No Action Betting Term Meaning

No Action bets can cause inconvenience for both punters and bookies. To explain it simply, if ‘no action’ is called, the operator will treat your bet like it never happened. There are a number of different factors which can cause no action bets. We’ll outline them below.

In sports betting, the term ‘no action’ refers to a bet which has been made by a punter but is no longer valid. Under these circumstances, your stake will usually be returned.

It’s worth noting that different operators have different terms and conditions so it could be worthwhile contacting customer support if you’re unsure about policy for no action bets.

No action bets are extremely difficult to predict. They could be caused by a number of different reasons. The most common causes are as follows:

The weather is usually the biggest culprit when it comes to no action bets. For instance, you’ve woke up early on Saturday morning and placed a £10 bet on Rangers to beat Aberdeen at 3 PM. 

However, by lunchtime, the snow is lying thick on the ground and the referee has decided to abandon the game. Your bet will now be given no action status and your stake will be returned in full.

Injuries don’t cause problems in team sports like football and basketball as substitutions can be made but in single-player sports such as tennis and badminton, it can be more problematic. 

Usually in tennis, if a game is called off before the end of the first set your bet will be given no action status. It is still best to check the T&Cs section as rules change depending on the operator you’re using and whether the match was best of three (sets) or best of five.

Baseball is the most notable sport which is given no action status when key players are missing. For example, if you bet on the Boston Red Sox pre-match and their listed pitcher doesn’t start the game your bet will fall into this category. 

Most sportsbooks allow you to place ‘action’ bets, which are the opposite, on baseball games which means your bet will run no matter who starts.

To summarise, any sport at any time can fall into the no action category. There are other reasons why a bet or event might become no action such as the referee failing to show up or a team’s coach breaking down, but these are quite abnormal circumstances to be fair.

What exactly happens when you’ve created a treble but one of your bets is given no action status? The good news is that your bet will still run, however, your treble now becomes a double. 

The odds for your no action bet are removed and your news odds are calculated for your remaining two selections. For instance:

Originally, a £10 bet on these three selections to win would have paid out £29.70. With Berdych vs Tomic now no action it is removed, so you now have a double bet instead. Your £10 stake on the remaining two selections now pays out £24.30.