A new rule in French Basketball Federation (FFBB) has led to significant losses for bookmakers.
French Cup, lower division teams now get an advantage in games against higher division clubs. The rule gives lower league teams a head start before the game even begins.
For example, a second-tier team starts the game leading 7-0 against a first-tier team. If a third-tier team plays a first-tier team, the score starts at 14-0. The gap between leagues is set at seven points.
Betting enthusiasts quickly caught on, placing large bets on how many points a lower division team would score in the first quarter, where this advantage plays a big role.
According to L’Equipe, bookmakers have lost millions of euros due to this new rule.