How Sportsbooks Will Handle NBA Win Total Bets, Futures After League Suspension

How Sportsbooks Will Handle NBA Win Total Bets, Futures After League Suspension article feature image
Credit:

Credit: Getty Images

The biggest question from NBA bettors after the league's suspension Wednesday night in the wake of COVID-19 has, of course, been, "What happens to my season win totals bets?"

Books are offering some clarity, while the NBA tries to get a handle on its future after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (and subsequently teammate Donovan Mitchell) tested positive for the virus. It's not yet known if or when the NBA season will resume, or whether the NBA playoffs will take place.

For now, books are obviously holding on the bets until a decision is reached by the league. That decision could take months depending on the spread of the virus in the United States.

Should the season resume, all bets would of course still hold action, provided the rest of the games are played. The Westgate SuperBook's VP of Risk Management, Ed Salmons, shared with The Action Network that all 82 games must be played for the bets to have action.

In the event of the regular season being truncated and play resuming with the playoffs — which is definitely on the table as of now — books have different positions.

For Westgate, all 82 games must be played regardless of the bet. In the event that the regular season is called as of Wednesday night, all bets, including overs that had already been confirmed, would be ruled no action; all bets would be refunded.

PointsBet has taken a different position. Director of Communications Patrick Eichner told The Action Network Thursday that win total over bets that had already been confirmed will be paid out, while all other bets will be refunded.

This post will update with further information from sportsbooks.

About the Author
Matt Moore is a Senior NBA Writer at The Action Network. Previously at CBS Sports, he's the kind of guy who digs through Dragan Bender tape at 3 a.m. and constantly wants to tease down that Celtics line just a smidge.

Follow Matt Moore @MattMooreTAN on Twitter/X.

This site contains commercial content. We may be compensated for the links provided on this page. The content on this page is for informational purposes only. Action Network makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the information given or the outcome of any game or event.