Updated: 2024UK online bookies offering guaranteed odds
Best Odds Guaranteed Explained
Racing has many variables. Things ranging from the condition of the dog or horse, the weather, the venue and even the training staff involved can all influence the outcome of the event. Furthermore, some of these factors can change at a moment’s notice. Because of this, it can be very difficult for punters to accurately predict the results of a race. Moreover, it makes it almost impossible to know if the odds being offered by the bookmakers will improve or worsen as time goes on.
Thankfully, some bookmakers use a Best Odds Guaranteed system to entice punters to their sites. This system means that no matter what, the gambler placing a bet on the site will receive the best possible odds offered on their bet if the odds have changed when the race starts. This removes a fair bit of the confusion and uncertainty from the process of placing a bet on racing and allows the player to better enjoy the race itself. Additionally, it works in the bookmaker’s favour by ensuring that their customers know they are getting the most lucrative possible deal, making them more likely to return and spend money in the future.
That said, there are some pitfalls when it comes to using a Best Odds Guaranteed system to gamble online. This is because different betting sites have different terms and conditions surrounding their particular systems. There will also be some restrictions placed on the type of bets that can be placed via Best Odds Guaranteed. For instance, the system cannot be combined with other potentially advantageous bets, such as accumulators, tote bets and ante-post betting. This is because it would otherwise give the customer an unfair advantage and lose the bookmaker money in the long run. Furthermore, some betting sites might restrict the ability of punters to use Best Odds Guaranteed when betting on international racing. This is mainly due to the fact that it requires more resources in order to get accurate odds for overseas events, which may cause domestic bookmakers to give poorly researched odds that could either lose them money or mislead consumers, making them less likely to return in the future.
How Does It Work?
Betting with Best Odds Guaranteed is actually quite straightforward. Once on a betting site, the punter will be able to see the list of available bets as normal. Typically, the bookmaker will label bets that exist under the Best Odds Guaranteed system quite clearly as a promotional scheme. Then, the punter merely has to place their bet and it will automatically fall under the system.
The odds offered on a given horse or dog will fluctuate throughout the lead up to the race. If the odds get shorter, this will not have any effect on the gambler’s bet. However, if the odds become longer by the time the race starts – and thereby more lucrative – the bet will be adjusted to use those odds. This means that should the odds change in the bet’s favour, the customer will still be able to take home a good amount of winnings.
It should be noted that Best Odds Guaranteed is not retroactive, meaning that even if better odds were available previously in the day, the betting system will not award them to a bet placed later. Only more favourable odds from the point of placing the bet and onwards will be used. Specifically, only the odds at the point of the race starting will be used to update the bet.
What Does “Best Odds Guaranteed” Mean?
Best odds guaranteed means that you get the best odds and the biggest profits possible on a specific event.
You can describe it as a safety net for punters but an example will explain it best, and we’ll continue with the horse racing betting market for now:
Best Odds Guaranteed Example:
Your bookie is offering best odds guaranteed on the Gold Cup at Cheltenham Festival and you decide to bet on the favourite ‘Ruby Tuesday’ at odds of 5/1. Say you place this bet at 12:00 pm and the race isn’t due to start until 3:30 pm, and with an hour to go you start to see some movement in the markets for the second favourite horse ‘Big Sky’.
Punters at the festival and everyone via the online betting sites decide to back ‘Big Sky’ and so the odds for ‘Ruby Tuesday’ start to drift out to 8/1 for the start of the race. You would then get a payout at 8/1 rather than 5/1 if Ruby Tuesday wins the Gold Cup. The best odds guaranteed has helped you out and given you the 8/1 price rather than the initial 5/1 price.
It also works the other way around and if everyone carried on backing the favourite ‘Ruby Tuesday’ then the price would naturally drop, say to around 2/1 before the race starts. The best odds guaranteed feature entitles you to the initial 5/1 price even though the odds dropped down to 2/1. If ‘Ruby Tuesday’ wins then you would win £60 off a £10 bet rather than £30 without the best odds guaranteed feature in place.
Best Odds Guaranteed Offers
Each betting company has a distinct set of terms and conditions when it comes to their offers and promotional schemes. These typically revolve around the type of sport eligible (typically racing with either horse or greyhound Best Odds Guaranteed offers are the most common), the minimum stake a punter can place (usually around £10 for winner bets and £5 for each way bets) and the time of day (as some companies limit the program to only come into effect on the same day as the race). Sometimes, companies will odds limits on bets in order for them to be eligible for Best Odds Guaranteed wagers, though across the industry, these are usually around ½ or slightly lower.
The offers available via the online bookmakers Best Odds Guaranteed programs are fairly similar, but there are some important variations between them. Below is a summary of the schemes available from the largest bookmakers.
William Hill
Due to the sheer size of the company, William Hill offers Best Odds Guaranteed on a variety of sports, including all British and Irish horse racing and dog racing. In order to determine which are being offered on a given day, punters should look for the yellow icon displayed next to the relevant bets. The minimum stake allowed for Best Odds Guaranteed is £10 for both regular stakes and each-way bets. Although there are no stringent time restrictions placed on the betting, William Hill does offer some special offers for early betting.
Paddy Power
As a standard in the world of horse betting, Paddy Power typically has the full selection of races in the UK and Ireland ready for punters to bet on. They also have a large number of dog races on offer and a good selection of some specific major international events. The minimum bet for Best Odds Guaranteed wagers is usually the same as the rest of the site limit, meaning that even cautious gamblers can take part. In the event of a big win, Paddy Power has imposed a limit of £50000 for Best Odds Guaranteed enhancements.
Skybet
All dog and horse racing in the UK and Ireland are covered by Skybet. The minimum possible bet to qualify to Sky bet Best Odds Guaranteed offer is £5 on both a winner bet and an each-way wager. The maximum total payout enhancement is capped at around £60000, giving a slightly higher limit than some other major firms. Skybet also runs a number of other promotional schemes, some of which can be combined with a Best Odds Guaranteed, meaning that it is always worth investigating what options are open at any given time.
Betfred
Best Odds Guaranteed is regularly available on Betfred, though the offer is restricted to run only from 08:00 on the day of the actual race itself. The sports covered include British and Irish horse and dog racing, as well as some others when promotional offers are being run. The minimum possible stake for entry into the Best Odds Guaranteed scheme is £10 on any kind of applicable bet. It should be taken into account that Betfred does not allow Best Odds Guaranteed in the minutes immediately prior to the start of the race, meaning that customers should try and place their wagers earlier.
Bet365
Bet365 covers British and international horse racing in some depth, as well as dog racing (some other sports also occasionally have Best Odds Guaranteed offered by Bet365). The minimum bet to qualify for the Best Odds Guaranteed bet365 offer is the same as the regular site bet limit and the odds limits are in line with the industry standard. Unlike some other firms, there is no widely publicized winnings limit when it comes to gambling with Bet365, nor is there a time limit for the program, though some punters have found the bet allocation of bet365 Best Odds Guaranteed offers to be somewhat arbitrary.
Ladbrokes
The Ladbrokes Best Odds Guaranteed incentives are available to punters from the morning of the day of the race, usually beginning at 09:00. The company covers British and Irish horse racing as well as dog racing and some selected international events. The minimum amount of cash that can be used in a Best Odds Guaranteed scenario is £5, in both a winner selection bet and an each-way wager. Interestingly, they impose a limit of £25000 on possible winnings from Best Odds Guaranteed.
Example of Best Odds
Whilst placing a bet using the Best Odds Guaranteed system may seem straightforward in theory, in practice it can be somewhat challenging for some punters to fully grasp the mechanism at work when they place their bet. To illustrate the process in full, here is a quick example.
A punter sees a horse race betting being advertised on their regular betting site and they see that it is covered by Best Odds Guaranteed. They place a bet of £10 at odds of 2/1 a few hours prior to the race. Because Best Odds Guaranteed is passive, they are automatically enrolled in the system. By the time the race starts, the odds have shifted to 4/1 on their chosen horse and their bet changes accordingly. The chosen horse wins the race and the punter collects their winnings. However, instead of being presented with £30 (from the original 2/1 odds they bet on), they are awarded £50 due to the odds having become more favourable at 4/1 by the start of the race.
Summary
Using Best Odds Guaranteed is a great way to maximise potential profit when betting on horses or greyhounds. Due to the lack of additional investment in order to use the scheme, it adds no extra risk on top of the original bet. Furthermore, the system is automatic, meaning that there is no chance of forgetting to utilise it in the heat of the moment and allowing punters to concentrate on their making their choice between the different competitors. As well as being good for the consumer’s wallet in an immediate sense, Best Odds Guaranteed allows betting sites to remain competitive with one another and often leads to site members being directed towards additional promotional schemes in the future.
However, the program is not a substitute for good research and rational decision making. After all, only a winning bet will benefit from the more favourable odds that Best Odds Guaranteed can provide. By making the extra effort to properly identify the winning competitor, punters can place their bets with much more peace of mind and go home with an enhanced pot of winnings.
