Voids, postponements and errors
LadBet Betting Rules
The rules that decide what happens when an event does not run as planned. None of them is unusual across the industry, and all of them are easier to accept before a bet than after one.
Every bookmaker has a rules page and almost nobody reads one until something has gone wrong. That is understandable and it is also backwards, because the rules below change what a bet means rather than merely describing an administrative process.
What follows is the general position. Sport-specific rules sit on the sport pages, and the full terms are in the terms and conditions, which govern where anything here is less precise.
Void bets
A void bet is one that cannot stand. The stake is returned and the bet is treated as though it had not been placed.
When it happens
An event abandoned before a result, a non-runner in racing, a participant replaced in combat sports, a market that could not be settled because the information it needed does not exist. In each case the question the bet asked cannot be answered, so there is nothing to settle against.
Void inside a multiple
The leg drops out and the remaining legs run on at their own prices. A four-fold becomes a treble at whatever those three multiply to. The stake is not returned unless every leg voids, which is covered further on the accumulators page.
Postponements and abandonments
The distinction matters: a postponed event has not happened yet, an abandoned one started and stopped.
Football postponements
A postponed football match is generally void unless it is replayed within 72 hours of the original scheduled kick-off. Competitions with their own published rescheduling rules may differ, and where they do, the competition rule applies.
Abandoned matches
Markets not already decided are void. Markets already determined stand — a first goalscorer market where the goal has been scored settles on that goal, because the question was answered before the abandonment. This applies whatever the score was at the point of abandonment.
Venue changes
A match switched to the opposing team’s ground is void, because home advantage was part of what was priced. A switch to a neutral venue generally stands unless the market explicitly depended on the original venue. Racing meetings moved to a different course void the affected markets.
Palpable errors
The rule customers are most entitled to be suspicious of, and therefore the one that deserves the fullest explanation.
What it covers
A price that was obviously wrong at the moment it was offered — a decimal point in the wrong place, a market listed against the wrong event, a horse priced at 100/1 when the board read 10/1. Bets taken at such a price are settled at the correct price rather than the erroneous one.
What it does not cover
A price we later wish we had not offered. A price that looked generous and lost. A market that moved against us because somebody knew something. None of those is a palpable error, and treating them as one would be indefensible. The test is whether the price was self-evidently a mistake at the time, not whether it turned out badly.
If you think it has been applied wrongly
That is exactly what the complaints procedure is for, and it ends with an independent adjudicator rather than with us. The asymmetry there is deliberate: a rule that lets a bookmaker set aside a losing price needs a check on it that the bookmaker does not control.
Maximum payouts
Every bookmaker caps what a single bet can return, and the cap varies by sport.
How it works
If a bet would return more than the maximum for that sport, the return is limited to the cap. The stake is not refunded and the excess is not paid. Caps are highest on major football and racing and lower on minor competitions, which reflects how confidently each can be priced.
When it is likely to matter
Almost never on a normal bet, and occasionally on a very long accumulator with a substantial stake. If you are staking enough for a cap to be reachable, the figures are in the terms and are worth checking first.
Related contingencies
A general rule that explains a number of apparent refusals.
Selections whose outcomes are linked cannot be combined in an ordinary multiple, because multiplying related prices overpays. That is why an acca will not take two things from the same match, and it is why the bet builder exists as a separate tool that prices the combination properly. Where a related combination has been accepted in error, it is settled as a single bet on the most likely leg or voided, depending on the specific markets involved.
If somebody close to you mentions it, that is always worth a listen. You can ring 0808 8020 133 without giving a name to anyone, at whatever hour suits you. The minimum age for an account is 18.
Common questions
What happens if a football match is postponed?
Bets are generally void unless the match is played within 72 hours of the original kick-off. Competition-specific rules take precedence where they exist.
What if a match is abandoned at half time?
Markets not already decided are void. Markets already determined, such as a goalscorer market where the goal has been scored, stand.
What is a palpable error?
A price that was obviously wrong when offered — a misplaced decimal, a market against the wrong event. Affected bets settle at the correct price. A price that merely lost is not a palpable error.
Is there a maximum payout?
Yes, varying by sport, with the highest limits on major football and racing. The figures are in the terms and are rarely reached on ordinary stakes.
Why can I not combine two selections from one match?
They are related, and multiplying related prices overpays. The bet builder prices such combinations as a single bet.
A venue changed. Does my bet stand?
A switch to the opponent’s ground voids the bet. A neutral venue generally stands. Racing moved to another course voids the affected markets.