diff --git a/dd-trace-ot/src/main/java/datadog/trace/common/sampling/RateByServiceSampler.java b/dd-trace-ot/src/main/java/datadog/trace/common/sampling/RateByServiceSampler.java
index fa1e0462ab..5dd74b4ff9 100644
--- a/dd-trace-ot/src/main/java/datadog/trace/common/sampling/RateByServiceSampler.java
+++ b/dd-trace-ot/src/main/java/datadog/trace/common/sampling/RateByServiceSampler.java
@@ -90,9 +90,10 @@ public class RateByServiceSampler implements Sampler, ResponseListener {
           log.debug("Unable to parse new service rate {} -> {}", key, value);
         }
       }
-      if (!updatedServiceRates.isEmpty()) {
-        serviceRates = unmodifiableMap(updatedServiceRates);
+      if (!updatedServiceRates.containsKey(DEFAULT_KEY)) {
+        updatedServiceRates.put(DEFAULT_KEY, new RateSampler(DEFAULT_RATE));
       }
+      serviceRates = unmodifiableMap(updatedServiceRates);
     }
   }
 
@@ -107,16 +108,12 @@ public class RateByServiceSampler implements Sampler, ResponseListener {
     /** The sample rate used */
     private final double sampleRate;
 
-    public RateSampler(final String sampleRate) {
-      this(sampleRate == null ? 1 : Double.valueOf(sampleRate));
-    }
-
     /**
      * Build an instance of the sampler. The Sample rate is fixed for each instance.
      *
      * @param sampleRate a number [0,1] representing the rate ratio.
      */
-    public RateSampler(double sampleRate) {
+    private RateSampler(double sampleRate) {
 
       if (sampleRate < 0) {
         sampleRate = 1;
diff --git a/dd-trace-ot/src/test/groovy/datadog/trace/api/sampling/RateByServiceSamplerTest.groovy b/dd-trace-ot/src/test/groovy/datadog/trace/api/sampling/RateByServiceSamplerTest.groovy
index 904c6e646c..0bf11278b6 100644
--- a/dd-trace-ot/src/test/groovy/datadog/trace/api/sampling/RateByServiceSamplerTest.groovy
+++ b/dd-trace-ot/src/test/groovy/datadog/trace/api/sampling/RateByServiceSamplerTest.groovy
@@ -35,22 +35,20 @@ class RateByServiceSamplerTest extends Specification {
     ObjectMapper serializer = new ObjectMapper()
 
     when:
-    String response = '{"rate_by_service": {"service:,env:":1.0, "service:spock,env:test":0.000001}}'
+    String response = '{"rate_by_service": {"service:spock,env:test":0.0}}'
     serviceSampler.onResponse("traces", serializer.readTree(response))
     DDSpan span1 = SpanFactory.newSpanOf("foo", "bar")
     serviceSampler.initializeSamplingPriority(span1)
     then:
     span1.getSamplingPriority() == PrioritySampling.SAMPLER_KEEP
     serviceSampler.sample(span1)
-    // !serviceSampler.sample(SpanFactory.newSpanOf("spock", "test"))
 
     when:
-    response = '{"rate_by_service": {"service:,env:":0.000001, "service:spock,env:test":1.0}}'
+    response = '{"rate_by_service": {"service:spock,env:test":1.0}}'
     serviceSampler.onResponse("traces", serializer.readTree(response))
     DDSpan span2 = SpanFactory.newSpanOf("spock", "test")
     serviceSampler.initializeSamplingPriority(span2)
     then:
-    // !serviceSampler.sample(SpanFactory.newSpanOf("foo", "bar"))
     span2.getSamplingPriority() == PrioritySampling.SAMPLER_KEEP
     serviceSampler.sample(span2)
   }