All in betting means your bet stands whether or not your selection takes part: if the player, team or horse never starts, you lose the stake and nothing is refunded. It matters most on futures, bets struck weeks or months before an event, and it is the default in NSW's rule book for sports bookmakers unless another basis is agreed (Bookmaker Declared Betting Events Betting Rules, clause 5.1.1).
Western Australia's Rules of Wagering use the name play or pay, and define it widely: a bet stands even where a runner or participant missing the event makes your selected result impossible (rule 3(1)).
A worked loss on a non-starter
Say you put $20 on Player X to win a tennis tournament at $13.00, three weeks before it starts (an illustrative price). How the bet settles depends on the market's rule:
| What happens to Player X | All-in rule | Non-starters refunded |
|---|---|---|
| Withdraws injured two days before the tournament | Loses: $0 back, $20 gone | Void: $20 back |
| Plays the first round, then retires hurt | Loses: $0 | Loses: $0 |
| Wins the tournament | $20 x 13.00 = $260 | $260 |
Only the first row differs, and an early price carries that risk. If you rate Player X's chance of starting at 85%, then per dollar staked the all-in $13.00 is worth about the same as $11.05 taken once you know X will play: 13.00 x 0.85 = 11.05. At a 70% chance it is worth about 13.00 x 0.70 = $9.10. Futures betting on horse racing works the same comparison through for a feature race.
Racing and sport: whose all-in rule applies
The rule comes from where the bookmaker is licensed and what you bet on:
| Bet | The rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Feature-race futures with NSW bookmakers | All in from the close of nominations until final acceptances; for bets struck after that, a scratching can bring a refund and deductions | Racing NSW policy for bookmakers |
| Fixed-odds racing futures with Racing and Wagering Western Australia (RWWA) | Play or pay, except a horse that never officially nominates; a late scratching gets no refund and no deduction | WA Rules of Wagering 2005, rules 62R and 62Q |
| Sport with bookmakers authorised in NSW | All in unless agreed otherwise, or unless the bookmaker's terms say a bet is not | NSW rule book, clause 5.1.1 |
| Sport with WA bookmakers | Play or pay unless both sides agree otherwise | WA Rules of Wagering 2005, rule 62(9) |
| Online bookmakers licensed elsewhere | Their own terms, which can differ by market | The bookmaker's rules |
In Racing NSW's description, final acceptances for a feature race normally come two to four days before it is run. Harness series run in heats and a final have early markets too, and WA's rules for its bookmakers make those bets play or pay, except bets on the final struck on race day (rule 60(2)). Major harness races covers the calendar. In sport, futures betting covers premiership and award markets.
Mistakes that turn all in into a lost stake
- Putting an all-in selection in a multi. If it never starts, the leg loses and so does the multi. With illustrative prices, $10 on $2.00, $1.80 and an all-in $13.00 returns nothing, where a rule that drops non-starters pays $10 x 2.00 x 1.80 = $36.00 if the other legs win.
- Reading the default as universal. The NSW rule book lets a bookmaker opt a bet out of all in through its own stated terms (clause 5.1.1(b)). Bookmakers licensed elsewhere set their own rules, so one tournament bet can be all in at one bookmaker and refunded at another.
Waiting until your selection is confirmed
The alternative to an all-in price is to bet once your selection is confirmed, when a refund rule can apply to a late withdrawal. In racing that is a final field bet, struck after final acceptances.
B337's Terminal shows prices from 40+ bookmakers across racing and sports. On a race it sets each bookmaker's fixed price next to Betfair back and lay, with flucs, so a race-day price can be judged once the field is final. On the main sports markets it compares each game's head to head, line and total markets across bookmakers. Prices are shown as at the time displayed, so confirm yours with the bookmaker. A free account opens a limited view of the Terminal with live odds.
Bookmaker names are trade marks of their owners. B337 is not affiliated with them.
Risk: Betting involves risk. An all-in bet can be lost before the event starts, and a long early price makes up for that only if your selection takes part. See responsible gambling for limits and support.