Best bookmakers for best odds guaranteed
What is best odds guaranteed (BOG) and why is it so important? Put simply, if you back a horse with a firm that is offering BOG and take a price, you won’t miss out if the horse drifts as your bookmaker will pay you out at either the odds that you took or the starting price (SP), whichever is bigger.
The bigger the odds, the more you win and taking the very best price on offer will, over time, have a huge impact on your bottom line. It could even be the difference between making a profit or a loss.
But drifters don’t win, so why should I be worried about BOG? I hear you say.
A lot of drifters don’t win and that is a fact, but every now and again one goes in and it’s virtually impossible to know whether your horse is going to steam or drift when you make your bet, so what’s the downside of having both options on your side?
There isn’t one, of course, and I always point to Greaneteen’s win in the 2021 Tingle Creek at Sandown for the best example of when BOG really helped me as a punter. I thought Greaneteen was a superb bet at 5-1 in the morning and couldn’t believe it when he returned at an SP of 12-1.
Luckily I had backed Greaneteen with a firm who offered BOG and, as a result, won more than double what I would have done had I struck the bet with a bookmaker who didn’t offer the concession. It was at that moment, if I didn’t need telling again, when it became clear that BOG is a must for any serious bettor.
The problem for punters is that bookmakers have become acutely aware of its value too and many have changed their terms and conditions regarding BOG, while some have scrapped it altogether.
Given all the recent changes, now seems as good a time as any for RP Recommends to put individual firms under the microscope in a bid to highlight the betting accounts you simply must have in your punting armoury if you want to take advantage of this most valuable of concessions.
About the author
Graeme Rodway is a longstanding member of the Racing Post tipping team. His first tip a winner in 2008, he has twice finished in the top three in the Flat version of the national naps competition and is a recognisable face from appearances on Racing Post YouTube and former TV channel At The Races (now Sky Sports Racing). G-Rod continues to be a mainstay of the Racing Post’s betting output as he enters his 19th year with the company.
Top-rated bookmakers for best odds guaranteed
Best bookmakers for best odds guaranteed
RP Recommends: the must-have betting accounts for best odds guaranteed
1. bet365
Offer BOG on all bets placed from 8am on the day of the race, with their price-match offer on ITV races from 10am another appealing angle.
2. Coral
Offer BOG on all bets placed from 8am on the day of the race, while they also hold their own in terms of odds offered and markets available.
The best online bookmakers for best odds guaranteed concessions in 2024
bet365
I often refer to bet365 as the king of bookmakers because they get all of the basics right and that is certainly the case when it comes to offering best odds guaranteed, which is available on all horseracing bets placed from 8am on the day of the race.
If you’re willing to wait until 10am, bet365 will price-match Ladbrokes, William Hill, Paddy Power, Coral, Sky Bet and BoyleSports on all ITV races – and that means you will get the best price available on the market, coupled with BOG. You simply can’t go wrong.
Key details:
- BOG available from 8am each day
- Price-match available from 10am
Betfred
Known as the Bonus King for their approach to bonuses, typically in relation to multiples such as Lucky 15s. With Betfred, punters can claim BOG on all bets (on UK and Irish races) that are placed from 8am on the day of the event.
Be aware, however, that the concession doesn’t apply to bets involving Lucky 15s, Lucky 31s or Lucky 63s, as well as super extra place races.
Key details:
- BOG available from 8am each day
Coral
Another of the better bookmakers from a time perspective, Coral offer BOG on all bets that are placed from 8am on the day of the race and a £50,000 daily cap on the offer per customer is far from shabby. Even the big players can avail themselves of BOG with this bookmaker.
A strong all-rounder with a superb array of racing markets, Coral are right up there with bet365 when it comes to the BOG concession and are a must-have for serious players.
Key details:
- BOG available from 8am each day
Ladbrokes
Coral come under the Entain banner and so do Ladbrokes, so their BOG offering is broadly similar to their sister company. The prices available to punters are also generally the same and, if you’re a serious horseracing punter, you’re probably better off with Coral.
However, if you’re still keen on sticking with the firm once best known as ‘The Magic Sign’, then like Coral they offer BOG on all bets that are placed from 8am on the day of the race.
Key details:
- BOG available from 8am each day
Paddy Power
You must now opt-in to redeem the BOG promotion with Paddy Power, but you’re all set after doing that and this bookmaker matches several other big players by providing the concession from 8am on the morning of the race.
A maximum of £1,000 per customer per day will satisfy all bar the seriously high rollers and the carrot of enhanced placed terms on several of the biggest races is something that shouldn’t be resisted. This is a good account to hold if you like betting each-way with extra places.
Key details:
- BOG available from 8am each day
Sky Bet
Like Paddy Power, punters must opt-in to receive BOG when betting with Sky Bet. The concession is only available to customers who opt-in and qualify for the Sky Bet Club, so take note when considering betting through this bookmaker in relation to BOG.
If and when you’re qualified for the Sky Bet Club – the key terms and conditions can be found on their website – BOG will become available on all UK and Irish races from 9am on the morning of the race.
Key details:
- BOG available from 9am each day
Unibet
A firm that offers a decent selection of prices and are competitive with several of their peers time-wise, offering BOG on all bets from 8am on the day of the race.
Unibet aren’t scared of putting their head above the parapet when it comes to enhanced place terms, but beware as races with extra places and events with other selected promotions are exempt from BOG. That is a significant drawback.
Key details:
- BOG available from 8am each day
Four other bookmakers who offer best odds guaranteed
BetMGM
New kids on the block BetMGM have already made quite an impact with an extensive marketing campaign, and their bet boosts and offers are comparable to the best out there.
However, the same can’t be said for their BOG offering, which is available only from 11am on the morning of the race and that requires more patience on behalf of punters.
Nevertheless, they come ahead of some more established firms who don’t offer BOG at all.
Betway
You have to wait until 9am on the day of the race to take advantage of BOG with Betway, the firm preferring to take a longer look at the morning markets before making the concession available.
That is a big negative and another is that they don’t offer BOG on multiple bets, so if you like to put your selections into doubles, trebles and upwards, this firm isn’t for you.
Single bets only are eligible and BOG also isn’t available on bet boosts or enhanced prices.
Livescorebet
One of the two relatively new names on this list alongside BetMGM, Livescorebet offer the BOG promotion on all win and each-way bets from 10am on the morning of the race.
A maximum payout of £50,000 per day makes Livescorebet an option for small and larger staking punters alike and they are an interesting alternative to some of the more established firms.
Another leading bookmaker worth betting with
BoyleSports
The last of the longstanding firms to offer BOG from 8am on the morning of the race and, although the maximum additional bonus is set at £1,000 per customer per day for retail, it is significantly higher at £50,000 on their digital channels.
It therefore pays to have an online account and BoyleSports are a good option in comparison with their Irish-based counterpart Paddy Power.
Best odds guaranteed: the key factors to consider in 2024
Shop around for the best prices on the day
Just because you are getting BOG doesn’t mean you should take any old price. The vast majority of winners will still return at shorter odds than they were in the morning so, if you’re serious about making money, it remains vitally important to get the best early prices that are available.
For example, a punter who gets 6-1 about a winner that returns at an SP of 7-2 will still win more than one who takes 9-2 about the same horse, with or without BOG.
It therefore remains important to be price sensitive and have accounts with as many bookmakers as you can in order to source the biggest selection of morning prices.
BOG should be used as a safety blanket just in case your selection takes a walk in the market and not as a reason to give up caring about prices altogether.
An easy way to compare prices is available on the Racing Post website by going into the card and clicking the odds comparison tab. Alternatively you can click on the card and in the section where it says bookmaker select ‘best odds’. This will list the firms offering the best prices at the top.
BOG is not available on ante-post bets
This is self-explanatory, but don’t expect to get BOG on an ante-post bet and it’s important to seriously consider whether the wager offers any value ante-post at all.
There is so much competition on the morning of big races now that firms are often going out of their way to offer bigger prices than their competitors and, when you factor in that BOG is also available on the day of the race, ante-post betting is losing its appeal.
Greaneteen was available at 5-1 on the Monday before his Tingle Creek win and anyone who backed him in that ante-post market didn’t get the SP of 12-1 he returned later in the week. However, those who took 5-1 on the morning of the race with BOG would have been paid out at his 12-1 SP.
So think carefully about getting involved too early – it doesn’t always pay.
Timing is important, so be alert
Most bookmakers who offer BOG nowadays only do so on the morning of the race and some wait as late as 11am before making the concession available.
It’s therefore extremely important to get in at the right time. For example, there is no point having a bet at 7.58am if the firm in question doesn’t offer BOG before 8am. The price is unlikely to change in those two minutes, but the BOG terms do.
Get to know your firms and understand what time of day each makes the BOG concession available. Without that knowledge, you’re punting in the dark and could therefore suffer financially.
Conclusion
When it comes to the best bookmakers for the best odds guaranteed concession. it probably pays to stick with big-name firms that are long established and bet365 and Coral lead the way in this respect.
However, bet365’s promise not to be beaten on price after 10am on ITV racing, coupled with BOG, probably just give them the edge.
Don’t be fooled into thinking that all of the bookmaking giants offer BOG, though. William Hill are one notable exception, having been around forever but deciding to withdraw the concession, with Betfair Sportsbook following suit.
Each-way punters might want to look beyond bet365 and Coral as neither are noted for strong place promotions. Paddy Power fare well if you’re on the hunt for extra places and they are competitive with all of their peers regarding BOG.
Many think the golden period for punters has gone but, while firms are still offering the BOG concession, I beg to differ and it’s worth taking advantage of it while it lasts. You never know when the dark days of having to make a choice between taking the morning price or the SP will return.