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Sometimes games donโ€™t resolve with a clear winner. In these cases, Dubs automatically refunds all players. Hereโ€™s everything you need to know about refunds.

When Do Refunds Happen?

One-Sided Game

Only one team has players (e.g., everyone bet on Home, no one on Away)

Tie Game

The game ends in a draw with no winner

Cancelled Event

The real-world sports event is cancelled or postponed

Emergency Refund

Technical issues prevent normal resolution

How Refunds Work

When a refund is triggered, the prize pool is split proportionally among ALL players based on their original bet amounts.
Your Refund = (Your Bet / Total Pot) ร— Net Pool

Refund Types

TypeFeesWhen It Happens
Normal Refund6% fee appliesTie game, one-sided pool
Emergency RefundNo feesTechnical issues, oracle failure
Normal refunds still have the 6% fee because the game infrastructure was used. Emergency refunds return 100% of funds because no game was properly played.

Claiming Your Refund

1

Get Notified

When a game results in a refund, youโ€™ll receive a notification. The claim screen will show โ€œRefundโ€ instead of โ€œPrize.โ€
2

Review the Details

The refund screen shows:
  • Why the refund was triggered
  • Your refund amount
  • Original bet amount
  • Fee breakdown (if applicable)
3

Tap Claim Refund

Just like claiming a prize, tap the Claim Refund button to initiate the return.
4

Sign the Transaction

Approve the transaction in your wallet. Your SOL will be transferred back to you.

Refund Scenarios Explained

One-Sided Pool

If all players bet on the same team (e.g., everyone picked Home), thereโ€™s no one to pay the winners.Example:
  • 5 players bet 1 SOL each on Home
  • 0 players bet on Away
  • Total pot: 5 SOL
Since thereโ€™s no โ€œloserโ€ pot to pay the โ€œwinners,โ€ everyone gets a proportional refund:
  • Each player receives: (1/5) ร— 4.7 SOL = 0.94 SOL (after 6% fee)
This ensures the game is fair and prevents exploitation.

Tie Game

Some sports can end in ties (like soccer). When this happens:Example:
  • Home team bets: 3 SOL
  • Away team bets: 2 SOL
  • Final score: 2-2 (Tie)
Since neither team โ€œwon,โ€ both pools are combined and refunded:
  • Net pool after fees: 5 ร— 0.94 = 4.7 SOL
  • Home players share: (3/5) ร— 4.7 = 2.82 SOL
  • Away players share: (2/5) ร— 4.7 = 1.88 SOL
Each player gets their proportional share.

Emergency Refund

Emergency refunds are triggered when:
  1. Oracle Failure - If the game isnโ€™t resolved within 24 hours of the lock time, anyone can trigger an emergency refund
  2. Technical Issues - Platform administrators can trigger emergency refunds if something goes wrong
  3. Event Cancellation - If a sports event is cancelled entirely
Key difference: Emergency refunds return 100% of funds with no fees, since the game couldnโ€™t be played fairly.

Finding Refunds

Check for pending refunds the same way you check for prizes:
  1. Go to your Profile tab
  2. Look in the Claimable section
  3. Refundable games will show โ€œRefund Availableโ€

Important Notes

Refunds are not automatic transfers!Just like prizes, you must actively claim your refund. The SOL remains in the gameโ€™s escrow account until you claim it.
Sponsored bets: If someone else paid for your bet (sponsored entry), the refund goes back to the sponsor, not to you.

Troubleshooting

Normal refunds have a 6% fee. This covers:
  • Platform operating costs
  • Oracle service fees
  • Blockchain transaction costs
Only emergency refunds are fee-free.
If a game hasnโ€™t been resolved 24 hours after its lock time, an emergency refund becomes available. You can trigger it yourself:
  1. Open the game details
  2. Look for โ€œEmergency Refundโ€ option
  3. Trigger the refund (anyone can do this)
This ensures funds are never permanently locked.
  • Ensure you have ~0.001 SOL for the transaction fee
  • Check your wallet connection
  • Try again after a few minutes

Platform Protections

Dubs has multiple safeguards to ensure you never lose access to your funds:
ProtectionHow It Works
On-chain escrowFunds are held by the smart contract, not Dubs
24-hour emergencyPermissionless refund after 24 hours
Authority overrideDubs can trigger emergency refunds for urgent issues
Transparent rulesAll refund logic is in the public smart contract

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