In today’s guide, we’ll be taking a good, hard look at how bet365’s odds work – covering everything from the site’s various switchable odds formats. If you want to know how do betting odds work, you’ll understand how to actually read and interpret the numbers.
Along the way, we’ll share a few basic but realistic betting examples and talk a bit more about some of bet365’s standout features, to give you an idea of what makes this betting brand stand out from the crowd, as we prepared another thorough check and update today. Ready for a bit of number crunching? Let’s get right to it.
Facts
| Mobile Statistics | Yes |
| Partial Cash Out | Yes |
| Live Betting | Yes |
| Live Streaming | Yes |
| Mobile Live Streaming | Yes |
| Cash Out | Yes |
| Gaming Licence | MGA – Malta Gaming Authority, Gibraltar |
| Support Types | E-Mail, Live Chat, Hotline |
| Deposit time | instant |
| Available States | AZ, CO, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, MD, MO +6 more, NJ, NC, OH, PA, TN, VA |
bet365 and betting odds – the basics
There’s a lot of buzz around bet365 at the minute on account of the fact the brand consistently gives some of the best odds on the market. But to take full advantage of the site’s sensational numbers – which are typically at their most competitive on soccer and NFL games – you need to understand how bet365’s odds work, right?
So, first up, let’s review what betting odds actually are.
Put simply, odds are numbers that represent the probability of an event occurring – such as a horse winning a race, or a major baseball player hitting a home run.
The numbers themselves will tell you:
- How likely the stated outcome is to occur.
- How much you can potentially win if you place a bet backing said outcome.
For example, if Rusty Hooves is deemed extremely unlikely to win the Grand National, bet365’s odds might be listed as something like +5,000. While if it’s hotly anticipated that Shohei Ohtani will win the home run title, perhaps he’ll be listed at -250.
But how do you interpret and read odds like these? Well, let’s take a look.
How to read bet365’s odds
How you’ll go about interpreting odds depends on the odds format used by your bookmaker. There are several different ones out there, but we’re going to start out by talking about American style odds, which were the standard format for bet365’s odds in our region at the time of writing today’s guide.
For those of you interested in other formats, we’ll unpack those in a bit – as our recent bet365 review found there is a one-click option to switch to either decimal or fractional numbers on the site via the “Odds Display” button at the bottom of bet365’s homepage.
We’ll break down the differences between the three formats for you in a bit, too. But first, let’s go back to our Rusty Hooves and Shohei Ohtani examples by way of American numbers to better explain how to read bet365’s odds.
Reading American odds ultimately revolves around understanding the differences between the plus (+) and (-) signs. Here’s what you need to know:
- Positive (+) odds represent an underdog with a lower chance of winning – like Rusty Hooves in our racing example.
- Negative (-) odds represent a favorite with a much higher chance of potentially winning – like Shohei Ohtani taking home that home run title.
In our Rusty Hooves example, bet365’s odds would land you a pretty hearty $5,000 win from a basic $100 bet, plus your initial stake back, as bet365 clearly thinks old Hoovsy has a very low chance of leading the race.
We’ll be using USD as an example in this guide, by the way. But bet365 is an international brand that accepts a wide variety of currencies.
While with superstar Shoei Ohtani’s negative odds example, things work a little differently. Here, bet365’s odds of -250 actually represent how much you’d need to bet to potentially win $100 – which, in this case, would be $250.
Still confused? Let’s take a closer look.
As mentioned above, bet365 has three different switchable odds formats. So, let’s look at how betting $100 on our two example events (Rusty Hooves and Shohei Ohtani) would differ depending on the format used, starting out with American odds to keep things simple:
American odds
Currently, American odds is the standard format used by bet365 in many of its English-speaking regions. So, here are our initial bet examples fleshed out a bit, American style:
| Odds | What a $100 bet would potentially return | Explanation |
| Rusty Hooves (underdog) | +5,000 | $5,100 – including your initial $100 stake. | A $5,000 win is potentially up for grabs if you bet $100. |
| Shohei Ohtani (favorite) | -250 | $140 – including your initial $100 stake again. | At -250 odds, you’d need to bet $250 to potentially win $100 above your initial stake, right? So, a bet of $100 would potentially get you $40 extra if it won. USD is just an example here, the same logic applies to other currencies. |
Decimal odds
Next up, here’s how the same two bets would work with decimal odds at bet365. This format tends to be most popular in Europe, but we found it can be toggled on and off with bet365 from any one of the brand’s eligible regions right now.
| Odds | What a $100 bet would potentially return | Explanation |
| Rusty Hooves (underdog) | 51.00. | $5,100 – including your initial $100 stake. | Potential winnings from decimal odds are calculated as your bet (i.e. $100) multiplied by the decimal number. So, $100 x 51 = $5,100. |
| Shohei Ohtani (favorite) | 1.40. | $140. | Same concept again: $100 x 1.40 = $140. |
Fractional odds
Last but by no means least, here’s how both bets would work using fractional odds – which are popular on bet365’s UK site, and also available as an optional format in other regions. Here’s how it works, using USD as an example:
| Odds | What a $100 bet would potentially return | Explanation |
| Rusty Hooves (underdog) | 50/1. | $5,100 – including your initial $100 stake. | With “50/1” fractional odds, you can potentially win $50 for every $1 bet. |
| Shohei Ohtani (favorite) | 2/5. | $140. | Here, there’s a $2 win potential for every $5 bet, translating as $0.40 for every $1. |
Here, there’s a $2 win potential for every $5 bet, translating as $0.40 for every $1.
Of course, these numbers are based on very basic examples. If you’re a super experienced bettor more interested in parlays or complex multi leg bets, you might want to check out our guide on how to use a betting calculator to help you estimate potential payouts.
Whilst all the while, it’s important to remember that there’s no assurance of winning anything at all when betting on sporting events online, no matter how good the numbers you see advertised are.
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Is bet365 the right betting site for you?
Now you know all about bet365’s odds and how to interpret them, let’s look at some of the site’s top features to give you a better understanding of whether this is the right betting site for you.
From where we’re standing, there’s a lot to love about bet365. Most notably:
Excellent odds
First up, bet365 has a rock solid reputation for giving some of the most competitive odds around – although it is worth pointing out that in many regions, their soccer and NFL numbers do tend to be a little better than their other odds.
Oftentimes, fun and easy to use odds based promos might be up for grabs on the site, too. We found that the brand’s bonuses vary depending on which part of the world you’re betting from. The “Best Odds Guaranteed”racing promos and last-minute “Bet Boosts” on major events are certainly not uncommon. Take note, however, that the Best Odds Guaranteed event is now exclusively for UK & Irish Horse Racing and Greyhounds only. This means that for all other racing markets (including US, Australian, and other international racing), BOG will no longer be applied.
Check our banners on this page for the latest bet365 odds boosts and other promotions currently available in your region. We’ve set up said banners to automatically pull through accurate bonus info based on your location.
Easy to use app
bet365 mobile app boasts stellar ratings of 4.8 and 4.6 stars on the App Store and Google Play, respectively, and it’s real easy to see why.
At a time when many betting brands don’t have downloadable apps at all, bet365’s is beautifully designed, packed full of fun features and almost completely free of annoying pop ups or banner ads.
The app has:
- A minimalist design.
- Easy to read betting lines.
- One click betting slip customization tools.
- Live betting and streaming options.
That said, in some regions, it is worth noting that live streaming may be limited to a small handful of popular sports, like tennis and soccer, only.
Broad and varied market coverage
Last but not least, the brand stands out against other bet365 alternative by giving access to a ton of different betting markets of all shapes and sizes.
As you’d expect of a major betting name that’s been in the business for some time now, bet365 covers NFL, MLB, NCAAF, UK Premier League soccer, major tennis tournaments and cricket events, and more.
But you’ll also find solid bet365 odds advertised on Formula 1, lacrosse, darts, horse racing and a whole host of other sports, too – with a total of 39 different individual markets available in most bet365 friendly countries and regions. Not bad, huh?
Pros and cons of playing at bet365
Pros and Cons - Very competitive odds
- Easily switchable odds formats
- 35+ sports markets
- Exciting regionalized promotions
- Live streaming needs improvement
Final thoughts – bet365’s odds are easier to read than they look
We totally get it. On the surface, odds at bet365 may appear a little confusing or intimidating to newer or less experienced bettors. But once you understand the differences between American, decimal and fractional formats and what the numbers themselves actually represent, bet365’s odds are a real easy to read – particularly as the brand gives you the option of choosing your preferred format, then sticking to it for the foreseeable future.
What’s more, at the time of writing, bet365 stands strong as one of the best betting sites around if competitive odds are a priority for you – with superb numbers across major and minor sports leagues, and a ton of regionalized, odds-based promotions to boot.
Whatever the moment. It’s Never Ordinary at bet365. That’s why if you sign up now you will receive $200 in Bonus Bets Win or Lose when you bet $5!
Significant Terms and Conditions:
- Available to new customers only. A deposit (minimum $10) is required to participate in this promo. You must claim the promo via the bet365 app, within 30 days of registering your account. Once released, your Bonus Bets will be held in your account balance and are non-withdrawable.
- Place qualifying bets of $5 or more to get $200 in Bonus Bets. Your qualifying bets must settle within 30 days of claiming the promo. Only qualifying bets placed and settled after claiming the promo will count towards releasing your Bonus Bets.
- Bets placed must meet certain conditions to count:
– Must contain at least one selection at odds of -500 or greater.
– Only the largest cumulative wager on an individual selection within a market/fixture combination (either pre-game or Live In Game) will count towards the settled bets requirement.
– Cashed Out, event-specific Bonus Bets placed by selecting ‘Use Bonus Bet’ from the bet slip, Live In Game bets which are settled as a push and bets deemed no action do not count.
- Your Bonus Bets are non-withdrawable, and the Bonus Bets wager is excluded from any returns. Any returns from Bonus Bets placed will be added to your Withdrawable Balance. Bonus Bets cannot be used on certain products, promotions and bet types. See full Terms and Conditions for details.
- Your Bonus Bets will expire 7 days after they are added to your Bonus Bets balance.
Minimum $10 deposit required. Minimum odds -500 or greater. Bonus Bets wager excluded from returns. New customers only. T&CS, time limits and exclusions apply.
You can sign up with bet365 and discover their latest bonuses for your region today via any of our banner links on this page.
bet365 odds FAQ
- 🏅 How do bet365’s odds work?
Interpreting bet365’s odds is easier than it looks. In American odds format, positive (+) odds denote an underdog with a lower chance of winning, while negative (-) ones are used for favorites. The former represent how much you stand to potentially win from a $100 bet, while the latter show how much you’d need to bet to potentially win $100. Although of course, there’s never any assurance of winning anything at all when betting on sports online.
- ⚽ Which sports does bet365 give the best odds on?
This is likely to vary by region. But at the time of writing, top soccer and NFL events were posting the most competitive numbers in our location.
- 🌟 Is bet365 good for beginners who don’t know much about odds?
Yes, absolutely. They have some handy how-to guides and blogs on their site, while their odds are generally well presented across easy to read betting lines, too. It’s also possible to switch between American, decimal and fractional formats at any time if you have a favorite.