Draw No Bet is a common football market that trims the risk of a match ending level. If you are new to it, the settlement rules and pricing can feel a bit unclear at first.
Understanding how DNB is settled, how payouts are calculated, and how it compares with other markets helps you make informed choices.
This blog post explains the essentials, gives practical examples, and covers how DNB interacts with accumulators and cash out, while keeping decisions grounded in sensible budgeting.
Read on to learn more.
What Does Draw No Bet Mean?
Draw No Bet, often shortened to DNB, is a market where you back one team to win. If your team wins, the bet pays out. If it loses, the stake is lost.
If the match finishes as a draw, your stake is returned rather than settled as a loss. In effect, the draw is removed from the possible outcomes for your selection. Because that option is taken out, prices for DNB are adjusted compared with standard Match Result odds.
With the basics clear, it helps to see how this plays out over the 90 minutes.
How Draw No Bet Works In Football Betting
In football, DNB lets you choose either the home team or the away team to win, with no option to back the draw. Settlement is straightforward: a win pays at the quoted DNB odds, a draw refunds your stake, and a loss means the stake is lost.
Unless clearly stated otherwise, DNB is settled on the result after 90 minutes plus injury time. Extra time and penalties are not usually included in this market and are offered separately.
How Are Odds And Payouts Calculated With DNB?
Because the draw is excluded, DNB prices for each team are usually shorter than standard Match Result odds. The potential return is calculated using the DNB odds you take when placing the bet. A winning selection pays those odds, a draw returns your stake with no winnings, and a losing selection returns nothing.
It is sensible to check the price and potential return on your bet slip before confirming.
Example Calculation For A DNB Bet
Suppose a player backs Team A using the Draw No Bet market, with odds of 1.80. If the player places a £10 bet and Team A wins, the calculation would be:
£10 x 1.80 = £18
This means the player gets £18 in total, which includes the original stake.
If the match ends in a draw, the £10 is simply returned. If Team A loses, there would be no return.
Most online bet slips show the potential payout before you confirm the wager.
What Happens To Your Stake If The Match Is A Draw?
If a DNB wager finishes as a draw after regular time, the original stake is returned. There are no winnings and no loss of stake.
Refunds are handled automatically and usually appear shortly after settlement. The exact timing can vary by bookmaker.
Does Draw No Bet Apply To Extra Time Or Penalties?
DNB markets almost always apply to the result after 90 minutes plus stoppage time. If a match goes to extra time or penalties, DNB is typically settled based on the score at the end of regular time.
So if the game is level after 90 minutes, the stake is refunded, regardless of what happens later. If you want a view on extra time or a shoot-out, look for separate markets that cover those periods.
How DNB Differs From Double Chance And Match Result
Draw No Bet (DNB), Double Chance, and Match Result are separate markets with different settlement rules.
With DNB, you back one team to win and receive a stake refund if the match ends level. Only a win by your chosen team pays out.
Double Chance combines two of the three outcomes into one selection, such as home win or draw, away win or draw, or home win or away win. Because there are more ways to win, the odds are generally lower than DNB.
Match Result, often called 1X2, splits the three outcomes into individual selections: home win, draw, or away win. Only the exact result you pick will pay, and there is no refund if another outcome lands.
These differences become even more noticeable when you add DNB to an accumulator.
How Draw No Bet Affects Accumulators And Multiples
Including a DNB selection in an accumulator means a drawn leg is settled as void rather than lost. The stake for that leg is removed from the multiple, and the accumulator is recalculated using the remaining legs and their odds.
If all the other selections win and the DNB leg ends in a draw, the bet settles as though that leg was never included. There is no win from the void leg, but it also does not cause the entire bet to fail.
Can You Cash Out A Draw No Bet?
Many bookmakers offer cash out on DNB wagers. The cash out value moves with the state of the match and reflects the live position of your bet. If you cash out, the bet is closed and the displayed amount is paid, regardless of the final score.
Cash out is not guaranteed to be available at all times and may be suspended during key moments. You can usually see availability on your bet slip.
Thinking about price next can help tie everything together.
Is Draw No Bet Cheaper Than Backing The Favourite?
DNB on a favourite generally pays less than a standard Match Result bet on the same team, because the chance of losing to a draw has been removed. You are effectively accepting a lower potential return in exchange for the safety of a stake refund if the match ends level.
Whether that trade-off suits you depends on what you value more, a bigger potential payout or a reduced downside if the game finishes all square. If you choose to bet, keep stakes within a sensible budget and seek support if gambling is affecting your well-being. Services such as GamCare and GambleAware provide free, confidential help.
In short, Draw No Bet removes the draw as a losing outcome and offers a clearer, lower-risk route to backing a team to win, with the pricing reflecting that extra protection.
