Refunding Aaron Judge Home Run Promo a Short-Term Win for DraftKings

Neil Parker

Last Updated: January 1, 0001 12:00 AM EST • 1 min 36 sec read. Twitter link Google News Link

TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 27: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees walks in the eighth inning of their MLB game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on September 27, 2022 in Toronto, Canada. Cole Burston/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Cole Burston / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

Aaron Judge promo bettors woke up surprise winners Wednesday thanks to DraftKings Sportsbook, which secured its own victory in the process.

DraftKings earned a big W with customers by refunding all bets placed on their Road to the Triple Crown promo that boosted the odds for New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge to record a hit during Tuesday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays from -280 to +100.

Not only didn’t Judge record a hit, he registered just a single at-bat, as the Blue Jays walked the Triple Crown hopeful in four of his five plate appearances Tuesday.

With Judge sitting on 60 home runs for the season – one shy of tying the American League record set by fellow Yankee Roger Maris in 1961 – while also leading the AL in home runs, RBI and batting average, he’s garnering a lot of attention over the final weeks of the regular season.

As a result, sportsbooks have been quick to offer Judge promotions and boosts.

Given the aggressive advertising and strategic accessibility of these promos, DraftKings refunding Tuesday’s wagers with free bets is a short-term victory for the sportsbook – and a strong response to a similar move made by a competitor last week. FanDuel Sportsbook also refunded an offered boost in free bets during the Thursday Night Football game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns.

FanDuel had its own Judge promo for Tuesday’s game. His odds to hit a home run were boosted from +195 to +270.

In this case, though, FanDuel didn’t refund the losing wagers.

What Does the Future Hold?

A quick stroll down the Twitter rabbit hole highlights bettors calling out FanDuel and other books for not following DraftKings’ lead and refunding Judge promos. This came after bettors wanted sportsbooks to follow FanDuel’s lead from last week and refund wagers after the wild finish to the Steelers-Browns game.

Has the precedent been set that bettors should expect promos and boosts to be regularly refunded moving forward?

Furthermore, while FanDuel and DraftKings have both capitalized on recent opportunities to earn wins with patrons, have they also set themselves up to disappoint them in the future?

Trying to determine which losing promotions and boosts will be refunded and which ones will not is a slippery slope for sportsbooks, and offering whimsical refunds doesn’t set them up for consistent, long-term wins with customers.

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Written By:
Neil Parker

A lifelong Cowboys, Cubs, Maple Leafs and Gators supporter, Neil has been covering sports in print and online since 2011. His past stops include USA TODAY, theScore, DraftKings Playbook and RotoWire among others. He's a graduate of St. Thomas University and Acadia University and spends ample time at KenWo Golf Club.