PointsBet are paying out all future bets placed on the Golden State Warriors winning the NBA Finals – “even before they start”.
And that’s official. The cheeky Australian upstart made the announcement shortly after the Warriors’ rousing triumph in the Western Conference finals.
They swept away the Portland Trail-Blazers with four straight wins in a one-sided contest that ended Monday.
Clearly designed to enhance customer goodwill and get publicity, PointsBet have taken this type of gamble once before.
This was when they paid out prematurely on college quarterback Kyler Murray winning the Heisman Trophy. He did, so it was a win-win gamble for them
Hot favorites don’t always win
This hasn’t always been the case during the year that sports-betting has been legal in New Jersey. Sure-fire winners haven’t always won. FanDuel will know all about that.
In December it opted to pay-out all futures bets on Alabama winning the US college basketball title. At the time the Crimson Tide were looking as dominant as the Warriors are right now.
They’d gone 12-nil in wins in the regular season. They had whipped Georgia and Oklahoma respectively in the SEF and Orange Bowl semi-final and looked unstoppable. As it turned out, however, they took a pounding in the final, going down 44-16 to the Clemson Tigers.
FanDuel, of course, also took a beating. Paying out early on Alabama and then also having to pay out on the Tigers cost them some $400,000.
Things weren’t all bad, though. Customer loyalty was strengthened and the wager-smart New Jersey sportsbook market leader got some valuable headlines.
PointsBet at less risk than FanDuel were with Alabama
The facts indicate that PointsBet’s payout on the Golden City men (at -228) comes with less risk than FanDuel took.
The power-house Warriors have an incredible recent record. As its winners in both 2017 and 2018, they will be seeking a rare NBA Final hat-trick this year.
Another plus is the fact that they wrapped up the Western Conference title in the shortest possible time. It will give them greater rest time in a long season. It may also help give some of their walking wounded like Andre Iguodala (calf) time to recover.
Milwaukee Bucks won’t be a pushover. That’s why PointsBet’s odds on them winning the final are as low as +200.
But the formidable Warriors with their winning culture and confidence sky-high won’t easily let down PointsBet. Its gamble is probably as good as it gets in the uncertain world of sports betting.
