Advanced options
Standard lay stake formula: back stake x back odds / (lay odds - commission). The two outcomes should be nearly equal; the small remaining figure is the qualifying loss (or profit) of the matched pair. Please gamble responsibly: GamCare offer free support on 0808 8020 133 or at gamcare.org.uk. 18+.
What The Lay Bet Calculator Works Out
- Lay stake to place: the standard formula is back stake x back odds / (lay odds - commission). Back GBP 10 at 3.0, lay at 3.1 with 2% commission, and the lay stake is GBP 9.74. A lay bet is the bookmaker's side of the wager: you keep the backer's stake if the selection loses and pay out at the odds if it wins.
- Liability: lay stake x (lay odds - 1), the amount the exchange holds from your balance while the bet is unmatched or live. It is real money at risk if the back bet is not in place.
- If the back bet wins / if the lay bet wins: the net result across both accounts in each case. With the standard formula they are almost identical, and the small residue (about 45p on the example) is the qualifying loss that matched bettors accept to unlock a promotion. The tighter the gap between back and lay odds, the cheaper the match.
- Lay approach (advanced): underlaying sets the liability equal to the back winnings so the result is zero if the selection wins and the whole qualifying loss (or profit) lands if it loses; overlaying does the reverse. Both skew the outcome towards the result you want, for example to collect a refund offer that only pays if the back bet loses. Overlaying has no meaning for a free bet, so the standard stake is used.
- Free bet (advanced): a stake-not-returned free bet pays winnings only, so the lay stake becomes (back odds - 1) x stake / (lay odds - commission) and the match locks in a profit, typically 70% to 80% of the free bet's face value at odds of 4.0 or higher.
- Exchange balance (advanced): shows the largest back stake your balance can cover at these odds, since liability rises with the lay odds. Exchanges settle commission on net winnings per market.
- Match rating (advanced): the standard matched-betting quality score: the percentage of each pound backed that you keep. 98% means a 2p loss per pound; above 100% the match itself is profitable.
- Implied win chance (advanced): 100 divided by the lay odds, so the lay wins the rest of the time. Enter your own estimate of the chance to see whether laying has an edge on its own, which is how traders use lays to price an opinion that something will not win.
- Round the lay stake (advanced): exchanges accept penny stakes but rounding to 10p or GBP 1 makes the two outcomes slightly uneven; the cards show the real figures after rounding. Matched betting profits are currently free of UK income tax for recreational bettors.
- Please gamble responsibly: GamCare offer free confidential support on 0808 8020 133. 18+.