
“Games are considered official for wagering purposes with 5 minutes remaining in the originally scheduled regulation time, unless otherwise stipulated on display boards, printed sheets, or the mobile app.”
Simply put, if the NFL game does not make it past the 55-minute mark, all bets are void, even if those bets have clearly won. Bettors on social media commented on these rules, some wondering how it is possible to grade the over, set at 31.5, which was voided when the total was already hit (38).
Bet365 Sportsbook
We reached out directly to bet365, which responded with the following answer. Below is a direct quote from the trading team:
“For the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, we adhered to our rules by settling anything that was already determined, and voided anything that wasn’t.”
bet365 Trading Team
Bet365 seems to be a solid choice amongst bettors, as it was one of the select few to settle bets that were determined at that point in the game. The sportsbook’s house rules state the following: “There must be 5 minutes or less of scheduled game time left for bets to have action.” So again, 55 minutes seems to be the common theme for many NFL sportsbooks.
FanDuel Sportsbook
FanDuel has a different view when it comes to its house rules. If you’re checking those rules, try to do so for the state in which you’re wagering. FanDuel’s rules vary slightly by state, but the book’s overall view of the abandonment of the game stays the same.
“At least ten minutes of official time must elapse in the fourth quarter for bets to have action. If a game starts and then is suspended prior to the above time and is not completed within 24 hours, all bets that are not unequivocally determined will be voided.”
“All bets that are not unequivocally determined will be voided” is a key item that separates FanDuel from Circa. This means that if your wager has been determined, it will be graded as such. Even with that being the case, over bettors’ tickets were still voided. This raises the question of what distinguishes a bet as “unequivocally determined.” That seems to be up to the discretion of the sportsbook, so again, you do not have a say in your wager.
BetMGM Sportsbook
Here is where the rules get murky. BetMGM Sportsbook has multiple sections in its house rules, which might confuse bettors. For NFL games, the rules state the match must reach 55 minutes to be an “official event.”
“Canceled events that have either not started or have not met the minimum length for an event to be official will result in straight wagers being canceled. Parlays that involve a canceled event will reduce to the next lowest number of selections.”
“For wagering purposes, unless otherwise stipulated in individual Football sports wager rules, Pro and College Football results are official after 55 minutes of play. BetMGM does not recognize suspended games (after they have met the minimum time or length requirement specified in the specific sports rules), protests, or overturned decisions for wagering purposes.”
BetMGM follows the same structure as Circa Sportsbook — if the game does not go 55 minutes, bets will have no action. Parlays and same-game parlays potentially have different rules and outcomes.
