Kansas City Chiefs wideout Xavier Worthy was injured in the opening quarter of KC’s game against the Chargers on Friday night and did not return. That circumstance triggered several sportsbooks’ refund policy that covers bettors whose player exits in the first quarter due to injury.
X Marks the Spot
More and more sportsbooks are looking out for their customers with what has become known as an insurance policy in the sports betting industry. This insurance policy, instituted by several sportsbooks, covers bettors whose player gets injured early in the game and does not return. Any straight player prop wagers using over on that player will be null and void, and any parlay using over on that player will be removed, with those odds recalculated minus the player prop.
This is a strategic decision by several, although not all, sportsbooks to engender customer loyalty and to woo new customers from sportsbooks that do not have this policy. Such was the case on Friday night when the Chiefs and Chargers traveled to Sao Paulo, Brazil, to kick off their respective seasons. Chiefs’ wideout, Xavier Worthy, collided with teammate Travis Kelce only three snaps into the game, where he suffered a shoulder injury from which he did not return.
Impact of Worthy’s Injury
It was a critical injury for the Chiefs, who were already down two receivers with Rashee Rice suspended to start the season and fourth-round rookie Jalen Royals sidelined with a knee injury. This injury was also devastating to bettors who had placed over player prop bets on Xavier Worthy, as he was expected to receive many targets from Mahomes due to the unavailability of other options.
However, many sportsbooks took to social media to advise their customers and the general public that the Xavier Worthy over props would be voided because he was injured in the first quarter and did not return to action.
Sportsbooks Crow About Bet Protect Policies
Sportsbooks that voided bets on over Xavier Worthy player props rightfully boasted about it on social media, and many whose sportsbooks did not void the bets were vocal in their displeasure.
FanDuel Customer Support tweeted the following:
“Xavier Worthy was injured in the 1st quarter of KC vs LAC and did not return to the game. Any related player props will be covered by Bet Protect.”
DraftKings Support tweeted something similar, and so did ESPN Bet.
Ironically, it was not the industry powerhouses who created this customer-friendly feature but rather Fanatics that implemented it before the NFL season last year. Fanatics’ Fair Play policy kicked in with Worthy’s injury, and the company noted it on X as well.
“FAIR PLAY™ activated. Honoring all player prop bets impacted by Xavier Worthy’s 1st Qtr injury.”
