Best Odds Guaranteed betting sites UK: BOG bookmakers compared
Best Odds Guaranteed is the most valuable concession in British racing, and the least glamorous. It doesn’t come with a headline figure or a sign-up bonus. It simply means that if you take a price in the morning and the horse drifts, you are paid at the bigger starting price. Over a season of betting, that is worth far more than any welcome offer.
But BOG is not the same everywhere. Start times range from 8am to 10am, two bookmakers make you opt in, some cap how much extra they will pay, and some only offer it on selected races. This guide sets out exactly where you get it, and on what terms.
BOG start times, caps and opt-ins at a glance
| Bookmaker | BOG on | Starts | Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Betfred | UK, Irish and selected international racing | 8am | Excludes Lucky 15/31/63, ante-post, Tote, free bets, price boosts and Super Extra Place bets |
| Ladbrokes | UK and Irish racing | 8am | One-time opt-in required since April 2026 |
| Coral | All UK and Irish racing | 8am | One-time opt-in required since April 2026 |
| Unibet | Selected UK and Irish races | 8am | Max daily return £25,000; excludes Extra Place, Money Back and promo races |
| Betway | UK and Irish racing | 9am | — |
| Virgin Bet | UK and Irish racing, win and each-way | 10am | £25+ staked in the previous 7 days; max £50,000 extra per day |
| QuinnBet | UK and Irish racing | 10am | Max £150 extra per race; excludes ante-post and specials |
| LiveScore Bet | UK and Irish racing, win and each-way | 10am | £25+ staked in the previous 7 days |
| bet365 | UK and Irish racing | — | On races where bet365 shows the BOG flag |
SBK and SpreadEx don’t advertise Best Odds Guaranteed. SBK compensates with consistently bigger prices — it had the top price on 55.5% of UK runners when we measured — and SpreadEx offers First Past the Post instead.
BOG bookmakers: welcome offers
-
Betfred
Best racing bonusesBet £10 Get £50- Best Odds Guaranteed from 8am
- Lucky 15, 31 and 63 bonuses up to 25%
- Sponsor of all five British Classics
New customers only. Register, deposit with Debit Card, and place first bet £10+ at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports within 7 days to get 3 x £10 in Sports Free Bets & 2 x £10 in Acca Free Bets within 10 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility & payment exclusions apply. Full T&Cs apply. 18+. GambleAware.org
-
Ladbrokes
Best for Extra Place racesBet £5 Get £30- Daily Extra Place Races
- Tote Guarantee on selected races
- Lowest qualifying stake: £5 at 1/2
New UK+ROI Customers only. Certain deposit methods & bet types excl. Min first £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 to get 6 x £5 free bets (selected sportsbook markets only, valid 7 days, stake not returned). Restrictions + T&Cs apply. 18+. GambleAware.org
-
Coral
Best for big-race promotionsBet £5 Get £30- Pipped at the Post on close finishes
- Free Racing Super Series and Racing Club
- Sponsor of the Coral-Eclipse since 1976
New UK + ROI customers only. Certain deposit methods & bet types excl. Min first £/€5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 to get 6 x £/€5 free bets (selected sportsbook markets only, valid 7 days, stakes not returned). Restrictions + T&Cs apply. 18+. GambleAware.org
-
Betway
Best simple welcome offerBet £10 Get £40- Four £10 free bets to split across a card
- Best Odds Guaranteed from 9am
- App rated 4.7 from 47,000+ ratings
New customers only. Place a min £10 bet at min odds of 2.0. £40 worth of Free Bet Tokens awarded on bet settlement. 4 x £10 each with betting restrictions. 7 day expiry. Debit Card deposits only (exclusions apply). Bet The Responsible Way. Full Terms apply. 18+. GambleAware.org
-
bet365
Best all-round racing siteBet £10 Get £30 in Bet CreditsPromo Code 365GMBLR- Extra places paid in more races than any rival in our data
- Live streams of UK, Irish and French racing
- Best Odds Guaranteed on UK and Irish racing
New Bet365 Customers Only. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Registration Required. The bonus code 365GMBLR can be used during registration but does not change the offer amount in any way. Time limits and T&Cs apply. #AD 18+. GambleAware.org
-
Virgin Bet
Best for each-way flexibilityBet £10 Get £30- Each Way Your Way: choose your places
- Free streaming with any funded account
- No Gambling Commission action on record
New members only. £10+ bet on sports (ex. virtuals) at 1.5 min odds, settled within 14 days. Free Bets: accepted in 7 days, valid 7 days; £20 use on sportsbook, £10 on Bet Builder. Stake not returned. T&Cs + deposit exclusions apply. Bet Responsibly. 18+. GambleAware.org
-
QNB
QuinnBet
Best for money-back refundsGet 50% Back as a Free Bet up to £25- 50% of first-day losses back
- 10% of weekly losses back every Monday
- Best Odds Guaranteed from 10am
New UK Customers Only. Bet £10+ on any sportsbook markets at odds of evens (2.00) or greater. No cash out. Get 50% back of your first day’s losses (from first bet settlement until 23:59) as a Free Bet up to £25, valid for 7 days. Min. 3 bets on different events required, with 2 bets being at least 50% of your largest stake. Place at least 1 bet of £10+ at odds 2.00+ to receive a £5 Free Bet even if your account is up or losses are under £5. T&Cs Apply. 18+. GambleAware.org
18+. New customers only. Gamble responsibly — GambleAware.org · National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.
What is Best Odds Guaranteed?
When you back a horse, you take a fixed price. By the time the race starts, the market has moved and the horse has an official starting price (SP). With Best Odds Guaranteed, the bookmaker pays you at whichever is bigger.
An example. At 10am you back a horse at 4/1 with a £10 stake. By the off it has drifted to 6/1, and it wins.
- Without BOG you are paid at 4/1: £40 profit.
- With BOG you are paid at 6/1: £60 profit.
If the price shortens instead — to 3/1, say — you keep your 4/1. BOG can only ever work in your favour.
What does BOG stand for?
BOG is short for Best Odds Guaranteed. Some bookmakers call the same concession “best price guaranteed” or “SP guarantee”. The meaning is the same: the better of your price and the starting price.
What is the starting price?
The starting price, or SP, is the official price of each horse at the moment the race starts. It is set by independent returners from the prices on offer in the betting ring at the racecourse. If you don’t take a price when you bet, you are paid at SP.
The best BOG bookmakers for horse racing
Betfred — the earliest BOG
Betfred’s Best Odds Guaranteed starts at 8am on UK, Irish and selected international racing, with no opt-in. It is the widest race coverage on our list. The exclusions are the ones to know: Lucky 15, 31 and 63 bets (which get Betfred’s own bonuses instead), ante-post, Tote and free bets.
Ladbrokes and Coral — 8am, but opt in first
Both Entain brands run BOG from 8am on UK and Irish racing. Since 27 April 2026, both require a one-time opt-in on your account. If you haven’t done it, you aren’t covered — so do it on day one.
Unibet — 8am on selected races
Unibet’s BOG starts at 8am but applies only to selected UK and Irish races, so check that the race carries it. Returns are capped at £25,000 a day.
Betway — 9am
Betway’s BOG covers UK and Irish racing from 9am, with straightforward terms.
Virgin Bet and LiveScore Bet — 10am, for regular customers
Both LiveScore Group brands start BOG at 10am on UK and Irish win and each-way bets, but only if you have staked more than £25 in the previous seven days. New and occasional customers may not qualify.
QuinnBet — 10am, with a cap
QuinnBet’s BOG starts at 10am and covers singles, multiples and system bets, but it pays a maximum of £150 extra per customer per race.
When BOG matters most
Morning bets. BOG is worth most when you bet early, before the market has formed. The earlier the start time, the longer you’re covered.
Drifters. Horses that drift in the betting — because of the going, a late jockey change or a quiet market — are where BOG pays out. You can’t know in the morning which horses will drift; BOG means you don’t have to.
Each-way bets. BOG applies to both parts of an each-way bet at most bookmakers, so a drifting placed horse pays more too.
The small print behind Best Odds Guaranteed
BOG used to be a simple promise. It now comes with conditions, and they decide whether you’re covered.
Opt-in
Ladbrokes and Coral have required a one-time opt-in since April 2026. Until you’ve ticked the box in your account, every bet is paid at the price you took.
Activity tests
Virgin Bet and LiveScore Bet only give BOG to customers who have staked more than £25 in the previous seven days. A new account, or one you use occasionally, may not qualify on the day you need it.
Caps
QuinnBet pays a maximum of £150 extra per race, and Unibet caps total daily returns at £25,000. Virgin Bet’s cap is £50,000 extra per day. For most punters only QuinnBet’s cap is likely to bite.
Start times
A bet placed at 7.58am with an 8am bookmaker isn’t covered. Any price taken before the start time — the early prices published the evening before, for instance — is settled at the price you took.
Where BOG doesn’t apply
- Ante-post bets. No bookmaker on our list offers BOG on bets placed before the day of the race.
- Tote bets. Pool bets have no fixed price, so there is nothing to guarantee.
- Price boosts and specials. Enhanced prices are excluded at Betfred and most others.
- Extra Place races. Unibet excludes Extra Place, Money Back and promotional races; Betfred excludes Super Extra Place bets.
- Free bets. Betfred and Virgin Bet exclude free bet stakes.
- Lucky 15, 31 and 63. Betfred excludes them online and pays its own bonuses instead.
- In-play bets. BOG covers bets struck before the off.
BOG and Rule 4
If a horse is withdrawn after you bet, a Rule 4 deduction reduces winnings on the remaining runners. The shorter the price of the withdrawn horse, the bigger the deduction. BOG doesn’t stop Rule 4: the deduction still applies to a winning bet, whether you’re paid at the price you took or at the starting price.
A worked example. You back a horse at 4/1 with £10 in the morning. A rival is withdrawn and a Rule 4 deduction of 25p in the pound applies. Your horse drifts to 6/1 and wins. BOG pays you at 6/1 — £60 profit — and Rule 4 then takes 25% of it, leaving £45 profit. Without BOG you would have had £30.
Morning price or starting price: timing your bet
If you fancy a horse, taking the price as soon as your BOG bookmaker’s guarantee starts gives you the best of both: a fixed price if the horse shortens and the SP if it drifts. Waiting until the off only makes sense if you expect a non-runner or a change in the going that could alter the race. Our racecards show the going and non-runners for every UK meeting.
BOG or best price?
BOG protects you against drift. A better price protects you from the start. Our today’s odds page shows the best price on every UK runner from 12 bookmakers, and marks which partners offer BOG on the race. The best approach is both: take the best price with a BOG bookmaker in the morning.
Best Odds Guaranteed: FAQs
Which bookmakers offer Best Odds Guaranteed?
Betfred, Ladbrokes, Coral, Unibet (selected races), Betway, Virgin Bet, QuinnBet, LiveScore Bet and bet365 offer BOG on UK and Irish racing.
What time does Best Odds Guaranteed start?
8am at Betfred, Ladbrokes, Coral and Unibet; 9am at Betway; 10am at Virgin Bet, LiveScore Bet and QuinnBet. bet365 applies BOG to races marked with its BOG flag.
Is BOG automatic, or do I have to opt in?
Automatic at most bookmakers. Ladbrokes and Coral need a one-time opt-in, and Virgin Bet and LiveScore Bet require £25 staked in the previous seven days.
Does BOG apply to each-way bets?
At most BOG bookmakers, yes — both the win and place parts are paid at the bigger price. Check the terms of each bookmaker.
Does BOG work on accumulators?
At some bookmakers. QuinnBet covers singles, multiples and system bets; Betfred excludes online Lucky 15, 31 and 63 bets. Check the terms before you place a multiple.
Does Best Odds Guaranteed apply to free bets?
Usually not. Betfred and Virgin Bet, for example, exclude free bet stakes.
Does BOG apply to Lucky 15 bets?
Not at Betfred, which excludes Lucky 15, 31 and 63 bets from BOG and pays its own Lucky 15 bonuses instead. Check other bookmakers’ terms.
Is BOG available on ante-post bets?
No. Ante-post bets are excluded from Best Odds Guaranteed at every bookmaker we list.
Does BOG apply to football?
No. Best Odds Guaranteed is a horse racing concession; football has no starting price to compare against.
What is the difference between BOG and early prices?
Early prices are fixed odds published before a bookmaker’s BOG start time, often the evening before. A bet at an early price is settled at that price, even if the starting price is bigger.
18+. Gambling can be addictive — please play responsibly. National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133 · GambleAware.org · GAMSTOP.co.uk