bet365 sportsbook paid nearly $24.1 million in prizes during the first month of its customer-friendly “Sub On Play On” promotion.
Key insights
- bet365’s deal flies in the face of “greedy” practices customarily used by sportsbooks
- One bettor won nearly $2 million because of the promotion
- Fanatics has a similar promotion for players who leave games due to injuries
bet365 launched its new feature on March 11 ahead of marquee matches in Europe’s popular leagues, such as the Premier League, Champions League, and Europa League.
The deal helps soccer prop bettors stay in the game even if the player they bet on is subbed out before they can cash their bet.
A company announcement revealed that more than 250,000 bet365 users worldwide won thanks to the Sub On Play On promotion. In other words, the company dished out millions it could have kept for itself, had it just maintained the status quo.
“In total, 3.2 (million) slips have benefitted from the promotion, with Aston Villa proving the costliest team in the Premier League,” bet365 Sports and Trading Expert Steve Freeth said in the announcement.
“Sub On Play On” means that bettors who submit wagers involving player props in soccer matches don’t have to lose if their player is substituted out of the match. Instead, the player who replaced them can cash outstanding props such as shots on target, anytime goalscorer, player to receive a yellow card, tackles, and more.
bet365 cited Arsenal’s 4-0 win over Ipswich on April 20 in the Premier League.
While popular winger Bukayao Saka was forced to leave the pitch in the 57th minute due to an injury, his substitute, Ethan Nwaneri, scored in the 88th minute and delivered on all anytime goalscorer bets thanks to Sub On Play On.
Putting the players in charge
Sub On Play On is eligible for straight and parlay bets, the same as bet365’s early payout option, another customer-centered feature that pays out moneyline wagers if teams take sizable leads.
“Our most expensive payout to date was ($1.9 million), paid out on the (Aston Villa vs. Nottingham Forest) game, to be exact, when Marcus Rashford replaced Ollie Watkins on 62 minutes and then had a Shot on Target which caused the real damage, while Jota Silva coming on for Anthony Elanga and scoring added to the pain,” said Freeth.
“Against Southampton, not only did we see Watkins, (replacing Rashford) fulfill To Score First/Anytime markets as well as having a Shot on Target, we also saw fellow substitutes Donyell Malen (for Jacob Ramsey) and John McGinn (for Morgan Rogers) also scoring in a 3-0 victory,” he continued.
“And then versus Newcastle we saw Amadou Onana and Ramsey coming on for the popular pair of Marco Asensio and McGinn, only to see the Belgian international score a piledriver and the Englishman being booked!”
Between this and Fanatics adding the “Fair Play Policy” to refund or pay bettors for player injuries, sportsbooks are changing the culture of sports betting and finding a way to strengthen the bond with their customers amid the dominance of FanDuel and DraftKings.
bet365 also ran a similar promotion for horse racing bettors called the “Non-Runner No Bet,” which saw bettors refunded for ante-post if their horse did not compete.
