How to Fill in a Betting Slip

A betslip is the ticket or coupon on which you build your wager before placing it. It serves as a record for you and the sportsbook to track your wagers.

Think of it as a combination of an online shopping cart and a payout calculator, allowing you to see your potential returns based on the associated cost. You can place multiple wagers within a single betslip or submit multiple betslips.

Online sportsbooks also integrate their terms of use directly into the bet builder, ensuring you comply with their parameters, such as selecting the correct number of parlay legs.

3 Core Components of a Betslip

While the display might vary slightly across sportsbooks and bet types, the fundamental elements you’ll encounter on your betslip as you construct your wager include:

• Market: This refers to the specific outcome you are wagering on.
• Odds: These are the odds associated with that outcome happening.
• Stake: This is the amount of money you intend to bet on that outcome at the given odds.

Based on these three factors, most betting applications will automatically calculate the total cost and potential payout if your bet wins.

How to Read Odds on a Betslip

Online betting platforms often allow you to customize the odds format presented.

It’s crucial to remember that odds are dynamic; they are not static and can change as circumstances shift before and during an event. When you submit your bet, you lock in the price as it is at that moment, unless otherwise specified on the betslip.

Where to Find Your Online Betslip

When you select a market to bet on, it is typically automatically added to your digital betslip, which usually appears on the right side of your screen and remains active until you decide to submit it. After you've submitted your betslip, you can typically find your pending and settled bets within your player account.

1. Obtain a physical bet slip

Upon entering a betting shop, you'll usually find piles of white betting slips along the walls and on shelves or tables. Some sports have dedicated coupons that simplify some of these steps.

2. Identify the event and your selection

Write the event's name, like a team vs. team matchup or racecourse and time, at the top of the slip. Write down the name of your chosen participant or specify your selected outcome.

If you use a dedicated coupon, mark a white box next to your desired selection.

3. Specify the bet type

Clearly state the kind of wager you are placing. On coupons, you would mark the box for the specific bet type.

For multiple selections across different events, you'll specify it as a "parlay," “multi,” “accumulator,” “acca,” or indicate the "fold" (e.g., “four-fold” for four selections). Most shops offer dedicated coupons for multiples, where you mark the boxes by the teams and the type of bet.

4. Determine and specify the odds

It's important to remember that odds are dynamic and can change; writing them down locks in the price at that moment. If you wish to guarantee payment at the current odds, write them down on your slip. The cashier will verify and circle these odds if they are correct.

If you leave the odds off your slip, you will take the starting price (SP), which is the price at the event's start.

5. State your stake

Write down the amount of money you wish to wager and the type of bet you want to place. On coupons, you would mark a box for your stake.

6. Submit the slip and receive a receipt

After placing your bet, you will be given a receipt. If your bet proves successful, you can take this receipt to the cashier to be paid out. 

While traditional betting involves physical slips and coupons, online betting has made the process far neater, simpler, and easier. Online platforms reduce ambiguities, displaying all necessary information and calculating potential payouts automatically.

Online betting also offers the convenience of placing wagers from home or on the go with a smartphone and internet connection, often including perks.