There are several online sportsbooks that now provide an offer called “Request a Bet”. Even high street bookmakers have started to allow players to do this, too. Through this, you can request odds for just about any kind of outcome you can conjure up. It provides an exciting alternative for bettors to make use of when there are no markets available that match what they want to bet on. Odds can be requested and provided almost instantly by most big bookies.
Those markets that you request can also be shared with other customers at an online sportsbook, too. Sounds like a great way to enjoy sports betting, doesn’t it? Well, if this is something that interests you, then perhaps you’ll be wondering how to go about it. If so, then you’re in the right place. We’ve got all the details on how to request bets at your chosen online bookmaker’s site.
Requesting Odds from Your Sportsbook
It’s amazing how helpful social media can be these days. The easiest way to request odds from your bookmaker is to use the Twitter (or X, if you prefer) platform. Follow the bookmaker that you hold an account with and then send them a message with the proper hashtag included in it. Different platforms have different hashtags – #PriceItUp for BetVictor, #YourOdds for William Hill or #GetAPrice for Ladbrokes, for example.
Within a short timeframe, the team will respond to your request, either in a direct message with the price, or a link to where you can place the bet. Yet it is most common for them to list the market and odds directly on the relevant sportsbook itself.
Once this is done, you can go ahead and place your preferred bet whenever you like. It is important to remember that the odds requested may be time limited. For example, at the Betfred site (#PickYourPunt), you need to request any and all odds at least 30 minutes before an event starts.
The other option you can utilise is a mobile app if your chosen sportsbook offers one of these. Coral, for example, has a mobile app version of requesting a bet, which is called Player Bets. Through this, you can specifically request bets for football matches.
Alternatively you can go old school and contact a bookie by phone, email or live chat or even visit a shop if they have them. Often you can request bets and if their odds traders are happy with the scenario they may offer you odds that you can then bet on. There is no obligation for a bookie to offer you a bet and they certainly won’t if you are betting on something that is liable to fixing, is immoral or is not legal.
Getting the Best Prices When Requesting a Bet
When you request odds from a bookmaker for a specific market, you aren’t obliged to place a bet on it once it becomes available. Therefore, you can go about multiple sportsbooks and request a bet for the same thing to see which one comes back with the best price to take advantage of. Many bookmakers will secretly request odds from one another to get a feel for the pricing they are each providing (which is, understandably, an annoyance for them all).
If you think of a bet that you’d like to request a day or two in advance, you could make use of the social media option and mobile-app or traditional contact. Get prices from eight, nine or ten different operators and then, if you’re happy with the best price provided, place a wager on it.
You need to beware of any limits in place for requested bets as well. They may not be as high as traditional markets. The BetVictor #PriceItUp market, for example, only allows maximum payouts of £5,000 per player bet. That includes multiple bets, too and so you need to be aware of such terms beforehand.
Inherently, though, bet requests are poor value for several reasons:
- It is not a competitive betting line, you might be the only one betting on that particular scenario, therefore they don’t need to compete with other bookies as they do with W/D/W markets for a big football match, for example.
- There are more risks for the bookies because they can’t balance the book. If you request odds for a highly unique bet then the bookie isn’t able to get people to bet on the opposite scenario and so they are taking a risk and creating exposure.
- Some convoluted or special requests are difficult to price, especially when multiple elements are involved. Odds traders will always err on the side of caution.
That being said a very specific bet request may still have high odds, while these may be significantly below the real world probabilities if you are very confident of the outcome it can still represent a higher return for you than betting on standard markets. Just be aware that these bets are generally low value to the punter and if you place them often you might get lower value from your bookie in the long run.
