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Rule 4 Deductions Explained: Non-Runners and Your Winnings
When a horse is withdrawn after you have bet, your winnings can be cut by anything from 5p to 90p in the pound. The full Rule 4 table, when it applies and when it does not, and worked examples for singles, each-way bets and multiples.
By Horse.bet Team · Updated 23 October 2026
The rule
Rule 4 Deductions Explained: Why Winnings Are Cut
Rule 4, in full Tattersalls Rule 4(c), is the most commonly invoked rule in British racing betting. It deals with what happens to winning bets when a horse is withdrawn from a race after those bets were struck. The Tattersalls Committee sets the rules of betting on British horseracing, and bookmakers apply its deduction table to winning bets.
The logic is simple. Suppose you take 5/1 about a horse in the morning, when the 7/4 favourite is in the field. At lunchtime the favourite is withdrawn with a setback. Your horse now has a much better chance than when you bet, and in the new market it might be 3/1. Without a deduction, you would be holding a price that no longer reflects the race, and the bookmaker would be paying out on a book it never balanced. Rule 4 corrects that by taking a set amount from every pound of winnings, scaled to how big a chance the withdrawn horse had.
Two things to note at the start. The deduction comes off your winnings, not your stake. And it applies only to winning bets struck before the withdrawal: if your own horse is the non-runner, your single is void and your stake comes back.
The numbers
The Rule 4 Table: Deductions by the Non-Runner’s Price
The deduction depends on the price of the withdrawn horse at the time of its withdrawal. The shorter its price, the bigger its chance, and the bigger the cut.
Price of withdrawn horse
Decimal
Deduction per £1 of winnings
1/9 or shorter
1.11 or shorter
90p
2/17 to 2/11
1.12 to 1.18
85p
1/5 to 1/4
1.20 to 1.25
80p
2/7 to 3/10
1.29 to 1.30
75p
1/3 to 2/5
1.33 to 1.40
70p
4/9 to 8/15
1.44 to 1.53
65p
4/7 to 8/13
1.57 to 1.62
60p
4/6 to 4/5
1.67 to 1.80
55p
5/6 to 20/21
1.83 to 1.95
50p
Evens to 6/5
2.00 to 2.20
45p
5/4 to 6/4
2.25 to 2.50
40p
8/5 to 7/4
2.60 to 2.75
35p
9/5 to 9/4
2.80 to 3.25
30p
12/5 to 3/1
3.40 to 4.00
25p
16/5 to 4/1
4.20 to 5.00
20p
9/2 to 11/2
5.50 to 6.50
15p
6/1 to 9/1
7.00 to 10.00
10p
10/1 to 14/1
11.00 to 15.00
5p
Bigger than 14/1
Bigger than 15.00
No deduction
Deductions are in pence per £1 of winnings, as set out in Tattersalls Rule 4(c). When more than one horse is withdrawn, the deductions combine, but the total can never exceed 90p in the pound.
Anything at 10/1 to 14/1 costs you just 5p in the pound, and an outsider bigger than 14/1 costs nothing. The cuts that hurt come when a fancied horse is pulled out: a withdrawn 2/1 shot takes 30p, an even-money favourite 45p, and a short-priced odds-on favourite can take more than half your winnings.
When it applies
When Rule 4 Applies, and When It Does Not
Your bet
Is Rule 4 applied?
Fixed price (early or board price) struck before the withdrawal
Yes
Fixed price struck after the withdrawal, in the new market
No
Starting price bet
Usually no: the SP is formed after the withdrawal. Yes if the withdrawal comes so late that there is no time to re-form the market
Ante-post bet
No
Bet on the horse that is withdrawn
Not applicable: a single is void and the stake returned (ante-post bets excepted)
The starting price exception is the important one. Because the SP is returned from the market after the withdrawal has been taken into account, SP bets normally escape Rule 4. The exception is a late withdrawal, for example a horse that refuses to enter the stalls, when there is no time for the market to re-form before the off. Then SP bets take the deduction too.
Ante-post bets are not affected at all, which is one of the few things in their favour: in a big-field race such as the Grand National, several withdrawals can leave day-of-race backers with a significant combined deduction while ante-post bets are paid in full. The flip side is that an ante-post bet on a horse that does not run is lost. Our guide to ante-post betting explains that trade-off and how non-runner no bet works.
On an exchange there is no Rule 4 as such. Betfair, Smarkets and Matchbook apply reduction factors to matched bets when a horse is withdrawn, which do the same job in a different way.
Worked examples
Rule 4 Examples: Singles, Each Way and Two Non-Runners
Win single with one non-runner
£10 win at 5/1 (6.0), struck in the morning. Later a 7/4 (2.75) runner is withdrawn: a 35p deduction.
Winnings before deduction: £10 × 5 = £50. Deduction: £50 × 0.35 = £17.50. Winnings after deduction: £32.50.
Total return if your horse wins: £32.50 + £10 stake = £42.50, instead of £60. An illustration, not a real result.
Each-way bet with one non-runner
£5 each way (£10 total) at 8/1 (9.0) in a 10-runner non-handicap, paying 1/5 the odds for three places. A 3/1 (4.0) runner is withdrawn after your bet: a 25p deduction. The field drops to nine, so three places are still paid.
If your horse finishes second: the win part loses. The place part is settled at 8/5 (1/5 of 8/1): winnings £5 × 1.6 = £8, less 25% = £6. Return £6 + £5 stake = £11.
If it wins: win part £5 × 8 = £40, less 25% = £30, return £35; place part returns £11. Total £46, instead of £58 without the deduction. An illustration only.
Two non-runners
£10 win at 6/1 (7.0). First a 3/1 runner is withdrawn (25p). The market re-forms, and later a horse priced at 9/2 in the new market is withdrawn too (15p). Your bet was struck before both, so both deductions apply: 40p in total.
Winnings: £10 × 6 = £60, less 40% = £36. Return £46, instead of £70. However many horses come out, the total deduction stops at 90p.
Our bet calculator has a Rule 4 field for singles, each-way bets and multiples, and the each-way calculator shows how the place part is settled.
A real case: Tango Sky at Wolverhampton
Rule 4 has a regulatory history. In January 2015 a Ladbrokes trader, knowing that Tango Sky would be withdrawn from a sprint handicap at Wolverhampton, cut its price from 7/2 to 3/1. That moved it into a higher band of the table, raising the deduction on bets struck before the withdrawal from 20p to 25p in the pound. The Gambling Commission found in 2018 that the price had been shortened deliberately to maximise Rule 4 deductions, contrary to the duty to keep gambling fair, and Ladbrokes accepted the findings.
Price or SP
Rule 4, the Starting Price and Best Odds Guaranteed
Rule 4 is one reason the choice between an early price and the SP is not always straightforward. If you suspect a fancied horse may come out, perhaps because the ground has changed overnight and its trainer has said it needs good ground, taking a price exposes you to a deduction, while the SP will simply reflect the smaller field. Once a non-runner has been declared and the market has re-formed, a price taken after that point is not affected by that withdrawal.
Best Odds Guaranteed helps, but read the terms on non-runners. Betfred, for example, excludes races that revert to SP because of non-runners from its BOG concession. Some bookmakers soften the blow: bet365 waives the first 5p of any Rule 4 deduction, so the withdrawal of a 10/1 to 14/1 shot costs its customers nothing.
Racecards are updated with non-runners as they are declared. Check the racecards for today before you bet, and the results page for the official returns once the race is settled.
Multiples
Non-Runners and Rule 4 in Doubles, Trebles and Lucky 15s
Multiples are affected in two different ways, and it helps to keep them apart.
One of your selections is a non-runner. That leg is void and the bet stands on the rest, so a treble becomes a double and a double becomes a single. In a full-cover bet such as a Yankee or Lucky 15, every line that includes the non-runner is reduced in the same way.
Another horse is withdrawn from one of your races. Rule 4 reduces the odds of your winning selection in that race before the returns roll on to the next leg.
Worked example: a double with a Rule 4
£10 double: horse A wins at 2/1 (3.0) with no non-runners. Horse B wins at 3/1 (4.0), but a 4/1 runner was withdrawn from its race after your bet: a 20p deduction.
Horse B’s odds become 3/1 less 20%, which is 2.4/1, or 3.4 in decimal. Return: £10 × 3.0 × 3.4 = £102, instead of £120 without the deduction. An illustration only.
In an each-way multiple, the deduction applies to the win and place parts of the affected leg alike. On a busy Saturday with several meetings, a multiple can pick up deductions in more than one race, which is why it pays to check the settled return against your own calculation.
In practice
Can You Avoid a Rule 4 Deduction?
Bet after the non-runners are known. Many withdrawals are declared in the morning. A price taken once the market has re-formed is not affected by them.
Watch the ground. Non-runners cluster when the going changes. If a big rain-softened card at Haydock or a quickening surface at Goodwood is likely to thin the field, consider the SP. The going guide explains the official descriptions.
Bet ante-post, with NRNB where you can. Ante-post bets are not subject to Rule 4, though they carry their own risks.
Use a bookmaker that softens it. bet365 waives the first 5p of any deduction.
Check the band. If the withdrawn horse was bigger than 14/1, there is no deduction at all.
Rule 4 can feel like a penalty, but it reflects a real change in the race: your horse has fewer rivals to beat. Factor it into your staking, keep to a budget you have set in advance, and remember that betting is for over-18s only. For help with gambling, contact GambleAware.org.
★ Racing offers
Bookmakers and exchanges: how they handle non-runners
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Questions
Frequently asked questions
What is a Rule 4 deduction?
A reduction in winnings on bets struck before a horse was withdrawn from the race. It is set out in Tattersalls Rule 4(c) and depends on the withdrawn horse’s price, from 5p in the pound for a 10/1 to 14/1 shot up to 90p for a horse at 1/9 or shorter.
Does Rule 4 apply to starting price bets?
Normally not, because the SP is formed after the withdrawal. It does apply to SP bets when a horse is withdrawn so late that there is no time to re-form the market.
What is the maximum Rule 4 deduction?
90p in the pound. However many horses are withdrawn, the combined deduction cannot exceed that.
Does Rule 4 apply to each-way bets?
Yes. If your each-way bet was struck before the withdrawal, the deduction applies to the winnings on both the win and place parts.
Does Rule 4 apply to ante-post bets?
No. Standard ante-post bets are not affected by Rule 4, although an ante-post bet on a horse that does not run is normally lost.
How do I calculate a Rule 4 deduction?
Work out your winnings (not including the stake), multiply by the deduction as a percentage, and subtract it. A £10 bet at 5/1 with a 35p deduction wins £50 less £17.50, so £32.50, plus the £10 stake. Our bet calculator does it for you.
What happens if my horse is a non-runner?
Your single is void and the stake is returned, unless it was an ante-post bet without non-runner no bet. In a multiple, that leg is void and the bet stands on the remaining selections.
Who sets Rule 4?
The Tattersalls Committee, which publishes the rules on betting for British horseracing.
