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OAKLAND PARK, Fla. (Gambling911.com) - A sport gambler challenged SportyBet for refunding a four-leg bet after none of his players scored.
The Issue
Dear SportyBet Support,
I am writing to formally express my dissatisfaction with the settlement of my bet.
I placed a multiple bet on four players under the market “Player Not to Score.” The players selected were:
Alfon Gonzalez (Sevilla)
Brandon Thomas-Asante (Coventry)
Gianluca Busio (Venezia)
Sekou Mara (Strasbourg)
None of these players scored in their respective matches. Therefore, I would like to understand why my bet is being treated as a refund rather than a winning bet.
My selection was straightforward: Player Not to Score. If the players did not score, the conditions of my selections were fulfilled.
I kindly request a proper explanation of the settlement decision and a review of my bet. A refund is not the same as a winning payout, and I believe I deserve clarification on why my winnings have not been credited.
Please review this matter and provide a satisfactory resolution.
Thank you..
The Analysis
This customer was one of a few affected by the voided bets.
SportyBet may have settled the bet correctly under its rules, even though none of the four players scored.
The bettor, Rostova (@Rostovar), selected four players in the “Player Not to Score” market.
Player Team Selection
Alfon González Sevilla Not to score
Brandon Thomas-Asante Coventry Not to score
Gianluca Busio Venezia Not to score
Sékou Mara Strasbourg Not to score
The bettor's argument is straightforward: none of these players scored, so all four selections should have won.
But here is the complication: Sportsbooks will distinguish between players who participate in a match and fail to score and those who never enter the game.
Here is how it typically works:
- A player starts and doesn't score: Normally a winning Not to Score selection.
- A player enters as a substitute and doesn't score: Often a winning selection, depending on the market rules.
- A player never enters the match: Often voided because the player didn't participate.
Several of the players here were not starters while Mara did not play in RC Strasbourg Alsace's 3–1 away loss against Toulouse FC.
If SportyBet voided even one selection because the player never participated, the original four-leg multiple would no longer be valid as placed.
Voiding one leg doesn't always mean refunding the entire multiple, however.
If the market required players to start and some didn't, voiding those selections might be consistent with the rules.
The biggest unanswered question is why SportyBet refunded the entire multiple rather than simply voiding the ineligible legs and paying the remaining winners.
The SportyBet Rules
On SportyBet's official football rules page, the general rule says that player bets remain valid whether the player starts or enters as a substitute.
However, SportyBet specifically excludes “Player Not to Score” from that general rule.
That distinction is critical.
It means we cannot assume that a substitute who enters the match automatically qualifies for a winning Not to Score bet.
SportyBet's Nigerian terms and conditions state:
"Should a customer include a non-runner or void selection in a multiple bet/parlay, the bet will be settled on the remaining selections."
However, SportyBet has a separate rule for Bet Builder wagers: if a participant isn't in the starting lineup or another selection is voided, the entire Bet Builder is voided.
Bet type SportyBet's stated treatment
Standard multiple Void selections removed; remaining selections settled
Bet Builder Entire Bet Builder voided if the specified void conditions apply
SportyBet's published rules provide a plausible explanation for voiding some selections, but they do not yet establish that refunding this entire four-match multiple was correct. The decisive missing information is the market-specific rule and the participation status of each player.
- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com
