Online sports betting in Massachusetts is set to launch in the first quarter of 2023. As excitement continues to build around the rollout of online sports betting in Massachusetts, consumers, spectators, legal experts and fantasy and sports betting companies will need to keep an eye out for legal issues that may arise following the cancellation, suspension or postponement of sports games.
Following the cancellation of the Buffalo Bills-Cincinnati Bengals game on January 2, 2023, fantasy football players are now suing DraftKings for unlawfully cancelling their contest entries in fantasy football contests. According to the ClassAction.org article, a New York contestant who participated in the $20K Two Point Conversion and the NFL Showdown 15K Four-Point Stance contests allege that he was in first and second place respectively when DraftKings unlawfully canceled the contest entries following the suspension of the Bills-Bengals game. According to the suit, DraftKings' terms of use state that if the NFL declares a game 'suspended' then the statistics generated prior to such suspension will count. The suit further states that although the New York contestant's entries were refunded, the contestant was also entitled to the winnings earned prior to the suspension of the game.
The class action looks to represent contestants who entered into the NFL Showdown and Flash Draft contests offered by DraftKings and whom were indicated as winners at the time the game was suspended.
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