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Sometimes games don’t resolve with a clear winner. In these cases, Dubs automatically refunds all players. Here’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) × 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, you’ll receive a notification. The claim screen will show “Refund” instead of “Prize.”
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), there’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 there’s no “loser” pot to pay the “winners,” everyone gets a proportional refund:
  • Each player receives: (1/5) × 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 “won,” both pools are combined and refunded:
  • Net pool after fees: 5 × 0.94 = 4.7 SOL
  • Home players share: (3/5) × 4.7 = 2.82 SOL
  • Away players share: (2/5) × 4.7 = 1.88 SOL
Each player gets their proportional share.

Emergency Refund

Emergency refunds are triggered when:
  1. Oracle Failure - If the game isn’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 couldn’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 “Refund Available”

Important Notes

Refunds are not automatic transfers!Just like prizes, you must actively claim your refund. The SOL remains in the game’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 hasn’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 “Emergency Refund” 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

Next Steps