DraftKings Sued for $14.2M by Bettor Who Used Weather to Predict Winning Golfers
Posted on: June 1, 2025, 12:13h.
Last updated on: June 1, 2025, 05:12h.
- Iowa man Nicholas Bavas sues DraftKings for $14.2M over voided golf bets.
- Bavas placed five parlays predicting top finishers at Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
- He bet on weather delays, anticipating the tournament would be shortened.
A bettor who correctly predicted the top finishers in the 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am tournament through a series of parlay bets is suing DraftKings for $14.2 million after it refused to pay out.
Nicholas Bavas, a resident of Dallas County, Iowa, studied weather reports to determine that rain would likely shorten the tournament, held on California’s Monterey Peninsula.
On February 3, 2024, as the third round ended and bad weather threatened to cancel the final round, Bavas placed five parlays on DraftKings for a combined stake of $325. His picks reflected the player standings in the event at the time and included tournament leader Wyndham Clark as the eventual winner.
Rain Stops Play
On Feb. 4, PGA Tour referees continually delayed the scheduled start of the final round, ultimately calling off play at 9:15 p.m. and announcing that the existing standings would be considered the tournament’s final results.
Since there was no play on the final day, Bavas nailed all five parlays, predicting all of the top 20 finishers in the correct order for an expected $14.2 million payday.
But instead of showering Bavas with riches, DraftKings “unilaterally voided” all five bets and refunded his stakes. The sportsbook cited a rule in its terms and conditions that all “futures bets” placed after the last shot of what is later determined to be the final round are voided.
However, Bavas’ lawsuit alleges the rule doesn’t apply to his bets since they involved multiple players, not just a single “tournament winner.” Even if one part of a bet were voidable, the rest should have paid out at adjusted odds, the plaintiff argues. The lawsuit accuses DraftKings of applying its own rules inconsistently and retroactively to avoid a large payout.
Fair-Weather Friend
Moreover, Bavas argues that if he had lost the bet, DraftKings would not have allowed him to void it or request a refund, even if the weather affected the tournament — but because he won, DraftKings voided the bets to avoid paying out the $14.2 million.
When DraftKings makes an error or accepts a bet it should not have, or when unforeseen events occur that require an unanticipated large pay out by DraftKings, then it seems different rules apply,” argues the complaint.
The lawsuit accuses DraftKings breach of contract and violations of consumer-protection laws.
Bavas was not the only meteorologically savvy bettor to take a chance on a rain-shortened tournament, only to fall foul of DraftKings terms and conditions. Many took to social media to express their frustration, according to Golf.com.
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