Pointsbet has rewarded New Jersey bettors that took the University of Central Florida in a straight moneyline bet against Duke in the early rounds of the NCAA Basketball Tournament despite UCF losing the game at the buzzer.
The Australian sports betting company that operates in the New Jersey market called the payout—which will be done with bonus bets—a “Good Karma” reward.
The company said it will also honor moneyline bets made at other bookmakers in the state. Bettors have to sign up at the site with their code “KARMA” and post their bet slip on social media to receive up to $100 in bonus bets. Obviously, the move is promotional and designed to get bettors to sign up for Pointsbet, but it is still unique in the market.
Duke was a 14.5 favorite in the game which ended with UCF missing two shots at the buzzer and Duke just avoiding a major upset.
PointsBet first created the Good Karma Payout to help bettors hurt in games swayed by officiating, such as the missed pass interference call that affected the outcome of the NFL’s NFC Championship Game.
In another matter, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has been announced as the keynote speaker at the Betting on Sports America conference scheduled for April 23-25 at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in New Jersey.
Murphy will share his vision for the future of sports betting in the state, organizers said.
While the state’s challenge to a federal ban on sports betting that eventually led to it being overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court was largely waged under former Governor Chris Christie, Murphy supported the effort and ultimately it was his name on the challenge heard before the high court. He also signed the state’s sports betting law.
“It is my pleasure to address delegates from the international sports betting industry who will join us here in New Jersey for the inaugural Betting on Sports America conference,” Governor Murphy said in a statement. “We are immensely proud of the integral part that New Jersey played in taking down PASPA and in doing so laying the solid foundations for legal sports wagering to be enjoyed by Americans across the nation. New Jersey has been a sports betting success story and we hope that other states seeking to go legal will replicate that positive experience.”
