Sportsbook Horse Racing - Non-Runner & Rule 4

I bet on a non-runner, what happens to my bet?

  • Bets placed on Future Racing will be settled as a losing bets.
  • Bets places on Non Runner Money Back markets will have their stakes returned once the non-runner is declared.
  • If you have placed an accumulator, the line related to the non-runner will be void, and you will not receive your stake for that line back. The rest of the lines in the accumulator will still stand.



What does non-runner, money back mean?

  • NRMB is our safety guarantee to you. Place your bets without worrying about your selection not running.
  • Future Racing betting ceases at 10am on the day of the overnight declaration stage and all bets placed after that stage will be 'non-runner money back’, ie. your bet stake will be refunded if your horse fails to compete. Tattersalls Rule 4 may apply.
  • Betfair Sportsbook offer Non-Runner Money Back on selected Ante-Post races all year-round. After a race becomes Non-Runner No Bet, any Ante-Post bets placed on the Win or Each-Way market will be refunded if your selection does not run.
  • This refund will apply to bonus cash and free bets, as long as the free bet was not due to expire before the refund is issued.


How will I know if my horse is a non-runner?

  • In the race-card, any selections which have been declared non-runners will show as NR

  • In your betslip, the selection will show as a V (void)

Another horse in the race was a non-runner, why has my win paid out for less?

When you place your bet, the price you see is based on all horses running in the race. If a horse is a non-runner, the price will be revised and a deduction applied for the remaining horses.

Sportsbook treats non-runners the same as every other bookmaker, by applying a 'Rule 4'. The 'Rule 4' deduction values are industry standard, deductions are measured by a number of pence in the £, based on the odds of the horse at the point of withdrawal.

For bets where a price is taken, the application of Rule 4(c) will be determined by the last Betfair price available at the time the relevant horse is withdrawn.

  • If there are two or more withdrawals in one event, the deduction will not exceed 90p.
  • If the price of a withdrawn selection is not quoted in the above table, then Rule 4(c) will be applied at the next highest price quoted. For example 21/5 would be classed in the 9/2 bracket for Rule 4 purposes.

Example:

If you had a bet on a horse for £10 at 10/1 that went on to win, but in the same race the favourite (priced at 2/5) pulled out, your total return would be:

Pre 'Rule 4'

£10 x 10 = £100 (profit pre 'Rule 4')

£100 + £10 = £110 (total return pre 'Rule 4')

Post Rule 4
£100 less 70% (70p in the £) = £30 (profit post 'Rule 4')

£30 + £10 = £40 (total return post 'Rule 4')

This is different to the Exchange, which applies a separate non-runner reduction calculation. More about reduction factors and how they are calculated

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