Paddy Power

A free bet is a promotional token credited by a bookmaker, usually after you place a qualifying deposit bet. Free bets let you place a wager without risking your own money. Most free bets are "stake not returned" (SNR), meaning the stake value is not included in any winnings — only the profit.

Fractional odds (e.g. 5/1) show your profit relative to your stake. At 5/1, a £10 bet returns £60 in total: £50 profit plus your £10 stake back. At 2/1, a £10 bet returns £30 (£20 profit + £10 stake). The left number is your profit; the right is the amount you staked.

Fractional odds (5/1) are the traditional UK format and show profit relative to stake. Decimal odds (6.0) show your total return per unit staked, including your stake. They represent the same thing: multiply your stake by the decimal odds to find your total return. Most bookmakers let you switch between formats.

An accumulator combines multiple selections into a single bet. All selections must win for the bet to pay out. The odds of each selection are multiplied together, creating potentially large returns from a small stake — but the risk also multiplies with each selection added.

Cash Out allows you to settle a bet before the event finishes, locking in a profit or cutting a loss. The offered Cash Out value changes in real time based on the current match situation and remaining odds. Not all bets or markets are eligible for Cash Out.

Responsible gambling means betting for entertainment within your means. It involves setting and sticking to deposit limits, not chasing losses, taking breaks, and using self-exclusion tools if needed. If gambling stops being fun, help is available from GamCare (gamcare.org.uk) and BeGambleAware (begambleaware.org).