Own goals and the “no goalscorer” option are the quiet corners of football’s scorer markets, and they cause more confusion than almost anything else at settlement time. A bet that looked like a winner can vanish because an own goal does not count, or a “no goalscorer” bet can land in a game that clearly had a goal in it. Understanding these rules protects you from nasty surprises. This guide explains exactly how they work.

What the markets are

Two related things sit here. First, the “no goalscorer” option that appears inside first and last goalscorer markets — it wins when no player is credited with a legitimate goal. Second, dedicated own-goal markets offered by some books, typically “will there be an own goal — yes or no”. The key concept linking them is that, under standard rules, an own goal is not attributed to any player for scorer-market purposes. It counts on the scoreboard but not in the scorer list. For the surrounding markets, see our guides to first goalscorer and last goalscorer, and the broader football betting guide.

How they are priced

The “no goalscorer” option is priced from the probability of a 0-0 result (plus the small chance the only goals are own goals), so it is essentially a proxy for a goalless game and tends to be a longer price in high-scoring fixtures. Dedicated own-goal markets are priced from historical own-goal frequency, which is low, so “yes” carries long odds and a heavy margin. Both sit within the high-overround scorer family, meaning the built-in bookmaker margin is larger than in mainstream markets. Prices vary between books more than you might expect, so comparison via our odds tools is worthwhile even on these niche bets.

Format and rules effects

The decisive rule is attribution. If the opening goal of a match is an own goal, a first goalscorer bet is not settled by it — the market carries on to whoever scores the next legitimate goal, and only if no such goal ever arrives does “no goalscorer” win. The same logic applies at the other end for last goalscorer. This means a game can end 1-0 via an own goal and still settle “no goalscorer” as the winner, which feels counter-intuitive but is standard. Rules can differ slightly between bookmakers, especially on how a substituted player or a game with only own goals is handled, so reading the specific terms is essential.

Common mistakes

The most common mistake is assuming an own goal will settle your scorer bet — it will not, and people lose bets they thought they had won. Another is overlooking the “no goalscorer” edge case, where a game with a goal on the scoreboard still settles as no scorer. On dedicated own-goal markets, the error is treating a long price as value; own goals are rare and the margin is heavy, so “yes” is rarely the bargain it looks. And, as with all scorer markets, folding these into accumulators multiplies an already large margin.

Honesty note

These are niche, high-margin novelty corners of the market. The rules are generally fair once you understand them, but they exist mostly for entertainment and carry poor long-term value. There is nothing wrong with the occasional small stake, but do not build a strategy around own-goal or no-goalscorer bets — the variance is high and the margins are unfriendly. The most valuable thing here is simply knowing the settlement rules so your other scorer bets do not surprise you. Read the terms, keep stakes small, and never chase. For grounding and support, see our responsible gambling resources, and bet with a licensed bookmaker whose rules are clearly stated.

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