FanDuel Launches Bet Protect+ Offering Full-Game Injury Coverage on Player Props for a 3% Fee
FanDuel has added a paid twist to one of sports betting’s most contested product debates, as FanDuel continues to add features and options.
The operator has launched Bet Protect+, an optional feature that allows bettors to purchase full-game injury protection on player prop wagers for a 3% premium on their stake.
A $100 wager costs $3 to protect. A $10 wager costs $0.30.
The feature is currently live for NBA player props, covering both pre-game and live betting markets, with plans to expand to other sports. It is available in most states where FanDuel operates, though Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee have not yet approved the enhanced version.
FanDuel continues to innovate with its options and features as it looks to compete in the ever-competitive US sportsbook market.
How It Works
When a bettor opts into Bet Protect+, they toggle it on within the app at the point of bet placement. The cost is displayed clearly on the bet slip before confirmation. If the protected player then leaves the game at any point due to injury, two outcomes are possible depending on bet type.
For a straight bet, the full stake is refunded in cash, not bonus bets. That distinction matters. Previous injury protection programs at FanDuel and competing operators have typically refunded in bonus bets, which carry wagering restrictions before they can be withdrawn. Cash is the more valuable outcome for the bettor.
For a parlay, the injured leg is removed from the ticket and the payout is recalculated based on the remaining legs. If the injured leg was the only losing part of the parlay, the bettor is paid out on the remaining legs at the new adjusted odds.
Protection applies regardless of when in the game the injury occurs. That is the core distinction from FanDuel’s existing free Bet Protect program, which covers only first-quarter injuries. FanDuel’s internal data found that half of all NBA injuries this season occurred in the second half, with the third quarter producing the highest concentration. A first-quarter-only policy leaves the majority of injury scenarios uncovered.
Why FanDuel Is Charging for It
The move from free to paid protection is the most significant aspect of the launch, and FanDuel has been direct about the reasoning. The company argues that funding free injury protection requires either reducing generosity elsewhere, such as offering fewer boosts, worse odds, or smaller promotions, or absorbing the cost entirely, which is not sustainable at scale.
By making Bet Protect+ a paid opt-in, FanDuel says it can offer genuine full-game protection without offsetting the cost elsewhere in the product. The company explicitly states it is not expecting to profit from the feature itself.
The goal is to maintain the platform’s overall value for all users, including those who do not opt in to the protection, while giving those who want it the ability to pay for it directly.
FanDuel said Bet Protect+ was developed after evaluating customer feedback around the frustration of losing prop bets to injuries that occur outside the protected window. The solution puts the choice in the bettor’s hands on a bet-by-bet basis rather than applying blanket policies at the operator’s discretion.
The Competitive Context
Injury protection has become a pressure point across the industry over the past year. DraftKings runs an Early Exit program that offers cash credits when a bet is significantly affected by a player leaving early. Fanatics Sportsbook operates its Fair Play injury protection program, which paid out more than $17 million during the NFL regular season and continued through the playoffs.
FanDuel itself had previously offered free first-quarter protection under its original Bet Protect program but pulled it during the NFL playoffs, drawing criticism while DraftKings and Fanatics kept theirs active. ESPNBet also offered a similar option for NFL injuries.
Bet Protect+ represents a different model than any of those. It is the first full-game injury coverage product in the US market that is explicitly user-purchased rather than operator-funded. Whether bettors embrace paying for protection that competitors offer for free, or at least embed into their odds, will be the commercial test for the feature.
FanDuel frames the 3% premium as a transparent and fair exchange. The market will decide whether players see it the same way.
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