Fanatics Sportsbook is giving customers more protection against one of the most frustrating ways to lose a player prop bet: injuries. The operator has expanded its Fair Play program to cover qualifying injuries throughout NFL and NBA games, eliminating the previous first-half cutoff. The change is available on eligible wagers at no additional cost.
Under the expanded policy, bettors can get their stake back when a player leaves a game with a qualifying injury and doesn’t return, even if it happens in the second half. Previously, Fanatics’ standard Fair Play program only covered injuries during the first half.
Fanatics President of Sportsbook Ted Moss said the change reflects the company’s efforts to improve the betting experience. The goal is to prevent users from losing eligible wagers simply because a player gets hurt before completing a game.
This addresses a frustrating outcome for bettors. First-half injuries result in the original stake being returned, while second-half injuries are compensated in FanCash after the game. For example, someone betting on Kenneth Walker to go over 80.5 rushing yards could get their stake back in FanCash if he suffers an injury in the fourth quarter before reaching that total.
The protection also extends to qualifying parlays. If an injured player is part of a parlay, Fanatics voids that selection and recalculates the odds for the remaining legs. The rest of the wager stays active.
Fanatics previously offered additional injury coverage through promotional tokens. The latest change makes full-game protection a standard feature for eligible NFL and NBA player props without requiring users to activate a separate promotion.
The expansion highlights how competition among sportsbooks is starting to benefit bettors beyond the usual welcome bonuses and odds boosts. Operators are increasingly introducing features designed to address frustrating outcomes.
Injury protection is the perfect example of this. It gives customers some protection against an outcome they couldn’t account for when handicapping their wager.
Other operators, like FanDuel, have also introduced injury coverage through Bet Protect+, although its standard offering requires an additional fee. Fanatics is trying to stand out by providing automatic full-game protection without charging users extra fees.
These improvements show how sportsbooks are competing on more than just odds and bonuses. It’s enhancing the user experience.
Fanatics introduced Fair Play in 2024 and has expanded its protections over the past two seasons. The program has saved customers approximately $47 million during that period, including $20 million in NFL wagers last season.
The operator also launched FAIR PLAY MAX ahead of the 2026 NFL season, expanding its efforts to protect bettors from unfortunate outcomes involving injuries and negative-yardage plays. The latter of which is known as Forward Progress Protection.
This prevents certain winning player prop overs from turning into losses because of subsequent negative yardage. For example, if you took Patrick Mahomes over 10.5 rushing yards and he had 11 but then kneeled to end the game, resulting in -2 yards, it would typically turn a winning wager into a losing one. This promo addresses that.
With enhanced injury protection and FAIR PLAY MAX, Fanatics is positioning itself as an innovator in the sports betting industry.
