David Purdum, ESPN
On a Tuesday afternoon in October, three hours before the NBA season tipped off, word began to spread in the online betting community. There was an error in DraftKings’ odds on the Los Angeles Lakers–Denver Nuggets game.
The over/under lines on players’ points, rebounds, assists and other statistics were wrong. Nikola Jokic‘s points were being offered at 9.5 when Jokic averaged 25.7 points per game the previous season. The over/under on LeBron James‘ points was set at 8.5, but James has averaged 27.2 points per game for his career.
Matt McAfee, a 36-year-old sports bettor in Indianapolis, caught wind of the mistake at approximately 4:25 p.m. ET. A handicapper and content producer for “GoldBoys,” a Discord popular with bettors, McAfee comes across errors on sportsbook apps frequently. This one on DraftKings, though, was more egregious than normal.
McAfee knew he would need to act quickly but first had to decide if it was even worth it. His betting limits on DraftKings had been slashed significantly after he capitalized on a controversy involving Draymond Green in January 2022.
“Since then, I haven’t been able to put more than about $10 on a same-game parlay,” McAfee told ESPN.
McAfee considered holding off but ultimately decided to see how much he could wager. To his surprise, he was able to place a $100 seven-leg parlay with 1,500-1 odds.
With bets like over 5.5 points for Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., who has averaged 17.5 points per game and over 8.5 points for James, each leg of his parlay had hit by early in the third quarter. He had won $150,000 but wondered if he’d get paid.
McAfee’s bet was among the hundreds of parlays that were placed on the bad lines in states around the nation. What happened next — in just 13 minutes — is the latest example of how hostile the bettor-bookie relationship has become in the modern American betting market.
Rest is here…
