Lay Betting Explained
Laying horses is an increasingly popular betting option that has been facilitated by the growth of Internet betting exchanges. Many punters accustomed to backing horses are intimidated by laying systems, and therefore fail to exploit the excellent returns this betting option offers. In reality laying horses is just as simple as backing horses, and many punters believe that it is also more lucrative in the long run. If you are new to betting we can recommend that you try free bets uk as seen on Freebets.com. Visit their site for more betting advice, predictions and the latest sports betting odds on the market!
Betting Exchanges
Laying horses is not available at most online bookmakers. Instead, this betting option is offered by online betting exchanges. Many punters prefer to use the handful of betting exchanges that combine lay betting with fixed odds betting, the most well known of which is Betfair. What distinguishes betting exchanges from regular bookmakers, is that they allow punters to bet either for or against a selection winning an event. In horseracing this means that a punter can bet against a racehorse winning a particular race. One can immediately see the benefits of this, as a race featuring 20 horses will produce 19 losers and only 1 winner.
Lay Betting
The difference between lay betting and regular betting is simple. Regular betting involves backing a selection by putting down a stake at a set price. Lay betting works in reverse. Instead of making a selection, the punter puts a price on an entry in any given event. Members of the betting exchange are then free to accept this price, effectively taking up the role usually occupied by bookmakers. One of the biggest differences between lay betting and backing a selection, is that punters laying a selection are required to put down the amount of money the selection will pay out if it does win. This ensures that members of the betting exchange who accept the punter's odds earn a payout if the selection wins.
An Example Of Laying Horses
A member of a betting exchange makes the decision to lay Denman in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. He puts down odds of 5/1 on Denman winning the race. These odds attract a punter who wishes to back Denman and subsequently puts down £10. In order for the exchange to continue, the betting exchange member who placed the lay bet has to put down £50. If Denman wins the Cheltenham Gold Cup, his backer wins £50, if Denman fails to win the race his stake goes to the exchange member who placed the lay bet. The money put down against Denman is returned with the stake.
If however you would rather stick to normal betting check out the Horse Racing Betting Guide for detailed betting tips and live betting odds on all horseracing events.