Today, interactive bookmakers accept bets on tens of thousands of sporting events every day. With such a high volume of competitions, force majeure situations are inevitable. Many matches are postponed, canceled, or interrupted. Let’s take a look at how bookmakers usually react if a match is suspended or canceled, what happens to your bet, and how it’s settled.
Why are matches postponed or canceled?
Each sport and tournament has its own set of rules, regulations, and standards. Below are the most common reasons why sporting events are canceled or postponed:
- Weather conditions. Football matches are often postponed due to heavy rain or snow making the pitch unplayable. Winter sports events often suffer from warm weather.
- Team, club, or athlete refusal to participate. Such cases are not uncommon and can happen due to financial issues, health problems, and other circumstances.
- Technical problems. Stadium lighting can fail, or critical equipment in a sports complex may malfunction.
- Aggressive fan behavior. Hooliganism in the stands or pitch invasions are not rare in modern sports.
- Disqualification. An athlete or an entire team may be disqualified for various reasons – doping violations, breach of tournament regulations, etc.
- Political reasons. Military conflicts or unresolved political issues between countries can also affect sporting schedules.
How do bookmakers respond to force majeure situations in different sports?
So, what will a bookmaker do if a match is canceled after a bet has been placed? These situations are always resolved based on each bookmaker’s rules. Be sure to study them in advance to avoid filing unfounded complaints. Let’s address the key issues.
Can bookmakers refuse to issue a refund?
If a match is postponed, declared a technical defeat, or interrupted – what happens to the bet in the standard case? It is usually settled as a refund, meaning with odds of 1.00. But can it be different?
In some cases, the bookmaker may not refund the bet. Much depends on timing. Bookmakers define specific time frames in their rules for when a postponement results in a refund. For instance, one bookmaker may refund if the event is delayed for more than 6 hours, while another sets the limit at 48 hours.
Can some bets be settled while others are refunded?
If a match is completely canceled before kickoff, all bets are refunded. But things get more complicated when an event starts but doesn’t finish. Bookmakers typically specify in their rules how much of a game must be completed for it to be considered valid.
Here’s an example of a settled bet in an unfinished match: a player placed a wager on total games under 21 in a tennis match. One player won the first set 6–4, the other took the second 7–6. Before the third set, one of them retired due to injury. A total of 23 games had already been played, so the bet result is determined regardless of further play. The match was suspended, but there’s no reason to void the result – the bet is settled as a loss.
Another case: a bettor wagers on total over 20. The first set ends 6–1, the second is 3–1 when the match is stopped due to injury. The bet is refunded because the final number of games could have been either above or below 20.
What if a canceled match is part of an accumulator or system bet?
Many players wonder what happens if a match in an accumulator or system bet is canceled. If one of the selections is settled as a refund, nothing major changes – its odds are simply replaced with 1.00.
For example, a bettor places a treble accumulator with odds of 1.50, 1.75, and 1.40, giving a total of 3.68. If the first match is canceled, the 1.50 is replaced with 1.00. The new total becomes 1.75×1.40 = 2.45.
Another example: a “2 out of 3” system with the same odds, where the first event is canceled. If the other two win, all three pairs remain valid, but the odds in two of them decrease: 1×1.75 instead of 1.50×1.75, and 1×1.40 instead of 1.50×1.40.
