Adam Roarty Editor
Adam Roarty is a journalist covering sports betting, regulation, and industry innovation for CasinoBeats. His coverage includes tax increases in the UK, covering breaking stories in the ever-evolving landscape of US betting such as the...
Read Full BioThe Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) appeal board announced a new winner of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), leaving prediction market platforms and sportsbooks scrambling for how to respond. While some sportsbooks have now paid out on Morocco as the winners, Kalshi and Polymarket are refusing to revise their markets.
CAF announced this week that Senegal had forfeited the AFCON final after its players walked off the field in protest during the match. The players were complaining about the awarding of a last-minute penalty to Morocco.
The players returned to the field, and Morocco missed the penalty. Senegal went on to lift the trophy, winning 1-0 in extra time, but Morocco has now been awarded a 3-0 victory.
Following the awarding of the trophy to Morocco, one of Flutter’s major brands in the UK and Ireland, Paddy Power, quickly announced it would pay out bets on the country as winners.
The company said users who had backed Senegal would keep their winnings, which were paid out after the match on January 18.
Similarly, SkyBet, another of Flutter’s UK brands, said it was paying out on both teams. In the US, Fanatics said it would pay out bets on Morocco in FanCash rather than real money. FanCash is the platform’s free bet, meaning users can win back their money by placing a new bet.
BetMGM, however, said it would honor the on-field result and not refund customers who lost bets on Morocco. A spokesperson told Front Office Sports, “Per house rules, all bets are settled based on the results on the pitch/field.”
Kalshi also said it would not update its result. The company cited market rules, stating, “The market resolution stands as is—there is a specific rule that accounts for this in the contract that states if the result of the achievement is reversed or changed after the contract expires, it does not affect the resolution.”
An affiliated account on X, KalshiFC, however, posted that Morocco was now the tournament winner. Nearly $2 million was traded on the match. In previous cases, user backlash led the platform to revise its market settlement.
Polymarket appears to be going down the same route as Kalshi, with no change to its market resolution. The site shows there was no dispute on the result, and it has settled wagers on Morocco to win the tournament as “no.”
As there was no dispute before the market settled in January, users cannot raise a dispute at this time. That left many frustrated in the comments section. One user wrote, “I want my refund. Morocco is the champion. Can anyone dispute please?”
Over $3 million was traded on the game at Polymarket. The company has not officially commented on the matter. Polymarket has also left users frustrated in the way it has settled markets in the past, including the capture of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela.
What Happened?
The trophy has now been awarded to Morocco, despite the team losing the AFCON final in extra time, 1-0.
The match descended into chaos in the last minute after the referee awarded a controversial penalty to Morocco. The Senegal players stormed off the pitch, only re-emerging 15 minutes later.
Morocco’s Brahim Diaz then stepped up and attempted a Panenka, which went straight into the Senegal goalkeeper’s hands.
The game ended 0-0 after 90 minutes (with added time from the Senegal walk-off). Senegal then scored in extra time to win the match 1-0 and lift the trophy.
Morocco lodged a complaint after the match, alleging that Senegal had broken competition rules by walking off the pitch. CAF finally ruled on that appeal this week, upholding the appeal and determining that Senegal’s players had forfeited the match. As is customary in these situations, Morocco was then awarded a 3-0 victory.
Both teams are still heading to the World Cup this summer. New African champions Morocco are at +8000 to be crowned world champions, while Senegal are at +14000.
