What Does A Void Bet Mean?

Reasons Why Bets Might Be Voided

Void bets are quite common and here are a few of the reasons why one of your bets may be voided.

Mechanical Error

Mechanical errors are quite common in many sports. Some of the most popular reasons why bets have been voided are floodlights going off during a football match that is taking part in the hours of darkness.

Horse races have been voided because all the jockeys have taken the wrong course. There have also been instances of the stalls opening incorrectly meaning that the race has been run to a conclusion but has been voided afterwards.

The hares in greyhound racing also have a habit of occasionally breaking down, which normally results in the race being voided.

These instances of mechanical breakdown can be annoying if your team, horse, or greyhound was winning at the time but, equally, these void bets can work in your favour if your selection was losing.

Non-Runner

If your selection is a non-runner, your bet will also be void when you have placed your bet in any market other than an ante-post market, when your bet will be a loser. Non-runners are commonly found in horse racing, with trainers offering a variety of reasons why they take a horse out, including injury, illness, ground conditions, etc.

You can also get void bets in some football markets. For example, if you’ve backed a player in a goal-scorer market and he does not play, most bookmakers will void your bet. But check the terms & conditions of your bookmaker to confirm this.

In sports such as golf and tennis, if your player withdraws before a tournament begins, your bet may also be void.

Postponement

If you’ve had an ante-post bet on a sporting event that is postponed and played on a different date to that intended, your bets may also be void. But again, you’ll need to check the terms and conditions of your bookmaker.

Human Error

You may also find that a bet is voided by a bookmaker because it was taken in error. While you may think that this is the bookmaker’s fault, there are rules in place to protect bookmakers from such errors.

For example, if a bet is taken after the start of an event and something has occurred that will quite clearly change the likely outcome, the bookmaker is entitled to void the bet. Let’s say that a football match has kicked-off and one team has scored. A punter hastily hands a pre-match betting slip over with a bet on the team that is leading, and the cashier takes it because they’re insanely busy.

When the bookmaker sees the time stamp, he’ll be within his rights to void this bet and just give the punter his stake back.

How Do I Know When A Bet Is Void?

If you’ve ever got any doubts as to whether a bet should be void or not, the best way to check is to read the terms and conditions of the bookmaker you placed the bet with. It’s important you do this as bookmakers can have different t&cs.

For example, terms & conditions may vary greatly if you’ve had a bet on a tennis player who is injured during a match and can’t continue.

Some bookies may choose to settle the bet as a loser, regardless of when the injury occurs. But other bookmakers may have a term and condition that states that a minimum of one set must be played before a winner will be paid out. In this instance, you’d get your stake back. Again, these rules can work for or against you.

How Do Void Bets Affect Multiples?

Void bets can affect multiples in different ways. If a bet is void because a selection is a non-runner, then multiples simply have one less selection in them. i.e. a double becomes a single, a treble becomes a double, and a four-fold becomes a treble, etc.

If you’ve placed a lucky 15 on four horses, and one is a non-runner, your bet will change accordingly. You would have had four singles, six doubles, four trebles, and one four-timer. But, if you have three winners and one non-runner, your four-fold will be settled as a treble. You’ll also get a treble with the three winners, while the three trebles with the non-runner in will be settled as doubles. The doubles with two winners will be settled as doubles, while the three doubles with the non-runner in them will become singles. You’ll also have three single winners and get your stake back from the non-runner.

How Do I Pick Bets That Won’t Be Void?

If you don’t break any of your bookmaker’s rules, he won’t need to void any bets for that reason. But void bets because of selections being non-runners or the occasional mechanical breakdown can’t be avoided.

But don’t let the prospect of void bets put you off having a bet, as you’ll normally get your stake back without any problem.

Even our professional tipsters here at Betting Gods must endure the frustration of void bets, especially when they fancied a selection strongly to win. You just need to take void bets on the chin and move on to the next potential winner.

If you’re having difficulty picking winners, the Betting Gods tipsters will be pleased to help you. Send us your email address and we’ll send you sample free tips from our tipsters every day. You’re welcome to bet on our free tips for as long as you like, but they’re also a great way to find your perfect tipster.

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We hope that’s answered your question, what does a void bet mean.