For anyone new to the world of betting, there is plenty of terminology that they need to get to grips with, from ‘bet builder’ to ‘ante-post’.
And there are even some terms that you might only come across if you go looking for them on betting sites – a Lucky 15 bet is one such example.
A Lucky 15 bet is a bet placed on four selections – usually for the winner of a horse race – across 15 separate stakes, meaning you are essentially placing 15 bets, and your return can be huge as a result.
Below, we’ve provided more detail about Lucky 15 bets, including what they are, how they work and how you can place one.
What is a Lucky 15 bet?
But what is a Lucky 15 bet?
This bet type consists of 15 bets involving four selections: four singles, six doubles, four trebles, and one four-fold accumulator.
The punter makes the four selections – these are simply four choices of what to bet on.
It could be four different football matches or the winners of four different horse races (if the selections are football matches, part of the ‘selection’ is choosing which team will win).
The bettor then decides a wager, which will be applied to all 15 bets – therefore if you wager £1, you’re staking £1 on each bet, so £15 overall.
Your bet will ‘win’ even if just one of the selections wins, although remember that having just one singles win, for example, would likely not cover your initial stake depending on the odds.
Lucky 15 bets are a popular choice, especially on horse racing betting sites, due to the potential for these returns even if only one selection wins, and also because of the possibility of large winnings from a modest stake.
How does a Lucky 15 bet work?
So how does a Lucky 15 bet work exactly?
In this example, say you’re betting on Fulham to beat Man United, Liverpool to beat Ipswich, Arsenal to beat Wolves and Man City to beat Chelsea.
As explained above, you’re essentially placing 15 different bets involving four outcomes that you have selected, with the bets involving different combinations of said selections.
The first bet consists of four singles, which are independent of each other (so in the example, you’re staking £1 on each of the above predictions you’ve made being correct).
The next group of bets made are six doubles. In this scenario, each of the four selections is paired with each other once, and you bet on these. For example, you’re betting £1 on the scenario of Fulham to beat Man United and Liverpool to beat Ipswich, £1 on a scenario of Liverpool to beat Ipswich and Arsenal to beat Wolves, and so on.
Four treble bets are the next leg, with this working similarly to the double but with three of the selections each time. For example, the first treble might be ‘Fulham to beat Man United, Liverpool to beat Ipswich and Arsenal to beat Wolves’, and the second treble would be ‘Fulham to beat Man United, Liverpool to beat Ipswich and Man City to beat Chelsea’.
The final leg of the 15 bets is a four-fold accumulator consisting of all the selections at once. The odds of this will obviously be the highest. Bookmakers often offer a bonus if any of the legs win, which can be up to 10 per cent.
Winnings are simply calculated according to the odds offered on each selection, and whether you win them or not. In the above example, you’d have been betting on singles at 9/2 for Fulham, 4/11 for Liverpool, 2/9 for Arsenal and 5/6 for City on the opening weekend of the 2024/25 Premier League season.
In the four-fold acca, you’re essentially staking £1 and the odds offered are 15/1. In the doubles example of Fulham and Liverpool, the odds are 6.5/1. The odds on each leg can be checked on the betting site when placing the bet.
Football betting sites also often offer bonuses for all-correct selections and consolations for single winners, meaning you can get 10 per cent extra added to your winnings if all your selections win, or if you just win one single, the odds are often doubled by the bookie as a consolation.
Remember that it is important to understand the odds and stakes when placing a Lucky 15 bet.
Why choose a Lucky 15 bet?
Now that you’ve had a Lucky 15 bet explained, we’ll discuss why you might want to place one as your next wager.
One of the main advantages of placing a Lucky 15 bet is the potential for greater winnings, as several selections can win at once and there is often a 10 per cent boost offered by the bookie if all legs win. In addition, bettors only need one successful selection to win something back.
In addition to the increased number of chances to win, there’s the added security that one leg losing doesn’t mean the entire bet loses in a Lucky 15 bet.
Horse racing Lucky 15 bets are one of the most common types along with football, but this type of bet is also possible in other sports such as tennis and sports where there are multiple matches, like rugby.
Lucky 15 bets are one of a string of similar bets, such as Lucky 31 (where 31 bets are placed instead of 15) and yankee bets (which are almost the same as Lucky 15, expect without the four singles).
How to place a Lucky 15 bet
Read on if you want to find out how to place a Lucky 15 bet.
Lucky 15 bets often can’t be specifically located on betting sites. Instead, punters need to make the four different selections that they want to choose as four separate singles, and once they have done that the choice to combine into a Lucky 15 bet will appear as an option.
Simply choose the four selections, and on the bet slip, find the option that says ‘multiples’. One of these options will be Lucky 15.
Choose your stake – remembering that the number you put in here is the stake on each wager, so multiply it by 15 to get your total stake. Remember, you can always use a Lucky 15 bet calculator if in doubt.
When choosing who to bet with, remember that it is important to choose a reputable betting site, such as one of The Independent’s best new betting sites.
In addition, have a look at the bookmaker’s extra bonuses and offers tied to their Lucky 15 bet offering, as well as any specific rules or terms and conditions associated with the bet and payouts. It’s worth noting that a lot of free bet offers aren’t permitted for use on Lucky 15s.
Lucky 15 betting tips
As with any bets, make sure that you’re using a trusted, reliable bookmaker, and choose a bookie to meet your needs.
Before placing a Lucky 15 bet, make sure you research your selections to give yourself the best chance of winning multiple legs. Look at the teams or horses involved, including their form, availability and other variables.
In addition, remember to take advantage of promotions and offers, such as boosted odds, insurance offers, consolations for single winners and even free bets.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, remember to make sure that you fully understand how much you’re staking, and manage your stakes effectively (i.e. remember that the stake is over 15 bets, so will be 15 times the initial amount that you enter).
Responsible Gambling
Remember to gamble responsibly. Never stake more than you can afford to lose, and remember that betting is never a way to make money – it should be used purely as a form of entertainment.
Gambling can be addictive, so be sure to make use of the provided safer gambling tools on betting sites and betting apps. These may include deposit limits, loss limits, time limits and self-exclusion tools, and are often visible in dedicated tabs on betting sites.
The same applies if you’re using casino sites, slot sites, poker sites or any other form of gambling site. It’s particularly important not to get carried away by betting sign up offers or casino offers, both of which are available in abundance on gambling sites, but must be approached with caution.
Should you wish to seek help for gambling-related issues, there are several charities and healthcare providers who offer support and information:
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