As with all sports, Horse Racing has a series of rules and regulations that must be obeyed by everyone associated. The bookmakers also have a set of rules and regulations that they must set and follow accordingly. Rule 4 is one of those regulations and it’s vital, as a punter, that it’s understood before betting on any race.
What is Rule 4?
Rule 4 is term used to protect bookmakers from the event of a horse pulling out or being withdrawn from a race after a market has already been determined. Due to the fact that the odds are produced taking into account each horse, if one were to pull out then these odds would change.
If Rule 4 came into play on a market then a percentage of money would be deducted off punters winnings at the end of the race. This percentage is normally around 5%.
How will it affect a bet?
The ruling will only come into play if a horse is withdrawn from a race (could be for many reasons including injury, wrong ground, illness etc.) and a book has already been set. If there are no withdrawals then the bet will stand and winnings won’t need to be adjusted (under Rule 4).
If a horse is removed from the race then you need to check your terms and conditions of the bookmaker that you placed a bet with to see their understanding if Rule 4 comes into play.
Why does it occur?
Rule 4 is there to protect bookmakers from losing out due to the fact a horse has been withdrawn from a race. So for example, if the favourite was to be removed after an initial price of 2/1 with the second favourite at 4/1 and the third at 10/1 both still running, then the odds of the 4/1 second favourite will not reflect its dominance in the field any longer.
All of the odds in the field will be adjusted; however when it comes to those having already placed a bet at the initial odds, the deduction will come off their winnings at the end of the race.
There are bookmakers who do not apply any deductions under Rule 4 for a certain few races. It’s important you check and see what each individual bookmakers ruling is before placing a bet.
How are the odds calculated?
Money is taken off per pound of winnings at the end of the race. So a winner at evens with a Rule 4 in place on that race will have 45p per £1 deducted at the end. Quite a significant number! The table below shows how much is deducted for each odds bracket.
| Odds | £ Deducted |
|---|---|
| 1/9 or Shorter | 0.90 |
| 2/11 to 2/17 1/4 to 1/5 3/10 to 2/7 2/5 to 1/3 8/15 to 4/9 8/13 to 4/7 4/5 to 4/6 20/21 to 5/6 Evens to 6/5 5/4 to 6/4 13/8 to 7/4 15/8 to 9/4 5/2 to 3/1 10/3 to 4/1 9/2 to 11/2 6/1 to 9/1 10/1 to 14/1 |
0.85 0.80 0.75 0.70 0.65 0.60 0.55 0.50 0.45 0.40 0.35 0.30 0.25 0.20 0.15 0.10 0.05 |
| Over 14/1 | No deduction |