Sportsbook Refunds Bets on Saints NFC Championship Loss

Saints bettors find online sportsbook more fair than NFL referees.

Saints Bettors find Online Sportsbook More Fair than NFL RefereesOn Sunday, January 20, 2019, American football history was written, just as it is every year around this time. That was the day the NFC and AFC Championship games played out. The winners of each would go on to compete in Super Bowl LIII on February 3.

By the time the clock the struck midnight, all had been decided. The New England Patriots defeated the Kansas City Chiefs to claim the AFC Championship title, while the Los Angeles Rams overcame the New Orleans Saints to win the NFC Championship. The Patriots earned their third consecutive appearance in the Super Bowl, and the Rams will join them, making their first appearance since 2002, when they lost to—guess who?—the New England Patriots.

But the history books won’t be so cut and dry for the 2018-19 season. There are many who question whether the Rams deserve to play in the Super Bowl this year. Not because they aren’t a great team, or because they’re 13-3 record isn’t impressive enough. But because of one highly controversial and indisputably erroneous missed call by the referees late in the game—a missed pass interference call that led to the Rams tying the game, then going on to win in overtime.

The call itself has been an issue or significant debate since then. One slow-motion replay after another argues the point on both sides of the ball, as it were. Some say the line judge was right there, yet made no move to grab or toss a yellow flag. Others show the same play from a completely different angle, which reveals two penalties being committed by offensive lineman, one holding a defender and the other guilty of hands to the face, plus arguable evidence that the ball was tipped just after leaving the hand of QB Drew Brees.

If that’s the case, and the ball was tipped, by rule, there can be no pass interference call. However, the line judge who witnessed the blatantly early collision between Robey-Coleman and the intended receiver, Tommylee Lewis, would have seen of of these early interactions, calling to question why he did not throw the flag, regardless of whether it would have been picked up after the fact or not.

The debate continues even now, more than a week after the events of that fateful day, and just three days prior to the kick-off of Super Bowl LIII. But as we can all admit, arguing will get us no where. It won’t change the result of the game, or the Saints’ eligibility to compete against the Patriots come Sunday. But one group has decided there’s something they can do that will surely change the way fans view them. The New Jersey-based online sportsbook PointsBet is refunding all punters lost their wagers that day due to the alleged blown call.

PointsBet announced earlier this week that it’s issuing what they deem a “good karma” payout.

“One blown call may change a game’s outcome. That doesn’t mean it should change your outcome,” wrote PointsBet on its Facebook page. “Just think of it as good karma.”

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  • Trevor Hallsey

    Passionate webmaster, devoted card game enthusiast, and proud son of the Great White North. With over a decade of iGaming experience, Trevor has launched numerous web portals to share his passion for game theory and all things Canadian gaming. With this site, he acts as a fact checker and mostly writes at the intersection of gaming and finance. He aims to offer statistical insights and unique information that you might see lacking in similar sites.

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