What is a protest?

• A Protest occurs when a Trainer or Jockey challenges the outcome of the race with the Race Stewards, most commonly due to interference. 

What happens in the event of a protest?

• In the event of a racing protest, the outcome will either be upheld or dismissed after the Stewards have reviewed the protest. If the protest is upheld then the results of the race will change, if the protest is dismissed then there is no change to the results.
• In the event of the protest being upheld, we offer Protest Payout for Australian & NZ Races for win bets on runners relegated from 1st place (Single, Win Bets Only. Does not include Exotics/SRM/Multis/Place Bets/Extras etc).

What is a protest payout?

• If your runner comes first but then is relegated due to the protest, you may be eligible for a Protest Payout, please refer to the T&Cs below. A protest payout or "first past the post" means we pay both selections as winners if there is an upheld protest for 1st place. If you've backed a horse for the win, come first and then after protest are relegated to 2nd, your bet will be settled as a loss, but you'll receive the winnings anyway once the protest payout is complete if your bet is eligible (Refer to T&Cs below).

What happens with a protest payout, and how long will it take to settle?

• If the protest is upheld, we'll need to amend the results of the race to reflect the new results. While that happens, we'll need to un-settle all the bets on the race while we fix up the results, this will mean if you were paid any winnings, they may come out of your account temporarily while we adjust the results, we try to resolve this as quickly as possible but can take up to 30 minutes in some cases. 

Protest Payout Terms & Conditions

If your runner comes first but is relegated as a result of an upheld protest, we’ll still pay you out as a winner for all Australian & NZ races subject to the following conditions:

1. Single Bets only, Multi Bets are not eligible.
2. Win Only and Win portion of Each Way Bets.
3. Applies only to the first in time Win bet or Win portion of an Each Way Bet placed on the relevant race by an eligible customer.
4. Does not apply to Racing Extras Markets Bets (e.g. Insure 1).
5. Only applies to races where the horse that is first past the post is relegated. Where a horse finishes in 2nd or 3rd and falls out of a placing as a result of the protest, there will not be a Protest Payout.
6. Bonus Bets, Multibets, Megabets, Exotics, Futures Bets, Telephone bets and Live Betting are excluded from the offer.
7. Applies only to Australian & NZ Thoroughbred and Harness Racing.
8. Does not include Bets on Greyhounds.
9. Maximum payout is $3000 per customer per, per race.
10. Protest Payouts do not apply to Live Racing Bets, and bets will be settled on official placings.
11. Customers who are excluded from Sportsbet promotions are not eligible for a Protest Payout.
12. If a customer who is not eligible for Protest Payout is credited winnings based on interim results, Sportsbet reserves the right to adjust the account balance upon resettlement of the event to reflect the official results. Where resettlement results in a customer’s available balance being negative (for example, due to re-investing or withdrawing winnings paid), the amount required to return the available balance to zero is immediately due and payable.
13. Where a protest is upheld following a dead heat for first place, the payout on the runner that is relegated will be calculated in accordance with Rule 3.1 of Sportsbet’s Racing Terms & Conditions (‘Dead Heat Rule’).