House Rules
1. Markets
Cast winner: the hound placed first in its cast under the official result of the sanctioning club (UKC, PKC, ProSport or AKC). Final cast 1st and 2nd place: the hounds placed first and second in the final cast. Over/under (when offered): the hound's official final score compared with the stated line; a score exactly on the line is refunded.
2. Pools and odds
Each market is a separate pool. After takeout, the pool is shared among winning bets in proportion to their stake. Displayed odds are tote-style and rounded-sm down; they move until betting closes. Morning-line (ML) odds are our estimate before any bets and are not a promise of payout.
3. Changing or cancelling bets
You can change or cancel your bet until betting closes. Once betting closes, all bets are final.
While betting is open you can change the hound (same cast and market) or stake, or cancel and get your stake back, from the bet slip receipt or My bets. Over/under bets can change stake only. Requests that reach our server after close are rejected and the bet stays as it was.
4. When betting closes
Betting on a cast closes when an operator closes it or automatically at its scheduled start time, whichever comes first. If an event is delayed, the operator may close betting at the actual start.
5. Settlement and protests
We enter the official result, which is first shown as provisional. It becomes official once the sanctioning club's protest or question window ends with no protest pending. If a protest is filed, the cast is held for review and settled on the official decision. Scratches, disqualifications and placings follow the official rules of the sanctioning club (UKC, PKC, ProSport or AKC). AKC: a formal question goes to the Hunt Committee at the end of the hunt and its decision is final with no appeal, so appeals are not taken on AKC casts.
Official settled bets stand. We only reverse a settled result for an obvious error under the Terms.
6. Questions, protests and appeals (all clubs)
When bets settle: no points are paid while a cast is provisional or under review. Points are released only when the club's protest or question window has closed with nothing pending, or once the club's ruling (Master of Hounds, Question Panel or appeal) has been entered.
Cast under question, protest or appeal: if a question is marked on the scorecard or an appeal is filed, the cast is held (“Under review”) and settles on the club's ruling. If the ruling changes the winner or placings, payouts are recalculated from the same pools before anything is paid. If no ruling is available within 30 days, we may void the cast and refund every bet on it.
Corrected or overturned results after settlement: once a cast is official on HoundLine, later corrections or overturned results published by UKC, PKC, ProSport or AKC do not change settled bets, except to fix an obvious error under the Terms.
Scratches and disqualifications: a hound scratched from its cast is placed as the club's official result places it; bets on it are not refunded. If the whole cast is disqualified or not completed, every bet on that cast is refunded.
Ties: each club's rules require ties to be broken to decide a cast winner and placings, so HoundLine settles on the club's tie-broken placing. There are no dead-heat payouts. For over/under, a score exactly on the line is refunded.
7. Voids and refunds
Stakes are refunded if: the cast or event is cancelled or abandoned, or no official result is published; nobody backed the winning outcome; or a bet is voided for an obvious error. Admins may void a market when required by these rules.
8. Integrity
No betting on a cast you handle, own, guide or judge, or where you have a hound entered. No collusion, insider information, multiple accounts or automation. Breaches can lead to voided bets and account closure.
9. Final 16 Parlay
Offered only on events where we switch it on. Pick the winner of each of the 4 final-16 casts (legs 1–4) and the overall champion (leg 5, the winner of the final cast). Your leg-5 picks must be hounds you picked in legs 1–4, because only a cast winner can become champion.
You may pick several hounds per leg. Each valid combination of one hound per leg, where the champion pick is one of that combination's cast winners, is one bet. The base bet is 2 points per combination (you may bet any multiple of 2). Ticket total = combinations × amount per combination, up to 1,000 points per ticket.
Pool split (after any takeout): 75% to combinations with all 5 correct, 25% to combinations with 4 of 5 correct, unless a different split is shown for that event. Each share is divided in proportion to the amount bet on the winning combinations.
If no combination gets all 5, the 5-of-5 share carries over and may be added to a future Final 16 Parlay pool (shown as “Carryover”). If no combination gets 4 of 5, the 4-of-5 share goes to the combinations with the most legs correct (3, then 2, then 1); if nobody gets any leg right, it carries over too. Fractions of a point are not paid and are added to the carryover. Payouts never exceed the pool plus carryover.
If a leg's cast, or the final cast, is voided (cancelled, not completed, or disqualified), that leg counts as correct for every ticket (“all win”). If the whole parlay is voided, every ticket is refunded.
The parlay closes as soon as the first leg's cast closes. You can change or cancel your ticket until then. Once betting closes, all bets are final. Each leg follows its cast through the protest process: the parlay is provisional once every leg has a result and official (paid) once every leg is official.
10. Pick 3 and Pick 4
Offered only on casts where we switch it on. Pick the winner of 3 (Pick 3) or 4 (Pick 4) consecutive casts chosen by us. You may pick several hounds per leg; each combination of one hound per leg is one bet, and the ticket total is combinations × amount per combination (up to the ticket maximum shown).
Tickets with every leg correct share the pool after takeout, in proportion to the amount bet on the winning combinations. If a leg's cast is voided (cancelled, not completed or disqualified), that leg counts as correct for every ticket (“all win”). If every leg is voided, all tickets are refunded.
Pick 3 consolation (shown on the pool, normally 25%): that share of the amount actually bet into a Pick 3 pool, after takeout, goes to tickets with 2 of the 3 legs correct, in proportion to the amount bet on those combinations. It is never calculated on a carryover. The rest (plus any carryover) goes to tickets with all 3 correct. If nobody has all 3, consolation winners are still paid and the rest carries over. If nobody has 2 of 3, the consolation share goes to the all-correct winners (or carries over if there are none). Pick 4 has no consolation.
If nobody gets every leg right, the pool after takeout (less any Pick 3 consolation paid) carries over and is added to the next pool of the same type (shown as “Carryover”), unless the pool says “No winner: refunded”, in which case all tickets are refunded. The pool closes when the first leg's cast closes, is provisional once every leg has a result, and is paid once every leg is official. Fractions of a point are not paid.
11. Exotic takeout
Each exotic pool shows its takeout. In points play, takeout is 0% unless shown otherwise. In real-money mode, win and head-to-head pools may use about 16% and exotic pools (Pick 3/4, Final Four, Exacta, Plus score, Final 16 Parlay) about 22% (never above 25%).
12. Data
Event listings come from the official UKC, PKC and ProSport Kennel Club calendars. UKC: hunts with 25+ dogs on official past results, plus the majors. PKC and ProSport: entry fee over $100 or 16+ hounds (ProSport $100 shootouts are not listed, and ProSport's default 16-entry cap on a listing does not count as 16+ hounds). Draws and results are entered by our team and authorised reporters from official sources. AKC: there is no AKC data feed; AKC hunts are entered by hand from public announcements, using the same entry fee over $100 or 16+ hounds rule (or clearly major AKC championships when those aren't published).