Paul Trevor

Going to the races and placing bets on horses can be an exciting day with numerous opportunities for you to land that big win.

We all want to win but in truth, the majority of casual horse racing bettors don’t always understand the odds and what they might get back from their bets.&nbsp; To be fair, the amount of figures and terminology in horse racing is enough to scare anybody off.

From novice to experienced bettors, knowing what odds you’re using and how that determines what you might win is important and can influence what you choose to bet on.

Have you ever just placed a bet blindly, not noticed the odds and kept your fingers crossed? That’s not a problem, we won’t judge you.

This article will help you to understand the odds and how they relate to any potential winnings.&nbsp; You’ll also see examples of how returns are calculated and be given some tools to help you along your betting journey.

Given that odds are the key to what winning returns are paid out, let’s take a look at those before we get into the calculation side of things.

As you may be aware, <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/how-to-read-betting-odds">betting odds</a> are in place to give an indication of what the betting markets think is likely to win a race.&nbsp; The lower the odds, it’s predicted that the horse has a higher chance of winning the race.&nbsp;

You should always bear in mind that not only do bookies make mistakes, but they also include a <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/what-is-house-edge">house edge</a> in their odds offerings. This can sometimes lead to the odds on offer not actually being a true representation of a horse's chances of winning.&nbsp;

Horse racing odds (in fact, any odds) tend to show in three different formats:

Fractional odds are mainly used in UK and Irish betting markets. As you might have guessed, they will come in formats such as 6/1.&nbsp; At 6/1, for every £1 you bet, you can win £6.&nbsp; If there are strong favourites, the odds change from against to odds on and will look like 1/2. This time, for each £2 you bet, you can win £1.

For example, if we used our example of 6/1 with a £10 stake:

Decimal odds are mainly used in European betting markets. Using decimal odds is easier to calculate returns than fractions, especially with bigger bets.&nbsp; In simple terms, you’re adding 1 on to the fractional odds so 6/1 is 7.0 in decimal odds. This is a basic explanation and the actual equation to convert fractional to decimal = Numerator / Denominator + 1.

Using our fractional odds example of a horse at 6/1, the calculation would look like this:

Thankfully, American odds aren’t really used in the UK which is good as they are a little more complex than fractional or decimal odds.

Moneyline odds are displayed as a + or - and are based on a $100 stake. + odds are the equivalent of odds against in fractions and - odds are the equivalent of odds on.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Okay, now we get to the nitty gritty of the subject……….calculating horse racing bet payouts.

During this section we’ll cover off the different types of <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/types-of-horse-bets">horse racing bets</a> and how to calculate them.&nbsp; Because there’s so many different types of bets, the difficulty ranges from easy to hard.

Don’t panic though, we will also provide the details of online tools that do all the hard work for you. For those mathematicians amongst you that just love calculations, you’ll also get details of how to manually calculate the horse bet payouts.

With <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/what-is-a-single-bet">single bets</a> or win bets as they are also known, you’re betting purely on one outcome, the horse winning the race.&nbsp;

The returns are based on the odds being multiplied by the stake.&nbsp; These are by far the easiest of all bets to calculate the payouts on.

Example: Your horse wins at odds of 7.0 (6/1) with a stake of £10:

Another form of single bet is a place bet.&nbsp; The bookies have a place market and the amount of places available for bets will depend on the amount of runners.

Here’s an example of the places market on Bet365:

As this is still a single bet, the mechanics of payouts remains the same as a single bet.&nbsp; It’s just a case of multiplying the odds by your stake.

Similar to a single bet, but this time you’re picking a horse from two races to create a <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/what-is-a-double-bet">double bet</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The returns are calculated differently for a double bet.&nbsp; This time, the odds of each horse are multiplied to provide total odds.&nbsp; The total odds are then multiplied by the stake.&nbsp;

Here’s a real life example for two horses running in two races at <a href="https://www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/huntingdon/">Huntingdon Races</a>. We have chosen Sangiovese at odds of 5.0 (4/1) and Cloudy Wednesday at odds of 6.5 (11/2) with a total stake of £10.

As mentioned, the odds are multiplied in a double bet.&nbsp; So if both were to win their races, what would the returns look like:

Whilst calculating payouts from doubles bets is relatively easier, you can still use the <a href="https://outplayed.com/calculators/double-bet-calculator">Double Bet Calculator</a> for convenience.

PLEASE NOTE - Treble bets work in exactly the same way as double bets.&nbsp; You multiply the odds of each by each other to get the total odds.

<a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/how-does-an-each-way-bet-work">Each way bets</a> are effectively two bets rolled into one.&nbsp; Your stake is split in two with one half betting on the win and the other half betting on the horse to place.&nbsp;

Just to contradict what we said earlier, it’s actually easier to use the fractional odds when calculating each way bets.&nbsp; This is because there’s fractions involved in the place element of the bet and the numerator is used.

Firstly, let’s provide an example that can be worked through for the calculation:

So, you can see from this example that Bet365 are offering each way terms of 3 places at 1/5 of the odds.

Once you place this bet, there’s three possible outcomes:

Corra Bheinn finishes second or third

Corra Bheinn doesn’t win or place

There’s a crazy amount of horse racing bets for punters these days with some more complicated than others.&nbsp; As we move on to multiple types of bets, we’re stepping up another level.

Here’s a list of most of the multiple bets that are available on horse racing:Round Robin

In addition to these bets, most of them can be done each way so effectively doubling the bet variations.

Multiple bets contain anything from 2 combinations all the way up to 247 combinations. The more combinations there are, the more difficult they become to calculate.&nbsp;

In order not to bore you or scramble your brain, we won’t go through every single one.&nbsp; In essence, the majority of them are calculated using the same maths sequences.

Let’s go through some examples that range from smaller bet combinations to massive bets such as the Super Heinz Bet.

This is one of the smaller multiple bets that requires you to pick 3 horses which will create a bet containing 7 combinations as follows:

Let’s use a real example to walk through the calculate the returns from a Patent bet:

So, for this example, we’ve selected 3 horses from 3 races at Southwell races. Lady Wingalong at odds of 4.5, Francis Drake at odds of 7.5 and I Can’t Believe at odds of 4.0.

Remember, with a Patent bet we have 3 singles, 3 doubles and 1 three-fold.&nbsp; Let’s look at the calculations for each of these elements:

How To Calculate Horse Betting Payouts: Odds Explained

Simon Thatcher

Blackjack Surrender is an online blackjack variant by Playtech. As the name suggests, the opportunity to surrender sets this apart from most versions of blackjack.&nbsp;

If you’re completing <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/best-casino-bonuses" target="_blank" title="">casino offers</a>, blackjack is often the best choice, due to its very high <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/what-does-rtp-mean-in-gambling" target="_blank" title="">Return To Player</a> (RTP). Knowing how to play every hand correctly will maximise your long-term profits from offers.

The RTP of Blackjack Surrender is higher than many other blackjack variants, so it’s a great choice whether you’re doing offers or playing recreationally.&nbsp;

In this article, you’ll discover how to play Blackjack Surrender, its rules, optimum strategy, and where to play it.&nbsp;

If you want to know when it’s best to accept defeat in a Blackjack Surrender and raise the white flag, read on.&nbsp;

Blackjack Surrender is a popular online version of the classic casino game of <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/how-to-play-blackjack" target="_blank" title="">blackjack</a> by the game provider Playtech.

Unlike most online versions of blackjack, in Blackjack Surrender you can choose to surrender your hand. This adds a new layer of strategy, and knowing when to surrender is vital to make the <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/what-is-house-edge" target="_blank" title="">house edge</a> as low as possible.

When you surrender in blackjack, you forfeit your hand immediately and get half your stake back.&nbsp;

Although surrendering in blackjack is rarely the best strategy, sometimes the situation is so dire that it’s your best option.&nbsp;

The table layout of Blackjack Surrender is very similar to other versions of the game:

The core rules of blackjack are the same across most variants of the game, and Blackjack Surrender is no different.&nbsp;

Blackjack Surrender plays very similarly to most other blackjack versions. Here’s a breakdown of how to play the game.

You first need to select your stake by clicking on the chip with the value you want to use:&nbsp;

Next, click on one of the playing positions (boxes) on the table to add your stake:

You can add as many chips as you want, up to the table limit. If you wanted to add a stake of £17, for example, you’d add one £10 chip, one £5 chip and two £1 chips.&nbsp;

You can play at up to five playing positions.&nbsp;

Once you’ve settled on your stakes, click ‘Deal’ to have your hand dealt:

If you’ve already played at least one hand, you’ll have slightly different options:

This is what the table looks like after the initial deal if you’re using one playing position:&nbsp;

After the initial deal, and once the dealer has checked for blackjack, you have the option to surrender:&nbsp;

If you click ‘Surrender’, you fold (forfeit) your hand and get half your stake back for that hand. Here’s a screenshot showing the player surrendering and having half their stake returned:&nbsp;

Most of the time, you shouldn’t surrender, but there are a few occasions when your hand is so much weaker than the dealer’s that it’s the best choice.&nbsp;

There are two types of surrender in blackjack:&nbsp;

Blackjack Surrender follows the late surrender rule.&nbsp;

You’ll see exactly when you should surrender in Blackjack Surrender in the strategy section later.&nbsp;

If you haven’t surrendered, the next step is to choose one of the following plays:

If the dealer’s first card is an ace, you can choose to insure your bet against the dealer having a blackjack. Insurance costs half your original bet, with the new bet placed separately from your main bet.&nbsp;

If the dealer has blackjack, you’re paid 2 to 1 on your insurance bet. The effect of this is that you break even overall on your bet since you lose your original bet but make a profit of two times half your original bet with your winning insurance bet.

You lose your insurance bet if the dealer doesn’t have blackjack.&nbsp;

As with regular blackjack, taking insurance in Blackjack Surrender will reduce your <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/what-does-rtp-mean-in-gambling">Return To Player</a> (RTP), so should be avoided.

If you just want to find the easiest way to play the best possible game of Blackjack Surrender, skip to the ‘Blackjack Calculator’ section below.

In this section, you’ll see how surrendering has a favourable impact on your <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/what-is-expected-value">expected value</a> (EV) for a few select cases.&nbsp;

The <a href="https://wizardofodds.com/games/blackjack/hand-calculator/">Blackjack Hand Calculator</a> created by the <a href="https://wizardofodds.com/site/about/">Wizard of Odds</a>, Mike Shackleford, will be used for this analysis.&nbsp;

There are only four situations where surrendering is the best way to play, all of which will be covered here.&nbsp;

If the dealer’s face card is a ten-value card and you’re dealt a hard 15, you should surrender.&nbsp;

You can see this if you enter the hands into the Blackjack Hand Calculator:&nbsp;

The numbers to the right of the different plays give the expected values. For example, in the long term, you’ll lose 54.2% of your stake on average if you stand.&nbsp;

You can see that the EV for Surrender is higher (less negative) than every other option. If you surrender, you’ll lose half your stake (50%) every time. However, this narrowly beats the expected value of hitting, which loses 5045% of your stake on average.&nbsp;

If the dealer’s face up card is a 9 and you’re dealt a hard 16 that isn’t a pair of 8s, you should surrender. The Blackjack Hand Calculator confirms this:

Like the previous example, there’s not much in it between surrendering and hitting, but for the best long-term value, you should surrender.

If you’re dealt a hard 16 that isn’t a pair of 8s against a dealer’s ten-value card, you should surrender:

The dealer checks for blackjack if they’re dealt an ace. They’ll win the hand immediately if they have a blackjack, unless you have one too, which results in a push and your stake is returned for no profit or loss.&nbsp;

If the dealer doesn’t have blackjack, and you have a hard 16 that doesn’t consist of a pair of 8s, you should surrender:

Although a pair of 8s is a hard 16, it’s a special case. In Blackjack Surrender, you should always split a pair of 8s, no matter what the dealer’s face up card is.&nbsp;

You can see that splitting has a much better expected value than any other choice:&nbsp;

N.B. It might look like taking Insurance is the best option. However, unlike all the other options on the list, Insurance is a side bet, placed in addition to the main bet. The EV for taking the insurance bet is -6.8%, but this is in addition to the EV of your main bet.&nbsp;

These optimum ways to play are incorporated into the blackjack strategy you’ll see in the next section, along with all other possible combinations of player and dealer hands.&nbsp;

By far the easiest way to play Blackjack Surrender online effectively is to use a tool like Outplayed’s <a href="https://outplayed.com/calculators/blackjack-strategy-calculator">Blackjack Calculator</a>, which will be covered next.&nbsp;

An alternative is to use the reference charts in this section. These show the optimum strategy for playing Blackjack Surrender, which is identical to Basic Blackjack Strategy for most blackjack variants where the dealer stands on soft 17. Outplayed's Blackjack Calculator uses this strategy.

The strategy is broken down into charts for hard hands, soft hands, and pairs.&nbsp;

If you want the easiest way to play the best possible game of Blackjack Surrender, look no further than Outplayed’s <a href="https://outplayed.com/calculators/blackjack-strategy-calculator">Blackjack Calculator</a>. The calculator is based on the optimum blackjack strategy, which minimises the casino’s <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/what-is-house-edge">house edge</a> and maximises your <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/what-does-rtp-mean-in-gambling">Return To Player</a> (RTP).&nbsp;

The calculator is very easy to use and tells you exactly what you should do, no matter what cards you and the dealer are dealt.&nbsp;

First, you need to set it up appropriately for Blackjack Surrender. The key rules are that surrender is allowed and the dealer stands on soft 17, so the toggle switches need to be set like this:

What Is Blackjack Surrender? Learn the Rules

Stephanie Sorrell

Odds seem like a relatively simple concept in theory. If you want to place a bet, the odds tell you what you stand to make from it and give you a rough idea of the likelihood of it winning.

But, when you realise that <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/how-are-betting-odds-determined">probability isn’t the only factor that determines odds</a>, things start to get more confusing. Bookies will adjust their odds to encourage betting on either side of an event, and of course, they add on a margin to all their odds to ensure they make a profit.

So with all those factors to consider, how do you work out whether a bookie’s odds are good value for money? Especially if you’re relatively new to <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/sports-betting-guide">sports betting</a>, you might not have the expertise to decide for yourself what the likely outcome of a match or race might be.

In this article, we’ll take you through how odds work, what might make odds ‘good’ or ‘bad’, and how to decide for yourself whether the odds you see are worth taking. We’ll also explain what odds to look for when you’re <a href="https://outplayed.com/what-is-matched-betting">making money through Matched Betting</a>.

By the end, you’ll have all the information you need about odds, so that you can use available tools plus your own experience to assess the odds you see and make an informed decision as to whether they’re worth taking.

Odds in sports betting are based on the simple principle of telling the bettor how much they stand to win if their bet is successful. High odds mean they’ll win a large amount, while low odds mean a relatively small amount, when compared to their original stake.

Inevitably, odds also correspond (sometimes more loosely than others) to probability. A bookie is always going to be willing to pay out more if an outcome is considered unlikely to occur, and less for what is considered a highly likely outcome.

For this reason, odds can also be viewed as an indication of probability. Low odds indicate a high chance of something happening, whereas high odds indicate a low chance of something happening.

If you look at the odds for a certain event, you can therefore gain an idea of how likely each outcome is thought to be.

For example, let’s take a look at this upcoming football match between Chelsea and West Ham.

We can see that the odds offered for Chelsea are pretty low at 1.33, while the odds for West Ham are much higher at 8.5. A draw, meanwhile, also has fairly high odds, at 5.25.

This tells us that the bookie considers a Chelsea win to be by far the most likely outcome, with a draw relatively unlikely, and a West Ham win more improbable still.

They’re therefore willing to offer a pretty high payout for a West Ham win, and a much less significant one for a Chelsea win.

While odds can be used to give you an idea of the chance of something happening, though, it’s important to remember that probability isn’t the only thing that determines odds.

As well as adding on their margin, bookies will adjust their odds to encourage bettors to bet on certain outcomes. The aim is to ensure they have a balanced volume of betting on all sides of an event, so that <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/how-betting-sites-make-money">they profit regardless of the outcome of the event</a>.

In the UK, odds come in <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/how-to-read-betting-odds">three main formats</a>: fractional, decimal and moneyline. We’ll give you a quick rundown of how each format works here.

Fractional is the traditional odds format used in the UK, and means that odds are displayed in the form of a fraction. When you hear about someone talking about ‘odds of two to one’ or ‘odds of seven to two’ they’re using the fractional odds format.

​​Fractional odds indicate the amount you will win based on your original stake, with the first number showing your winnings, and the second your stake.

For example, 2/1 odds indicates that for every £1 staked you will win £2.

The problem with fractional odds is that they’re quite difficult to compare. Unless you’re already very familiar with how they work, you’ll have to do some maths to be certain of how much better or worse one set of odds is than another - and the majority of us would probably prefer not to have to do maths if we can help it.

Most people agree that <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/how-to-use-decimal-odds">decimal odds</a> are the most straightforward. They’re presented as a number with decimal places, and you simply multiply your stake by that number to get your potential return.

For example, 3.0 odds means that if you bet £1, you receive a total of £3 if your bet wins.

You should be aware that your calculation for decimal odds gives you your total return (including your original stake), whereas fractional odds involve calculating your winnings (which don’t include your original stake).

Moneyline odds are the most confusing of all. They come in two different formats, depending on the likelihood of an outcome, which is one good reason why they’ve never really caught on this side of the Atlantic.

For an outcome that is more likely than not to occur (i.e. a favourite), moneyline odds are expressed in the negative, while for an outcome that is less likely to occur (i.e. an underdog), the odds are expressed in the positive.

For a favourite, the odds indicate the amount you have to bet in order to win £100 (or, as they’re more commonly used in the US, $100). For an underdog, meanwhile, the odds indicate the amount of profit you’ll make if you bet £100.

+200 odds means that if you bet £100, you’ll make £200 in profit if your bet wins

-200 odds means that you need to bet £200 in order to make £100 in profit if your bet wins

Most British bookies allow you to choose between these three odds formats, though some only offer fractional and decimal, and a couple of others throw in a host of exotic Asian odds formats as well. You can usually find the option to change odds format either at the top of the sports betting screen, at the very bottom of your page, or in your account section.

You can use an <a href="https://www.aceodds.com/bet-calculator/odds-converter.html">odds converter</a> to work out equivalents between sets of odds, but here are a few commonly offered odds and their equivalents in each format.

You can also infer the <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/what-is-implied-probability">implied probability</a> of each outcome from the odds given, so we’ve included the percentage chance for each set of odds as well, to give you an idea of how likely each is considered to be.

Factors That Affect Whether Odds Are ‘Good’

Now that you understand how odds work, the question is how to determine whether what you’re seeing offers you good value.

Naturally, there’s no single point at which odds can be said to be ‘good’, because it all depends on the real likelihood of an outcome occurring. This means that identical odds can be good or bad, depending on the context of the event in question.

If you can determine that the actual probability of something happening is higher than the odds would imply - so for example, something has a 50% chance of occurring, but you’re seeing odds of 3 - those odds would certainly count as being ‘good’.

On the other hand, if you can tell that the actual probability of something happening is lower than the odds would imply - say, something with a 20% chance of occurring, and you’re seeing odds of 3 - then those odds would be pretty poor.

Another consideration is the age-old calculation of risk vs reward. Does the amount you’re risking, and the risk of losing, merit the potential reward you’re seeing?

Even without taking into account the actual likelihood of something happening, you may well consider extremely high odds or extremely low odds not to come out favourably when you consider risk vs reward.

For example, in the football match we looked at earlier between Chelsea and West Ham, you might feel that neither team is very appealing. It can be helpful to methodically lay out your options and potential results to help you decide, as shown below.

At odds of 1.33, although your bet is clearly pretty likely to win, you aren’t making that much profit. Even if you put £100 on Chelsea, you’d only make a profit of £33 if they win - and although they’re the favourites, it’s still perfectly possible for them to lose or draw. Many bettors would feel that, in cases like this, the reward isn’t large enough to justify even the fairly small risk.

At odds of 8.5, meanwhile, West Ham will certainly give you a hefty return if they win - that same £100 bet would get you £750 in profit. But that win really isn’t very likely to happen at all, meaning that many bettors will feel the risk is too high to justify the reward.

Bookies will offer <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/what-is-european-handicap">handicap markets</a> to help to even things out, though, so just because the match odds are heavily one-sided, that doesn’t mean you won’t find suitable odds on any market for that match.

When deciding whether you like the look of the odds available on an event, it’s always worth weighing up whether the risk of your bet is justified by the potential reward.

<a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/what-are-the-best-odds-for-matched-betting" target="_blank" title="">What Are Good Odds For Matched Betting?</a>

When you’re Matched Betting, you have very different considerations to think about.

You don’t care about whether the bet wins or not, so risk vs reward isn’t a consideration - so long as you’re doing it correctly, there isn’t any risk at all.

But that doesn’t mean the odds don’t matter. Depending on the type of bet you’re placing (whether it’s a <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/qualifying-bet-guide">qualifying bet</a> or a free bet), you’ll need to evaluate the odds you see based on a few criteria.

There are a number of things you can do to help you form an accurate assessment of whether the odds you’re seeing are good value or not, and to take advantage of valuable odds you encounter.

There are lots of things that can make odds ‘good’ - it all depends on the context of the event, and of what you’re trying to achieve.

But generally speaking, the best ways to identify good odds will remain the same: gain knowledge and experience of the sport in question, compare odds between bookies (and exchanges), and use any Oddsmatching and value betting tools available to you to locate the best value selections.

And if this article has piqued your interest in <a href="https://outplayed.com/what-is-matched-betting">making profits with Matched Betting</a>, why not give it a go with the <a href="https://outplayed.com/user/register#1">Outplayed free trial</a>? You’ll be making your first profits before you know it!

What Are Good Betting Odds?

Casinos and bookmakers use <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/why-you-need-to-do-casino-offers" target="_blank" title="">casino offers</a> to entice customers to join their sites and continue playing once they’re members.&nbsp;

Most of these offers have a positive <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/what-is-expected-value" target="_blank" title="">expected value</a>, meaning they’re worth doing in the long-run.&nbsp;

Casino offers come in several different forms, from simple ‘bet and get’ offers to more complicated offers.

Something they all have in common is some kind of reward for completing the offer. This could be free spins or cash, but often it’s some kind of bonus.&nbsp;

There are several types of bonuses, but all can be split into one of two categories: sticky bonuses and non-sticky bonuses.&nbsp;

In this article, you’ll find out what sticky bonuses are, how they work, and how you can often make a profit from them.

A sticky bonus can be used for wagering purposes, but the bonus amount can never be withdrawn.&nbsp;

Another term for a sticky bonus is a non-cashable bonus because the bonus amount itself can’t be withdrawn as cash.

If you make a withdrawal, the sticky bonus amount will be deducted from your balance whether or not you've completed the wagering requirement for an offer.&nbsp;

Bookmakers and casinos probably won’t use the phrase ‘sticky bonus’, but the relevant term will be found somewhere in their terms and conditions. This is how The Sun Vegas describe their sticky bonuses:

A non-sticky bonus is also called a cashable bonus. In this case, your bonus funds can be withdrawn along with any winnings if you complete wagering. If you withdraw before completing wagering, you’ll forfeit and lose your bonus.&nbsp;

Restrictions on Withdrawing Deposits and Deposit Winnings

In British-licensed online casinos and bookmakers, you won’t be restricted from withdrawing your deposit and deposit winnings.

Before 2018, online casinos and bookmakers operating in Great Britain often ran offers that restricted withdrawals of deposits and deposit winnings until the wagering requirements for the offer had been completed.&nbsp;

The deposit and bonus (either sticky or non-sticky) were often combined into a single balance which was then used for wagering.&nbsp;

This meant that after depositing, you’d have to get through all the required wagering to have access to your money, even if you hit a big win.

On <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/online-gambling-the-investigation-so-far-and-next-steps" target="_blank" title="">21st November 2017</a>, George Lusty of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) gave a speech highlighting potentially unfair terms and practices in online gambling in Britain.&nbsp;

Two of the CMA’s recommendations were that gambling companies should:

The day after, the Gambling Commission <a href="https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/news/article/time-to-take-action-on-unfair-terms-says-gambling-commission" target="_blank" title="">announced</a> it was time to take action on the issue.

On 1st February 2018, the CMA published their <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/online-gambling-promotions-dos-and-donts#full-publication-update-history" target="_blank" title="">Online gambling promotions: do’s and don’ts guidance</a> about withdrawal restrictions.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The current Gambling Commission’s guidance can be found <a href="https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/licensees-and-businesses/guide/page/restrictions-on-withdrawing-deposit-and-deposit-winnings" target="_blank" title="">here</a>. It states:

“Operators must allow players to withdraw funds from their deposit balance, even if they are allocated to a bonus including when a bonus is pending or active in the account.”

For this reason, you won’t find any sticky bonus offers in British-licensed casinos or bookmakers where you’re restricted from withdrawing your deposit or deposit winnings, even if you haven’t completed wagering.&nbsp;

A footnote worth mentioning is that bookmakers and casinos reserve the right to withhold your winnings and deposit if they believe you’re seriously in breach of their terms and conditions (for example, multi-accounting by opening more than one with them). However, it’s very rare for this to happen.

Since sticky bonuses don’t allow the bonus to be withdrawn, it might seem like they don’t have any value. However, this isn’t the case.&nbsp;

Here are a couple of reasons why there's value in sticky bonuses:

In the next section, we’ll look at an example of how you can often find value in sticky bonuses.&nbsp;

Outplayed have a wide range of casino offers available for <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/our-membership-levels-explained" target="_blank" title="">Diamond and Pro</a> members. Although the bonuses offered for most offers are of the non-sticky variety, there are a couple of offers that involve sticky bonuses.&nbsp;

This section will cover an example of a sign-up offer involving a sticky bonus. This is a high-risk offer, which is only suitable for those experienced with casino offers.

A substantial bankroll is also needed, to cover the inevitable large downswings in profit that come with high-risk offers.&nbsp;

High-risk offers certainly aren’t something that everyone will want to do, but the good news is that Outplayed have plenty of risk-free, low-risk, and medium-risk casino offers too, in addition to <a href="https://outplayed.com/what-is-matched-betting" target="_blank" title="">Matched Betting</a> offers and <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/what-is-value-betting" target="_blank" title="">value betting</a> tools.&nbsp;

Outplayed recommend depositing £100 for the Fabulous Vegas offer. They also advise never risking more than 2% of your total bankroll on a high-risk offer, so you’d need a £5000 bankroll to attempt this offer.&nbsp;

Some members prefer to be even more conservative and risk 1% of their bankroll, meaning a £10,000 bankroll would be required.&nbsp;

Here’s a summary of the offer on Outplayed:

Although the expected value of £43.71 is very good, the 83.4% bust rate (the likelihood of losing your full £100 deposit and bonus funds) means it’s a high-risk offer.

Here’s Outplayed’s write-up for the offer, which gives full instructions for how to approach the sticky bonus, after depositing £100:

For this offer, the £100 deposit needs to be wagered 30 times (£3000) on eligible slots before any bonus winnings can be withdrawn.&nbsp;

Outplayed recommend using a high Return To Player (RTP) slot that is also high variance, using a stake of £4, near to the maximum stake. You’ll see the impact of RTP, variance, stake, and bonus percentage in a later section.&nbsp;

A suitable high variance and high RTP slot recommended by the offer is Blue Wizard (RTP 96.5%).&nbsp;

Cash is used first for this offer, with both cash and bonus funds counting towards wagering. It’s a sticky bonus, so if you complete wagering without losing your deposit, you won’t convert any of the bonus to withdrawable cash.&nbsp;

We’ll look at four ways the offer could play out.

Let’s say you complete the wagering without touching bonus funds, ending up with £350 in total. The £100 sticky bonus will be deducted from these winnings when you withdraw. This leaves you with £250 of cash to withdraw, a profit of £150, since you initially deposited £100 in cash.&nbsp;

The bonus effectively does nothing in this scenario - it’s just added to your balance at the start and taken away at the end. It’s very similar to depositing £100 without a bonus, gambling £3000 and making a £150 profit. However, there’s an important difference between the two scenarios.&nbsp;

Doing the offer with the sticky bonus gives you a ‘safety net’ for those occasions when you lose your deposit. You’ll still have a chance to complete the wagering using these bonus funds and come out with a profit. Although you didn’t use the bonus in this scenario, this doesn’t mean it has no long-term value.&nbsp;

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