The Experiment: Lobbyist’s Findings Show Poor Results in Same-Game Parlays

By Todd Winkler,
Editor at online-gambling.com

Todd Winkler Editor at online-gambling.com

Todd Winkler is another one of our highly professional editors at online-gambling.com. The expert has been part of our team for 6 years, during which time he contributed articles regarding poker, blackjack, and DFS. Winkler is also knowledgeable about New Zealand's legal gambling market.

• Twitter
• Email

More About Todd Winkler

Last updated: April 1, 2023

Popular sports betting company FanDuel recently came under fire after lobbyist and industry expert from Illinois, Steve Brubaker, tested the efficacy of the same-game parlays that the company advertises on its platform. In 50 same-game parlays, Brubaker lost nearly $37 while winning just once. Moreover, he purchased 50 $1 lotto scratch-off tickets, and he won $8 of them while losing $22. Brubaker tweeted about his findings and used the hashtag #FanDuel in his tweets, but he claims he never received a response from them.

Same-game parlays are a collection of bets made on the same event and might include betting on people or teams from either team. With all parlays, the outcome of each leg is necessary for the wager to be successful.

FanDuel’s Response: Company Suggests Bad Luck May be to Blame

A FanDuel spokesperson responded to Brubaker’s experiment by saying that the majority of Brubaker’s bets were chosen highlights common same-game parlays placed by gamblers. The sportsbook team at FanDuel searches through all of the sports available on the app to identify the most popular same-game parlays. They are shown on the main page, and the count indicates how many gamblers have placed bets on that specific parlay regardless of the odds.

A list of Brubaker’s wagers along with the odds he received was supplied. His odds were greater than 20-1 on six of them, ranging from +2017 to +2454. The average odds on the parlays that Brubaker bet on from January 20 to March 13 were +1087, so a $1 winning wager would have returned $10.87. The implied chance of those odds is 8.4%, which is more than four times Brubaker’s victory percentage.

Although the FanDuel representative was unsure of the precise odds of Brubaker’s wagers, they suggested that he might have simply had a string of a bad luck at the time he placed his wagers. The same-game and other parlay bets are made by FanDuel sometimes, usually with a title or theme in mind. Top trade executives, according to the representative, tell their content teams to come up with bets that they would place on a well-known game.

Calls for Regulation: Controversy Highlights Need for Honest and Fair Practices

According to Brubaker, he has no issues with gamblers picking their parlay options. Regardless of how certain prepared bets were made, if FanDuel promotes them, the counter that displays the number of people who have placed that bet acts as a persuasion tool. He also requests that the odds for each parlay leg be posted, which would allow gamblers to know whether a certain wager’s pick has much better chances than the other legs.

Brubaker thinks odds are immaterial if the same-game parlays are chosen or made to lose, and he wants regulators to examine the data to determine whether the front-page parlays’ win rates are significantly different from those chosen by bettors. He finished his experiment last week and is now concentrating on his day job, but he takes pride in exposing what he believes is a bad practice.

In conclusion, the debate over FanDuel’s same-game parlays emphasizes how crucial honesty and justice are in the sports betting sector. Operators are free to advertise and design parlays, but bettors should have access to reliable odds information so they can make wise choices. As the popularity of sports betting increases, authorities must make sure that sports betting operators follow the guidelines properly.