Rule 4 Deductions Explained
A rule 4 deduction is something that you will come across while gambling if you bet on horse racing. No other sport uses the rule 4 deduction, they don’t need to because if a team or competitor cannot play, the game would not take place. However, that isn’t the case with a horse race, with non-runners happening on a daily basis which could give you a rule 4 on the bet you place.
When does a Rule 4 Deduction occur?
A rule 4 deduction will be placed on your bet if a non-runner is declared in the race after you've bet. The other stipulation is that the horse which is a non-runner must be priced up at 14/1 or lower, if the horse is a bigger price than 14/1, no deduction is made.
The timing of your bet and the timing of the non-runner is key. If the non-runner happens just before the off, the rule 4 will apply to every bet placed. However, if it is declared in the morning, at 11am for example, only bets placed before 11am will have a rule 4 deduction. Those placed afterwards will be done so on the new betting market, which takes into account the non-runner and lowers the prices accordingly.
Why does a Rule 4 Deduction happen?
A rule 4 happens to balance the book for bookmakers. They create their betting odds based on a full field taking part, and each horse has a chance of winning which is relative to the others.
The favourite in a race has the most chance of winning, but if that horse doesn’t run, then every other runner in the field will have a better chance of winning, and therefore will need to be a lower price.
The shorter the price on the non-runner, the bigger chance others have of winning when it is withdrawn from the race, so the larger the deductions will be. If the non-runner is something priced up at low double figures, the deduction will be much smaller.
On most occasions you will find that the rule 4 deduction you have is roughly the same as the new price that has been created after the non-runner is known. However, there will be times when betting with a rule 4 works in your favour compared to the new odds, and also times when it doesn’t.
How much is deducted from my winnings with a Rule 4?
The amount deducted from your bet is all based upon the price of the non-runner at the time of withdrawal. It is important to note that if this happens in a morning, different bookmakers will have different odds so the rule 4 deductions may differ.
Here is a table showing the amount of money you lose in each £1 of profit depending on the price of the non-runner. Towards the end of the table, you will see a 5p deduction, it is worth checking with your bookmaker about these, as some bookmakers no longer take off the 5p deduction and they work from 10p onwards.
| Odds of Withdrawn Horse | Rule 4 Deduction |
| 1/9 or shorter | 90p in £1 |
| 2/11 to 2/17 | 85p in £1 |
| 1/4 to 1/5 | 80p in £1 |
| 3/10 to 2/7 | 75p in £1 |
| 2/5 to 1/3 | 70p in £1 |
| 8/15 to 4/9 | 65p in £1 |
| 8/13 to 4/7 | 60p in £1 |
| 4/5 to 4/6 | 55p in £1 |
| 20/21 to 5/6 | 50p in £1 |
| Evens to 6/5 | 45p in £1 |
| 5/4 to 6/4 | 40p in £1 |
| 8/5 to 7/4 | 35p in £1 |
| 9/5 to 9/4 | 30p in £1 |
| 12/5 to 3/1 | 25p in £1 |
| 16/5 to 4/1 | 20p in £1 |
| 9/2 to 11/2 | 15p in £1 |
| 6/1 to 9/1 | 10p in £1 |
| 10/1 to 14/1 | 5p in £1 |
| Over 14/1 | No deduction |
You might also be interested in:
What is "Best Odds Guaranteed" and why you should ALWAYS take it!
Top 20 Betting Offers
New customers only. 7 days to place qualifying bet of £10 at 1/1 (2.0) to receive 4 x £10 Free Bets: 1 x £10 football, 1 x £10 horse racing & 2 x £10 Bet Builders. Free Bets cannot be used on e-sports and non UK/IE horse racing. 7 day expiry. Exclusions apply. Stake not returned. 18+. T&Cs apply. | |||||
New Customers Only. Sign up with bonus code: EB20. Bet £20 and get £20 in Free Bets. Paid as £5 Free Bet on Soccer, £5 Free Bet on Horse Racing, £5 Free Bet on Multiples and a £5 Free Bet on any Market. Terms apply 18+ gambleaware.org. | |||||
Min Stake: £5. Maximum Free Bet: £30. First bet on a Football, Racing, Tennis, Cricket or Basketball multiple with 3+ selections. Overall odds: 3.00 (2/1) or higher. Free Bets available upon settlement of the qualifying bet. 100 Free Spins on More Unusual Suspects (£0.10 per spin) credited on settlement of qualifying Acca bet. No wagering requirements on free spin winnings. Offer valid 7 days from account opening. 18+ GambleAware.org. Full Terms apply | |||||
T&Cs apply. 18+ New customers only. You must place a single win-only bet of £10 or more with odds of evens (2.00) or greater to qualify. Money back as £10 in free bets. Free bet is credited the day after the qualifying bet has settled. Must use code B10G10 when creating an account. | |||||
New customers online only. Eligibility restrictions apply. Only valid with code B10G40 on registration. £10 min qualifying bet at 1/1 (2.0) odds or greater across sports or racing (if EW then min £10 Win + £10 Place). Receive £20 Tote Credit, £10 Free Sports Bet and 50 Free Spins on Big Bass Bonanza within 48 hours of qualifying bet settlement. 7-day expiry on free bets & Tote Credit. Your first bet will be your qualifying bet. One per customer. UK & ROI customers only. 18+. Full T&Cs apply. Gambleaware.org.Full T&Cs apply. | |||||
New customers only. Register with BETFRED50. Deposit £10+ via Debit Card and place first bet £10+ at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports within 7 days to get 3 x £10 in Sports Free Bets & 2 x £10 in Acca Free Bets within 10 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility & payment exclusions apply. Full T&Cs apply. | |||||
18+ New customers only. Opt in via mobile or app and bet £10 on any sports market (odds of 2.00+) within 7 days of registration. Get 3x£10 Free Bets on selected sports markets, which expire in 7 days. T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org | Please gamble responsibly | |||||
Place a £10 fixed odds bet at minimum odds of 1/2 and get 3 x £10 free fixed odds bets, 3 x £5 Total Goals football spread bets and 3 x £5 Winning Favourites spread bets and a £1 racing Race Index spread bet.18+ www.gambleaware.org. | |||||
Full T&Cs apply. New UK customers only. The qualifying bet should be either a Single or Acca (2+ selections) bet, start at £20, have 1.9 or greater odds and must be settled within 7 days of opt-in. 3 Free bets include: 1 x £20 Free bet Racing (Horse Racing or Greyhound Racing); 1 x £20 Free Bet Live Football; 1 x £20 Free Bet Live. Max payout – £500. 7-day expiry. To unlock the offer, complete the first deposit via the banking app (Open banking). 18+. BeGambleAware.com | |||||
New customers place a £10 fixed odds bet at minimum odds of 1/2. Get 2 x £10 free bets. 18+ begambleaware | |||||
18+. New Customers Only. Max 1 x £10 Free Bet. Qualifying bets at Odds of 1/1 or greater. Paid as Bonus Token Min 4/5 Odds Req. Skrill, Neteller, Paypal not eligible. T&Cs Apply. Please gamble responsibly. | |||||
New Customers Only. £10 in real money. Bets placed on sports at odds of 2.00 or more. Bets must be placed within 24 hours of registration. £10 free bets must be wagered on sports. UK residents. Full terms apply. Gambling can be addictive, play responsibly. 18+ | |||||
New bettors; Code SPORT; Wager deposit & bonus 8x; Max qualifying bet stake=initial bonus; Valid 60 days; Min odds, payment method exclusions apply; New customers only. T&C apply; 18+ Please gamble responsibly. | |||||
#AD | Welcome bonus for new players only | Maximum bonus is 100% up to £100 | Min. deposit is £10 | No max cash out | Wagering is 40x bonus | Maximum bet with an active bonus is £5 | Eligibility is restricted for suspected abuse | Skrill & Neteller deposits excluded for welcome bonus | Cashback when offered, applies to deposits where no bonus is included | Cashback is cash with no restrictions | T&C's apply |Free bet: Min odds: 2.0 - Free bet value will be deducted from free bet winnings | 18+ | BeGambleAware.org | Gambling is addictive, please gamble responsibly! | |||||
18+. New Customers Only. Min deposit £20. Maximum one £10 Free Bet & two £5 Bet Builder Free Bets. Qualifying bet must be placed at odds of Evens (2.00) or greater. Paid as bonus tokens: Token 1 Min odds Req: 4/5 (1.80). Token 2 & 3 are valid for Bet Builder products only and are subject to min odds of 2/1 (3.00). T&Cs Apply. Please gamble responsibly. | |||||
New Players Only. Free bet - one-time stake of £40, min odds 1.5, stake not returned. 1X wager the winnings. Wager from real balance first. Wager calculated on bonus bets only. Max conversion: £200. Valid for 7 Days from receipt. Limited to 1 sport & 5 casino brand/s within the network. Withdrawal requests void all active/pending bonuses. Excluded Skrill and Neteller deposits. Progress Play network Full Terms Apply. | |||||
18+. BeGambleAware.org. New customers only. Min. £10 deposit, debit card only. Up to 50x wagering, game contributions vary, max. stake applies, 7 day expiry. See full terms. #AD | |||||
18+ New Customers Only. Opt in and bet £10 on football (odds 2.00+) within 7 days. Get 4x£5 Free Bets for set markets and a £10 Slot Bonus for Big Bass Splash, 30x wagering, to withdraw max £250. Rewards expire in 20 days. Full T&Cs apply. gambleaware.org | Please gamble responsibly | |||||
18+. Play Safe. New customers only, using promo code T60. Valid from 13/04/2022. Online play. Get £60 Bonus split between Vegas & Sports in the following manner – (i) Deposit £10 to unlock £20 Vegas Free Bet on Selected Games (72hr expiry, wagering reqs apply); then (ii) bet £10+ (odds 1/2+) with cash (excl. £10 deposit) or Vegas winnings (after wager reqs met). Once settled, receive £40 Sports Free Bets excluding Virtual Markets (4x £10, 7 days expiry). Full T&Cs apply. #ad | |||||
New UK Customers. Register using code BETGETSPORTS. Must bet £10 in total on 4+ legs, min odds 4.0. £20 awarded as 4 X £5 free bets once settled, AND 50 Free Spins to use on Big Bass Splash (valued at 10p per spin). Free bet T&Cs Apply. 18+. BeGambleAware.org |
