DraftKings did not get to be number 2 in the land by making poor choices. So when the sportsbook does make a poor choice, a lot of people hear about it.
The choice was to create a three-team parlay in honor of September 11. It grabbed a lot of people the wrong way. Sure, on Memorial Day weekend, retailers hold major sales and that holiday honors those who lost their lives in military action.
Yet somehow that is not offensive as the parlay. Not enough distance since the event happened? Perhaps.
The Boston-based company offered users a 9/11-themed promotion that required three New York-based teams — the Yankees, Mets and Jets — to win their games Monday, the 22nd anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon and the downing of a passenger jet in a field in Pennsylvania.
“We sincerely apologize for the featured parlay that was shared briefly in commemoration of 9/11,” the company wrote. “We respect the significance of this day for our country and especially for the families of those who were directly affected.”
Brett Eagleson, who lost his father, Bruce, in the attack in New York, referred to the offer as tone-deaf, he told the Associated Press.
“It is shameful to use the national tragedy of 9/11 to promote a business,” he said. “We need accountability, justice and closure, not self-interest and shameless promotion.”
The company did not divulge how many bets were placed or whether the money would be refunded.
