Matched Betting Calculator

How to use the matched betting calculator

Pick the type of bet you are placing, then enter your stake, the bookmaker’s back odds, the exchange lay odds and the exchange commission (rates differ by exchange and sometimes by how much you win — check your own account, or see our exchange comparison). The calculator instantly tells you how much to lay, the liability you need in your exchange account, and the profit or loss you lock in regardless of the result.

The formulas behind it

Qualifying bet lay stake = back stake × back odds ÷ (lay odds − commission)
Free bet (SNR) lay stake = free bet × (back odds − 1) ÷ (lay odds − commission)
Liability = lay stake × (lay odds − 1)

Tips for better returns

For qualifying bets, look for the closest match between back and lay odds (a rating above 98% keeps the loss to pennies). For free bets, higher odds extract more value: a £10 SNR free bet at odds of 5.0 with a close lay match keeps around 80% of its value, while at 1.5 you keep far less. An odds-matching tool does this hunting for you across every bookmaker.

A worked example, start to finish

Say a bookmaker offers a £20 free bet when you place a £20 qualifying bet. You find a football match where the bookmaker has a team at 3.00 and the exchange will let you lay the same team at 3.10, with 2% commission.

Step one, the qualifying bet. Enter £20 stake, 3.00 back, 3.10 lay, 2% commission on the qualifying setting. The calculator returns a lay stake of about £19.48 and a liability of about £40.91 — so your exchange account needs roughly £41 free, not £20. Whichever way the match goes you end up down about £0.91. That is the qualifying loss, and it is the cost of unlocking the free bet, not a mistake.

Step two, the free bet. Switch to the free bet (SNR) setting. Now you want high odds, because the stake is not returned. Take a selection at 6.00 back and 6.20 lay: the calculator returns a lay stake of about £16.18, a liability of about £84, and a locked profit of about £15.86 whatever happens.

Net result: about £14.95 from a £20 free bet, with no exposure to the result of either match. Run the same free bet at odds of 1.50 instead and you would keep closer to £6.40. Same offer, same effort, less than half the money — which is the single most useful thing on this page.

Figures are illustrative and rounded. Put your own odds in above; the numbers move with the prices you actually get.

The four mistakes that cost people money

• Funding the exchange for the stake instead of the liability. A £20 lay at odds of 6.00 ties up about £84. Read lay bets and liability before you deposit.
• Using the wrong setting. Qualifying and free bet (SNR) produce completely different lay stakes. Choosing the wrong one turns a locked position into an open one.
• Not checking the lay actually matched. Odds move and liquidity runs out. A partially matched lay leaves the remainder as a straight gamble.
• Recalculating after the odds drift. If the price changed between working it out and placing it, do the sum again rather than placing the stake you wrote down.

Frequently asked questions

What commission rate should I enter?

Whatever your exchange actually charges you, which is not the same at every exchange and can change with how much you win. Check your own account rather than guessing; our exchange comparison sets out where each of the four UK exchanges stands.

Why is my qualifying loss bigger than the examples?

Because the gap between back and lay odds is wider than in the example. That gap is the whole cost. A match rated above about 98% keeps the loss to pennies; anything much below that is worth skipping unless the free bet is large.

Should I use high or low odds?

Low and tightly matched for the qualifying bet, to keep the loss small. High for the free bet, because the stake is not returned and the value sits in the odds. SNR vs SR free bets explains why the two work in opposite directions.

Do I need an account to use this?

No. Every calculator on this site is free, runs in your browser, and stores nothing.

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