Void bet in betting

A void bet is cancelled and the stake returned. It happens when a match is abandoned, a market is settled in error, or a player fails to take part.

Each operator publishes rules covering postponement windows, minimum play time and participant non-runners. Inside an accumulator a void leg is normally set to odds of 1.00 and the rest of the bet stands, which reduces the payout but keeps the slip alive. Differences between operators' void rules are the main hidden risk in arbitrage and matched betting.

Recalculated acca odds = original odds / voided leg odds.

A five-fold at combined odds of 22.0 has one leg voided when a match is postponed. That leg was priced 1.80, so the slip recalculates to 22.0 / 1.80 = 12.2. Your remaining four legs must still all win, for roughly half the original return.

Void rules decide whether a locked-in position stays locked. Two books with different abandonment rules can turn an arbitrage into a one-sided open bet.

Local fixture postponements are relatively common in the NPFL and in African competitions. Check each operator's window — typically 24 to 48 hours — before assuming a postponed match will be voided rather than carried forward.

• Assuming every book voids postponed matches on the same schedule.
• Treating void legs as wins when tracking strike rate.
• Overlooking that a voided qualifying bet can also void a bonus.