# Participation protection

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Canonical: https://novigapi.com/learn/participation-protection

Participation protection is a Novig rule for certain NFL and NBA player props that resolves the market at its pregame fair price if the player does not play after halftime.

Participation protection is Novig's answer to a common frustration with player props: the player gets hurt, ejected or benched early and the Over loses through no fault of the bettor. On a protected market, if the player records no snap (NFL) or no playing time (NBA) in the third quarter, fourth quarter or overtime, the market resolves at its pregame fair market price instead of grading as a loss. The reason the player sat out does not matter.

## How it works

Per Novig's [Participation Protection docs](https://docs.novig.com/api/concepts/participation-protection) (checked 12 Nov 2026), each protected market is a separate twin of a standard player prop, with the same event, player and line but its own order book and prices. Its market type ends in `_PROTECTED`, such as `RECEIVING_YARDS_PROTECTED`. A protected market settles in one of three ways:

1. The player plays after halftime: the market grades like its standard twin.
2. The player already reached the line: the Over wins, even if the player then sits out.
3. Neither: the market resolves at its pregame fair market price, set at kickoff or tipoff, or when the player is ruled out if earlier.

Six NFL prop types and eight NBA prop types have protected twins. Protected markets have no live trading. The docs describe protected NFL markets opening in Novig's QA environment from 29 Oct 2026 and NBA markets from 12 Nov 2026; check Novig's app for availability before relying on it.

## Worked example

An NBA Points Over 22.5, protected. Pregame fair market price for the Over: 55%. You hold 100 Over contracts bought at 52% ($52.00); another trader holds 100 Under contracts bought at 45% ($45.00).

How 100 contracts settle on each side

| Scenario | Protected Over pays | Protected Under pays | Standard Over pays |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Plays after halftime, scores 25 | $100.00 | $0.00 | $100.00 |
| Scores 25 in first half, then sits | $100.00 | $0.00 | $100.00 |
| Scores 10, leaves injured in second quarter | $55.00 | $45.00 | $0.00 |
| Plays after halftime, scores 18 | $0.00 | $100.00 | $0.00 |


In the injury case, each Over contract pays $0.55 and each Under contract $0.45, because the two outcome prices sum to 1. Your Over turns a $52 stake into $55 instead of zero. The Under holder, who would have won $100 on the standard twin, collects $45. That is why the docs note the Over buys protection and the Under sells it, so makers price that risk into the Under.

## On Novig

Because the protected and standard twins trade on separate books, their prices differ: the protected Over should cost more than the standard Over. The gap is the market's price of protection. Novig's docs also allow protected legs in parlay RFQs, as Over picks on games that have not started, and never alongside the same player's standard leg. Our `/player-props` endpoint returns props with player names resolved, so you can line up a twin pair and compare prices with the [Novig odds converter](https://novigapi.com/novig-odds-converter).

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