Draw No Bet Explained for Ghana: How DNB Works, Fair Prices, DNB vs Double Chance and When It Actually Helps

Updated 21 Oct 2026 · By the BetGhanaHub Editorial Team

Draw no bet, or DNB, is one of the most useful markets most Ghanaian punters never really learn. The idea is simple: you back a team to win, and if the match ends in a draw you get your stake back. No win, no loss. That safety net costs you something, of course, because the price is lower than a straight win. The question is whether the trade is worth it. In this guide, my brother, I'll show you exactly how DNB is priced, how to check if the odds are fair, how it compares with double chance and Asian handicaps, and the situations where it genuinely makes sense.

18+ only. This is general information, not a promise of winnings. Every price and percentage below is an illustrative example worked out with simple maths, not a tip for a real match. Betting in Ghana is regulated by the Gaming Commission of Ghana under the Gaming Act 2006 (Act 721). Cloudbet, the crypto sportsbook we link to, holds a Curaçao licence and is not licensed by the Gaming Commission of Ghana.

DNB in a nutshell

• You pick a team. If it wins, you're paid at the DNB odds. If the match is drawn, your stake is refunded. If the other team wins, you lose.
• It's normally settled on 90 minutes plus stoppage time. Extra time and penalties don't count.
• DNB is the same thing as an Asian handicap of 0 (sometimes written 0.0 or "level ball").
• DNB odds are always shorter than the straight win price, because the draw has been taken out of the losing side of the bet.
• It suits matches where you think one side is more likely to win than the price suggests, but a draw is a real risk.

How DNB settles: a quick table

Say you stake GH₵50 on the home side at DNB odds of 1.50.

A refunded DNB stake is treated like a void bet. On a single that just means your money comes back. In an accumulator it usually means that leg is removed and the rest of the slip carries on at lower odds, which we'll come to below.

Where DNB odds come from

Bookmakers start from the 1X2 (home, draw, away) market. Take this made-up Ghana Premier League match:

The bookmaker's margin here is 5.7%. To remove it, divide each implied chance by the total. If you need a refresher on that, our guide on reading betting odds in Ghana walks through it, and the odds calculator does the conversion for you.

With DNB, the draw simply disappears, so you only compare home and away. The fair chance of the home side "winning" a DNB bet is:

Home DNB chance = home chance ÷ (home chance + away chance)

Here that's 45.05 ÷ (45.05 + 26.28) = 63.2%, so the fair DNB price is about 1.58 for the home side and about 2.71 for the away side.

Checking the bookmaker's DNB price

Now compare with what bookmakers actually offer. Because you also get your stake back on a draw, the full average return on a DNB bet is: (win chance × odds) + draw chance − 1. Using the fair chances above:

The lesson: small differences in DNB odds matter a lot. If two bookmakers offer 1.50 and 1.55 on the same team, the better price cuts your expected loss by more than half. Always shop around.

Building your own DNB from the 1X2 market

If a bookmaker doesn't offer DNB on a match, you can build it yourself. Put a stake on the draw that's just big enough to return your whole outlay if the game is drawn, and put the rest on your team.

Example with GH₵100 total on the home side, using the 1X2 prices above:

• Draw stake = GH₵100 ÷ 3.30 = GH₵30.30. If it's a draw, that returns GH₵100: your money back.
• Home stake = GH₵100 − GH₵30.30 = GH₵69.70. If home wins, that returns 69.70 × 2.10 = GH₵146.36.
• So your homemade DNB price is about 1.46.

For the away side: draw stake GH₵30.30, away stake GH₵69.70, which returns GH₵250.91 if the away side wins, a homemade price of about 2.51.

Notice that both homemade prices (1.46 and 2.51) are worse than the dedicated DNB prices in the table above (1.50 to 1.55 and 2.55 to 2.70). That's because building it yourself means paying the margin on two bets. When a proper DNB or Asian handicap 0 market exists, it's usually the cheaper way in. The homemade version is still handy for comparing prices or when DNB isn't on offer.

DNB vs straight win vs double chance

These three markets all express "I like this team", but they spread the risk differently. Say your own view of a match is home 50%, draw 26%, away 24%, and the prices are home win 2.10, home DNB 1.50, and double chance home-or-draw (1X) 1.28.

A few things jump out. On these numbers, the straight win has the best average return but loses half the time. DNB keeps a small edge and halves the losing chance. Double chance loses just as rarely as DNB but pays so little when it wins that it becomes a losing bet. That's common: double chance prices on favourites are often squeezed, while DNB keeps more of the value. If you want more on the other market, see our guide to types of betting in Ghana.

None of these is "best" in every match. The point is that DNB isn't a magic safety net; it's a trade. You give up some payout to get the draw refunded, and whether that's worth it depends on the prices and your estimate of the draw.

DNB and Asian handicaps

DNB is exactly the same as an Asian handicap of 0. Once you see that, the neighbouring lines make sense:

The quarter lines sit between DNB and the straight win or double chance. With the same home 50% / draw 26% view, a home −0.25 at 1.70 averages about −2.0% (on a draw you get back only half your stake), while at 1.75 it's about +0.5%. Asian handicap markets on big leagues often have smaller margins than 1X2, so it's worth comparing DNB with the AH 0 line at the same bookmaker or across a few.

When DNB tends to make sense

• A slight favourite in a tight game. If you rate a team at around 45% to win and the draw is likely, DNB protects you against the most common "bad" result.
• An away side you think is underrated. Away DNB often pays decent odds, and the draw refund is valuable when away teams are content with a point.
• Matches with a high draw chance. Low-scoring leagues, cagey derbies and end-of-season games where a draw suits both sides.
• When you're unsure about team news. If you like a side but aren't sure their striker plays, DNB cushions the risk of a 0-0 or 1-1.

When DNB is a poor fit

• Heavy favourites. If a team is priced at 1.25 to win, the draw is unlikely and DNB might be 1.10 or less. You give up a lot of payout to insure against something rare.
• High-scoring matches. When goals are expected, draws are less common and the refund matters less.
• Squeezed prices. If the DNB price is close to your homemade price from the 1X2 market, the bookmaker is charging a lot for it.

DNB in accumulators

Many Ghanaian punters use DNB legs to "protect" an accumulator. Here's how it usually works: if a DNB leg ends in a draw, that leg is voided and its odds become 1.00. A three-leg slip at 1.50 per leg (3.38 combined) drops to two legs (2.25) if one match is drawn. The slip survives, but the payout shrinks.

That's genuinely better than a straight-win acca, where a draw kills the slip. But the margin still multiplies with each leg, and if every leg is a slightly negative bet, the acca is more negative still. Use DNB legs only when each one is good value on its own. Check your slip's numbers with our accumulator calculator, and always read your bookmaker's void rules, because some apply them differently in bet builders and boosted accas.

Live DNB

DNB is also offered in-play, and it moves fast. A few practical points:

• Live DNB works from the current score. If your team is 1-0 down and you take DNB live, you need them to outscore the opponent from now on, not over the whole match. Check how your bookmaker words it.
• Early in a 0-0 game, DNB prices barely change. As the clock runs down with the score level, the draw becomes more likely and DNB on either side drifts.
• After a red card or an early goal, prices jump within seconds, and your stream may be behind. Don't chase.

For more on in-play betting, read our live betting with crypto guide.

A worked example

A made-up league match. You've done your homework: home 44%, draw 30%, away 26%. Prices: home win 2.25, home DNB 1.60, 1X double chance 1.33.

• Home win: 0.44 × 2.25 − 1 = −1.0%.
• Home DNB: 0.44 × 1.60 + 0.30 − 1 = +0.4%.
• Double chance: 0.74 × 1.33 − 1 = −1.6%.

Only DNB is slightly positive, and it loses just 26% of the time. That's a sensible small bet. If another bookmaker offered home DNB at 1.65, the return would rise to about +2.6%. A small difference in price is the difference between a marginal bet and a reasonable one.

Common DNB mistakes

• Thinking DNB can't lose. It loses every time the other team wins.
• Using it on 1.20 favourites. The protection costs more than it's worth.
• Not comparing with AH 0. Same bet, sometimes better price.
• Forgetting extra time. In cup ties, DNB settles on normal time; a team going through on penalties after a draw is still a refund.
• Stacking DNB legs to build "safe" accas. Safer than straight-win accas, but still multiplying margins.

Crypto and Cloudbet

If you use Cloudbet, check which of these markets it lists for your match before you deposit. It takes crypto such as Bitcoin, Ethereum and USDT, not cedis or mobile money. Crypto prices move, network fees apply and wrong-address transfers can't be undone. Cloudbet is licensed in Curaçao and not by the Gaming Commission of Ghana, so local complaint routes don't cover it. Our guide on whether betting is legal in Ghana explains more.

Tax

The Growth and Sustainability Levy (Amendment) Act, 2025 (Act 1129) removed the 10% withholding tax on betting winnings from 2 April 2025. Winnings may still count as income on your annual return, so keep a record. More in our sports betting tax guide for Ghana.

Your DNB checklist

• Have I estimated home, draw and away chances myself?
• Is (win chance × DNB odds) + draw chance clearly above 1?
• Have I compared DNB with AH 0, the straight win and double chance?
• Have I checked at least two bookmakers' prices?
• Do I know how a draw is settled on this slip, especially in an acca?
• Is the stake inside my budget?

Bet responsibly

Draw no bet reduces one kind of risk, but it's still gambling and most people who bet lose money over time. Set a budget, stick to it and take breaks. If betting stops being fun or you're chasing losses, reach out for help. The Mental Health Authority's free line is 0800 678 678, and the Gaming Commission of Ghana can be reached on 0800 454 545 about self-exclusion and complaints. More support is on our responsible gambling page.