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PointsBet Gives Golf Bettors Relief for Reed Controversy

Lou Monaco for Bookies.com

Lou Monaco  | 4 mins

PointsBet Gives Golf Bettors Relief for Reed Controversy

Up to $1,500 in Bonus Bets if Your First Bet Loses
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PointsBet USA, which has a partnership deal with the PGA Tour, reignited its good karma refund policy late Sunday after Patrick Reed’s controversial five-stroke victory in the PGA Farmers Insurance Open.

Within a couple of hours of the tournament’s conclusion, PointsBet announced in a tweet: “There was no shortage of Patrick Reed talk on his way to winning the Farmers Insurance Open. If you bet on a different golfer, we have your back! PointsBet is refunding ALL pre-tournament outright winner wagers on all other golfers in Free Bets.”

This is the third time PointsBet has offered “Good Karma” on golf, according to a PointsBet spokesman. The first was for Rory McIlroy at The British Open in 2019 after he had an 8 on the first hole and the other was Dustin Johnson at the 3M Open last July for finishing +7 in the first round.



Known to golf fans around the world as “Captain America” for his strong Ryder Cup performances, the 30-year-old Reed (who won for the ninth time on the PGA Tour Sunday) was criticized when taking relief from a ball that was ruled to be embedded on the par-4 10th hole in Saturday’s third round.

After seeing the embedded ball, Reed picked it up before a rules official arrived on the scene. Reed saved par after the drop, but video later showed the ball bounced rather than embedding on the fly. The PGA Tour later ruled that Reed did nothing wrong.

McIlroy also had a similar situation in the wet rough at Torrey Pines (South Course) in San Diego over the weekend. He took relief without consulting an official. McIlroy later said he thought his ball bounced up and landed in its own pitch mark.

Former PGA Tour professional and outspoken Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee also mentioned PointsBet and the golf betting controversy in a tweet late Sunday night: “I can’t remember a more lackluster Sunday at a PGA tour event. It was as if a pall had been cast over the day by what had happened the day before. This is the definition of a hollow victory and the fact that PointsBetUSA refunded bets made speaks to the inequity felt by many.”

’Personal Good Karma’

Shortly after launching in New Jersey in January 2019, PointsBet created the "Karma Kommittee" to refund clients on the wrong side of a blown pass interference call in the Rams-Saints NFC Championship Game. Since then, PointsBet has continued to offer Good Karma Refunds in unlikely circumstances that change a game and a spokesman said it has probably offered the refunds around 50 times.

In December, PointsBet launched a new initiative called the “PointsBet Personal Good Karma Refund,” giving customers the power to decide which bad beat they want refunded at the end of each month.

New PointsBet customers can decide which bad beat hurt them the most. Eligibility will be for new clients who have placed 10 or more cash bets in a given month. PointsBet called the initiative the first of its kind in the U.S. sports betting market.

PointsBet Partners With Tour, NBC on Betting Show

The PGA Tour, PointsBet and NBC Sports last week announced the first golf betting show during a tour event — a live production called NBC Sports Edge BetCast. The show will be available on Peacock Premium.

PointsBet is the official sports betting partner of NBC Sports, and an official betting operator of the PGA Tour. All betting odds and information will be provided by PointsBet.

The first NBC Sports Edge BetCast will be this week during the Waste Management Phoenix Open on Peacock Premium alongside telecasts on the Golf Channel and NBC.

About the Author

Lou Monaco for Bookies.com
Lou Monaco
Lou Monaco had been East Coast Scene columnist for Gaming Today in Las Vegas since June 2019, covering the East Coast sportsbook scene with emphasis on NJ and PA.