UK & Irish Horse Racing Rules: General

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Bet Acceptance

1. All bets are placed in accordance with our betting rules and terms and conditions.

2. All odds are subject to fluctuation and bets placed will be settled at the price at the time the bet was confirmed or at starting price (SP) if selected.

3. Bets are accepted for horse race meetings held under the rules of the BHA and Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) and are settled on the official result.

4. In the case of an emergency, the stewards may alter the original distance of the race or allow the result to stand when the runners have taken the wrong course.

• In each of these instances, bets will stand and be settled on the official result.
• Adjustments to settlement won't be made for amended results or adjudications made by governing bodies after the weigh-in when the official result is declared. This includes results amended due to the new whip rules introduced by the British Horse Racing Authority (BHA) on the 9th February 2023.

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Enhanced Odds and Place Terms

• If the odds for a specific horse or place terms for a specific race are enhanced as part of a promotional offer, bets placed at antepost odds or outside of the promotional period won't qualify.

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William Hill Prices

• William Hill prices are offered on horse racing after the final declaration stage until the off of each race.
• If the selected horse is withdrawn from the race before coming under starter’s orders, bets placed on that horse at William Hill prices will be void.
• If the selected horse is withdrawn from a race after coming under starter’s orders, bets placed on that horse at William Hill prices will have lost as the horse will be deemed to have been a participant in the race.
• If any other horse is withdrawn from the race before coming under starter’s orders, bets placed at William Hill prices may be subject to a Rule 4 deduction

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SP or Starting Price

1. The SP, or Starting Price, is the price declared on each horse once a race has come under starter’s orders.

• This is the price declared for each horse in the official race result.

2. Bets placed on UK and Irish horse racing will be settled at SP unless a price is taken or unless the bet is placed at Totepool odds.

3. If the selected horse is withdrawn from the race before coming under starter’s orders, bets placed on that horse at SP will be void.

4. If the selected horse is withdrawn from a race after coming under starter’s orders, bets placed on that horse at SP will have lost as the horse will be deemed to have been a participant in the race.

5. If a William Hill SP is returned it will take precedence over any other declared SP and will be used to settle bets where no  William Hill price is given.

• If no SP is returned and no William Hill price has been taken, settlement of bets will be based on the final show of betting transmitted by our service provider. Where no betting shows are transmitted by our service provider, bets will be settled at Totepool odds.

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Withdrawn Horses: Rule 4 Deductions

2. The rate of deduction will be based on the following scale:

 

3. If a horse is withdrawn and a new market is formed, all bets placed at show prices prior to the new market will be subject to the above deductions.

4. If two or more horses are withdrawn before coming under starter's orders, the total deductions shall not exceed 90p in the £.

5. If further horses are withdrawn after a new market has been formed, bets placed at show prices prior to a new market being formed will be subject to a further deduction based on the prices of all withdrawn horses.

• Bets placed in the new market will be subject to a deduction based on the current price.

6. If the total deduction on the market is 5p in the £, the deduction will be waived.

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First Past The Post

1. If the result of a race is amended before the weigh-in, when the official result is declared, win single/multiple bets and the win part of each way single/multipe bets will be paid on both the official result and the First Past The Post, with the following exceptions:

1. Best Odds Guaranteed is available from 10:00 on the day of the race.

• Prior to that time, bets will be settled at either the price taken by the customer at that time, or the SP if selected. 

2. If a William Hill price is taken on a horse, which subsequently turns out to be lower than the SP, bets placed on applicable races will be paid at SP.

3. Best Odds Guaranteed is available on selected races for bets placed via mobile, internet, text and telephone with the following exceptions unless otherwise stated:

• Telephone bets with a stake of less than £20
• Antepost bets
• Place markets
• Betting Without markets
• Insurance bets
• Totepool bets

4. Best Odds Guaranteed isn't available for bets placed in our shops.

• Bets placed on SSBT's don't qualify.

5. The maximum benefit for Best Odds Guaranteed is capped at £25,000 per customer per day across all applicable channels.

6. We reserve the right to restrict eligibility in respect of our Best Odds Guaranteed offer for horse racing at any time and in our sole discretion.

• We'll provide notice to any affected customer in respect of any action we take in respect of the forgoing (whether by email or message to account inbox).
• Our General Terms and Conditions apply.

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Change of Racing Surface

• If the surface of an individual race or whole race meeting is changed from turf to All Weather or vice versa, bets placed on that race or any race at that meeting will stand.

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Double Engagements

• If a horse is doubly engaged, meaning it is entered for two or more races on the same day, Win and Each Way bets placed on that horse that are timed for the race in which it actually runs will stand.
• Win and Each Way bets placed on that horse that are timed for a race in which it doesn't run will be void.

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Identical Names

• If two horses, greyhounds or virtual runners have identical names, bets placed in shops, by text or by telephone must differentiate between each by stating a race time and meeting.
• Bets accepted in shops, by text or by telephone that don't differentiate by stating a race time and meeting and where no qualifying price has been laid will be settled in the following order of priority:

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Abandoned Races, Void Races and Walk-Overs

1. If a race is abandoned, declared void or has only one runner (also known as a walkover), all bets placed on horses in that race will be void.

2. If a race is delayed for any reason, but it still takes place on the same day over the same course/distance all bets placed will stand and be settled on the official result.

3. If a race is postponed and doesn't take place on the same day, all bets struck AFTER the final declaration stage on that race will be declared void. All antepost bets placed on the race PRIOR to the final declaration stage will be settled in accordance with Rule 4 below.

The only exception to this rule is as follows:

i) If any of the following races are postponed, but they are ran within 72 hours of the originally scheduled start time, over the same course/distance, then all bets placed will stand and be settled on the official result.

• Any race at the Cheltenham Festival
• Any race at the Ascot Festival
• The Grand National, The Derby, The St Leger, The Oaks, The 1000 & 2000 Guineas, Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe

4. If an antepost horse race is abandoned or postponed:

i. An antepost bet will be made void under the following circumstances:

• The race is cancelled and isn't run.
• A horse is balloted out under the rules of racing.
• The race is run at an alternative venue to the one originally scheduled.
• Entries for the race are re-opened.

ii. An antepost bet will stand under the following circumstances:

• The race is run on a different date from the one originally specified, but at the original venue.
• The entries for the race are not re-opened. If entries revert back to a previous declaration stage, this won’t count as entries being re-opened and all bets will stand.

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Re-Runs

• If a race is re-run, bets placed at William Hill price and SP on horses taking no part in the re-run race will be void.
• Bets placed at antepost prices on horses taking no part in the re-run race will have lost.
• If a race is re-run bets placed at William Hill price on horses taking part in the re-run race will stand and will be subject to Rule 4 deduction.
• Bets placed at antepost odds and SP won't be subject to a Rule 4 deduction
• Place terms will be applicable to the number of runners taking part in the re-run race.
• Where a horse is ineligible to start in a re-started race, e.g. already fallen before the incident to start the race occurred, the stakes on this selection will be lost.
• On occasion, the stewards may re-start a race at a point of their choosing and if this happens, bets stand.

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Dead Heat

• A dead heat is when two or more horses cannot be separated by the Judge after consulting the photo finish.
• If a selected horse finishes the race in a dead heat for first place, the stake will be divided equally across first and second place.
• Example: If a £10 bet is placed on a horse priced at 3/1 that is involved in a dead heat, the bet will return £20.

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Cash Out

Horse Racing - WIN ONLY BETS ON NAMED HORSES

• Cash Out gives the opportunity to settle a bet at the value displayed if the bet is still running and betting is still available on every unsettled selection.

 

1. Cash Out is available for win only horse racing singles and all multiples, including Trixie, Patent, Yankee, Lucky 15, Canadian, Lucky 31 etc.

2. Cash Out is not available for Unnamed Favourites, Each Way, or the Win part of Each Way bets.

3. Cash Out may be affected if your bet triggers a free bet promotion. See individual promotional terms for details.

4. Cash Out is available on the win market - if the bet is still running and betting is still available on every unsettled selection.

5. Bets can be cashed out when the Cash Out value indicates as such.

6. Cash Out can be accessed in the open bets tab.

• A pre-determined settlement value will be offered based upon the selections, prices taken and current status of the betting transaction.
  • Example: A £2 win Patent is placed on Min, Annie Power, and Yanworth.
  • Min and Annie Power both win their races and Yanworth hasn't yet run.
  • A Cash Out settlement value will be offered on completion of the races in which Min and Annie Power ran and whilst betting is still available on Yanworth.
  • The cash settlement can be redeemed immediately.

7. The Cash Out settlement value is non-negotiable.

8. If the selected horse is subject to a Rule 4 deduction, the Cash Out value will be adjusted to reflect the amount of deduction.

• If the total Rule 4 deduction on the market is 5p in the £, the deduction will be waived.

9. Bets will be capped at the maximum Cash Out settlement value of £25,000.

10. If the Cash Out settlement value changes during a settlement transaction, the transaction won't complete and a revised settlement value will be offered, which will have to be accepted before proceeding.

11. Where an obvious pricing error, also referred to as a palpable error, occurs that selection may not be cashed out.

• If the Cash Out settlement value has been accepted in error, the Cash Out transaction will be made void and the bet will be settled on the original bet instructions with the correct price(s) applied.
• If subsequent attempts are made to place bets and Cash Out on the same market(s) before the obvious error has been corrected then, the Cash Out settlement value and the bet stake(s) will be made void.

11. Cash Out is an automated facility and is subject to the availability of betting.

• Therefore, if betting is suspended or not available on any market within the given bet, a Cash Out settlement won't be offered.
• If Cash Out is no longer available due to the status of betting, settlement of bets will be based on the original instructions and odds when the bet was accepted.

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Pick Your Places

• Pick Your Places markets allow customers to place an each way (EW) bet on a race where they can determine which place terms the bet is settled at rather than the advertised place terms in the normal race market.

 

1. Available for UK and Irish horse racing every 10 AM on the day of the race.

2. Pick Your Places markets are singles only markets.

3. Multiple bets won't be available.

4. Bets won't be subject to these concessions:

• Best Odds Guaranteed
• Money Back 2nd
• Cash Out
• Any enhanced place terms in the standard win/EW market

4. In the event of non-runners, William Hill may remove the availability of a certain Pick Your Places market.

5. Rule 4’s will apply in the event of non-runners.

• Rule 4 deductions will be based on the standard win/EW market price at the time of withdrawal.
• Please see ‘Rule 4 Deduction: Explained’ here for further Rule 4 information.

6. Pick Your Places is a promotional offer against standard EW terms.

• In the event of non-runners and if standard place terms change, the Pick Your Place terms will also change (including changes to the number of places available and/or the market place fraction).

7. If the number of runners in the race becomes equal or less than the number of places available on a Pick Your Places market, that specific market will be made void.

8. All dead heat rules apply.