# Do casino bets become invalid if the bets has been affected by outside circumstances?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-casino-bets-become-invalid-if-the-bets-has-been-affected-by-outside-circumstances/1032720
**Category:** The Game Room
**Tags:** football-nfl
**Created:** [August 31, 2026, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-casino-bets-become-invalid-if-the-bets-has-been-affected-by-outside-circumstances/1032720 "2026-08-31T16:51:11Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2026, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-casino-bets-become-invalid-if-the-bets-has-been-affected-by-outside-circumstances/1032720/1 "2026-08-31T16:51:11Z")
Hypothetically, let’s say that a casino offers a wager like, “Will the Dallas Cowboys convert more than six 2-point conversions this upcoming regular season?”
But at some point after the bet is placed, the NFL suddenly changes its rules and now the 2-point try is done from a distance of ten yards, not two. Would the gamblers (who already placed wagers) then have legal basis to have their bets canceled, saying, “the circumstances have changed and now the Cowboys face much harder odds to convert those two-point tries than under the original rules?”
Other scenarios could apply: “how many goals will Mbappe score next year?” but then Mbappe shockingly announces his early retirement, etc.
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2026, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-casino-bets-become-invalid-if-the-bets-has-been-affected-by-outside-circumstances/1032720/2 "2026-08-31T17:02:54Z")
They would all become null bets, since the conditions for the original bet no longer exist.
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### Author:  [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2026, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-casino-bets-become-invalid-if-the-bets-has-been-affected-by-outside-circumstances/1032720/3 "2026-08-31T17:04:03Z")
Some casinos will void all losing bets in extreme examples, because they want to be seen as being bettor-friendly. I’ve seen them void bets on pitchers who get hurt in the first inning, or in football games where a player gets injured immediately (like Aaron Rodgers when he took a season-ending injury on the first drive of the season).
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### Author:  [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2026, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-casino-bets-become-invalid-if-the-bets-has-been-affected-by-outside-circumstances/1032720/4 "2026-08-31T17:23:22Z")
I don’t know what the answer is in a specific scenario, but I’m sure it’s spelled out in great detail in the fine print that the bettors could theoretically have read before placing their bets.
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### Author:  [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2026, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-casino-bets-become-invalid-if-the-bets-has-been-affected-by-outside-circumstances/1032720/5 "2026-09-01T20:20:57Z")
If **Run, Lola, Run** is any indication, the house has to pay out on a roulette spin even if a gambler caused the ball to land on her chosen number via a high-pitched scream.
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### Author:  [@colinfred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colinfred)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2026, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-casino-bets-become-invalid-if-the-bets-has-been-affected-by-outside-circumstances/1032720/6 "2026-09-01T20:30:42Z")
In the UK, although I can’t cite anything, I 'm pretty sure the first one would be voided as it’s now a significantly different bet and the second would stand as injury/retirement/transfer/death chances would be considered built into the odds.
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### Author:  [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)
#### Post date: [September 2, 2026, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-casino-bets-become-invalid-if-the-bets-has-been-affected-by-outside-circumstances/1032720/7 "2026-09-02T16:41:23Z")
> [@Velocity](#):
>
> Other scenarios could apply: “how many goals will Mbappe score next year?” but then Mbappe shockingly announces his early retirement, etc.
Not sure about your first hypothetical, but in this scenario, the bets would be voided by the sportsbook and the money returned to the bettors.
> [@Munch](#):
>
> I’ve seen them void bets on pitchers who get hurt in the first inning, or in football games where a player gets injured immediately (like Aaron Rodgers when he took a season-ending injury on the first drive of the season).
Really? That surprises me. According to the rules on FanDuel:
> - For season long player prop bets the nominated player must play at least one snap during the regular season for bets to have action.
So if I bet on Aaron Rodgers to have less than 3050.5 passing yards (which is the prop bet on his passing this season), and he gets hurt on the first snap of the season, never to return, I think I win my bet. But perhaps not.
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### Author:  [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)
#### Post date: [September 2, 2026, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-casino-bets-become-invalid-if-the-bets-has-been-affected-by-outside-circumstances/1032720/8 "2026-09-02T17:15:27Z")
> [@Railer13](#):
>
> and he gets hurt on the first snap of the season, never to return, I think I win my bet
I merely meant they would rule in favor of the bettor. Under bets would win, over bets would void. It buys them a small amount of good publicity and customer loyalty. Again, that’s not by rule - only by the casino’s choice.
Either way, your bet would win.
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [September 2, 2026, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-casino-bets-become-invalid-if-the-bets-has-been-affected-by-outside-circumstances/1032720/9 "2026-09-02T21:03:45Z")
I think that they need to have extensive fine print, and to strictly adhere to that fine print, whatever it says. If there’s ever anything that relies on an on-the-spot judgement call, then the casinos would have the ability to make that judgement in a way that favors the casino, and the various gaming commissions don’t like that sort of thing.