What Happens When a Sporting Event Is Postponed or Canceled
March 2020. The NBA suspended its season. Sportsbooks around the world faced a question they had not anticipated: what happens to bets on games that will never be played?
On March 11, 2020, NBA player Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19. Within hours, the NBA suspended its season. Across the US and Europe, sportsbooks faced a specific problem: over $600 million in outstanding bets on games that were now postponed indefinitely.
What happened to those bets? The answer depends on the sportsbook, the jurisdiction, and the specific event rules.
The Regulatory Framework
The Nevada Gaming Control Board provides guidance in its Regulation 22.105. For Nevada sportsbooks, the rule is explicit: if a game is not played on the scheduled date or the scheduled date is not met, the bets are void and money is returned. This applies to all sports, all events.
The UKGC (United Kingdom Gambling Commission) follows a similar principle but with more specificity. For football (soccer), if a match is postponed and played within 48 hours, bets stand. If it is postponed beyond 48 hours, bets are void and refunded.
For other sports, the UKGC defers to the individual operator's rules, which must be published in advance. This creates variation. Some UK operators return money on postponement. Others void the bet but credit it as a free bet.
Curacao eGaming has minimal guidance, leaving operators to set their own rules. This is why Curacao-licensed operators show variation in postponement handling.
The March 2020 Event
When the NBA suspended on March 11, major sportsbooks had to make immediate decisions. DraftKings and FanDuel announced that all pending NBA bets would be voided and refunded. This cost them millions but was the safe approach.
Smaller operators took different approaches. Some refunded. Some created in-game voidsettlement rules (bets on first-quarter scores would settle, but bets on full-game lines would void). Some credited future bets instead of refunds.
The variation created customer service chaos. Thousands of bettors contacted support demanding refunds. Some operators faced regulatory complaints.
How Games Get Rescheduled
When a game is postponed, the operator needs to know the new date before deciding how to handle existing bets. This creates timing problems.
The UFC, for example, reschedules fights within 1-2 weeks. Most sportsbooks (and the UFC itself) have rules stating: if a fighter is replaced or a fight is rescheduled more than 7 days from the original date, bets are void.
Football leagues like the Premier League reschedule matches within days or weeks. The tight rescheduling window means most bets will stand. But if a match is postponed beyond a certain period (typically 2-3 weeks), bets void.
The Ambiguity in Team Sports
In team sports, complications arise. If a basketball game is postponed one week due to injury to key players, does that change the betting rules? Usually not. The bet remains in effect on the new date.
But if a game is postponed due to a team being quarantined (as happened during the 2021 NBA season), different rules apply. The sportsbook must make a judgment about whether the event as played is materially different from the event that was bet on.
Most operators side with the customer in this case and void the bet. The reasoning is that the customer bet on a specific matchup. If that matchup is materially altered, the bet should not stand.
Settlement Precedents
The 2021-2022 Australian Open provides a clear precedent. Multiple players were deported due to COVID visa restrictions. This altered the tournament field materially. Sportsbooks had two options:
- Void bets on matches involving replaced players.
- Settle bets using the player who replaced the original player.
Most major operators (Smarkets, Betfair, DraftKings) chose option one. Bets on Novak Djokovic matches were voided because Djokovic never competed.
How To Read the Rules
Every sportsbook publishes postponement rules. You can find them under "Rules and Regulations" or "Betting Rules." Read them before placing a bet on an event with known uncertainty.
Specific questions to answer:
If the event is postponed beyond X days, what happens to my bet? (Typical answer: void and refund.)
If the event is played on a different date but within X days, does my bet still stand? (Typical answer: yes.)
If the event is played with a replacement participant (substitute player, different location), does my bet void? (Typical answer: depends on the sport. For individual-sport matchups like UFC, usually yes. For team sports, usually no.)
Different sportsbooks have different thresholds. DraftKings uses 48 hours for NFL postponements. FanDuel uses 7 days for college sports. Know the specific rules of your sportsbook.
The Financial Impact on Operators
When a major event is postponed or canceled, sportsbooks face either refund costs or reputation damage. Refunding millions of dollars in bets damages short-term profit but preserves customer trust.
Many operators now purchase event-cancellation insurance to cover exposure during major tournaments or seasons. This insurance allows them to hedge against catastrophic postponement scenarios.
What Happened After March 2020
When sports resumed (NBA in July 2020, NFL in September 2020), sportsbooks had processed refunds on an estimated $1.2 billion in voided bets. This created a one-time cost across the industry.
But the experience taught operators that clear postponement rules prevent customer service backlogs. After 2020, most major operators clarified their postponement policies, making them simpler and more standardized.
The lesson was simple: ambiguity on rules during crisis creates both financial loss and reputational damage. Clarity on postponement and cancellation rules is now standard industry practice.