Come on, man
There are insane promotions and then there are absolutely mind-numbing, someone must have done it on a dare insane promotions. This past weekend was opening weekend for the NFL, the most wonderful time of the year for sportsbooks. Monday was also September 11, the 22nd anniversary of the terror attacks that killed thousands in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania. DraftKings, to the horror of many a gambler, decided to “celebrate” both.
On Monday, the sportsbook had a “NEVER FORGET” pre-made parlay on which users could wager. The parlay featured New York teams to win their games on September 11: the Mets to win against the Diamondbacks, the Yankees to win at the Red Sox, and the Jets to win on Monday Night Football against the Bills. DraftKings offered +651 odds on the three-leg 9/11-themed parlay.
For what it’s worth, which isn’t much, the Mets lost, the Yankees were rained out, and the Jets won in stunning fashion on an overtime punt return for a touchdown. So if you bet on it, got what you deserved. Hell, if you put the Mets and Yankees in a parlay together, period, you get what you deserve.
People didn’t let DraftKings forget
DraftKings naturally got hyper-blasted for the promo as customers started posting screenshots of the parlay on social media.
“It is shameful to use the national tragedy of 9/11 to promote a business,” Brett Eagleson, whose father Bruce, was killed in the World Trade Center, told The Associated Press. “We need accountability, justice and closure, not self-interest and shameless promotion.”
Eagleson runs 9/11 Justice, an organization for families and first responders, and called the promotion “tone deaf.”
Later on Monday, DraftKings issued an apology, saying, “We sincerely apologize for the featured parlay that was shared briefly in commemoration of 9/11. We respect the significance of this day for our country and especially for the families of those who were directly affected.”
The company did not say how many people placed bets on the “NEVER FORGET” parlay, nor did it say if the bets were canceled.
What I would be fascinated to find out is how in the world that parlay got on the site. Someone had to have come up with it and I would think someone else approved it, unless there’s someone who just has complete freedom to post whatever sorts of bet combos they want.
I really doubt that someone put that up thinking that they were honoring victims, survivors, and their families. If they did think that, they have a broken brain. It had to have been a weird attempt at humor that someone, somehow thought was a good idea.
