Injuries are a major part of sports. No one likes to see them happen, but they are inevitable when athletes are pushing themselves to the limit.
From a betting perspective, a lot of people don’t understand what exactly happens when there is an injury to an athlete. Does injury void a bet?
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The only time in which an injury has a chance to void a bet is if it happens before the contest begins. This also will only happen if it’s an individual sport. As an example, if a tennis player or fighter pulls out before a contest begins, gamblers can get their money back in most instances.
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Injuries in Team Sports
There’s very little protection for gamblers when it comes to injuries in team sports. The game still goes on, so the results will count. Injuries significantly change the odds of a game playing out a certain way depending on the caliber of the player. It’s part of that unknown risk that every gambler takes on when gambling.
Injuries do change odds quite a bit if it happens before the game takes place. However, no sportsbook is going to give money back because of an injury in the middle of a contest.
Individual Sports Injuries During Action
Once a contest begins, it’s officially live for gamblers. At this point, anything can happen with the outcome. If an injury stops the contest early, there’s usually not going to be any chance that a person gets their money back. This counts as a win for the opposition, and a very easy one at that. Being able to stay fresh and win can help out in the future if it’s a tournament.
Teams have the opportunity to bounce back from injuries. In an individual sport, it’s virtually impossible. There are no teammates to lean on or substitutions to be made.
Individual Sports Injuries Before Action
This is the one time where gamblers might have the opportunity to have a void bet. If a player pulls out of a contest before the start, the sportsbooks tend to cancel the bet. For example, tennis players will sometimes get a walkover against an opponent because of an injury they suffered in the previous round.
The match never started in this case, as the player talked to officials and pulled out of the contest before stepping onto the court. Since this was a non-contest, a lot of sportsbooks will cancel all bets and return the money.
Using Injuries as an Advantage
Instead of looking at injuries as only an unlucky wrinkle, they can actually work as an advantage for smart gamblers. Knowing that a team is not at full strength right before a game can give people an edge. Sportsbooks are pretty quick to adjust odds when necessary, but there might be a little bit of a window to get good action before official announcements come out.
Nobody roots for injuries, but paying attention to them makes a big difference. In individual sports, keeping an eye on how they performed the last time out and if they are nursing any nagging injuries can play a role.
Dealing with Injuries and Gambling
Injuries always have in sports, and the more aggressive ones tend to have the biggest problems. Certain things are uncontrollable, and injuries in the middle of a game are up there. Getting a bet voided because of this probably won’t happen, but it’s always worth paying attention to the fine print and reading rules beforehand to see exactly what each sportsbook does.