Bet Slip Basics: How to Fill in a Betting Slip Online

Watching a close horse race or a tense sporting event is a great thrill, but having a bet on the outcome can add an extra layer of excitement.

However, if you're new to betting, filling out a betting slip can seem confusing - and getting it wrong could cost you money.

This guide will walk you through the process step-by-step, ensuring you can place your bet with confidence, either with an online bookmaker or at a physical betting shop.

Placing a Traditional Bet on Horse Racing

For anyone wondering how to write out a betting slip, a horse racing bet is a good example to start with.

Upon walking into a betting shop, you will typically find piles of white betting slips along the walls and on the shelves. Grab one and follow these simple steps:

• Write the name of the racecourse and the time of the race at the top of the slip, such as “York 13:30 or “Royal Ascot 16:00”.
• Jot down the name of the horse you want to bet on.
• If you want to guarantee that you will be paid out at the odds currently on offer for that horse, write them down. Leave the odds off your slip to take the starting price (price at the start of the race, denoted as SP).
• Decide the type of bet to be placed. The most popular options on a horse race are win and each-way.
• Write your stake, along with the bet you are placing, such as a “£20 win” or “£10 each way”.

A win bet is rather straightforward since you are just betting on your horse to finish in first place.

With an each-way bet, half of your stake goes on the horse to win the race, and the other half goes on it finishing in the top two, three, four or five places, depending on how many runners are in the race, at a fraction of the odds. 

After placing the bet, you will be given a receipt and if it proves successful, you can take it over to the cashier to be paid out.

For big races like the Grand National and the Grade 1 contests at the Cheltenham Festival, you will find coupons that simplify the whole process. 

You will see the names of the various runners and you can mark a white box next to the horses you want to bet on.

You can then mark the stake and the type of bet you wish to place. You will be given a receipt after handing it over, informing you of your potential payout.

Read More: See the bookmakers with the best Cheltenham Offers for this year's Festival

Placing an Online Bet on Horse Racing

Online betting has made the process of wagering on a horse race much easier for punters. 

Start by visiting one of the best horse racing betting sites and searching for the race you wish to bet on.

Click on the horse racing section and you will see all the horse racing odds for races taking place that day, plus a number of ante-post races due to run at a later date.

• Click on the race you are interested in and you will be presented with a list of the runners, along with relevant information about them.
• Click on the odds displayed next to the horse you like the look of, and you will trigger a digital betting slip. This typically appears to the right of the screen, featuring your selection and the race it is running in.
• You can then type the amount of money you wish to wager on that horse into a white box. Tick the each-way bos if you want to bet each-way and then click on the button that says 'Place Bet' or 'Confirm'.
• Apart from a simple ‘Single’ bet, you will also be able to place different types of combination bets such as doubles, trebles, fourfolds, yankees and others, simply by adding more horses (from different races, or even the same race) to your digital betting slip. 
• You can remove a selection from your digital betting slip at any time if a mistake is made.
• You'll get an online receipt with all the details of your bet, including potential payout you stand to win if your bet is successful.

Bookmakers have seamlessly integrated the traditional betting slip into their online platforms, making it easier to place a bet with no ambiguities and less chance of making a mistake.

You also have all of the up-to-date information at your disposal on your screen before making a selection. 

Those are some of the reasons why online betting has become a lot more popular than betting in a physical shop. You can place bets from the comfort of your home or while on the go, and all you need is a smartphone and an internet connection. 

Plus, lots of online bookies give you perks like free bets or the chance to apply a boost to your odds, which is another big advantage to betting online.

Read More: Find out which bookmakers offer Grand National Free Bets

Placing a Traditional Football Bet

For many people wondering how to fill out a betting slip, football will be the sport of choice. 

If this is the case, write:

1. The match you want to bet on at the top of the slip, such as “Liverpool vs Chelsea”.
2. The type of bet you want to place. It could be “Salah to score first” or “Both teams to score”. If you want to bet on the winner, you could simply write “Liverpool to beat Chelsea” or vice-versa.

If you want to lock in the current odds, write them down. The cashier will check they are correct and circle them if so. Then write down your stake.

You will find football coupons in most betting shops and they make this process easier. Mark the box next to the selection you like, mark another box for your stake and then hand the coupon over to the cashier.

Placing an Online Football Bet

It is far easier to place a football bet online than in person. When you visit one of the best football betting sites, simply search for the match or tournament you are interested in and you will be presented with a wide range of betting options, laid out in a user-friendly format. 

A physical coupon in-store will only offer a limited number of markets, whereas you can often find hundreds of bet types for a single match with an online bookie or betting app.

You simply click on odds that appeal to you and it automatically opens up a betting slip to the right-hand side of the screen. You can enter the amount of money you wish to bet in a box next to your selection and it will tell you how much profit you stand to earn.

Keep adding as many bets as you like to the slip, and remove any you are not happy with, before clicking “Place Bet”. 

It will then give you a receipt and tell you what your potential return is. It is a really simple, efficient process and you will quickly get to grips with it, as the best sites are extremely intuitive to use.

How to Place an Accumulator Bet

An accumulator is a perfect way to maximise the entertainment value of your bets and gain a higher return from a smaller stake.

It involves combining multiple selections into one bet to earn higher cumulative odds, with the caveat that they must all win for you to be paid out. 

Writing an accumulator on your betting slip is simple:

1. Write down all your selections on the slip. For example: “Chelsea to beat West Ham, Juventus to beat Napoli, Barcelona to beat Espanyol, Celtic to beat Motherwell”.
2. Then write “accumulator”, “acca” or “four-fold”.
3. Write the odds if you want to take the current price on each leg and then write down the amount of money you wish to stake.

You don't always have to follow this manual process, as most betting shops have dedicated coupons for accumulators. 

With these coupons, just mark the box next to the teams you wish to include, then mark the boxes for the type of bet and stake you wish to place. 

How to Place an Acca Online

It is even easier to place an acca online. Simply search for a sporting event that you are interested in, find a bet that appeals to you and tap on it. That selection will be added to the betting slip that appears to the right of the screen.

Find another bet you like the look of, tap on it, and it will appear underneath your initial selection. Keep doing this as many times as you like. 

At the bottom of your slip, there will be the option for an accumulator. You add your stake in a white box in that section of the betting slip and then click “Place Bet” or "Confirm".

It’s as simple as that. Once again, you will be presented with a receipt that tells you the payout you stand to receive if all of your selections prove correct.

Before placing your bet, it's a good idea to check whether or not your chosen online bookmaker offers acca insurance, giving you money back if one leg of the bet lets you down.