diff --git a/plugin/sampling/strategystore/static/fixtures/missing-service-types.json b/plugin/sampling/strategystore/static/fixtures/missing-service-types.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..0d3d5f2a3c0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugin/sampling/strategystore/static/fixtures/missing-service-types.json
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+{
+  "default_strategy": {
+    "type": "probabilistic",
+    "param": 0.5
+  },
+  "service_strategies": [
+    {
+      "service": "foo",
+      "operation_strategies": [
+        {
+          "operation": "op1",
+          "type": "probabilistic",
+          "param": 0.2
+        }
+      ]
+    },
+    {
+      "service": "bar",
+      "operation_strategies": [
+        {
+          "operation": "op3",
+          "type": "probabilistic",
+          "param": 0.3
+        },
+        {
+          "operation": "op5",
+          "type": "probabilistic",
+          "param": 0.4
+        }
+      ]
+    }
+  ]
+}
diff --git a/plugin/sampling/strategystore/static/fixtures/operation_strategies.json b/plugin/sampling/strategystore/static/fixtures/operation_strategies.json
index f0c7525f357..d0c00fb3247 100644
--- a/plugin/sampling/strategystore/static/fixtures/operation_strategies.json
+++ b/plugin/sampling/strategystore/static/fixtures/operation_strategies.json
@@ -35,6 +35,11 @@
           "operation": "op4",
           "type": "ratelimiting",
           "param": 100
+        },
+        {
+          "operation": "op5",
+          "type": "probabilistic",
+          "param": 0.4
         }
       ]
     }
diff --git a/plugin/sampling/strategystore/static/strategy_store.go b/plugin/sampling/strategystore/static/strategy_store.go
index cede2d1d85c..fce2c080d10 100644
--- a/plugin/sampling/strategystore/static/strategy_store.go
+++ b/plugin/sampling/strategystore/static/strategy_store.go
@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@
 package static
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
+	"encoding/gob"
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
 	"io/ioutil"
@@ -136,6 +138,16 @@ func (h *strategyStore) parseStrategy(strategy *strategy) *sampling.SamplingStra
 		}
 	default:
 		h.logger.Warn("Failed to parse sampling strategy", zap.Any("strategy", strategy))
-		return &defaultStrategy
+		return deepCopy(&defaultStrategy)
 	}
 }
+
+func deepCopy(s *sampling.SamplingStrategyResponse) *sampling.SamplingStrategyResponse {
+	var buf bytes.Buffer
+	enc := gob.NewEncoder(&buf)
+	dec := gob.NewDecoder(&buf)
+	enc.Encode(*s)
+	var copy sampling.SamplingStrategyResponse
+	dec.Decode(&copy)
+	return &copy
+}
diff --git a/plugin/sampling/strategystore/static/strategy_store_test.go b/plugin/sampling/strategystore/static/strategy_store_test.go
index 16e05575b44..fd587e1aba5 100644
--- a/plugin/sampling/strategystore/static/strategy_store_test.go
+++ b/plugin/sampling/strategystore/static/strategy_store_test.go
@@ -91,9 +91,52 @@ func TestPerOperationSamplingStrategies(t *testing.T) {
 	require.NotNil(t, s.OperationSampling)
 	os = s.OperationSampling
 	assert.EqualValues(t, os.DefaultSamplingProbability, 0.001)
+	require.Len(t, os.PerOperationStrategies, 2)
+	assert.Equal(t, "op3", os.PerOperationStrategies[0].Operation)
+	assert.EqualValues(t, 0.3, os.PerOperationStrategies[0].ProbabilisticSampling.SamplingRate)
+	assert.Equal(t, "op5", os.PerOperationStrategies[1].Operation)
+	assert.EqualValues(t, 0.4, os.PerOperationStrategies[1].ProbabilisticSampling.SamplingRate)
+
+	s, err = store.GetSamplingStrategy("default")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.EqualValues(t, makeResponse(sampling.SamplingStrategyType_PROBABILISTIC, 0.5), *s)
+}
+
+func TestMissingServiceSamplingStrategyTypes(t *testing.T) {
+	logger, buf := testutils.NewLogger()
+	store, err := NewStrategyStore(Options{StrategiesFile: "fixtures/missing-service-types.json"}, logger)
+	assert.Contains(t, buf.String(), "Failed to parse sampling strategy")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	expected := makeResponse(sampling.SamplingStrategyType_PROBABILISTIC, defaultSamplingProbability)
+
+	s, err := store.GetSamplingStrategy("foo")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, sampling.SamplingStrategyType_PROBABILISTIC, s.StrategyType)
+	assert.Equal(t, *expected.ProbabilisticSampling, *s.ProbabilisticSampling)
+
+	require.NotNil(t, s.OperationSampling)
+	os := s.OperationSampling
+	assert.EqualValues(t, os.DefaultSamplingProbability, defaultSamplingProbability)
 	require.Len(t, os.PerOperationStrategies, 1)
+	assert.Equal(t, "op1", os.PerOperationStrategies[0].Operation)
+	assert.EqualValues(t, 0.2, os.PerOperationStrategies[0].ProbabilisticSampling.SamplingRate)
+
+	expected = makeResponse(sampling.SamplingStrategyType_PROBABILISTIC, defaultSamplingProbability)
+
+	s, err = store.GetSamplingStrategy("bar")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, sampling.SamplingStrategyType_PROBABILISTIC, s.StrategyType)
+	assert.Equal(t, *expected.ProbabilisticSampling, *s.ProbabilisticSampling)
+
+	require.NotNil(t, s.OperationSampling)
+	os = s.OperationSampling
+	assert.EqualValues(t, os.DefaultSamplingProbability, 0.001)
+	require.Len(t, os.PerOperationStrategies, 2)
 	assert.Equal(t, "op3", os.PerOperationStrategies[0].Operation)
 	assert.EqualValues(t, 0.3, os.PerOperationStrategies[0].ProbabilisticSampling.SamplingRate)
+	assert.Equal(t, "op5", os.PerOperationStrategies[1].Operation)
+	assert.EqualValues(t, 0.4, os.PerOperationStrategies[1].ProbabilisticSampling.SamplingRate)
 
 	s, err = store.GetSamplingStrategy("default")
 	require.NoError(t, err)
@@ -150,3 +193,15 @@ func makeResponse(samplerType sampling.SamplingStrategyType, param float64) (res
 	}
 	return resp
 }
+
+func TestDeepCopy(t *testing.T) {
+	s := &sampling.SamplingStrategyResponse{
+		StrategyType: sampling.SamplingStrategyType_PROBABILISTIC,
+		ProbabilisticSampling: &sampling.ProbabilisticSamplingStrategy{
+			SamplingRate: 0.5,
+		},
+	}
+	copy := deepCopy(s)
+	assert.False(t, copy == s)
+	assert.EqualValues(t, copy, s)
+}