Sports competitions can be disrupted due to numerous factors. Under such circumstances, supporters and gamblers who wagered with a bookmaker simply have to wait for the match to restart — or officially abandoned. For those who are finding out more about alternative systems of betting, including the Megapari mobile betting option, knowledge of how bookmakers resolve interrupted matches is particularly relevant.
In most instances, if a match resumes within a few hours, bets stand and are settled based on the eventual result. Where there is a long delay (over 24 hours) or even cancellation, there may be exceptions. Let us consider the different situations that may affect gamblers.
How Bets Are Settled if a Match Is Interrupted
Bookmaker conditions typically have clauses regarding how bets are resolved when a sporting event is abandoned or not finished. It is generally the same for bookmakers, but there are specifics that need to be known by bettors in order to know exactly what to anticipate.
By general principle, when there is an interrupted match that is not completed within 48 hours, bookmakers pay out stakes on bets whose outcome was yet to be determined at the time of interruption. Sometimes this settlement (with odds of 1.0) is made within only 24 hours.
Where the venue of the match matters as well: if the venue is not changed, bets are usually still valid, but if the location is altered, bets may be voided. But this can be sport-specific.
Bookmakers also apply the theory of regulated time, which differs by sport. Given the segment of the game required has been accomplished, the match is considered valid, and all of the wagers on primary results are settled in accordance with the result at suspension.
When totals, handicap bets, or similar markets are on, bets tend to be settled at odds of 1.0. However, where the bet has been tied to a specific completed segment (a half, set, quarter, or period, say), it is totally determined by the true result of that segment.
Reasons Matches Are Stopped
There are a number of likely reasons for interruptions, including:
- Harsh weather conditions
- Injury to a player (especially in individual sports)
- Misbehavior of spectators on the stands
- Severe technical malfunctions hindering the continuation of the game
- Refusal by one of the sides to continue because of a disagreement with one of a referee's decisions
Let us consider these incidents in detail.
Unfavorable Weather Conditions
Weather is one of the most common causes of interruptions. Especially in tennis, even routine rain can interrupt a match if the court lacks a retractable roof. A match will either be postponed for a few days or continued after a short interruption based on situations.
Bad weather also affects beach sport (like football and volleyball) and winter sport (like skiing, biathlon, or snowboarding).
Football, though, is seldom suspended except in dire circumstances — such as obvious hurricane-strength gusts disrupting the trajectory of the ball, deluges rendering the ground flat, or dense fog reducing visibility.
Player Injuries
Action in clean team sports can be suspended temporarily while a player becomes injured, but play will typically continue even if the team has run out of all substitute players.
The situation is rather different for isolated sports. For boxing, for instance, if one fighter is injured and unable to continue fighting, the bout is lost. If the injury is a real one and occurs before four rounds are even completed, the bout is annulled; otherwise, the top fighter in terms of judges' scorecards wins.
If the injury is due to a legal punch, the hurt boxer loses by knock-out or technical knock-out. However, if the injury is due to foul intention (such as headbutt or foul punch), the culprit boxer may be disqualified and the victory awarded to the hurt fighter. Bookmakers refund accordingly.
In tennis, if a player is injured during the first set, all match bets are cancelled except those which had been decided at that point. If the player retires having played the first set, the bets will usually be settled on the retiring player as a loss.
Technical Failures
Even after careful preparation, unexpected technical issues can occur, e.g., a broken basketball hoop, a deflated football goal net, a malfunctioning scoreboard, or power outages. These problems are normally fixed within minutes or hours, but sometimes the match must be postponed.
If play is restarted within 48 hours, all bets remain valid.
Refusal to Proceed Due to Referee's Decision
Sometimes a player or a side will refuse to continue playing in protest at what they see as an unfair referee decision. Typically, this results in a technical loss being inflicted upon the protesting side. Bookmakers are either obliged to pay out on that ruling or to void the bets, depending on the regulations.
In special cases, where the referee's decision was clearly unjust, a sports federation can overturn the decision and replay the match with a different referee. So long as the event falls within two days, all bets remain valid. Otherwise, bets are paid at 1.0 odds.