A dead heat is when two or more competitors are tied for the same position and cannot be separated. It is most common in racing, where runners cross the line level and a photo finish cannot split them, but it can also happen in sports.

When a dead heat is declared, your bet is settled under the dead heat rules for that event rather than as a standard win or loss.

Your bet is paid at the face value of the ticket (the total payout figure including your initial stake) divided by the number of competitors dead heating for that placing. In simple terms, the more runners or teams tied for the position, the smaller the share of the payout.

Where Each Way betting is available, place ties will be paid on the place portion of the face value of the ticket. The place portion of the payout is multiplied by the remaining number of places available and divided by the number of competitors tying for those available placings.

Where place only betting is offered, wagers will be paid at the face value of the ticket divided by the number of competitors tying for the number of placings.

You placed $10 on Gram to win Race 4 at the Gold Coast at odds of $2.40. Gram crossed the line level with American Conquest and the photo finish could not separate them, so the result was declared a dead heat for first.
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With two runners dead heating for the win, your full returns are divided by 2.
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$10 x $2.40 = $24 full returns, divided by 2 runners dead heating = $12 final returns.

When two runners dead heat for first, there is no official second placing.

The next runner home is classed as third, as shown in the example pictured.

You place $10 on your selection to finish in the top 3 (place) at odds of $2.00. Your selection dead heats for 3rd with one other runner, so there is 1 place available shared between 2 tied runners.

$10 x $2.00 = $20 full place returns x (1 place divided by 2 tied runners) = $10 final returns.

You have wagered $10 on Hawthorn to beat Sydney at odds of $3.00. The game finishes as an 85-85 draw. Your full returns would have been $30.00 on a successful win.

As these two tied, the returns are divided by the number of tied runners, so 2 ($30 / 2) equalling $15.00 in final returns.

You have bet on the Outright US Masters event, with $5 on Rory McIlroy to place in the Top 10 at odds of $4.00. At the end of the event he finishes a tie for 8th with 5 others, meaning there are 3 spots left in the top 10.

Since there were not enough spots in the top 10 for these extra selections, the dead heat rule applies:
$5 x $4.00 = $20 full returns x (3 places divided by 5 other tied runners) = $12.00 final returns.

Where a draw market is offered, unless otherwise stated in the Individual Sports Rules, all win bets on a player or team will be unsuccessful with the draw option being paid as the winner.

If we offer the selection and the result lands on it, that selection will be deemed the winner.

For example: Brisbane Roar drew with Sydney FC 2-2. In the Win-Draw-Win market, as we do offer the Draw option, this bet settles on the Draw and all other selections on this market settle as a losing bet.