What Happens to My Bet If A Match is Abandoned, Cancelled or Postponed? (2024)

Imagine you place a bet on the winner of a high-octane India vs. Pakistan match, but rain decides to play spoilsport, and the match is suspended. In this case, what will possibly happen to your wager? Will you get a refund for the stake? And what happens if the game resumes? Let us take you through everything you want to know about void bets and what happens if a cricket match is abandoned or postponed indefinitely.

What Are Void Bets?

A void bet (or a cancelled bet) in online cricket betting refers to a wager that is cancelled due to some unforeseen external circumstances, typically on the bookmaker's part. Let’s understand point by point.

Let us understand the concept of voided bets with the following examples:

Case 1: Suppose you have bet on India to win vs. Australia but the game gets called off because of inclement weather. In this case, the betting site is bound to refund your stake, as the market you bet on did not get the chance to pan out completely because of the game being washed off.

Case 2: During a match between CSK and KKR with the latter chasing, you bet on the Knight Riders to score 50+ runs during the 15-20-over phase. However, it begins to rain heavily, and the game gets curtailed, with KKR chasing a revised target that they must achieve within a maximum of 12 overs. This is another example of a void bet, as your original wager has been rendered invalid with the match now cut short.

Why Do Bets Become Void?

Bets can be declared void or cancelled for various reasons, which we have listed below.

1. Postponement of Match

This is the most common reason behind void bets. Matches can be suspended or postponed due to rain or poor light. However, do note that most betting sites may resume their betting markets upon the game re-commencing, though this is totally dependent on the bookmaker’s policy.

For example, Melbet has a 72-hour deadline (from the scheduled match time), after which bets are cancelled. Similarly, Parimatch has a deadline of 36 hours.

2. Palpable Error

This usually refers to a miscalculation of the odds by a betting site. For example, take an Australia vs. Ireland ODI, where the Aussies are priced at 1.05 and Ireland at 12.00 (since obviously Australia is a champion team and is expected to beat Ireland seven days of the week). But Parimatch mistakenly calculates the match-winner line differently, pricing Australia at 12.00 and Ireland at 1.05.

In this case, even if you have placed a pre-match bet on Australia, the bookmaker reserves the right to void the bet and refund the stake.

3. Abandoned Match

This is slightly different from a postponement. Unlike a postponed (or suspended) game that may resume at a later date or time, an abandoned match is one that has been scrapped for good. With abandoned matches, the markets that do not get settled are deemed void and cancelled.

4. Specific Market is Voided

This is the most common reason behind void bets after abandoned matches and postponement. For example, you bet with 1xBet on Shubman Gill to score a half-century. However, Gill has to sit out due to an injury sustained at the last minute. In this case, your bet will be voided and the stake refunded.

5. Rule Breach

For example, as per Melbet's policy, a bet may be cancelled if the customer has deliberately deceived the staff by furnishing false information when signing up. This is a clear breach of the terms and conditions specific to the bookmaker in question, and therefore nine times out of ten, the bet will be cancelled.

6. Evidence of Match Fixing

If any proof of match fixing or spot fixing is established and proven, the bookmaker will likely void the bet to maintain the integrity of the relevant betting market. But this is just a theoretical possibility, as in real life, it can take months or even years to prove any allegations of illegal manipulation of match outcomes.

7. Other Technical Issues

A technical glitch on the part of the betting site may lead to void bets. This might happen, especially with new entrants whose user interface or betting app is not updated, or a massive surge in traffic has forced their systems to crash, leading to certain markets being cancelled.

What Happens If My Bet is Voided?

If a wager is deemed void when you're betting on cricket online, the stake will almost always be refunded, as if the bet never took place. In this case, you neither win nor lose any money. Let’s understand in more detail.

Scenario 1: Single Bet Becomes Void

This is a traditional wager, where you bet on only a single event; for example, you bet on India to win a match. The winnings on a single bet are calculated by multiplying the stake with the odds on that particular market.

When a single bet becomes void, you get the entire refund for your stake. Simple.

Scenario 2: Accumulator Bet Becomes Void

An accumulator bet combines several betting markets (commonly referred to as ‘legs') into one single wager with increased odds. For an accumulator to win, all the individual legs of the acca must win too. A perfect example of an accumulator would be: Travis Head to score 25+ runs; Abhishek Sharma to hit at least 1 six; Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Varun Chakravarthy to take at least 1 wicket each.

Let’s understand what happens when an accumulator bet is voided or cancelled with the following examples:

Single selection is voided

Say Travis Head is injured and not playing the above match. This means only one selection within the accumulator is voided. In this scenario, the remaining legs of the acca will still stand, and the bookmaker will accordingly adjust (reduce) the odds.

All selections are voided

Say the above match is abandoned without a ball being bowled. In that case, the entire accumulator will naturally be voided and the stake refunded. Straightforward.

Partial void

This might happen when, for example, only Travis Head and Varun Chakravarthy have been made to sit out, leading to the above accumulator now containing a combination of void and active bets. Here, much like a single bet, the invalid legs of the acca — Travis Head to score 25+ runs and Chakravarthy to take at least 1 wicket — will be cancelled and the odds updated accordingly.

Also Read: How Are Betting Odds Calculated?

How Do Void Bets Affect Free Bets?

If you use any free bets to place a wager, which is then voided or cancelled, you will likely not get any refund. That is because, more often than not, it's expressly mentioned as part of the bookmaker's T&Cs that any free bets that go on to be void will be deemed lost, and the stake won't be refunded.

However, it's best to contact customer support for total clarity on whether you'll get a refund, as the top online betting apps on the market have varying policies regarding voided free bets.

How Do Void/Cancelled Bets Affect Accumulator Insurance?

If you've placed an accumulator in conjunction with an acca promotion (such as an acca insurance or acca boost), the cancellation of one or more legs in the accumulator will almost always work against you.

For example, say your acca insurance promotion requires a minimum of four selections. In this case, if any one selection gets cancelled, the acca insurance will definitely be deemed void too. Likewise, a 50% accumulator boost on a minimum five-fold acca will lead to you getting a much lower boost if any one of the selections is cancelled.

Cancelled/Voided Bets Policies on Leading Betting Sites

1. 10CRIC Void Bets Policy

2. Parimatch Cancelled Bets Policy

3. Melbet Void Bets Policy

4. 1xBet Abandoned Match Policy

Tips to Avoid Problems with Cancelled/Void Bets

CricketBettingAdvice Final Say

When a bet is cancelled because of a match being abandoned, most bookmakers will return your stake in full. But when it comes to postponements, operators have slightly different calculations of the specific time after which the event in question is considered cancelled. Similarly, special promotions such as free bets may not be refunded if voided, depending on the individual bookmaker's terms and conditions.

That said, we always suggest you go through an operator's void and cancelled bets policy thoroughly before playing with them. This way, you can possibly avoid any surprises later on.