Best Odds Guaranteed: How BOG Works on Horse Racing Apps
Take a price early and still get paid at the starting price if it drifts. Here’s how Best Odds Guaranteed works, a worked example, the small print to watch for, and how to find it in your betting app.
How Best Odds Guaranteed works
The problem it solves
When you back a horse in the morning, you lock in that price. If the horse drifts in the betting before the race, you’d have got better odds by waiting. Best Odds Guaranteed takes that risk away.
The guarantee
If your horse wins and its starting price (SP) is bigger than the price you took, the bookmaker pays you at the SP. If the SP is shorter, you’re paid at the price you took. Either way, you get the better of the two.
A worked example
You take 5/1
You put £10 win on a horse at 5/1 in the morning.
It drifts to 8/1
Other punters ignore it, and it starts at an SP of 8/1.
It wins
Without BOG you get £60 back (£50 profit plus your £10). With BOG you get £90 (£80 profit plus your £10).
The small print to check
Every bookmaker runs BOG slightly differently. These are the conditions that vary most.
Where does the starting price come from?
The SP is worked out from a sample of prices offered by major off-course bookmakers when the race starts. It used to come from the on-course betting ring, but that stopped when racing went behind closed doors in 2020, and rules introduced in 2022 kept it that way.
So BOG is settled against the off-course SP, not the prices on the boards at the track. Read more in our guide to racing odds and our guide to betting at the racecourse.
Which apps offer Best Odds Guaranteed?
Each app review tells you whether that bookmaker offers BOG on racing, alongside its real App Store and Trustpilot ratings.
Best Odds Guaranteed FAQs
What does Best Odds Guaranteed mean?
If you take a fixed price on a horse and its starting price (SP) is bigger, a bookmaker offering Best Odds Guaranteed pays you at the bigger SP. If the SP is shorter, you keep the price you took.
Does Best Odds Guaranteed apply to each-way bets?
Usually, yes. BOG normally covers win, each-way and place singles. It does not usually apply to accumulators or other multiple bets.
Do all bookmakers offer Best Odds Guaranteed?
No. Many big UK bookmakers offer it on UK and Irish racing, but the conditions vary: some set minimum odds or limits, some exclude certain customers, and some only apply it from a set time on race day. Always check the terms in the app.
Does BOG apply to free bets?
It depends on the bookmaker. Some exclude free bets from Best Odds Guaranteed, so check the terms.
How is the starting price decided?
The SP is set from a sample of prices offered by major off-course bookmakers at the off. It has not been taken from the on-course betting ring since 2020.
Sources: Sporting Life: Best Odds Guaranteed explained · Wikipedia: Starting price. Also see our promotions guide.
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