These Specific Sports Rules form part of and should be read alongside the Sportsbook Rules.
NOVELTY MARKETS
The following rules include reasons for voiding bets.
All Specials Markets
Reality TV and Talent Shows
Awards Ceremonies
Eurovision Song Contest
Music Charts
Weather
Other Novelty Markets
A. Reality TV and Talent Shows
These rules apply to TV shows including Strictly Come Dancing, The X Factor, The Voice, Dancing on Ice, Survivor and Big Brother.
These competition-based reality shows typically feature gradual elimination of participants, either by a panel of judges, by the viewership of the show, or by the contestants themselves.
If a contestant is eliminated from the competition, removed by the show or leaves of their own accord, bets on that contestant will be settled as losing bets. If that same contestant is readmitted at a later date, they will be treated as a new contestant, and previous bets on that contestant will not stand.
Bet settlement will be based on the official result as declared on the day. Any subsequent events will be disregarded.
For talent shows, all bets are settled on how the contestant originally entered the competition. Any deviation, for example, a solo artist joining a group, will be settled as a losing bet.
Additional competitors may be added at a later stage.
Eviction markets only apply to official evictions broadcasted by the relevant broadcaster (currently ITV). Any contestant leaving the house of their own accord or removed by Big Brother will not be treated as the next evictee for betting purposes. We may void all bets placed on an eviction market should the initial line up for eviction be changed. Others may be added to the market at any time.
We are not responsible for the way in which the broadcaster conducts the show. Any late changes to methods of eviction, addition or subtraction of housemates or any other factors affecting the market are Events Beyond Our Control.
For the purposes of our markets, we will define an eviction as the permanent expulsion from the house of a contestant or contestants. Therefore, fake evictions will not be considered as winners. Therefore, any bets placed on a stipulated eviction (e.g. first) will run until a person is seen to egress the house with no immediate prospect of return.
We reserve the right to apply a Dead Heat reduction on any event where more winners are declared than were originally specified.
In the event of the series being cancelled before an official winner is declared, bets will be settled as a dead heat between the contestants that have not been eliminated. Outright bets on contestants already eliminated will be treated as losing selections.
Offered on an ‘all-in compete or not’ basis.
Unless otherwise stated, Dead Heat rules will apply where more winners are declared than were originally specified.
Unless otherwise stated, Head-to-Head markets will be settled on whoever achieves the best final position in the competition.
B. Awards Ceremonies
These rules apply to awards ceremonies including but not limited to Sports Personality of the Year and the Oscars.
Settlement of bets will be based upon the official result as announced at the ceremony on the day. Any subsequent appeal or disqualification will not count.
If an award is refused or not accepted, this will be disregarded for settlement purposes, and that selection will be deemed the winner regardless.
If an award is given jointly, then Dead Heat rules will apply.
If an award ceremony or event is cancelled or abandoned, then all bets placed will be void unless the result of the specified market has already been announced.
Bets will be settled based on the official voting figures released after the award ceremony.
C. Eurovision Song Contest
For both the final and semi-finals, settlement will be based on the official results on the night of the final (semi-final results will not be published by the governing body until after the final. Only qualified countries will be announced, and in no particular order).
Bets are settled as losing bets if a country does not finish a competition, for example, through disqualification.
Bets will be settled on the country that finishes highest in the official result in the final or semi-final, as stated in the match.
If both countries fail to qualify, then the best position in the semi-final will count. If one country makes the final and one doesn’t, then the qualified country will be settled as the winner.
Bets will be settled on the country that finishes highest in the official final result. If all countries in the group fail to reach the final, all bets will be void.
Bets on this market apply to the final only.
D. Music Charts
- Bets will be settled based on the chart declared by the relevant country’s official chart company.
- Featuring artists do not count. Whether or not a song is considered to be a duet or, alternatively, a song that includes a ‘featuring artist’ will be determined by the official chart company. In particular, it will be determinative if the word ‘featuring’ (or similar) is used before an artist's name. Where a duet has a realistic prospect of achieving the number one spot, we will use reasonable efforts to offer a selection in respect of that duet (for example, Calvin Harris and Sam Smith).
- Where multiple versions of a particular artist's song include different secondary artists (and those multiple versions are considered by the official charts company to represent a single entry), it is only the primary artist that will be deemed, for settlement purposes, to be included in the entry. For example, the official Christmas Number One in 2017 was Ed Sheeran's ‘Perfect’ (albeit that such song achieved its placing as a consequence of separate versions, which included Beyonce and Andrea Bocelli). In such circumstances, Ed Sheeran alone would be considered to have achieved the official Christmas number one.
E. Weather
- Bets may be offered relating to weather, for example, temperature, rainfall and snowfall. All settlements will be based on official statistics published for the specified country, including the following websites:
- Metoffice.gov.uk (UK)
- Dwd.de (Germany)
- Aemet.es (Spain)
- Met.ie (Ireland)
F. Other Novelty markets
- For ‘TV Specials’ markets, if a winner is not declared for the series in question, outright bets will be void.
- For ‘Streaming Specials’ markets, if a winner is not declared for the event in question, bets will be void.
- For the ‘On Which Date Will the Next Pope be Elected?’ market, bets will be settled based on the official date on which the new pope is elected, as publicly confirmed by the Vatican.
3.1 The election is deemed to have occurred on the date when the chosen candidate formally accepts the papacy following the conclave vote.
3.2 The date of election will be determined according to local Vatican time.
3.3 If no pope is elected (e.g., conclave suspended or cancelled), all bets will be void and stakes returned.
The betting rules for other novelty markets are often very specific and will be displayed on the same page as the betting market in question or elsewhere on the Website.