Lay Bet and Liability Calculator
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How to use this calculator
Laying a bet means betting that something will not happen - on an exchange you take the other side, acting like the bookmaker. Enter your lay odds and the exchange commission, then choose how to work. With "Backer's stake" you set the amount you are laying, which is what you win if the outcome does not happen, and the calculator shows the liability you must cover. With "Liability" you set how much you are willing to risk and it works out the largest stake you can lay. Either way you see your net profit after commission and the liability you lose if the bet goes against you.
The terms, explained
- Lay bet - a bet that an outcome will not happen. You win the backer's stake if you are right.
- Backer's stake - the amount being matched against you. It is your profit (before commission) when the lay wins.
- Liability - what you lose if the outcome does happen. It grows fast at long odds.
- Commission - the exchange's cut, charged only on your net winnings, typically around 2% to 5%.
How it is calculated
Laying is simple arithmetic on the odds, so the tool never needs updating.
- Liability
liability = backer stake × (odds − 1) - Stake from a liability
stake = liability ÷ (odds − 1) - Profit if the lay wins
profit = backer stake × (1 − commission)
The longer the odds, the larger the liability for the same stake: laying a 2.00 shot risks the stake itself, while laying a 10.00 shot risks nine times the stake.
Liability is the number to watch. Because you can only ever win the backer's stake but can lose many times that at long prices, laying outsiders ties up a lot of money for a small return - and a single loss wipes out many wins. Lay betting is available on exchanges rather than standard bookmakers, the commission rate varies by platform and market, and the figures here assume your bet is fully matched at the odds shown.
For information only. This is not betting advice. 19+ (18+ in AB, MB and QC). Please play responsibly.