Betting Rules

1. How these rules apply

These rules cover every bet placed with MessageBet on sport, horse racing and greyhound racing. A bet placed through the bet slip and a bet requested by message are settled under the same rules, and both end up in My Bets.

The rules form part of our Terms and Conditions. Where the two differ on how a bet is settled, this page takes priority. Where a market carries its own information, in the market header, the bet slip or a quote message, that information overrides the general rules below for that market.

Casino games are not covered here.

MessageBet is operated by Targetlocal Limited, Ken Howells Sports Betting, 65 Wind Street, Ammanford, SA18 3DT, United Kingdom. Licensed and regulated in Great Britain by the Gambling Commission, Account No. 422, Remote Licence No. 000422-R-336567-002. Times on this page are UK time and all amounts are in pounds sterling.

2. Bet acceptance

A bet exists only once our system has accepted it and given it a bet reference. Until that point nothing has been agreed, even if the selection is sitting in your bet slip or you have sent us a message about it.

Before we can accept a bet

• You are 18 or over, you are in Great Britain and you are betting on your own behalf.
• Your account has completed verification and shows as Verified in My Account.
• Your wallet holds enough to cover the full stake, including both parts of an each-way bet. Bets can only be placed with funds already in your wallet.
• The market is open and not suspended, and the event has not started (unless the market is in-play).
• The stake is within the limits shown in the bet slip or in the quote.

How acceptance is confirmed

Online, you pick an event, a market and a selection, add it to the bet slip, enter a stake and press Place Bet. The bet is accepted when the slip shows a confirmation with a bet reference and the bet appears under Open in My Bets. A message bet is accepted only when our system replies with an acceptance and a bet reference (section 6).

The stake leaves your wallet at the moment of acceptance. An accepted bet cannot be cancelled or changed.

When we may decline

We can decline a bet, or offer a lower stake, without giving a reason. We will not knowingly accept bets placed for someone else, bets from anyone involved in the event (a competitor, an official, a trainer), or bets we reasonably believe are linked to fraud, match-fixing or inside information.

3. Odds and prices

Prices can be shown in fractional or decimal format. The two formats describe exactly the same price and produce exactly the same return. Only the way the number is written changes.

The figures in the table only show how the formats convert. They are not prices on any event.

Price changes

Prices move with the weight of money, team news, the going and events in play. Your bet is struck at the price in the bet slip when we accept it, or at the price in a message quote we go on to accept. If a price changes while the selection is in your bet slip, the slip shows the new price and you must confirm again. We do not honour a price that has since changed.

Starting price (SP)

For horse racing and greyhound racing you may be offered the starting price instead of a fixed price. The starting price is the official price returned for each runner at the start of the race, so it is not known when you place the bet. An SP bet is settled at that official return, however much the price moved beforehand. You choose between a fixed price and SP when you place the bet, and you cannot switch afterwards.

If no official starting price is returned for a race, bets taken at SP on that race are void.

4. Stakes and limits

The minimum and maximum stake for a selection are shown in the bet slip before you confirm. For a message bet, the stake we will accept is written in the quote. There is no single limit across all markets: it depends on the sport, the market, how close the event is and the account placing the bet.

• Stakes are deducted from your wallet balance when the bet is accepted.
• An each-way bet is two bets, so it costs twice the unit stake. The bet slip shows the total before you confirm.
• A bet made up of several lines, such as a set of doubles, costs the unit stake multiplied by the number of lines.
• If you ask for more than the maximum, we may offer the maximum instead. That offer is not a bet until you confirm it and we accept it.
• Any limit on the amount that can be returned on a bet or a market is shown in the bet slip or the quote before you confirm.

Limits can differ between accounts, and we may lower the limits on an account. If the same bet is placed several times to get round a maximum stake, we may treat the bets as one and void the part above the limit.

Deposit limits you set yourself do not change stake limits, but they do cap how much goes into your wallet. See Responsible Gambling.

5. Message Betting requests and quotes

Message Betting lets a verified customer ask for bets by WhatsApp or Telegram instead of using the bet slip. Your account must be verified and funded, and the channel connected to your registered mobile number in the Message Betting section of My Account. The Message Betting page shows the set-up.

Linked numbers only

We act only on requests sent from the number and channel linked to your account. Messages from any other number, including a second phone of yours that is not linked, are ignored and get no price in reply. If you change your number or your phone, update My Account and reconnect the channel before you send a request.

A request from the linked number is treated as coming from you, so keep the phone locked. If it is lost or stolen, contact support straight away so we can disconnect the channel.

What a request needs

Plain English is fine. We need enough detail to identify the bet without guessing:

• the event (for horse racing, the course and the race time; for greyhounds, the track and the race)
• the market, for example match result or first goalscorer
• your selection
• the stake, and for racing, win only, each-way or SP

If a request is unclear, we reply with a question. We never fill gaps by assuming what you meant. A request is not a bet, and sending one does not commit you to anything.

Quotes

If we can offer the bet, we reply with a quote that sets out the selection, the price, the stake we will accept and how long the quote is valid. It is valid only for the period stated in that message. Once that period has passed, the price can no longer be taken and you need to ask again. A quote also stops being valid early if the market is suspended or the event starts.

WhatsApp and Telegram are third-party services. We are not responsible for messages they or your mobile network delay or lose. What counts is the time a message reaches our system.

6. Message bet confirmation

A message on its own never places a bet. The steps are always the same:

1. You send a bet request from your linked number.
2. We reply with a quote, or with a question if we need more detail.
3. You reply to confirm the quote within the validity period stated in it.
4. Our system checks that the price still stands, the market is open and your wallet covers the stake, then replies with an acceptance and a bet reference.
5. The bet appears under Open in My Bets, next to any bets you placed online.

The bet is accepted at step 4 and not before. Without an acceptance message that contains a bet reference there is no bet, even if you replied to the quote in time. If something changed before we could process your confirmation, we tell you and may send a fresh quote instead.

The acceptance message and the entry in My Bets come from the same record. If anything in the acceptance looks wrong, such as the selection, stake or price, contact support before the event starts and quote the bet reference. Accepted message bets are settled exactly like online bets.

7. In-play (live) betting

In-play markets stay open while an event is under way and are listed on Live Betting. Prices change quickly and markets suspend often, so a selection that was available a moment ago may be gone by the time you confirm.

• There can be a short pause between pressing Place Bet and acceptance while we check that the price is still current. If the price or the market status changes during that pause, you are shown the new price or the bet is rejected.
• Scores, clocks and statistics on the site are for information. They can lag behind the action, and settlement follows the official result, not the figures on screen.
• A bet accepted after something that affects the market (a goal, a sending-off, a break of serve) but before the market was suspended is void. Section 16 covers this.
• Message requests on in-play markets follow the same rules. The quote lasts only for its stated period, and the market must still be open when your confirmation reaches us.

Some in-play markets count everything that has happened in the event. Others, such as a rest of match result, count only what happens after your bet is accepted. The market name tells you which. A market on a period of play, such as the current set, is settled on that period only.

8. Suspended markets

A suspended market is temporarily closed to new bets. We suspend markets when something could change the price: a penalty award, a video review, an injury stoppage, a runner being withdrawn, or runners being loaded for a race. We also suspend if our live data is interrupted or we have concerns about the integrity of an event.

While a market is suspended:

• the bet slip will not take bets on it, and its selections show as unavailable
• any message quote on it stops being valid, even if its stated period has not run out
• bets accepted before the suspension stand and are settled in the normal way

A market may reopen at different prices, reopen with some selections removed, or stay closed. A suspension does not void bets already accepted. If a market never reopens because the event is abandoned, section 13 applies.

9. Settlement

We settle a bet once the result of its market is known under section 10. The return on a winning bet (stake plus winnings) goes into your wallet, the bet moves from Open to Settled in My Bets, and the credit is listed in Transaction History.

How returns are calculated

• A winning single returns the stake multiplied by the decimal price, less any Rule 4 deduction (section 11) or dead-heat reduction.
• A losing bet returns nothing.
• A void bet returns the stake and nothing more.
• Multiples are worked out leg by leg, as set out in section 15.

Where a market was fully decided before something went wrong with the event, the bet is settled on what happened. A first-half result bet on a football match stands even if the match is abandoned in the second half.

Timing

Some markets are settled as soon as the outcome cannot change, such as an anytime goalscorer bet once the player has scored. Others wait for the official result, so a delayed or disputed result delays settlement.

Corrections

If we settle a bet wrongly, for example on the wrong result or at the wrong price, we will correct it. That can mean paying you more, or taking back winnings that were credited in error. We tell you when a correction is made, and it shows in Transaction History. Money credited to your account by mistake is not yours to keep.

10. Results

Bets are settled on the official result declared by the body running the event or competition, as it stands when the event finishes. Later changes, such as appeals, points deductions, disqualifications or doping findings, do not change how a bet was settled unless the market says otherwise.

Statistics markets, such as corners or 180s, are settled on official match data. Without an official source we use independent sources we consider reliable. If they conflict and no result can be established, bets on the market are void.

11. Horse racing

The result

Horse racing bets are settled on the official result at the time of the "weighed in" announcement. Objections and stewards' inquiries decided before that announcement are reflected in the result. Anything that changes the placings after it, such as a successful appeal or a later disqualification, does not affect settlement. You can follow racing markets and results on Horse Racing.

Non-runners

A horse that does not come under starter's orders is a non-runner. On a single the stake is returned. In a multiple the leg is void and the bet continues on the other legs.

Ante-post bets, where we offer them, work differently. They are struck before the final declarations and are lost if the horse does not run, unless the market was advertised as non-runner no bet, or the race is abandoned or declared void.

Rule 4 deductions

When a horse is withdrawn after a market has formed and there is no time to form a new one, the other runners' prices were set with that horse still in the race. Winning fixed-price bets on them are therefore reduced under Tattersalls' Rule 4(c). The deduction depends on the withdrawn horse's price at the time of withdrawal, is expressed in pence in the pound and comes off the winnings only, never the stake. It applies to both parts of an each-way bet. Deductions for more than one withdrawal are combined within the limits set by Tattersalls' Rule 4.

Bets at starting price are only subject to a deduction when the withdrawal comes too late for a new market to form before the off. Any deduction is shown against the bet in My Bets.

Each-way

An each-way bet is two equal bets: one on the horse to win and one on it to be placed. The place part pays a fraction of the win odds for a set number of places, and both are shown in the market and the bet slip before you confirm. If your horse wins, both parts pay. If it is placed without winning, only the place part pays.

The terms shown when your bet is accepted apply, with one exception. If withdrawals shrink the field to a size for which fewer places or a different fraction apply, the place part is settled on the terms for the runners that actually come under starter's orders.

Dead heats

If your horse dead heats for a position you are being paid on, the stake is divided by the number of horses in the dead heat. That share is paid at full odds and the rest of the stake is lost. The place part of an each-way bet is treated the same way when horses dead heat for the last place paid.

Void and abandoned races

If a race is abandoned or declared void, every bet on it is void, ante-post bets included, and stakes are returned.

12. Greyhound racing

Greyhound bets are settled on the official result declared by the track. Meetings, races and runners are listed on Greyhound Racing.

Trap changes

Runners are listed by trap number and name, and a bet is on the named greyhound. If that greyhound runs from a different trap from the one shown when you bet, the bet stands. Where a market is defined by trap number rather than by name, it is settled on whichever greyhound actually runs from that trap.

Reserves

When a greyhound is withdrawn, the track may replace it with a reserve. Bets on the withdrawn greyhound are treated as bets on a non-runner. The reserve is a new runner, and bets on it can only be placed once it appears in our market for that race.

Non-runners and deductions

Stakes on non-runners are returned, and in a multiple the leg is void. If a greyhound is withdrawn after prices have formed, winning fixed-price bets on the other runners may be reduced by a deduction worked out on the same basis as Tattersalls' Rule 4. Any deduction is shown against the bet in My Bets. Bets taken at SP are settled at the official starting price for the race.

No race

If the track declares a "no race", bets on it are void. A re-run is treated as a new race and priced separately.

13. Abandoned and postponed events

An abandoned event starts but is not completed. A postponed event does not start on its scheduled date. The sport sections that follow add detail where a sport works differently.

• Abandoned after the start. Bets on markets not yet decided are void. Bets on markets already decided stand.
• Interrupted and resumed. If play stops and restarts on the same date, bets stand.
• Postponed to a later date. Bets are void, even if the event is later played.
• Start time moved on the same date. Bets stand. Bets on a pre-match market accepted after the actual start are void (section 16).
• Venue changed. Bets stand, unless the event moves to the home ground of the side listed as the away team, in which case bets are void.
• Race or race meeting abandoned. All bets on the affected races are void and stakes are returned.

For outright markets on a competition, bets stand if the organiser declares an official final result, even if some fixtures were not played. If the competition is cancelled without an official result, those bets are void.

14. Void bets

A void bet is treated as though it was never placed. The stake goes back to your wallet, no winnings are paid and the bet moves to Settled marked as void. In a multiple, only the void leg drops out (section 15).

A bet is void when:

• the selection is a non-runner, or a participant takes no part where the market rules say that voids the bet
• the event is postponed or abandoned before the market is decided
• no result can be established from official or reliable sources
• the bet was accepted after the start of the event, or after an incident that affects the market (section 16)
• the bet was struck at a price affected by an obvious error and no correct price can be established
• the market excludes a particular outcome and that outcome happens, for example a draw in a draw no bet market
• we have reasonable grounds to believe the bet is connected with fraud, match-fixing or the misuse of inside information, or that the event was not fairly contested

In the last case we may also share information with the Gambling Commission, the relevant sports governing body and other authorities.

15. Multiples and accumulators

A multiple links selections from different events into one bet: a double has two legs, a treble three, and an accumulator four or more. Every leg must win, and the return from each leg rolls on as the stake for the next.

When a leg is void

A void leg is settled at a decimal price of 1.00. In practice that means it drops out and the stake carries forward unchanged to the remaining legs. A treble with one void leg is settled as a double, and a double with one void leg as a single. If every leg is void, the stake is returned.

A leg reduced by a Rule 4 deduction or a dead heat carries its reduced return into the rest of the bet.

Each-way multiples

An each-way multiple is two separate multiples, one on the win and one on the place. If a selection is placed but does not win, the win multiple loses and the place multiple carries on at that leg's place terms.

Related selections

We do not accept multiples whose legs depend on one another, such as a team to win a final combined with the same team to win the competition. If a bet like this is accepted by mistake, it is void.

When a multiple is settled

One losing leg loses the whole multiple, and we can settle it straight away even if other legs have not been played. A multiple that is still alive stays under Open in My Bets until its last leg is settled. Where we offer combination bets, each line is a separate single or multiple and is settled on its own.

16. Errors and late bets

Obvious and palpable errors

An obvious or palpable error is a mistake any reasonable person would recognise: a price clearly out of line with prices generally available at the time, prices attached to the wrong selections, or a market showing the wrong participants or date.

A bet accepted at a price affected by an obvious error is settled at the correct price that applied when it was accepted. If no correct price can be established, the bet is void. The same applies to bets accepted, through a technical fault, on a market that should have been suspended or closed. We tell you when a bet is resettled or voided for this reason.

Late bets

A bet on a pre-match market is valid only if accepted before the event actually starts. A pre-match bet accepted after the start is void, and that applies to losing bets as well as winning ones. For racing, the start is the time the race actually begins, not the advertised time.

In-play bets accepted after an incident that affects the market, but before the market was suspended, are void on the same basis. Incidents include a goal, a penalty award, a sending-off, a break of serve and a try.

For message bets, the time that matters is when our system accepts the bet. The time you sent the request or the confirmation does not change this.

17. Football

• Unless the market says otherwise, bets are settled on the result after 90 minutes plus any stoppage time added by the referee. Extra time and penalty shoot-outs do not count.
• Markets that are about progression, such as to qualify or to lift the trophy, include extra time and penalties because that is what they cover.
• Own goals do not count in goalscorer markets.
• Goalscorer bets on a player who takes no part in the match are void. A substitute counts from the moment they come on. On a first goalscorer bet, if your player comes on after the first goal has been scored, the bet is void.
• Cards and corners are settled on the official match data. Cards shown to managers and coaching staff do not count unless the market says so.
• Abandoned matches follow section 13: undecided markets are void, decided ones stand.

Football markets are listed on Sports, and matches in progress on Live Betting.

18. Tennis

Retirement. If a match starts but a player retires or is disqualified before it is completed, match betting and every other undecided market are void. Markets already decided stand, so a first set winner bet is settled once that set has been completed.

Walkovers. If a player withdraws before the match begins, all bets on that match are void.

Delays and changes. Bets stand if a match is suspended for rain or bad light and then completed as part of the same tournament. A change of court or venue does not affect bets. If the number of sets differs from the format the market was priced on, set betting, handicap and total markets are void.

Tie-breaks. A tie-break counts as one game in game handicap and total games markets. A match tie-break played in place of a final set counts as one set and one game.

19. Darts

Darts markets are priced on the match format announced by the organiser, whether that is legs, sets or both. If the format changes before the match starts, handicap, correct score and total markets are void, but match winner bets stand.

If a match starts but is not finished, for example because a player withdraws through injury, undecided markets are void and decided ones stand. A walkover voids all bets on the match.

Markets on 180s, highest checkout and nine-dart finishes are settled on official match statistics. If two players share the highest checkout, dead-heat rules apply and half the stake is paid at full odds.

20. Golf

Dead heats

Ties are common in golf. If your player ties for the last position covered by your bet, for example in a top 10 finish market or on the place part of an each-way bet, part of your stake is paid at full odds and the rest is lost. The part paid is the number of paid places the tied players share, divided by the number of players in the tie.

If four players tie for tenth in a top 10 market, one paid place is shared between four, so a quarter of the stake is paid at full odds.

Winner and play-offs

Tournament winner bets are settled on the player who wins, including through a play-off. If a tournament ends with a shared first place and no play-off, dead-heat rules apply.

Withdrawals and cuts

A player who withdraws before hitting their first tee shot is a non-runner, and bets on them are void. Once a player has teed off, bets stand. If the player then withdraws, is disqualified or misses the cut, outright and finishing position bets on them lose.

Two-balls, three-balls and match bets

These are settled on the score for the round or tournament named. If one of the players does not start, bets are void. Where players tie and no tie option was offered, dead-heat rules apply.

Shortened tournaments

If bad weather or another cause shortens a tournament, bets are settled on the official result declared by the organiser. Markets on rounds that are never played are void. If no official result is declared, all undecided bets are void.

21. Rugby union and rugby league

Rugby match bets are settled on the result at the end of 80 minutes plus stoppage time. Extra time, golden point and kicking competitions do not count unless the market is about which side progresses or lifts the trophy. The draw is a valid result in three-way match betting, and handicap and total points markets are settled on the score at 80 minutes.

In try scorer markets, a player who takes no part in the match is a non-runner and bets are void. A replacement counts from the moment they come on. Penalty tries are not credited to any player.

Abandonments and venue changes follow section 13.

22. Basketball

Overtime counts towards match winner, handicap and total points markets unless the market states otherwise. A market described as regulation time, or a three-way market with a draw option, is settled on the score before overtime.

Quarter and half markets cover only the period named. Overtime is not added to the fourth quarter or the second half unless the market says so.

Player markets, such as points or rebounds, include overtime. If the player takes no part in the game, the bet is void.

If a game is not completed, undecided markets are void and decided markets stand, in line with section 13.

23. Questions and complaints about a bet

If you think a bet has been accepted or settled wrongly, email support@messagebet.co or use the form on our Contact page. Give us the bet reference and tell us what you think should have happened. For a message bet, a screenshot of the message thread helps.

We check every complaint against the official result, our records and these rules. You will receive our final response within 8 weeks of the date we receive your complaint.

If you are unhappy with our final response, or 8 weeks have passed without one, you can refer the dispute to our alternative dispute resolution provider, the Independent Betting Adjudication Service (IBAS). Using IBAS costs you nothing.

We may update these rules from time to time. The version in force when your bet was accepted is the one used to settle it. Answers to common questions are in the Help Centre.