South Alabama Blowout Causes Voided Bets and Unusual Settlements

In a stunning display of dominance, South Alabama overwhelmed Northwestern State with an astonishing score of 87-10 on Thursday night. This victory not only marked a significant win for South Alabama but also set a new school scoring record.

The severity of the defeat led both teams’ coaches to agree on shortening the fourth quarter by six minutes, resulting in just 54 minutes of total playtime. This decision raised concerns about sports betting as the standard rules typically require 55 minutes of play for bets to be deemed valid.

According to DraftKings’ regulations, “There must be 5 minutes or less of scheduled game time left for bets to have action unless the specific market outcome is already unconditionally determined.” The latter aspect is particularly important because over and under bets on the combined total, set at 59.5 per ESPN BET, can be considered “unconditional.” This means these bets would be winners or losers regardless of what occurred in the final moments of the game.

Consequently, DraftKings labeled the over bets as winners, while the under bets were classified as losers. BetMGM followed suit and confirmed that they settled total bets in a similar manner. However, Caesars, ESPN BET, and FanDuel did not respond immediately to inquiries regarding their decisions.

For the point spread set at South Alabama -36.5, DraftKings ruled all related bets as void based on their existing guidelines. Nevertheless, they announced that cash payouts would be awarded on Friday for full-game and second-half wagers on South Alabama, treating them as winning bets. Meanwhile, first-half and third-quarter wagers would remain unaffected.

BetMGM declared all full-game wagers on Northwestern State as void, adhering to their house rules. However, they graded bets on South Alabama as winners, citing the final score as the “official result” as proclaimed by the relevant governing body.

The NCAA’s official football rules state that “any time during the game, the playing time of any remaining periods may be shortened by mutual agreement of the opposing head coaches and the referee.” This provision allows coaches and officials the discretion to shorten games in situations where one team is overwhelmingly dominant. However, there is no specific guideline on how much time should be deducted.

This season alone, there have been at least three instances where games have been adjusted in such a way, and each situation has seen different approaches taken by coaches and officials.

On August 29, Arkansas achieved a crushing victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff with a score of 70-0. For this match, both teams agreed to play the second half in 10-minute quarters, resulting in a total of only 50 minutes of game time. The same rulings regarding bets were applied in this situation as those in the recent South Alabama game.

On September 7, Georgia triumphed over Tennessee Tech with a score of 48-3. In this case, the coaches and officials opted for a five-minute reduction in the fourth quarter, resulting in exactly 55 minutes of play. This allowance meant all betting action for that match was validated.

This unprecedented match between South Alabama and Northwestern State raises interesting questions about game management and its implications on sports betting. As college football continues to evolve, it will be intriguing to see how other teams navigate similar circumstances in the future.