What is the meaning of lay and back in betting
There are two sides to every bet when you play on the Betfair Exchange. When you place a back bet you are betting on an outcome to happen, whereas if you place a lay bet, you are betting on an outcome not to happen – in opposition to the back bettors. Typically, bookmakers represent the lay side of a bet, so they will offer customers odds which they are willing to lay. However, on the Exchange, customers can play the role of both back and lay bettors themselves, meaning you will be 'matching' bets with fellow bettors, rather than a bookmaker.
If you are placing a back bet that means you are putting your money on something to happen - a horse or a team or a player to win, for example. Placing a Lay bet means you are betting on something not to happen - for example, if you lay a football team to win your bet will be settled as a winner if the team loses or if the game ends in a draw - so two outcomes are playing in your favour.
When you lay a bet, you are betting on something to not happen. If the selection loses then you win the backer’s stake. However, if it wins then you pay the winnings. This is known as the liability, i.e. how much you will potentially have to pay out. Lay betting isn’t as popular as the traditional way of betting, and it’s aimed more towards experienced bettors who often keep a close eye on betting markets on a regular basis.
In a nutshell, a lay bet is when you back an event NOT to happen
The term 'Lay' betting defines the process of using a betting exchange, like the Betfair Exchange, where the punter believes a selection will not win or place in a specified event, and will therefore offer odds on that not happening. The offered Lay odds will then be matched with a bettor who believes that event will happen (otherwise known as the backer), who is happy with the odds that you have offered for that outcome, and will therefore match your bet.
Yes. Lay betting is legal in the UK. There are many different betting exchanges which you can use for lay betting, but our team of betting experts would recommend the likes of Betfair and Matchbook, who have a glowing reputation when it comes to their exchanges.
Lay betting is the opposite to ‘traditional’ betting. With lay betting, you bet on a team not to win instead of backing them to win. Lay bets can only be placed at an online betting exchange, like Betfair. This guide will show you how important lay betting is to the matched betting process and how it’s not as complicated as it sounds!
Lay betting is an option on a betting exchange which allows gamblers to play the role of a traditional bookmaker. You set the odds of the bet, and you potentially win the backer’s stake if the selection loses. If the selection wins, you lose the backers stake multiplied by the price of the selection (minus the stake amount).
Back to lay arbitrage betting strategy
To read more about Betfair, check out our page, and if you want some more help with back and lay betting, or any other sports trading strategies, head to our section or check out the .
Lay Bet Calculator: Calculate how much you need to lay
We’re using Betfair for our example, but the on screen layout at all betting exchanges is similar. What you will notice are two different boxes. The blue box is your traditional back bet, and the pink one a lay bet.
Welcome to the Laybet calculator website
Lay betting is essentially the opposite of normal sports betting. In traditional betting, which is referred to as 'back betting', you bet on an outcome to happen, such as a team winning, or a specific score - this is the side of the bet that 'backs' the outcome. With lay betting, however, you are betting on the opposite outcome, betting against the team winning, or against a specific score, which is the side of the bet that 'lays' the outcome.
Why and how to Lay bet on the Betfair Exchange
Lay betting is especially popular with sports traders. Often they will back and lay a particular market multiple times to continue to improve their position on an outcome.
How to Calculate Lay Bet Winnings | Arbusers
The key difference between lay and back betting is that when you 'lay' a bet, you are essentially acting as the bookmaker, taking the opposite side of the wager than a regular bet, and will be required to pay out when the bet is a winner. In a lay bet, the bettor stands to lose the agreed amount when the event in question happens but stands to win the same amount when it does not. Additionally, lay betting markets offer a greater chance of success over traditional betting markets, and often allow for higher returns.
Matched Betting Calculator – Google Play ‑sovellukset
For the purpose of this example, we are going to show you how to place a lay bet on Paris Saint-Germain. Remember, this the same as backing Paris Saint-Germain not to win.