Making betting simple
A bet should be as easy to follow as the sport.
To have a bet today, a fan has to learn a new language and a new kind of maths at the same time. It is like being asked to learn algebra in French. Funteron takes both away, so a fan can have a bet on the sport they love without feeling stupid for asking.
The embarrassment tax
The slip says £20. It costs £140.
Betting is full of bets that cost far more than they seem to. Most newcomers would rather nod along than ask in front of their mates. Simplicity and choice remove the embarrassment tax.
The slip says £20. It costs £140. A Patent is seven bets, so £20 a bet is £140 in total.
£10 a line. £150 in total. A Lucky 15 is fifteen bets. The real cost only appears in the last box.
Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.Attributed to Albert Einstein
The same bet, three ways
Three ways to write one price. One answer the fan wants.
A £10 bet on a horse with about a 3 in 10 chance looks like this around the world.
| How it is written | What it says | What the fan has to work out |
|---|---|---|
| Fractional, UK and Ireland | 5/2 | Win £5 for every £2, then add the £10 back on top |
| Decimal, Europe and Australia | 3.50 | Multiply £10 by 3.5, which already includes the £10 |
| American, US | +250 | Win 250 for every 100, and a minus sign means the opposite |
| Funteron | £10 gets back £35 | Nothing |
How Funteron designs it
So easy you do not need to learn the jargon.
The rules behind a bet can be as complicated as they need to be. The fan should not have to see them.
Money, not odds
Every price shows what the fan's money gets back: "£10 gets back £35". Fractions and decimals are there for anyone who wants them, one format at a time.
The fan's own question
"Who will win?" instead of 1X2. "Will both teams score?" instead of BTTS. "How many goals?" instead of over 2.5.
The chance in plain words
Next to every price, how likely it is: "about a 3 in 10 chance". Fans who just want to follow can see the chance with no prices at all.
What a bet does, not its name
"All must win", "Lose one, still get something back" or "Any winner gets something back". The trade name, such as Yankee or Lucky 15, sits underneath for anyone who knows it.
The whole cost, then every outcome
Each way is "two bets, so it costs double". Before a bet goes on, the fan sees what comes back if it wins, if it places and what they lose if it does not.
Mistakes stopped early
If two picks cannot both happen, the app says so before the bet goes on. Offers come in one sentence, with the catch spelled out.
Jargon buster
The betting words fans meet, in plain English.
A guide to the terms a newcomer runs into, what each one means and how Funteron shows it instead. For the full phrasebook, from a pony to "the going is soft", see the betting dictionary.
| The jargon | What it means | How Funteron shows it |
|---|---|---|
| Fractional odds (5/2) | Win £5 for every £2 you put on, and get your money back too. £10 at 5/2 gets back £35. | £10 gets back £35 |
| Decimal odds (3.50) | What comes back for every £1, including the £1. £10 at 3.50 gets back £35. | £10 gets back £35 |
| American odds (+250 or -200) | Plus: what you win on a $100 bet. Minus: what you need to bet to win $100. | $10 gets back $35 |
| Evens | You win the same as you put on. £10 gets back £20. | £10 gets back £20 |
| Odds-on (1/2) | You win less than you put on, because it is likely to happen. £10 at 1/2 gets back £15. | £10 gets back £15 |
| Odds-against (3/1) | You win more than you put on, because it is less likely. £10 at 3/1 gets back £40. | £10 gets back £40 |
| Stake | The amount you bet. | How much |
| Returns | Everything that comes back if you win, including your own money. | Gets back |
| Favourite, or the jolly | The runner the bookmakers think is most likely to win. | The favourite, with its chance |
| Steamer and drifter | A steamer is a runner whose price is falling fast because people are backing it. A drifter is one whose price is getting bigger. | Price moves, shown in money |
| SP (starting price) | The price when the race starts. If you did not take a price earlier, you are paid at this. | The price at the off |
| Best odds guaranteed | If the starting price ends up bigger than the price you took, you are paid at the bigger one. | Shown on the offer, in one sentence |
| Each way | Two bets of the same amount: one for the horse to win and one for it to finish in the places. It costs double. | Two bets, so it costs double |
| A fifth the odds, 1-2-3 | The place part of an each way bet pays a fifth of the win price if the horse finishes first, second or third. | What comes back if it places |
| Rule 4 | When a horse is taken out of a race late, winnings on the others are cut by a set amount, for example 15p in every pound won. | The cut, shown in money |
| Non-runner no bet | If your horse does not run, you get your money back. | Money back if it does not run |
| Ante post | Betting days or weeks before the event. If your pick does not take part, you usually lose your bet. | Explained once, the first time |
| 1X2 | Who will win the match: the home team (1), a draw (X) or the away team (2). | Who will win? |
| BTTS | Both teams to score. | Will both teams score? |
| Over or under 2.5 goals | Over means three goals or more. Under means two or fewer. | How many goals? |
| Draw no bet | You get your money back if the match is a draw. | Money back if it is a draw |
| Double chance | You win if either of two results happens, for example home win or draw. | Home team wins or draws |
| Asian handicap | One team gets a head start in goals, sometimes in quarter goals that split your bet in two. | Not used for beginners |
| Bet builder | Several picks from one match combined into one bet and priced together. | One match |
| Accumulator, or acca | Four or more picks in one bet. Every pick has to win. | All must win |
| Double, treble, four-fold | A multiple with two, three or four picks. | All must win |
| Trixie | Three picks combined into four bets: three doubles and a treble. Two must win for anything back. | Lose one, still get something back |
| Patent | Three picks combined into seven bets, singles included. One winner is enough for something back. | Any winner gets something back |
| Yankee | Four picks combined into eleven bets: six doubles, four trebles and a four-fold. Two must win for anything back. | Lose one, still get something back |
| Lucky 15 | Four picks combined into fifteen bets, singles included. One winner is enough for something back. | Any winner gets something back |
| Heinz, Super Heinz, Goliath | Six, seven or eight picks combined into 57, 120 or 247 bets. | Lose one, still get something back |
| Cash out | Settle a bet before the event ends, for an amount the bookmaker offers. | Take £X now |
| In play | Betting while the match or race is on. | Live prices, paused after big moments |
| Free bet, stake not returned | When a free bet wins, you keep the winnings but not the free bet amount. A £10 free bet at 3/1 that wins pays £30. | The catch, in one sentence |
| Wagering requirements | You have to bet a bonus a set number of times before you can take the money out. | The catch, in one sentence |
| Overround, or margin | The bookmaker's built-in edge. The chances behind the prices add up to more than 100%. | Best price across bookmakers |
| A score, a pony, a ton, a monkey | Slang for £20, £25, £100 and £500. | Pounds |
Examples are illustrations. Prices and offer terms vary by bookmaker. 18+. Please gamble responsibly.
The paper
Algebra in French.
Keith O'Loughlin's paper on why the language of betting shuts fans out, what the embarrassment costs them and what the industry should do about it. Part of the Where Betting Belongs series.
See it working
Both public demos follow these rules, from the first price to the last bet slip.