What's a Rule 4 deduction?

Rule 4 deductions are industry standard and are made when a participant is withdrawn from an event after you’ve placed your bet. The amount deducted from your winnings is based on the current price of the withdrawn competitor. A Rule 4 is commonly seen in Golf and Horse Racing, although it can be present in other sports too. 

Deductions are made because each of the competitors left in the race have an increased chance of winning due to there being less participants.

For example, imagine there are six horses in a race and you’ve placed £20 to win on horse A at 6/1. If horse B, the favourite, was withdrawn at odds of 2/1, the chances of horse A winning have now increased considerably. A Rule 4 deduction of 30p for every £1 won is applied in order to reflect what the odds would have been if the horse was not involved in the race at the time of bet placement.

The industry standard table below shows how much will be deducted from your winnings for every £1 won.

What happens if more than one competitor is withdrawn from a race?

More than one Rule 4 deduction can apply if more than one participant is withdrawn from a race. If there are multiple withdrawals after a bet has been placed, it can be subject to numerous Rule 4 deductions — up to a maximum of 90p for every £1 won.

For more information, please see our sports rules here.

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