Rules/What happens to a bet builder if your player doesn't start?
Rules
What happens to a bet builder if your player doesn't start?
It depends on the bookmaker. William Hill and BoyleSports void the whole bet builder if one selection is void, and Unibet refunds the stake. bet365 does the same except on selected pre-match player markets, which are recalculated. Sky Bet runs the rest of a BuildABet at the remaining odds. Whether a player counts as playing also differs: Sky Bet only voids if the player takes no part, while bet365 voids goalscorer bets on a player who doesn't start.
| Bookmaker | If one selection is void | If your player doesn't start |
|---|---|---|
| bet365 | The whole Bet Builder is void or push, except pre-match Bet Builders with player markets on selected sports, which are recalculated. | Goalscorer bets on a player who doesn't start are void, except in competitions with rolling substitutes. On markets marked Sub On Play On, if your player is subbed off the bet moves to the replacement. |
| Sky Bet | The other BuildABet selections run at the odds of the remaining selections. | Player bets are only void if the player takes no part. A player who comes on as a substitute counts as playing. |
| Paddy Power | Not stated separately for Bet Builders on the pages we checked. | Anytime goalscorer: a player who comes on counts as playing. First goalscorer: void if the player comes on after the first goal. |
| William Hill | The entire Bet Builder is void, whatever happens to the other selections. | Not stated for goalscorer bets on the page we checked. |
| Ladbrokes | Not stated in its football rules, which point to its separate Bet Builder terms. Those terms weren't on the pages we checked. | Player markets in a Bet Builder are void if the player doesn't start. Goalscorer markets stand if the player takes part at all, starting or coming on. |
| Coral | Not stated in its football rules, which point to its separate Bet Builder terms. Those terms weren't on the pages we checked. | Player markets in a Bet Builder are void if the player doesn't start. Goalscorer markets stand if the player takes part at all, starting or coming on. |
| Unibet | The stake is refunded if any part of the combination is settled as void. | Not stated on the page we checked. |
| 888sport | Not stated in the terms we checked (2026-10-17). | |
| BoyleSports | The whole Bet Builder is void, for example if your goalscorer selection does not play. | First goalscorer: stakes refunded if the player takes no part or comes on after the first goal. |
| Betfred | The whole bet is void. | If a player in the bet takes no part in the match, the whole bet is void. A player who comes on as a substitute isn't covered separately on the page we checked. |
Source: Bet builder player doesn't start: the rules by bookmaker on BookieRules, which links each bookie's own terms and the date each was checked. Bookies change their rules, so check the terms before you bet.
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