What happens to your bet if a player is sent off?
Short answer
A player who is sent off has still taken part in the match, so his bets aren't void. The rules we read only void player bets when the player doesn't start or takes no part. For a player sent off bet, only red cards shown to players on the pitch count, and cards after the final whistle don't. Extra time doesn't count at 8 of the 10 bookmakers we cover; bet365's Player to Be Sent Off and Unibet's Player to be Carded include it (each from the bookmaker's own football rules, checked 23 Oct 2026).
Sent off and card rules read for all 10 bookmakers. Only bet365, Sky Bet, William Hill and 888sport publish a separate sent off market rule. Last checked
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How often this rule matters
How often a red card comes into it
- 11%
- of Premier League matches had a red card147 of 1,393 matches, straight reds and second yellows
Coverage: Premier League event figures use the 1,393 of 1,900 matches (2021-22 to 2025-26) that have full event data from TheStatsAPI. 507 matches have no event data, and 2023-24 has only 110.
Historical figures, not a prediction. Source: TheStatsAPI, seasons 2021-22 to 2025-26How we count this
The rule at each bookmaker
In our fixed table order, never by commission. Each row links to the bookmaker's own page we read.
| Bookmaker | Which red cards count | Extra time | Player didn't start or took no part | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| bet365 | Player to Be Sent Off is listed as a player match market. Red cards shown to non-players, such as managers, substitutes or substituted players who play no further part, don't count. | Counts. bet365's player match markets, including Player to Be Sent Off, include extra time if played. A card shown after the full time whistle counts only if the player then plays in extra time. | Void if the player doesn't start. In a pre-match Bet Builder with player markets on selected sports, a void player leg is recalculated; otherwise one void leg voids the whole Bet Builder. | bet365's terms (1) on help.bet365.com, opens in a new tabbet365's terms (2) on help.bet365.com, opens in a new tabbet365's terms (3) on help.bet365.com, opens in a new tabChecked |
| Sky Bet | A Player Sent Off: cards shown before kick-off, at half time or after full time don't count, and nor do cards to anyone outside the 22 active players. Player red card markets count only cards shown to players on the pitch during the 90 minutes. | Doesn't count. Player red card markets cover the 90 minutes only. | Void and stakes returned if the player doesn't play. In a BuildABet, a void leg drops out and the bet settles on the remaining legs at their odds. | Sky Bet's terms (1) on support.skybet.com, opens in a new tabSky Bet's terms (2) on support.skybet.com, opens in a new tabChecked |
| Paddy Power | No separate player sent off rule. Only cards shown to players active on the pitch count; not managers, coaches or players off the field, and not cards after the final whistle. | Doesn't count. Player to be Booked is normal time only, and #WhatOddsPaddy bets are settled on 90 minutes plus injury time. | In its player stats rules, any player who takes the field for any part of the match counts as a runner. A whole #WhatOddsPaddy bet is void if any player in it takes no part. A bet on a player not to be carded needs him to start. | Paddy Power's terms on helpcenter.paddypower.com, opens in a new tabChecked |
| William Hill | Player to be Sent Off: only red cards shown to active players on the pitch before the final whistle count. A card given after a half-time VAR review counts; one given after the final whistle doesn't. If the player leaves the pitch without being sent off, the bet loses. | Doesn't count. Normal time including stoppage time. | Stands if the player comes on as a substitute. Void only if he takes no part. | William Hill's terms on help.williamhill.com, opens in a new tabChecked |
| Ladbrokes | No separate player sent off rule in the football rules. In card markets only cards in regular play count; cards shown to non-active players, coaches or managers, cancelled cards and cards after the final whistle don't. | Doesn't count. Card markets are regular play only, and cards shown between the final whistle and the start of extra time don't count either. | In a Bet Builder, player markets are void if the player doesn't start, except goalscorer markets, which stand if he plays at all. | Ladbrokes' terms on help.ladbrokes.com, opens in a new tabChecked |
| Coral | No separate player sent off rule in the football rules. In card markets only cards in regular play count; cards shown to non-active players, coaches or managers, cancelled cards and cards after the final whistle don't. | Doesn't count. Card markets are regular play only, and cards shown between the final whistle and the start of extra time don't count either. | In a Bet Builder, player markets are void if the player doesn't start, except goalscorer markets, which stand if he plays at all. | Coral's terms on help.coral.co.uk, opens in a new tabChecked |
| Betfred | No separate player sent off rule. Cards shown to a player after he has been substituted, to an unused substitute or to coaching staff don't count. | Doesn't count. Card markets are scheduled match time only. | Popular and Boosted Bet Builders are void as a whole if any selection is void or a player in it takes no part. | Betfred's terms on betfred.com, opens in a new tabChecked |
| Unibet | No separate player sent off rule. Only cards shown to players on the pitch at that moment count, and disciplinary action after the game has ended is ignored. | Counts for Player to be Carded, which includes extra time unless the market says otherwise. | Pre-match card bets on a player need him to start. A bet on a player to play the whole match settles as No if he is sent off in regular time. | Unibet's terms on unibet.co.uk, opens in a new tabChecked |
| 888sport | Bet Builder Sent Off: a straight red card or two yellow cards. The player must be on the pitch when the card is shown; cards before kick-off, at half time or after the match don't count. | Doesn't count. Bet Builder cards in extra time are excluded. | The whole Bet Builder is void if any selection is void or a player in it takes no part. Card bets need the player to take part on the pitch. | 888sport's terms on 888sport.com, opens in a new tabChecked |
| BoyleSports | No separate player sent off rule. Cards in extra time, cancelled cards, cards to non-active players (including substituted players), managers or coaches, and cards after the final whistle don't count. | Doesn't count. | Player to be Booked: every player who takes part at any point counts as having played. | BoyleSports' terms on boylesports.org.uk, opens in a new tabChecked |
If a player in your bet builder is sent off
A red card doesn't turn a player into a non-runner. The bet builder rules we read void a player only when he doesn't start (Ladbrokes, Coral, bet365) or takes no part at all (888sport, Betfred, Paddy Power's #WhatOddsPaddy). A player who starts and is then sent off stays in your bet, so his legs are not voided. If you need a void rule for players who don't start, our page on that situation has each bookmaker's rule.
Straight reds and second yellows
888sport's Bet Builder rules say a sending off can be a straight red card or two yellow cards. William Hill and Sky Bet settle their sent off markets on a red card being shown to a player on the pitch. How many cards a red counts as in a total cards market is a separate rule, and it differs by bookmaker: see our page on whether a red card counts as 2 cards.
Cards that don't count
Cards shown to managers, coaching staff or unused substitutes don't count at any of the 10 bookmakers we cover. Cards shown after the final whistle don't count either, except at bet365 when the player goes on to play in extra time. William Hill counts a red card given after a half-time VAR review, while 888sport and Sky Bet's A Player Sent Off market ignore cards shown at half time.
Extra time
In a cup match that goes to extra time, a red card in extra time counts for bet365's Player to Be Sent Off, because its player match markets include extra time if played. Unibet's Player to be Carded includes extra time unless the market says otherwise. At the other 8 bookmakers, card markets settle on 90 minutes plus stoppage time or regular play.
Questions
What happens to my bet builder if a player is sent off?
Does a second yellow card count as being sent off?
Does a red card in extra time count?
Does a red card after the final whistle count?
Related
- Does a red card count as 2 cards?
- Booking points explained
- My bet builder player didn't start
- Does extra time count in a bet builder?
- Premier League betting rules
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