What happens when there’s a non-runner in your acca or Lucky 15
The rule, what your bet turns into, and how to work out the new return.
Quick answer
A non-runner is treated as void, so it drops out and the bet is settled on the selections that are left. A four-fold becomes a treble. In a Lucky 15, each bet that included the non-runner drops down a level and only the non-runner’s own single is refunded. A Yankee has no singles, so nothing is refunded.
Key facts
- Void means the selection counts at odds of 1.00: the bet carries on without it.
- A Lucky 15 with one non-runner becomes 6 singles, 6 doubles and 2 trebles, with 1 bet refunded.
- A Yankee with one non-runner becomes 3 singles, 6 doubles and 2 trebles, with nothing refunded.
- This is the standard UK rule for day-of-race bets. Ante-post bets, bonuses and boosted multiples can be treated differently, so check your bookmaker’s terms.
Work out your new return in 3 steps
Open the right calculator
Use the BetCalc365 accumulator calculator for a double, treble or acca, or the system bets calculator for a Lucky 15, Yankee, Trixie or Patent.
Enter the bet as you placed it
Add every selection with its odds and your stake, including the one that didn’t run.
Mark the non-runner as Void
Set that selection to Void. The return updates, and a panel shows what your bet has become: how many singles, doubles and trebles, and how many bets are refunded.
Worked example: 2/1, 3/1, 4/1 and 5/1, with the 3/1 a non-runner
The other three selections all win. Figures from the calculator’s engine.
| Bet | Stake | What it becomes | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| £10 four-fold accumulator | £10.00 | A treble on the three runners | £900.00 |
| £1 Lucky 15 | £15.00 | 6 singles, 6 doubles, 2 trebles, 1 refunded | £335.00 |
| £1 Yankee | £11.00 | 3 singles, 6 doubles, 2 trebles, none refunded | £320.00 |
For comparison, the four-fold with all four winning would have returned £3600.00, and the Lucky 15 £839.00.
Why only one Lucky 15 bet is refunded
A refund happens only when every selection in a bet is void. In a Lucky 15 the only bet made up entirely of the non-runner is its single, so that one stake comes back. Every other bet that included it still has live selections, so it carries on as a smaller bet: a double becomes a single, a treble becomes a double and the fourfold becomes a treble.
If another horse in the same race is withdrawn, rather than your own selection, your bet still stands but a Rule 4 deduction may come off the winnings for that selection.
Each-way terms are set by the number of runners that start, so a non-runner in the race can also change the place terms on your other bets in it.
For how prices and chances shift when a field changes, the guide to margin and overround covers the basics.
Common questions
Do I get my money back if my horse is a non-runner?
What happens to a Lucky 15 with one non-runner?
What happens to a Lucky 15 with two non-runners?
Does a void football match work the same way in an acca?
Does a non-runner affect bonuses or acca boosts?
Related tools and guides
- System bets calculator, mark a selection Void to see what a Lucky 15 or Yankee becomes.
- Accumulator calculator, doubles, trebles and accas with void legs.
- Rule 4 deduction calculator, when a different horse in the race is withdrawn.
- How to work out a Lucky 15, costs and returns, step by step.
Worked examples on this page are produced by the same calculation engine as the calculators. 18+. Bet responsibly: help and tools.