Skip to main content
All CollectionsReading the Game
Scratchings, abandoned events, and dead heats.
Scratchings, abandoned events, and dead heats.

How Swopstakes handles scratchings, abandoned events and dead heats in games on racing and sports events.

Baxter avatar
Written by Baxter
Updated over a week ago

Introduction

The circumstances can vary widely for each event and we reserve the right to decide what is appropriate at our sole discretion.  However, we follow these general principles in determining what to do.  

Please note that the published terms and conditions of specific games and promotions may be read in place of these general principles.

Racing Games

Where an entire Game is abandoned Prior to Race 1 

  • Refund 100% at ticket purchase price.

  • The event may or may not be rescheduled but the fields will most certainly be vastly different.

Where the balance of a Game is abandoned, after Race 1 but prior to final Race

  • For all 'live' tickets at the time of abandonment we payout at Swopstakes market value.

  • We do not refund tickets that have already been eliminated.

Where 1 or more Races in a Round are abandoned

  • We treat it as a dead-heat and declare every outcome in the abandoned Race(s) as a winning outcome.

  • As with dead-heats, this approach will result in multiple 'live' tickets at the conclusion of the final Race - the prize pool will be split by the remaining 'live' tickets.

Sports Games

In the case of an abandoned Round or Event(s), or incomplete Events.

  • Refund 100% at ticket purchase price.

  • Meeting may or may not be rescheduled but the fields will most certainly be vastly different

Where an entire Round is abandoned prior to Event 1

  • If the abandoned Round is not to be rescheduled or the rescheduled Round will not be held within what we believe is a reasonable period - 100% refund at ticket purchase price.

  • If the abandoned Round is to be rescheduled within what we believe is a reasonable period - no refund all 'live' bets stand.

Where the balance of the Round is abandoned, after Event 1 but prior to final Event

If the abandoned Events will not be rescheduled or the reschedule Events will not be held within a what we believe is a reasonable period then:

  • For all 'live' tickets at the time of abandonment we payout at Swopstakes market value.

  • If the abandoned Events will be rescheduled within what we consider to be a reasonable period of time - no refund all 'live' bets stand.

Where 1 or more Events within a Round are abandoned, prior to Event start

If the abandoned Events will not be rescheduled or the reschedule Events will not be held within what we consider to be a reasonable period of time:

  • Treat as a dead-heat and declare every outcome in the abandoned Event(s) as a winning outcome.

  • As with dead-heats, approach results in multiple 'live' tickets at the conclusion of the final Event - the prize pool will be split by the remaining 'live' tickets.

  • If the abandoned Events rescheduled within what we consider to be a reasonable period of time - no refund all bets stand

Where 1 or more Events are not completed

  • If an official result is declared then that shall be the result used to determine the winning outcome(s) - this may or may not result in the equivalent of a dead-heat scenario.

  • If an official result is not declared then refer to the rules for abandoned Events

Scratchings

Racing Games and Sports Games

In the case of a scratching(s), either prior to the start of a meeting or during the course of a meeting, then the ticket will be refunded pro rata at the Swopstakes market value - pre-scratching. 

For example, using a 3 outcome ticket: 

Horse A    $5.00      20.0%

Horse B    $8.00      12.5%

Horse C   $2.00       50.0%

Total         82.5%

Horse A is scratched = 20.0/82.5 = 0.2424

Refund is 24.24% of Swopstakes market value of the ticket, pre-scratching.

True market value means no discounting by the WP.

This approach is based on the payer having lost 24.24% chance of winning as a result of the scratching.

In the case where there was only 1 outcome per bracket, or 1 remaining outcome in a ticket, then the pro rata refund is 100% of the Swopstakes market value - pre-scratching.

Dead Heats

At the Conclusion of the Final Event

  • In the case of dead heats, split the prize pool amongst all 'live' tickets at the conclusion of the final Event/Race with the exception that in the case of dead-heats, or where abandoned Event(s)/Race(s) has resulted in multiple winning outcomes, the prize pool will be paid to just the one winning ticket. 

Did this answer your question?