What Happens to My Bet When a Game is Suspended or Postponed
(May 21, 2024) - Alert: The Orioles vs. Cardinals game has been suspended at the bottom of the 6th due to rain in St. Louis. Note that the Wednesday May 22, 2024 game in Cleveland could be delayed due to weather, but should be played in its entirety. So what happens to your bet if a game gets canceled or postponed? Find BetOnline Rules Here or scroll down. Be sure to bookmark this page as it is updated daily - Also check out our updated Hot MLB Betting Trends.
Football (Soccer) Match Suspensions
In the case of soccer matches suspended before they finish, bets will typically have action only if play resumes within 48 hours of the original start time. In the case of matches that have begun and have been suspended during the game, the match must resume where it was stopped, within 48 hours of the original start time. See BetOnline Rules Here
MLB Rules (Rules for Postponed and Suspended Games)
The 4.5 Inning Rule - The result of a game is official after 5 innings of play unless the home team is leading after 4.5 innings.
Totals - Runline and Total wagers are official after 9 innings of play, or 8.5 innings if the home team is leading. If a game is canceled before 9 innings have been completed, all wagers on the run line and total will be graded “No Action” and funds will be returned to the account holder.
Postponement - A bet is declared void on a cancelled or postponed game which has not started, or in the case of a result not having been issued within 12 hours of the scheduled start time.
Note that some books do have different rules when it comes to games being stopped and resumed within a certain period of time. Case in point: On July 14, 2023, a game between the Nationals and Cardinals was stopped due to storms and was slated to resume the next day. Unibet advised that they allowed up to 72 hours for the game to resume for the bet to count.
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Depending on the sport, your bet might be counted as action based on how much of the game has been played.
A baseball game becomes official for money line wagering purposes after 4 1/2 innings if home team is winning, or 5 innings if visiting team is winning. Totals and Run lines will have No Action.
For run lines and game totals (over/under), a baseball game becomes official after 8 1/2 innings if home team is winning, or 9 innings if visiting team is winning.
The no contest ruling and subsequent explanation should answer any questions some bettors may have.
RULES FOR ALL SPORTS - CLICK HERE AND SCROLL DOWN TO RULES
BASEBALL BETTING - SUSPENSIONS OR DELAYS RULES COURTESY OF BETONLINE
All bets except the 1st 5 Innings odds were no-actioned.
The Run Line (Spread) and Totals were no-actioned because the game did not go at least 8.5 innings. Rule:
“For all Regular Season Runline (spread) and Total (over/under) wagers to have action, the game must go 9 innings or 8½ if the home team is winning, listed pitchers must also start to have action.”
For the Money Line, since the game was tied and postponed until a future date, the bets were also no-actioned. Rule:
“Regular Season Games must be played on scheduled date and site. If a game is rescheduled all bets are cancelled.”
Other Sports
The typical sportsbook rules are that, if a betting event fails to take place as scheduled, for any reason, or if it ends without an official score and is not resumed within 72 hours, the stakes will be refunded or credited to your account.
The Week 4 2016 Broncos vs. Bucs game in Tampa Bay was delayed due to severe weather with Denver way up. Many gamblers wondered what would happen if this game were to be cancelled. Most sportsbooks require that games must go at least 55 minutes of play for totals bets on the game to have 'action' regardless of whether the score was already OVER at the time of the cancellation.
Games must go at least 55 minutes of play for bets on the game to have 'action'. Each quarter is considered 15 minutes.
Postponement of Basketball, Football and Hockey games are less common than with Major League Baseball but they do happen as was evidenced with the Duke-NC game.
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- Mary Montgomery, Gambling911.com
