Double chance betting: what it means and how it settles

What does double chance mean in betting?

Double chance is a football market that covers two of the three results of a match in one bet. The three results are a home win, a draw and an away win. Sportingbet's football rules list three double chance options, and each one wins if either of its two results happens [1].

SportyBet's rule is shorter: "Predict the match result combining two of the three possible outcomes (1X, X2 or 12)." [2] It does not spell out what each option covers, so the table above is Sportingbet's wording only.

Each option loses on the one result it leaves out: an away win for 1X, a home win for X2 and a draw for 12. A draw is covered by 1X and by X2, so 12 is the option that only a draw defeats. At a neutral venue, Sportingbet deems the team listed first the home team [1].

How does a double chance price relate to the match-result prices?

A double chance bet wins in more ways than a single result, so its price is shorter. The arithmetic is the one in the decimal odds guide: the return on a winning bet is the stake multiplied by the price, and the chance a price implies is 1 divided by the price.

Take the invented match-result prices used in that guide: home win 2.10, draw 3.40 and away win 3.60. Their implied chances are 47.62%, 29.41% and 27.78%. A double chance covers two of them, so add the two implied chances, then divide 1 by the total to get the price that matches.

A bookmaker sets its own double chance prices, and they need not equal these matching prices. None of the pages we read says how a bookmaker prices the market, so use the table only to see how the numbers relate.

What does a double chance bet settle on?

Regular play. Sportingbet's double chance rule ends with "All bets settled on regular play" [1]. Its football rules say regular play is two 45-minute halves plus injury time, and that settlement "includes any added injury or stoppage time but does not include scheduled extra time or penalty shoot-outs, if played" [1].

Its general rules say the same for any sport with a playing time: "the result after regular playing time (including injury/added time) is decisive. Any extra time or penalty shoot-outs etc. will have no influence on the settlement of any bets." Exceptions are announced as they occur or sit in the special rules of the sport [3]. Its page on 3Way bets, the match-result market, says they "usually refer to the result at the end of the regular playing time" [4].

So take a cup tie that is level at 1-1 after 90 minutes plus stoppage time and goes to extra time. On Sportingbet's rules, 1X and X2 settle on that draw and win, and 12 loses. Extra time and penalties do not change that. A market on who goes through is a different question: see soccer betting markets.

SportyBet's soccer rules say: "All markets (except halftime, first-half markets, overtime and penalty shootout) are considered for regular time plus injury time. Unless otherwise stated for specific bet typologies overtimes and penalty shootouts will not affect the outcome of the bet." [2]

Its "Regular 90 Minutes" rule says markets "are based on the result at the end of a scheduled 90 minutes play unless otherwise stated", which "includes any added injury or stoppage time but does not include extra-time, time allocated for a penalty shootout or golden goal." [2] Our reading: the double chance description names no exception, so on the same cup tie the draw after regular time is the result that counts.

What happens if the match is abandoned or postponed?

The rule varies by bookmaker. Sportingbet's football rules say any match "abandoned before the completion of regular play will be made void, with the exception of all bets the outcome of which has already been determined at the time of abandonment" [1]. Its double chance rule has no separate abandonment wording.

For a postponed match, Sportingbet's football rules void bets struck before kick-off "unless the match is delayed prior to the scheduled kick-off time and takes place on the same day (local time at venue)" [1]. Its general rules give a wider window: a postponed event that restarts not later than 72 hours from the displayed start date still counts [3]. The football rules say they "take precedence over the Sports betting general rules" [1].

SportyBet's Double Chance description has no abandonment wording, and the full text of its sports rules page has none for the market. Its soccer rules say: "If a match is interrupted and continued within 48h after initial kickoff, all open bets will be settled with the final result. Otherwise all undecided bets are considered void." [2]

They add: "If a match is interrupted or postponed and is not continued within 48h after initial kick-off date betting will be void." Its general rules say: "If a match is not completed or not played (e.g. through disqualification, interruption, withdrawal, changes in draws, etc.) all undecided markets are considered void." [2]

The same page makes an exception for pre-match bets on friendly matches, which "will be settled based on the actual duration of the match". Only those "played for less than 45 minutes or more than 120 minutes are considered void" [2]. For other matches, the pages do not say how a double chance bet settles if the match is abandoned without being continued.

Supabets words it differently. Its betting terms say: "For all sports unless clearly stated, events whose start time is postponed and then rescheduled to a time more than 24 hours after the original start time will automatically be deemed void for settling purposes" [5]. They add that if a match is called off in running and postponed, Supabets' decision on whether bets are voided or carried forward "shall be final" [5].

The same postponement can therefore be treated differently at different bookmakers. Where a single bet is void, Sportingbet's rules count it as won at odds of 1.00, so the stake comes back [3]. SportyBet's help page says a void match counts as "an odd of 1.00" [6] but not what a voided single returns. Read your bookmaker's rule before you bet.

What does double chance and both teams to score mean?

It is one selection that asks two questions about a match. Does the result land in the two you chose, and does each side score at least once? Sportingbet's rule for the second question is "A prediction on whether both teams will score a goal in regular play", and it adds that "Own goals count in this market" [1]. The both teams to score guide covers that market on its own.

Sportingbet's football rules include a combined market built on the match result: "Match Result and Both teams to score: A prediction on who will win the match with both teams scoring a goal during regular play" [1]. We found no rule in them written for double chance and both teams to score. Read as a prediction of two things, the selection wins only when both are true. That is our reading, not a rule we found.

SportyBet lists the combination as its own market, "Double Chance & Both Teams To Score": "Predict the match result combining two of the three possible outcomes and whether both teams will score." [2] It also lists "Double Chance & 1st Half GG/NG" and "Double Chance & 2nd Half GG/NG". The page has no void or abandonment wording written for any of them.

For 1X and both teams to score, the match must finish as a home win or a draw, and both sides must have scored. A 1-1 draw and a 2-1 home win qualify. A 1-0 home win does not, because the away side did not score. A 0-0 draw does not either.

Sportingbet's Build a Bet terms call a Build a Bet "a bet with two or more legs (selections) within a single event with the odds calculated based on the relationship between the different legs", and say that if one leg is voided, "the entire Build a Bet will be voided, regardless of the outcome of the other legs" [7].

Its general rules add: "The customer may not combine (parlay) related bets on the same event." [3] So on Sportingbet you cannot join two related picks from one match into a multiple yourself, and it decides which bets count as related.

What does double chance and over 1.5 goals mean?

Sportingbet's total goals rule reads "Predict whether the total number of goals scored in regular play will be over or under a certain number, e.g. Over/Under 0.5 goals, 1.5 goals, 2.5 goals etc." [1]. A match cannot have 1.5 goals, so over 1.5 means two or more goals in regular play. Goals in extra time do not count.

SportyBet's rule for the combination is "Double Chance & Over/Under": "Predict the match result combining two of the three possible outcomes and whether the total number of goals scored in regular time are over/under a given line." [2] Its Over/Under rule says "Half line (0.5; 1.5; 2.5 etc.) can be settled as won or lost." [2]

Double chance and over 1.5 goals therefore needs two things at once: a result inside your double chance option and at least two goals in regular play. With 1X, a 1-1 draw qualifies and so does a 2-0 home win. A 1-0 home win and a 0-0 draw do not, because each has fewer than two goals.

If both teams score, there must be at least two goals. Sportingbet's Build a Bet terms use the same fact to explain why "Under 1.5 Total Goals" and "Both Teams to Score (BTTS) - Yes" conflict: "If both teams score, there must be at least 2 goals." [7]

For abandonment, Sportingbet's "Match Result and Both teams to score" rule says "If a match is abandoned all bets on these markets will be made void" [1], while its plain over/under rule voids bets "unless already determined" [1]. We found no abandonment wording for a double chance combination on the Sportingbet pages we read or on the SportyBet sports rules page.

How is double chance different from draw no bet?

Draw no bet backs one side and refunds a draw. Sportingbet's rule is "Which team will win the match? If the game finishes in a draw then stakes will be refunded" [1]. Double chance covers the draw and pays it as a win.

SportyBet words draw no bet as a void: "Predict the winner of the match. If the teams draw, the selection will be voided." [2] The table uses the refund wording.

Home draw no bet returns more on a home win and only the stake on a draw. 1X returns less on a home win and more than the stake on a draw. An away win loses both, and no bet is certain. The draw no bet guide covers how that market settles on its own.

Whose rules does this guide use?

We read the published betting rules of three of the eight bookmakers we review: Sportingbet's football, general, 3Way and Build a Bet pages and Supabets' betting terms on 28 October 2026, and the SportyBet help pages on sports rules and FAQ on 29 October 2026. SportyBet's sports rules sit in collapsed sections, so we read the full text of the page.

Supabets' terms had no double chance rule, so this guide uses them only for postponed events. SportyBet's double chance rule is its one-line description, and its pages say nothing more about abandonment for the market.

We could not read the rules of Betway, Hollywoodbets or World Sports Betting. From our own network, our internet provider sent all three to a block page. From a second network, Betway's rules page loaded but did not show its rules text, and Hollywoodbets and World Sports Betting returned an access-denied response (HTTP 403).

On 29 October 2026, 10bet returned HTTP 403 with a page titled 'Just a moment...'. Easybet redirected us to a page titled 'easybet.co.za - Only Available in South Africa'. We worked around none of these.

Before you bet: limits and help

1. Read the market's own rules for what counts (regular play or more), what happens if the match is abandoned or postponed, and how a combination is settled.
2. Set your betting limits before you deposit, not after a loss.
3. If a bet is settled in a way you do not understand, ask support in writing and keep the reply.
4. If that does not settle it, check the bookmaker's licence and contact the provincial board that issued it. If the board has not been able to assist, the NGB says to escalate the complaint in writing to [email protected] [8].
5. If betting stops being a pastime, see responsible gambling and the helpline.

Sources

The numbers in the text point to these pages. Each was opened on the date shown.

1. Sportingbet South Africa, Help: Sports Betting Special Rules, Football. Read 28 October 2026.
2. SportyBet South Africa, Help: How to play, Sports (Soccer rules and market descriptions). Read 29 October 2026.
3. Sportingbet South Africa, Help: Sports Betting General Remarks (the page is marked last updated 05/10/2017). Read 28 October 2026.
4. Sportingbet South Africa, Help: What does 3Way mean?. Read 28 October 2026.
5. Supabets, Betting Terms and Conditions. Read 28 October 2026.
6. SportyBet South Africa, Help: How to play, FAQ. Read 29 October 2026.
7. Sportingbet South Africa, Help: Build a Bet Terms and Conditions. Read 28 October 2026.
8. National Gambling Board, Frequently Asked Questions. Read 28 October 2026.

About this guide

Published by Avenmark Media. A separate pass re-opened every source above and checked each claim against it, on 29 October 2026. A second, independent check compared a sample of the claims with the same sources. How we write and correct our pages.

Found a mistake? Email [email protected]. We correct the page, change its updated date and say what changed.