Why did a sportsbook void my wager?
A book voids a wager when its rules say the bet should not stand. The game was postponed or cut short, a player in your prop did not play, the line was an obvious mistake, or the bet broke a house rule. A voided bet returns your stake.
The usual reasons
- The game wasn't played or wasn't finished. Each sport has a rule.
- Your player didn't play. Props usually require the player to take part. Baseball bets can be tied to the listed starting pitchers.
- An obvious error. A favorite posted at +700 that should have been -700, or a line left up after the game started. Books reserve the right to void these or regrade them to the correct price.
- Past posting. The bet was accepted after the event had begun.
- A rule was broken. More than one account, betting for someone else, bonus abuse, or betting as part of a group.
Baseball shows how exact these rules get. Most books need five innings for a bet on the side to stand, four and a half if the home team is ahead, and the full game for totals and run lines.
One thing that looks like a void and isn't: when one leg of a parlay is voided, the ticket usually stays alive and is repriced on the remaining legs.
Fair and not fair
Some of these are fair. If a number was plainly a mistake, you knew it when you bet it, and I'd void it too.
What isn't fair is a book that waits for the result, letting the bet ride, keeping the money if you lose and finding a rule if you win. I never had any time for that. A book with a real reason to void should do it before the game, or treat winners and losers the same way. Watch for vague language too, because "irregular betting patterns" with no rule cited and no detail is not an explanation.
Getting an answer
Keep the ticket, and screenshot it with the time and the price. Then ask which rule was applied, ask in writing, and read that rule yourself. If the book is licensed in a US state, you can complain to that state's regulator. If it is offshore, there is no regulator to call, and your leverage is the book's reputation, which is what public complaints are for.
A void gives you your stake back. If the stake didn't come back, that is not a void, and I'd say so in writing.
Related questions
How do payout limits work?
A payout limit caps what a sportsbook will pay you. It can apply to one ticket, to a day or a week of winnings, or to each withdrawal. Win more than the cap and you are paid the cap, or paid in installments.
Why do odds move?
Odds move because the book's risk changes or the information does. Money moves a line, most of all money from bettors the book respects. So do injuries, weather and what the other books are dealing.
What is a 20x rollover?
A 20x rollover means you must wager 20 times a set amount before you can withdraw. On a $100 deposit with a $100 bonus, that is $2,000 or $4,000 in bets, depending on whether the book counts the bonus alone or the deposit plus the bonus.