# Betfred Rule 4: How Tattersalls Deductions Are Applied (Plus the BOG Interaction) _Betfred Rule 4 explained for racing punters — Tattersalls deduction scale, when it applies, how it interacts with Best Odds Guaranteed (Rule 4 first, BOG second), and worked examples._ *Source: [https://stablebet.co.uk/bookmakers/betfred-rule-4/](https://stablebet.co.uk/bookmakers/betfred-rule-4/) · last updated 2026-05-02* ## What Is Rule 4? **Rule 4** is the deduction applied to your winning odds when a horse is withdrawn from a race after you've placed your bet. The bookmaker reduces your odds because the withdrawn horse's removal makes the remaining field more likely to win — and the deduction scales with the withdrawn horse's price. Rule 4 is a Tattersalls Committee rule, not a Betfred-specific policy. Every UK and Irish bookmaker applies the same Tattersalls deduction scale (give or take small interpretive differences). What varies operator-to-operator is **how Rule 4 interacts with Best Odds Guaranteed** — specifically, the order in which the two adjustments are applied. Get this wrong in your settlement check and you'll think the bookmaker has shorted you. Betfred's Rule 4 mechanic follows the standard UK approach: **Rule 4 is applied to your taken price first; BOG kicks in second**. So if you took 10/1 and a non-runner triggers a 25p Rule 4, your effective taken price drops to 7.5/1; if SP at the off is 8/1, you settle at 8/1 (BOG); if SP is 7/1, you settle at 7.5/1 (Rule 4-adjusted taken price). This page covers Betfred's Rule 4 mechanic in detail, the standard Tattersalls deduction scale, the BOG interaction, and the cumulative-deduction logic that applies when multiple horses are withdrawn from the same race. For the broader each-way + Rule 4 picture, see our [each-way betting guide](/betting/bet-types/each-way/). For Betfred BOG specifically, see [Betfred BOG](/bookmakers/betfred-best-odds-guaranteed/). ## How Betfred Applies Rule 4 ### When Rule 4 applies Rule 4 deductions apply when: - A horse is **withdrawn from the race after you've placed your bet** (typically due to going lame in the parade ring, a vet's intervention, or refusal to enter the stalls). - The withdrawal happens **after the final declarations** (so the field has already been published and prices have settled). - The **other prices in the market haven't been re-priced** to reflect the withdrawal — Rule 4 is the bookmaker's way of mathematically adjusting after the fact. If a non-runner is announced before final declarations or before you place your bet, no Rule 4 applies to your bet — the market re-prices and you're betting at the post-non-runner odds. ### The Tattersalls Rule 4 deduction scale This is the standard scale used across UK and Irish bookmakers (including Betfred): | Withdrawn horse's price | Deduction per £1 of winnings | |---|---| | 1/9 or shorter | 90p | | 2/11 to 2/17 | 85p | | 1/4 to 1/5 | 80p | | 3/10 to 2/7 | 75p | | 2/5 to 1/3 | 70p | | 8/15 to 4/9 | 65p | | 8/13 to 4/7 | 60p | | 4/5 to 5/8 | 55p | | 20/21 to 5/6 | 50p | | Evens (1/1) to 6/5 | 45p | | 5/4 to 6/4 | 40p | | 13/8 to 7/4 | 35p | | 15/8 to 9/4 | 30p | | 5/2 to 3/1 | 25p | | 10/3 to 4/1 | 20p | | 9/2 to 11/2 | 15p | | 6/1 to 9/1 | 10p | | 10/1 to 14/1 | 5p | | Longer than 14/1 | No deduction | **Reading the table**: if a 5/2 horse is withdrawn after your bet, every £1 of winnings on your bet is reduced by 25p. So a £10 stake at 10/1 that wins would normally pay £100 profit; after a 25p Rule 4, it pays £75 profit (£100 × 0.75). ### Cumulative Rule 4 (multiple non-runners) When multiple horses are withdrawn after final declarations, Rule 4 deductions are **cumulative** — but with a published cap. Most UK operators apply a maximum cumulative deduction of 90p in the £. So in a race where two horses (say a 2/1 favourite and a 4/1 second-favourite) are both withdrawn: - 2/1 withdrawal: 30p deduction - 4/1 withdrawal: 20p deduction - Cumulative: 50p (within the 90p cap, so no clip) In a race where a 1/9 favourite and a 5/2 are both withdrawn: - 1/9 withdrawal: 90p - 5/2 withdrawal: 25p - Cumulative would be 115p, capped at **90p** ### Worked examples **Example 1.** £10 win bet at 10/1. The 5/2 second-favourite is withdrawn. Rule 4: 25p in the £. - Original profit (if horse wins): £10 × 10 = £100 - After 25p Rule 4: £100 × (1 - 0.25) = £75 - Total return: £75 profit + £10 stake = **£85** **Example 2.** £10 each-way at 10/1, 1/5 places, 3 places paid. The 5/2 second-favourite is withdrawn (25p Rule 4). - Win leg (if horse wins): - Original profit: £10 × 10 = £100 - After Rule 4: £75 - Place leg (if horse places): - Original place profit at 1/5 of 10/1 = 2/1 → £10 × 2 = £20 - The deduction is applied as a multiplier to total winnings, so the place portion is reduced by the same 25p. Taking a fifth of the adjusted win price gives the same answer: a fifth of 7.5/1 is 1.5/1. - After Rule 4: £20 × 0.75 = £15 - Total returns: - If wins: £75 (win) + £15 (place) + £20 stakes = £110 (vs £140 without Rule 4) - If places: £15 (place) + £10 place stake = £25 (vs £30 without Rule 4) **Example 3.** Cumulative Rule 4. £10 win bet at 8/1. The 9/4 favourite (30p) and 100/30 third-favourite (20p) are both withdrawn. Cumulative deduction: 50p. - Original profit: £10 × 8 = £80 - After cumulative Rule 4: £80 × 0.5 = £40 - Total return: £40 + £10 stake = **£50** The maths is automatic at settlement — Betfred's settlement engine applies the deduction calculation. But understanding the mechanic lets you sanity-check large each-way settlements where multiple non-runners stack. ## Rule 4 and BOG — Order of Operations ### Order of operations The crucial mechanic at Betfred (and most UK operators): **Rule 4 is applied to your taken price BEFORE BOG kicks in.** This is the standard UK approach. Get the order wrong and you'll calculate the wrong settlement. ### Worked example — the order in detail You take **10/1** at 09:00 on a 7-runner race. The **5/2 second-favourite is withdrawn at 11:00** — Rule 4 of 25p in the £ applies. **Step 1: Rule 4 reduces your taken price.** Your effective taken price drops from 10/1 to **7.5/1** (10/1 × 0.75). **Step 2: Compare to SP for BOG.** - If SP at the off is **8/1**: settle at 8/1 (BOG kicks in — SP is bigger than your Rule 4-adjusted taken price). - If SP at the off is **7/1**: settle at 7.5/1 (your Rule 4-adjusted taken price, because SP is shorter). - If SP at the off is **6/1** (with a further Rule 4 from a separate withdrawal): the second Rule 4 applies to SP. If second Rule 4 is 10p, the adjusted SP is 5.4/1. Compare to your 7.5/1 — settle at 7.5/1 (your adjusted taken price, since adjusted SP is shorter). The cleaner mental model: **Rule 4 reduces your taken price; BOG promises you'll never settle below SP (also subject to its own Rule 4). The settlement is always the larger of the two adjusted prices.** ### What if Rule 4 happens AFTER BOG should have applied? In the rare case where Rule 4 is announced AFTER the off (a horse refuses to enter stalls and is officially withdrawn at the start), most UK operators include this in the Rule 4 logic. Betfred follows the standard practice — the deduction is applied to the settled odds, including BOG-enhanced settlements where applicable. ### What about Lucky-X products? Rule 4 deductions apply to Lucky 15s, 31s, and 63s in the same way they apply to singles — proportionally to the winnings on each leg. **However, Lucky-X products are excluded from BOG at Betfred** (and most UK operators), so the Rule 4 + BOG interaction simplifies: only the Rule 4 component applies; you'll always settle at your taken price reduced by any Rule 4, never at the BOG-enhanced SP. ### What about ante-post? Ante-post bets have a different non-runner mechanic — typically Non-Runner-No-Bet (NRNB) on the major festivals, or no protection at all on smaller markets. Rule 4 applies to ante-post bets too, but only if the non-runner is from the post-final-declarations field; horses dropped from the entry list weeks before the race aren't subject to Rule 4 (because the market re-priced). ### Why this matters for settlement checking If you take a bet that should have BOG'd UP at SP and you're settling lower than SP, the most common reason is Rule 4. Most punters' first reaction is "the bookmaker shortened my price" — actually the maths is: 1. Take 10/1. 2. 5/2 horse withdrawn → 25p Rule 4 → adjusted taken price 7.5/1. 3. SP at the off: 8/1. 4. Settlement: 8/1 (BOG kicks in because SP is bigger than 7.5/1). Without understanding the Rule 4 step, you'd see "I took 10/1, SP was 8/1, why is BOG only paying me at 8/1 instead of 10/1?" The answer: because Rule 4 reduced your effective taken price first. The settlement is correct; the mental model often isn't. Understanding the order lets you sanity-check accurately. For more on the broader BOG mechanic at Betfred, see our [Betfred BOG explainer](/bookmakers/betfred-best-odds-guaranteed/). ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Does Betfred apply Rule 4? Yes — Betfred applies the standard Tattersalls Rule 4 deduction scale, the same as virtually every UK and Irish bookmaker. The deduction kicks in when a horse is withdrawn from the race after you've placed your bet (typically going lame in the parade ring, vet's intervention, or refusing to enter stalls). ### What's the maximum Rule 4 deduction? 90p in the £ for any single deduction (1/9 or shorter price withdrawal). Cumulative Rule 4 (multiple non-runners) is also capped at 90p in the £ at most UK operators including Betfred. ### How does Rule 4 interact with BOG at Betfred? Rule 4 is applied to your taken price BEFORE BOG kicks in. So a 25p Rule 4 on a taken 10/1 reduces your effective taken price to 7.5/1; BOG then compares that to SP and settles at the larger of the two (subject to any additional Rule 4 on SP from further non-runners). ### Why is my settlement lower than SP if BOG should apply? Most likely Rule 4 has reduced your effective taken price below SP. BOG only pays you at SP if SP is bigger than your Rule 4-adjusted taken price. If a non-runner triggered a Rule 4 on your bet, the adjusted price is what BOG compares to. ### Does Rule 4 apply to each-way bets at Betfred? Yes, to both the win and place legs. The deduction is calculated on the win odds you took and applies proportionally to total winnings (including the place portion). ### Does Rule 4 apply to ante-post bets? Only if the non-runner withdrawal happens after final declarations. Horses dropped from the ante-post entry list weeks before the race aren't subject to Rule 4 — the market re-priced. Most ante-post bets are protected by Non-Runner-No-Bet (NRNB) on the major festivals, which refunds your stake if your horse doesn't run. ### What's the deduction for a 2/1 withdrawn favourite? 30p in the £. So a £10 stake at 10/1 that wins normally pays £100 profit; after a 30p Rule 4 (2/1 withdrawn), it pays £70 profit. ### What if multiple horses are withdrawn? Cumulative Rule 4 applies, capped at 90p in the £. So if a 9/4 (30p) and a 100/30 (20p) are both withdrawn, total deduction is 50p. If a 1/9 (90p) and a 5/2 (25p) are both withdrawn, deduction is capped at 90p (the max). ### Is Rule 4 applied automatically? Yes — Betfred's settlement engine handles the deduction automatically. You don't need to query it. But understanding the mechanic lets you sanity-check large or unusual settlements. ### Does Rule 4 apply to Lucky 15 / 31 / 63 bets? Yes — proportionally to the winnings on each leg. However, Lucky-X products are excluded from BOG at Betfred, so the Rule 4 + BOG interaction simplifies to just Rule 4 reducing your settled winnings. ### What if a horse is withdrawn after the off (refused to enter stalls)? Rule 4 applies to that withdrawal too, included in the standard mechanic. The deduction reduces your settled winnings (including any BOG enhancement) at the same Tattersalls rate as any pre-off withdrawal. ### Where can I see the full Tattersalls Rule 4 scale? The full scale is included in the "How Betfred Applies Rule 4" section above. It's the standard UK industry scale, virtually identical at every UK and Irish bookmaker including Betfred, Bet365, Paddy Power, William Hill, and the smaller specialists.