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Lay bet calculator

Laying a selection means betting against it at an exchange. Your risk, the liability, grows with the odds. Enter the stake or the liability you are happy with to see both sides.

Lay stake–
Liability–
If it loses (you win)–
If it wins (you pay)–

18+. A calculator shows what a bet would return, not how likely it is to win. Set a budget before you bet. Free help: GamCare (UK, 0808 8020 133) · Gambling Care (Ireland).

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Free for tipsters, racing and football blogs, forums and anyone writing about betting. Paste the code into any page that accepts HTML. The script line is optional: it fits the frame to the calculator.

The formulas

liability = lay stake × (lay odds − 1) and win if the selection loses = lay stake × (1 − commission)

Working back from a liability: lay stake = liability ÷ (lay odds − 1)

Worked example

You lay a horse at 5.0 for a £20 stake with 2% commission. If it loses you win £19.60. If it wins you pay £80.00.

Liability by odds

Lay oddsLiability on a £10 layWin if it loses (2% commission)
1.50£5.00£9.80
2.00£10.00£9.80
3.00£20.00£9.80
5.00£40.00£9.80
10.00£90.00£9.80
20.00£190.00£9.80

Laying at long odds can look safe because the selection rarely wins, but one winner at 20.0 costs as much as nineteen losing selections pay. To lay a bookmaker offer, use the matched betting calculator.

Questions

What is a lay bet?

A bet that something will not happen. At an exchange you act as the bookmaker: you win the backer's stake if the selection loses and pay their winnings if it wins.

How is lay liability calculated?

Liability = lay stake × (lay odds − 1). Laying £20 at 5.0 risks £80.00 to win £20, less commission.

What is the lay stake for a given liability?

Lay stake = liability ÷ (lay odds − 1). With £50 of liability at 6.0 you can accept a £10.00 stake.

Do I pay commission on a lay bet?

Yes, if you win. Exchanges take a percentage of your net winnings in the market, typically between 2% and 5%.

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