Accumulator Betting in 2025 – How To Use Football Accumulators

Accumulator betting (also known as multiples betting) involves betting on multiple selections in the same bet slip. The odds for each selection are multiplied by each other and by the initial stake to determine the total winnings. In most cases, if one selection loses, the whole football accumulator bet will be lost. To learn more, continue reading our in-depth guide below!

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1. 1 Best Acca Insurance Offers
2. 2 What Is an Accumulator Bet and How Does It Work?
3. 3 Which Sports Are Popular for Accumulator Betting?
4. 4 Types of Football Accumulator Bets
5. 5 The Most Popular Types of Accumulator Bets
6. 6 How To Create an Accumulator Bet
7. 7 Football Accumulator Betting Tips & Strategy
8. 8 Popular Football Markets for Accumulator Betting
9. 9 Advantages of Accumulator Bets
10. 10 Are Accumulator Bets Worth It?
11. 11 Notorious Accumulator Betting Wins
12. 12 Other Common Betting Terms
13. 13 ThePuntersPage Final Say
14. 14 Football Accumulator Betting FAQs

Best Acca Insurance Offers

1 bet365 Review Founded: 2000 UK Gambling Commission This bookmaker is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), ensuring compliance with strict regulations designed to promote fairness, transparency, and the safety of players. The UKGC license is a mark of trust, safeguarding your funds and personal information while encouraging responsible gambling. Learn more about the UKGC here Industry behemoth Supreme sportsbook Iconic website and app design Payment methods(11): +7 Payment methods × visa mastercard maestro applepay googlepay paypal trustly paysafecard clicktopay wiretransfer banktransfer Bet £10 & Get £30 VISIT BOOKIE Details 18+. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. GambleAware.org #ad Good to know: Min. stake: £0.10 Max. withdrawal: £100,000 Min. deposit: £5 24/7 Customer Support: Mobile-App: Android iOS

2 Parimatch Review Founded: 1994 UK Gambling Commission This bookmaker is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), ensuring compliance with strict regulations designed to promote fairness, transparency, and the safety of players. The UKGC license is a mark of trust, safeguarding your funds and personal information while encouraging responsible gambling. Learn more about the UKGC here Competitive tennis odds Interesting tennis stats available Bet boosts on most tennis events & matches Payment methods(4): Payment methods × visa mastercard applepay googlepay Bet £10 Get £20 VISIT BOOKIE Details 18+ New Customers Only. Opt in and bet £10 on football (odds 2.00+) within 7 days. Get 4x£10 Free Bets for set markets and a £10 Slot Bonus for Big Bass Splash, 30x wagering, to withdraw max £250. Rewards expire in 10 days. Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. GambleAware.org #ad Good to know: Min. stake: £0.10 Max. withdrawal: £50,000 Min. deposit: £5 24/7 Customer Support: Mobile-App: Android iOS

3 BetVictor Review Founded: 1946 UK Gambling Commission This bookmaker is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), ensuring compliance with strict regulations designed to promote fairness, transparency, and the safety of players. The UKGC license is a mark of trust, safeguarding your funds and personal information while encouraging responsible gambling. Learn more about the UKGC here Best UK/Ireland horse racing odds Great customer support including live chat Attractive ThePuntersPage Welcome Offer! Payment methods(6): +2 Payment methods × visa mastercard applepay googlepay neteller banktransfer Bet £10 & Get £30 in Football Free Bets VISIT BOOKIE Details 18+ New customers only. Opt in, bet £10 or more on any football market at minimum 1/1 odds within 7 days of registration. No cash out. Get £30 in Free Football Bets, selected markets. Free Bets expire in 7 days. Full T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly. GambleAware.org #ad Good to know: Min. stake: £0.05 Max. withdrawal: £50,000 Min. deposit: £5 24/7 Customer Support: Mobile-App: Android iOS

4 Coral Review Founded: 1926 UK Gambling Commission This bookmaker is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), ensuring compliance with strict regulations designed to promote fairness, transparency, and the safety of players. The UKGC license is a mark of trust, safeguarding your funds and personal information while encouraging responsible gambling. Learn more about the UKGC here Top quality betting odds Stunning live streaming service Lots of exciting promotions Payment methods(8): +4 Payment methods × visa mastercard applepay paypal paysafecard neteller skrill banktransfer Bet £5 Get £20 VISIT BOOKIE Details 18+ New Customers only. Certain deposit methods & bet types excl. Min first £/€5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 to get 4 x £5 free bets. Free bet available to use on selected sportsbook markets only. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. Restrictions + Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. GambleAware.org #ad Good to know: Min. stake: £0.01 Max. withdrawal: £250,000 Min. deposit: £5 24/7 Customer Support: Mobile-App: Android iOS

5 Spreadex Review Founded: 1999 UK Gambling Commission This bookmaker is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), ensuring compliance with strict regulations designed to promote fairness, transparency, and the safety of players. The UKGC license is a mark of trust, safeguarding your funds and personal information while encouraging responsible gambling. Learn more about the UKGC here World-class tennis spread betting option Brilliant stats on tennis matches Good back and lay options on tennis Payment methods(6): +2 Payment methods × visa mastercard maestro applepay googlepay banktransfer Bet £10, Get up to £60 in Free Bets VISIT BOOKIE Details 18+ Spread betting losses can exceed deposit. 18+ www.gambleaware.org. Place a £10 fixed odds single or £10 each-way bet at minimum odds of 1/2 and get 3 x £10 free fixed odds bets, 3 x £5 Total Goals football spread bets and 3 x £5 Winning Favourites spread bets and a £1 racing Race Index spread bet. Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. GambleAware.org #ad Good to know: Min. stake: £1.00 Max. withdrawal: £25,000 Min. deposit: £1 24/7 Customer Support: Mobile-App: Android iOS

6 BoyleSports Review Founded: 1989 UK Gambling Commission This bookmaker is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), ensuring compliance with strict regulations designed to promote fairness, transparency, and the safety of players. The UKGC license is a mark of trust, safeguarding your funds and personal information while encouraging responsible gambling. Learn more about the UKGC here Over 270 Retail Locations Decades of experience VIP Offers for Bingo and Casino Payment methods(7): +3 Payment methods × visa mastercard paypal paysafecard neteller skrill banktransfer Bet £10 Get £20 in Free Bets VISIT BOOKIE Details 18+ New UK customers (Excluding NI) only. Mobile exclusive. Min Deposit £10. Min stake £10. Min odds Evs. Free bet applied on 1st settlement of any qualifying bet. 30 days to qualify. Free bets expire in 7 days. Cashed out/Free Bets won't apply. Account & Payment method restrictions apply. 1 Free Bet offer per customer, household & IP Address only. Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. GambleAware.org #ad Good to know: Min. stake: £0.01 Max. withdrawal: £50,000 Min. deposit: £5 24/7 Customer Support: Mobile-App: Android iOS

7 Betfred Review Founded: 1967 UK Gambling Commission This bookmaker is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), ensuring compliance with strict regulations designed to promote fairness, transparency, and the safety of players. The UKGC license is a mark of trust, safeguarding your funds and personal information while encouraging responsible gambling. Learn more about the UKGC here Over 50 years of Tradition Includes Sports Commentary Live Betting on many popular markets Payment methods(7): +3 Payment methods × visa mastercard paypal paysafecard neteller skrill banktransfer Bet £10 Get £50 in Free Bets VISIT BOOKIE Details 18+ New customers only. Register with BETFRED50. Deposit £10+ via Debit Card and place first bet £10+ at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports within 7 days to get 3 x £10 in Sports Free Bets & 2 x £10 in Acca Free Bets within 10 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility & payment exclusions apply. Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. GambleAware.org #ad Good to know: Min. stake: £0.10 Max. withdrawal: £20,000 Min. deposit: £5 24/7 Customer Support: Mobile-App: Android iOS

8 Betway Review Founded: 2006 UK Gambling Commission This bookmaker is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), ensuring compliance with strict regulations designed to promote fairness, transparency, and the safety of players. The UKGC license is a mark of trust, safeguarding your funds and personal information while encouraging responsible gambling. Learn more about the UKGC here Tennis in-play events on offer every day Huge variety of tennis events Well-known bookmaker for tennis betting Payment methods(7): +3 Payment methods × visa mastercard paypal trustly banktransfer vyne truelayer Up to £30 Matched Free Bet if your First Acca Loses + 100 Free Spins + £30 Uber Eats Voucher VISIT BOOKIE Details 18+ New UK customers only. Min Stake: £5. Maximum Free Bet: £30. First bet on a Football, Horse Racing, Tennis, Cricket or Basketball multiple with 3+ selections. Overall odds: 3.00 (2/1) or higher. Free Bets available upon settlement of the qualifying bet. 100 Free Spins on More Unusual Suspects (£0.10 per spin) credited on settlement of qualifying Acca bet. No wagering requirements on free spin winnings. Earn a £30 Uber Eats Voucher on successful Acca qualification. Debit Card deposit only (exclusions apply). This offer is valid 7 days from the new account being registered. Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. GambleAware.org #ad Good to know: Min. stake: £0.20 Max. withdrawal: £100,000,000 Min. deposit: £5 24/7 Customer Support: Mobile-App: Android iOS

9 SBK Review Founded: 2019 UK Gambling Commission This bookmaker is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), ensuring compliance with strict regulations designed to promote fairness, transparency, and the safety of players. The UKGC license is a mark of trust, safeguarding your funds and personal information while encouraging responsible gambling. Learn more about the UKGC here Mobile-only sportsbook Great tennis odds on offer Wide selection of different payment methods Payment methods(10): +6 Payment methods × visa mastercard maestro paypal trustly neteller skrill banktransfer solo eurocard Bet £10 Get £40 in Free Bets VISIT BOOKIE Details 18+ New UK customers. Min £10 first deposit. Place a bet of £10 at min odds of 2.0 and get £40 in Free Bets within 48 hours. Restrictions apply. Bet Responsibly. Full T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org #ad Good to know: Min. stake: £0.05 Max. withdrawal: £100,000,000 Min. deposit: £10 24/7 Customer Support: Mobile-App: Android iOS

10 10bet Review Founded: 2003 UK Gambling Commission This bookmaker is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), ensuring compliance with strict regulations designed to promote fairness, transparency, and the safety of players. The UKGC license is a mark of trust, safeguarding your funds and personal information while encouraging responsible gambling. Learn more about the UKGC here Tennis odds available for every tournament Tennis-specific promotions Great mobile app Payment methods(10): +6 Payment methods × visa mastercard applepay googlepay paypal trustly paysafecard neteller skrill banktransfer 100% up to £50 Welcome Bonus VISIT BOOKIE Details 18+ New bettors; Code SPORT; Wager deposit & bonus 8x; Max qualifying bet stake=initial bonus; Valid 60 days; Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply; Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. GambleAware.org #ad Good to know: Min. stake: £0.10 Max. withdrawal: £50,000 Min. deposit: £10 24/7 Customer Support: Mobile-App: Android iOS

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What Is an Accumulator Bet and How Does It Work?

In order for an accumulator to be successful, each of your picks must win, whatever the event might be. These bets can work on any or all sports, even at the same time. It doesn’t matter if you have picked out one or two horses for the afternoon’s top racing meet and added in some football selections from that night’s fixture list - you may even have a strong feeling for an NFL match going off in the US overnight, for example.

Accas can include winning teams, players, horses or even diverse football markets, such as Both Teams To Score (BTTS) or Over/Under a certain number of goals being scored. All of these can work together in one multiple selection accumulator. That said, mixing your sports in an acca may affect potential boosts and insurance promotions with some UK bookmakers, so you have to be careful when placing an acca.

While acca boosts fizz up your betting odds if you have enough selections, acca insurance often pays out if one of your picks lets you down. If you don’t have insurance, then always remember that many bookies offer a cash out option too.

Accumulator betting is one of the most exciting forms of betting because, other than the obvious excitement and thrills it can generate, you could be betting like a high roller come the climax despite only staking minor cash amounts when you put the bet on.

Which Sports Are Popular for Accumulator Betting?

This kind of betting is an incredibly popular option for punters due to its simplicity and its inclusiveness. The happy fact is that many sports are great for this sort of betting!

Types of Football Accumulator Bets

The Most Popular Types of Accumulator Bets

Various sports suit particular types of accumulator bets. Here are a few different variants of popular accumulators offered by bookmakers and used by punters.

Doubles, Trebles and Four-Fold Bets

Numerically, these are very easy bets to understand. As we outlined in the table above, most of these bets are so named by the number of picks they contain. Importantly, these are all straightforward bets in which it only takes one losing selection to bring the whole bet crashing down. Naturally, the likelihood of getting more winning selections decreases the more picks you include. But, conversely, as the likelihood drifts outward, so too do the odds, and 20 winning selections will play significantly more than a mere treble. That said, if you have a feeling for some long-odds outside winners, then even doubles can pay well.

Yankees, Canadians and Other Bets

Yankees, Canadians and their higher selection relation bets are often labelled as system bets or full cover bets. The idea behind full cover bets is simple: they take all the possible mini-accas and group them up into as many bets as possible, but in this case minus the singles. So, four selections becomes 11 bets. Why? Because if we boil down the bet into mini-accas we can see that there are six doubles, four trebles and one four-fold, hence eleven. Just one extra selection makes all the difference as we jump from eleven bets to 26! This 26-bet wager is known as a Canadian, or in some parts as a Super Yankee, but the concept itself remains the same. It groups up the doubles and trebles, four folds and five-fold within this bet, and you put an equal sum behind each one. So, a £1 Canadian is a £26 lay - but remember, these do not include singles.

Lucky 15, Lucky 31 Bets

As per the table, Luckies are the same as the other full cover bets but with added singles. So, for example, a Yankee is four selections and makes up 11 bets. If we now add the four single selections to the pot, we now have 11 + 4 which adds up to 15, i.e. all the ingredients for a Lucky 15 bet. This particular bet is popular among horse racing punters.

Similarly, five selections make up a Canadian (26 bets), but when we add on the five singles, we have created a 31 selection bet which is called - you guessed it - a Lucky 31. Basically, so long as you haven’t picked a full house of losers, you should get at least something back on a single.

Alphabet Bet

One of the more obscure and unusual multiple selection bet is the powerful alphabet. This is a six-selection wager that includes a six-fold acca. However, in an alphabet, picks one through three make up a patent, while four, five and six form a second patent. On top of this, picks two through five form a Yankee. So, if a Yankee is eleven bets and there are two seven bet patents - plus a one line straight six-fold acca - we have a wager that is made up of 26 bets. It is however important in which order you mark down your picks with this bet.

How To Create an Accumulator Bet

Creating an accumulator with any bookmaker is a simple process. Here’s what the process might look like if you’re trying to place a football accumulator bet with a popular bookie:

1. Access the ‘Football’ or ‘Soccer’ section.

2. Check out the list of upcoming matches across various leagues and competitions.

3. Select the type of bet you want to make on a particular match. Note: your accumulator can consist of various markets, but you cannot have two different markets from the same match included.

4. Make your selections.

5. Access your bet slip, which will show all your selections.

6. Often, an accumulator will have been automatically generated.

7. Enter your stake.

8. Place your bet!

The steps are basically the same when creating an acca on any other sport you wish.

Football Accumulator Betting Tips & Strategy

As is the way in betting, there are always steps we can take to ensure we have the best possible outcome when laying football accumulator bets. Of course, it isn’t as simple as saying “do this and you are guaranteed to win” - there are no such assurances in sport, and that’s why we love it. But, all that being said, we can do our best to bend the odds in our favour. For your benefit, we have listed a few of these below.

1. Try Alternative Betting Markets

Remember, if you do have a good feeling about your selections faring well in an outright wins acca, then you are always able to group up other bets into the same accumulator options. Examples of these could be Both Teams To Score, Win To Nil, Handicaps, To Win Both Halves, Over/Under goals or any of your preferred betting markets, all depending on what you believe is the most likely outcome from that day’s action.

2. Study the Stats

Be it football, horses, golf or whatever, your best bet to pick up big winnings with an acca is to undertake critical research beforehand. Any data and up-to-date statistics that you need can be found online, so there is no excuse to ever lay an under-researched acca. If you are betting on the horses, remember that all runners' form is available for free and published daily, as are last-minute, real-time ground reports and weather forecasts. We’ve also got our own TPP racecards page with all the info you need.

If it’s a football acca, then make sure you know how well teams and players are performing at the moment, as well as the latest team news. You can also make use of our football stats page. It sounds obvious, but the lazy, uninformed bettor will seldom do well. That said, it’s not impossible, as you'll see from our list of the most notorious accumulator winners at the end of this article!

3. Be Ready To Cash Out

One thing that the stats might tell you is whether or not a team might be likely to concede during a match, which will help you decide whether or not to cash out your acca early. Cashing out is a clause in betting where you can settle your bet ahead of time to either avoid losing everything or to claw back what you can. While this feature can apply to many different bets, it is perhaps most prevalent in accumulator betting, where one defeat can bring the whole bet crashing down. Of course, some bookies offer acca insurance which ensures you'll still get paid out if one of your selections loses.

4. Make Use of Acca Offers

If you are going to use accumulators, then be sure to make the most of acca insurance offers where you can at least get your stake back (as a free bet in most cases) in the inevitable circumstance that one selection does indeed scupper your wager. Most top UK betting sites offer some form of insurance or boost on accumulator bets, as well other forms of accumulator promotions.

Popular Football Markets for Accumulator Betting

Here are some of the most popular football markets for acca bets:

Full Time Result

This is the staple market of football accumulator betting. You’re merely backing the teams which you think will win the match (after 90 minutes), but you can also include projected drawn games in your acca to potentially bolster the odds. Check out our full time results stats page to give you a helping hand.

Both Teams to Score (BTTS)

We all enjoy betting on games laden with goals, and the Both Teams to Score market (first popularised by Betfred) certainly meets those desires. Here, you can pick whether you think both teams will score in a particular game or not and add those selections to create an acca - the match outcome is totally irrelevant. If you’re wondering how teams normally fare in this regard, we’ve got a detailed BTTS stats page set up to help you out.

Over/Under Goals

The Over/Under Goals market offers plenty of options for football bettors. While 2.5 is often the default marking point when it comes to utilising this market in accumulators. you can introduce various over/under markets. Over 1.5 goals accas are pretty popular, but you have to include a large number of selections to garner sufficient value. Naturally, we’ve got a stats for all of Over 1.5 Goals, Over 2.5 Goals, and even Over 3.5 Goals readily available to help with your next acca.

Anytime Goal Scorer

This is another market that has risen exponentially in popularity following the emergence of online betting, and thus, accumulators of its kind are becoming more popular, too. In this case, you’re backing several players in different games to find themselves on the scoresheet. These sorts of bets garner huge returns due to their difficulty to nail. If you want to check out the scoring frequency of any player cross the top European leagues, check out our football goals stats page.

Win & BTTS

This is a tough market to master, yet it remains popular among football bettors. Typically, punters will include just a couple of Win & BTTS selections in their acca because the odds are HUGE. To win this type of bet, your selected team must win with both teams scoring in the game. For example, if you back Liverpool to beat Real Madrid with BTTS, a 2-1 win for the Reds would mean that your bet is successful. You can also back Draw With BTTS.

Double Chance

The market of the underdog! Double chance means you essentially have two chances for your bet to be successful. You’re either backing a home win or draw, away win or draw, or either side to win. Unsurprisingly, odds here are considerably lower compared to the Full Time Result market, but this is an intriguing option for acca bettors. You might fancy sneaking one or two Double Chance selections in an FT result acca.

Advantages of Accumulator Bets

There are two very obvious reasons why bettors enjoy playing accumulator lines - the first of which is that the long odds that multiple selections can create typically make for large payouts.

It will come as no surprise that another reason for their immense popularity is that they are, of course, highly entertaining and great fun, especially if all of your selections are going off and coming in at different times, which takes the tension and the thrills right up to the max.

Are Accumulator Bets Worth It?

Despite their popularity, a wide body of punters (including many experts) say that accumulator bets should be avoided if bettors are looking to make a serious profit. The reason for this essentially comes down to value and variance.

Value

You’ve backed a bet because you believe the odds are wrong. The odds offered are of value.

Let's assume you have four value selections, which individually are best priced with four different bookmakers. If you put together a four-fold, you’ve already limited yourself to reduced odds, as you would have to place the bet with a single bookmaker.

You are also losing out because of the bookies’ overround (profitability). In each individual market, bookmakers have an edge.

Now, let's imagine a coin toss. Both heads and tails have a 50% chance of occurring. Yet in a market with two simple outcomes that a bookmaker can’t split, they’ll offer you a 5/6 or 10/11 split. Here, you aren’t obtaining true value.

By combining multiple selections, you’re enhancing the bookie's edge. In the long run, they the ones who stand to make the most profit – this is why bookies are so keen to offer promotions and offers when it comes to multiple betting.

Sidenote: If all of your selections are best priced with the same bookmaker, then this in fact increases your edge if you include them in a multiple bet. It is extremely rare that this may happen, however, although in the more ‘obscure' markets it can be done.

Variance

How many times have you ‘missed by one'? Too many, right? As close as you were, you lost. You saw no return on your stake. However, had you backed each of your selections as singles, the likelihood is that you'd have made a profit.

Variance is the idea that sometimes, you will lose. Various factors affect the outcome of a sporting event, such as luck, fine margins, individual decisions… even the weather!

Stick to Singles

According to this group of punters who question whether accumulator bets are worth it, by spreading your stakes across various single bets, you can reduce the effect of variance. The more bets you spread your stakes across, the more likely you are to win, assuming you’re finding value which suggests the odds are wrong. So, if you do your research correctly, you will be more likely to see a profit over a wider sample of bets.

Furthermore, backing singles can be more sustainable. With single bets, it is easier to both find and work out value. It is also simpler to calculate the chance of an individual event happening rather than multiple in tandem. Therefore, in the long run, you can end up in a better position.

Notorious Accumulator Betting Wins

While the odds of getting a huge accumulator win are stacked against you, big wins are not unheard of. See for yourself below!

Other Common Betting Terms

VAR betting tips

First half goals

How are expected goals calculated

ThePuntersPage Final Say

An overwhelming amount of bettors love accumulators, because they can build huge jackpots that make for massive potential profits all for a tiny stake.

Over the years, some savvy punters - as well as some exceedingly lucky ones - have been rewarded with fantastic rewards simply by laying down a small stake and correctly predicting a set of wins. It is this thrilling opportunity to pick up lotto-sized payouts for, in most parts, a well-researched bet that keeps punters coming back for more. Despite this, many punters also question whether accumulator bets are worth it, or whether they should be avoided. To learn more, check out our detailed article on betting terms & definitions.