Void, Cancelled & Postponed Bets | What Happens Next? (2024)

Sometimes, unforeseen events can result in cancelled bets, or wagers that end up void. There are also occasions where a bet might be carried over in a postponed event. This guide will explain the basics of a topic that can sometimes lead to confusion and uncertainty surrounding bets that get voided, abandoned or postponed.

What Are Cancelled Bets?

Generally speaking, cancelled bets are another term for void bets, with the stake returned under normal circumstances – basically, you neither win nor lose. Bets placed using free credit may be lost if they are void, but this is likely due to the automated software used for returns by the company. In these circumstances, you will need to contact customer support to have the free bet reinstated.

There are many situations which may lead to a bet being void, but only a few common ones should be noted. The most obvious of these is a match being postponed, and it happens a lot, especially in outdoor sports that are affected by the weather, such as cricket, tennis and golf. Other sports, especially football and athletics, can be called off if a pitch or track is waterlogged or frozen.

Also common, though not quite as regular, is the abandonment of specific events for reasons other than adverse weather. Crowd trouble is one such element, with a number of football games in the past seeing the team with the troublemaking fans forfeit the game by an automatic 3-0 scoreline. In this scenario, you should consult the bookmaker’s terms and conditions to determine whether awarded results count as a regular win for the purposes of determining the fate of a wager.

Non-starters and no-contest results can also see a bet declared void. Here are several examples:

  • A horse withdraws before the start of a race.
  • A fighter receives an accidental eye poke and is incapacitated, resulting in a ‘no contest’.
  • A footballer backed to score is injured and not amongst the starters / substitutes.

A first-scorer bet on a team sport will also be void if a player is backed to score first, but they are an unused substitute at the time the first goal being scored. This is just one example of many, and every worthwhile bookmaker in existence will have sport-specific scenarios where a bet will be voided.

Rarer, but not unheard of, are situations where the match rules are changed in such a way that compromises the integrity of the bet. A cricket match going to reduced overs would be one example of this, as would a change of surface in any sports with a variance of such (e.g. tennis). Again, importance is placed on the sport-specific policies operated by the bookmaker.

What Happens to a Bet if a Match Is Postponed or Abandoned?

Aside from bets that do not rely on an event being completed – such as ‘first scorer’ in a football match – there are also certain sports whereby a bet can still stand, and be won/lost as normal, even in the event of abandonment. Cricket is a prime example of this, whereby limited overs matches that are rained off – or otherwise abandoned through no fault of either team – can employ the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method. Here the result is declared through a calculation, based on the run rate attained by a chasing team (the team batting second) at the time of postponement.

There are operator-specific cancelled bets summaries regarding the issue further down this page.

What Happens to Cancelled Bets on an Accumulator?

Cancelled / void bets within an accumulator (or multiple / parlay bet) are usually removed automatically, and the number of legs simply drops – i.e a five-fold accumulator becomes a four-fold one, with payouts adjusted accordingly. It becomes somewhat more complicated if you placed, say, a treble within a four-fold acca.

Here, the bet should revert to a treble, with the extra wager amount to cover the winning lines / combinations no longer available refunded. However, if one leg has already prevailed, this can cause further complications. In general, every worthwhile bookmaker will have software designed to address the more complex scenarios, but you should always be familiar with the policies operated by the bookmaker.

It should also be noted that five-leg ‘insurance’ accumulators – wherein no more than one leg can fail for a free bet refund – do not change their T&Cs for one leg being abandoned or cancelled. Success in three out of the four surviving legs is still not enough for a compensatory free bet.

Top 4 Operators: Policies for Abandonment/Cancellation/Postponement

These are the policies for some of the best cricket betting sites on the web:

Unibet

If an event is cancelled, the stake for any cancelled bets will be refunded in full by Unibet. Events that do not resume or commence within 12 hours of the originally scheduled start time will be cancelled. As standard, accumulators are settled based on the surviving legs. All bets placed on abandoned matches will stand, but only if they have already been won or lost by the time the match is abandoned.

Betway

For cancelled matches, Betway users receive 100% of their original stake for singles on void bets, while multiple bets still stand, with only the remaining selections counted. Abandoned or postponed matches are considered void, regardless of whether or not they are rescheduled, unless otherwise stated. Reasons for abandonment include bad weather conditions and crowd trouble, in addition to other scenarios.

1xBet

Accumulator bets on 1xBet will stand on all remaining selections if one leg is cancelled. A match is considered ‘abandoned’ if it is not completed within a set timescale after the abandonment, or there is no official result declared by its administration (e.g. The FA for an EFL Championship game) the end of that period. This applies to ‘Match’, ‘Draw No Bet’ and ‘Double Chance’ bets.

General Rules for Determining Void Cricket Bets

In the event of a match venue being changed, bets will stand if the home team is still designated as such. Any reversal of home/away roles will lead to a voided bet.

Should a player be expelled from the field – i.e for misconduct, or retirement on medical advice – they will be considered ‘dismissed’ as they normally would be after being caught/bowled out. Conversely, any player returning to the field after a temporary retirement will not be considered dismissed by the operator’s live market.

When it comes to abandoned matches with more than one innings, only the first innings will count. Bets stand after a batsman has faced his/her first ball, unless they are out before facing the first ball. As previously mentioned, the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method can determine a winner, but it can only be brought into play if the match was not already been given reduced overs before abandonment.

Rules for different formats

  • Test Matches and First Class Matches – All bets stand irrespective of delays.
  • One Day Matches – Unsettled bets are voided if the number of overs is reduced by five or more than that scheduled.
  • Twenty20 Matches – As above, but if the number of overs is reduced by three or more.
  • 100-Ball Matches – Unsettled bets are voided if the number of balls played is reduced by 11 or more.

Void, Cancelled & Postponed Bet FAQs

1. What is a void bet?

A void bet is one that has been cancelled, meaning your original wager will be returned to you.

2. What are some common reasons for a bet to be voided?

There are numerous reasons for a bet to be voided. These include:

  • Non-runners
  • Postponement or abandonment
  • Rules Change (for example, when a cricket match ends up being played over fewer overs than originally planned)
  • Human error

3. What happens if a selection in my accumulator is cancelled/void?

Multiples and accumulators with a void selection will simply have one less selection inside them. For example, a four-fold will become a treble.

4. If a game is postponed what happens to my bet on 1xBet?

If a game is abandoned or postponed after it has already started, all wagers on outcomes, which have already been decided, will still stand. This could refer to markets like the first team to score or result at halftime (in football) or the first wicket to fall by which method or first boundary to be hit by a certain batsman (in cricket). All other wagers will become void irrespective of the score at the time of match abandonment or postponement.

CricketBettingAdvice Final Say

It is clear to see that there are a multitude of common ways a bet can become void. As such – as noted on our guide for how to bet on cricket – it is always important to stay on top of basic elements such as injury news and weather conditions.

Ultimately, there are pros and cons attached to cancelled bets. One of the main pros is that you can prevent or cut your losses – if, for example, you backed the wrong player to win or your chosen team was heading for defeat. However, cancelled bets can also work against you and/or in the operator’s favour. For instance, bookmakers can use cancelled bets to cover any mistakes or technical errors, although this does not necessarily remove their duty to pay up for legitimate winning bets.

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