Despite the constant requests on Twitter, most sportsbooks do not have a policy for voiding player props when a player is injured. If you bet the over, you're usually out of luck, unless they're feeling generous or its a high-profile injury.
Fanatics Sportsbook has instituted a more formal policy called "fair play" — they'll always refund your props if you bet the over and a player is injured early in a game (in the first quarter for NFL and NBA). That includes straight prop bets, parlays, and same game parlays (the voided leg will just drop out of the parlay, and the rest of the parlay will stand).
If you bet the under and the player gets injured, your bet will still win like normal.
Fanatics has a dedicated trading team that monitors player injuries. Once a player is officially ruled out, all bets including that player are voided within 30 minutes.
In the Fanatics app, they'll provide details on the player's injury and update users on whether or not the injury qualifies for a refund.
How Fanatics Fair Play Works by Sport
If you bet the over, these are the playing time thresholds that result in a refund:
- NFL: Player is injured in the first quarter and doesn't return.
- NBA & WNBA: Player is injured in the first quarter and doesn't return.
- NHL: Player is injured in the first period and doesn't return.
- MLB Pitchers: A pitcher starts the game, throws at least one pitch, and exits before recording three outs.
- MLB Batters: A batter starts the game, makes at least one plate appearance, then does not make their second plate appearance due to injury.
- Golf: Player starts the tournament but withdraws before the start of the second round.
If a player is ruled out pregame or never touches the field, your bet will be refunded at all sportsbooks. But Fanatics is the first to institute a formal policy around players who leave a game after playing in it.
