Guide · 8 min read
Overtime betting rules: regulation time, overtime and penalties explained
The same match can produce two different results for betting purposes: one after regulation time, one after overtime or penalties. This guide shows which markets count what in each sport, how to read the market name, and why mixing the two is the most common way a sure bet turns into two losing bets.
Updated 22 October 2026
Contents
Why the settlement period matters
Every betting market is settled on a defined period of play. For most markets that is regulation time: the normal playing time of the sport, including any added or stoppage time, but excluding overtime, extra time and shootouts. Other markets are settled on the final result including overtime and, where the sport has one, the shootout or penalty shoot-out.
For a single bet this is a detail. For a sure bet it is everything. A sure bet only works if the legs you combine cover every possible result under the same rules. If one leg is settled after 60 minutes and the other after overtime, there is a result neither leg covers, and that result can cost you both stakes.
Regulation time by sport
"Regulation time" means different things in different sports. These are the standard lengths most bookmakers use:
| Sport | Regulation time | What comes after a tie |
|---|---|---|
| Football | 90 minutes plus stoppage time | Extra time (2 × 15 min), then penalties, in knockout matches only |
| Ice hockey | 3 × 20 minutes | Overtime, then a shootout (league rules differ; playoffs often play on until a goal) |
| Basketball | 4 × 12 min (NBA), 4 × 10 min (FIBA, EuroLeague) | 5-minute overtimes until there is a winner |
| American football (NFL) | 4 × 15 minutes | One overtime period; regular-season games can end in a tie |
| Baseball (MLB) | 9 innings | Extra innings until there is a winner |
| Handball | 2 × 30 minutes | Extra time and seven-metre throws, in knockout matches only |
Stoppage time in football, added by the referee at the end of each half, is part of regulation time. A goal in the 94th minute counts for 1X2, over/under and handicaps settled on 90 minutes. Extra time in a cup tie does not.
Ice hockey: 1X2 versus winner including overtime
Ice hockey is where most overtime mistakes happen, and it matters in both of our core markets: Austrian bookmakers cover the ICE Hockey League in depth and Slovak bookmakers offer a huge range of Extraliga markets. Bookmakers in Europe typically offer two main result markets:
- 1X2 (regulation time, 60 minutes). Three outcomes. A game level after 60 minutes is settled as a draw, whatever happens next.
- Match winner including overtime and shootout (often "money line", "2-way" or "winner incl. OT"). Two outcomes. The team that wins the game wins the bet, however it is decided.
Over/under and handicap markets exist in both versions too. At many European bookmakers the standard hockey totals are settled on 60 minutes unless the market name says otherwise, while lines on North American hockey are often settled including overtime. Where a game is decided by a shootout, most bookmakers' rules add one goal to the winning team's score and to the match total for settlement, however many shootout attempts were scored. Some markets explicitly exclude overtime and shootouts. The rules section of each bookmaker says which applies.
Bookmaker A offers the home win in 1X2 (60 minutes) at 2.35. Bookmaker B offers the away team as match winner including overtime at 2.05. The sum of 1/odds is 0.4255 + 0.4878 = 0.9133, which looks like a 9% sure bet. Split €100: €46.59 on the home win at A, €53.41 on the away team at B. Each winning leg returns about €109.49.
| Result | Leg at A | Leg at B | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home wins in 60 minutes | +€109.49 | €0.00 | +€9.49 |
| Away wins in 60 minutes | €0.00 | +€109.49 | +€9.49 |
| Level after 60, away wins in OT or shootout | €0.00 | +€109.49 | +€9.49 |
| Level after 60, home wins in OT or shootout | €0.00 | €0.00 | −€100.00 |
The "sure bet" is not one: the draw in regulation time is uncovered whenever the home team then wins in overtime. Many hockey leagues see a substantial share of games go beyond 60 minutes, often around one in five, so this is not a rare edge case. A real hockey sure bet uses markets with the same settlement period, for example all three outcomes of 1X2, or both sides of the match winner including overtime.
The three-way arbitrage guide shows how to cover all three regulation-time outcomes correctly.
Basketball: overtime usually included
In basketball the main markets (match winner, point spread and total points) include overtime at most bookmakers. That makes basketball a clean two-way sport for sure bets, with three exceptions to watch:
- Three-way markets on regulation time. Some bookmakers, especially in Central Europe, offer 1X2 for basketball on regulation time only. The draw is priced high because ties after 48 or 40 minutes are rare, but they happen in a few percent of games. Never combine such a 1X2 leg with a match-winner leg that includes overtime.
- Halves and quarters. First-half and first-quarter markets naturally exclude overtime. Second-half and fourth-quarter markets are handled differently: some bookmakers include overtime in them, others don't. Check before you combine two bookmakers on these.
- Player props. Points, rebounds and assists usually include overtime statistics, but not everywhere.
Football cups: 1X2 versus "to qualify"
In a cup tie or a play-off, football bookmakers offer two very different questions about the same match:
- 1X2, over/under, handicaps, both teams to score: settled on 90 minutes plus stoppage time. Goals in extra time don't count, and shoot-out penalties never count as goals in any score-based market.
- To qualify, to advance, to lift the trophy: settled on who goes through, including extra time and penalties. In a two-legged tie, "to qualify" is about the aggregate result of both legs, not about the match you are looking at.
The trap is the same as in hockey: combining "away to qualify" with "home win (1X2)" leaves the 90-minute draw uncovered if the home team then goes through. If you see a suspiciously large margin on a cup match, the first thing to check is whether both legs are settled on the same period.
American sports: NFL, MLB and NHL
- NFL. Money line, spread and total points normally include overtime. Regular-season games can still end in a tie after overtime. Two-way money lines are then usually settled as a push (stake returned) or void, depending on the bookmaker, while three-way markets pay the tie. Read how each bookmaker settles a tie before you pair two money lines.
- MLB. Money line, run line and totals include extra innings. Rules for shortened games (weather) and changed starting pitchers matter more here than overtime; some bets are only valid if the listed pitchers start.
- NHL. Lines from North American bookmakers usually include overtime and the shootout, with the shootout counting as one goal for the winner. Lines on the same game from European bookmakers may be on 60 minutes. Mixing the two is the same trap as above.
How to read the rule from the market name
The market name and the bookmaker's sport-specific rules decide. If you use bookmakers in Austria or Slovakia, you will see the labels in German or Slovak too:
| Usually regulation time | Usually including overtime |
|---|---|
| 1X2, Full time result, 3-way, Regular time, 60 minutes, 90 minutes | Money line, Match winner, 2-way, incl. OT, To qualify, To advance |
| German: Reguläre Spielzeit, Dreiweg, nach 60 Minuten | German: inkl. Verlängerung, inkl. Penaltyschießen, Aufsteiger, Sieger |
| Slovak: Riadny hrací čas, Zápas (1X2) | Slovak: vrátane predĺženia, vrátane nájazdov, Postup, Víťaz |
Labels are a guide, not a rule. Some bookmakers write "Match winner" for a regulation-time market, and some put the period only in the small print of the sport rules. Before you place a sure bet, from any tool including ArbVantage, check three things on both bet slips:
- The same market type: two-way versus three-way, same line.
- The same settlement period: regulation time on both, or overtime included on both.
- The same treatment of ties and shootouts: push, void, or settled as a result.
Other settlement differences, such as tennis retirements or abandoned matches, are covered in sure betting by sport and in the guide to abandoned and postponed matches.
Frequently asked questions
Does overtime count for over/under in ice hockey?
It depends on the market. At many European bookmakers the standard hockey totals are settled on 60 minutes unless the market name says overtime is included, while North American lines usually include overtime and the shootout. Check the market name and the bookmaker's ice hockey rules.
Does stoppage time count in football bets?
Yes. Stoppage time added by the referee at the end of each half is part of the 90 minutes. Extra time in a cup match is not, unless the market says so, as "to qualify" markets do.
How is a penalty shootout settled?
In football, shoot-out penalties never count as goals for score-based markets; they only decide "to qualify" and "to lift the trophy" markets. In ice hockey, most bookmakers add one goal to the shootout winner's score and to the total for markets that include the shootout.
Does overtime count in basketball bets?
For the main markets (match winner, spread and total points), usually yes. Three-way basketball markets, halves and quarters can exclude it, and some bookmakers treat second-half and fourth-quarter bets differently.
Sources
- IFAB: Laws of the Game (duration of the match, extra time, penalties)
- IIHF: Rules and Regulations (playing time, overtime, shootout)
- Regierungspräsidium Darmstadt: permitted ice hockey betting markets (regulation time and including overtime) (in German)
- Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL): permitted basketball betting markets (in German)
- Action Network: NHL betting rules for overtime and shootouts
As of October 2026. Bookmakers' rules, odds and offers change; their current terms and betting rules always apply.
Betting involves risk, even with sure bets: prices move, bets get voided, accounts get limited. Only use money you can do without. Our responsible gambling page lists free help in Austria and Germany.
Information, not betting, legal or tax advice. 18+.