Iowan sues DraftKings for millions over bets on rain-shortened golf tourney
May 29th, 2025 by Ric Hanson
(Radio Iowa) – An Iowan claims a sports betting company owes him over $14 million.
Nicholas Bavas, who lives in Dallas County, is suing DraftKings for bets he made on the results of a golf tournament in February of last year. DraftKings accepted his bets before officials announced the final round of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am wouldn’t be played due to rain. Ben Lynch is the attorney handling the case.”If you lost, they took your money,” Lynch said. “If you won, they gave you a refund. That’s the facts as I’m aware.”
The 37-year-old Iowan knew there was a chance the last round would be cancelled due to weather, he looked at the list of third round leaders and placed $325 worth of bets late Saturday night and early Sunday. After several delays, the tournament’s final round was cancelled Sunday night. “That’s what gambling is — you’re trying to win,” Lynch said. “…It’s a game, you know. He’s playing the game. He won the game, so they should pay him.”
The lawsuit alleges DraftKings rules for refunds did not appear to apply to the type of bets Bavas made, which were bets on how multiple players would finish rather than on a single player winning the tournament. DraftKings has not responded to the lawsuit, which has been transferred from state to federal court. Last year others who made similar bets took to social media to complain about how DraftKings handled wagers before the tournament was cancelled.