Odds boost explained

With an odds boost (also called "enhanced odds" or a "price boost"), a bookmaker raises the odds on a selection, often for a big match at the weekend. For example, 1.80 becomes 2.20. The promotion is usually tied to a maximum stake, such as €10 or €25, and is only valid for a limited period.

Is the boost really good?

A boost always sounds like a gift, but it is not automatically one. The question is the same as for any bet: are the boosted odds above the fair odds? To find out, you compare them with the market odds without the margin.

The catch with accumulator boosts

Often it is not single selections that are boosted but combinations, such as "both teams to score and over 3.5 goals and player X to score" from 8.00 to 10.00. Such markets already carry a high margin before the boost. A 25 per cent boost may then barely offset the margin, or fall short of it. Without doing your own comparison, it is hard to judge.

Typical restrictions

• a maximum stake, often well below the normal limit
• only once per customer
• the extra winnings from the boost are sometimes paid out as bonus credit
• minimum odds or specific markets

Putting it in context

Odds boosts are advertising. Some are mathematically favourable, many only at first glance. If you use them, quickly check the boosted odds against the market and do not bet more than you had planned anyway – a boost on a selection you would never otherwise back is no gain.