A minimum bet is essentially the lowest stake amount you can place on a wager which varies from bookmaker to bookmaker. Read on to find out which bookies are best to bet with when you're looking to make those smaller wagers.

  • Minimum Stake: 1p
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Cryptocurrency
Established in 1982
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Established in 1982
18+ New UK customers (Excluding NI) only. £20 in FREE Bets (FB) as £10 in sports bets & a £10 casino bonus (CB). Min Deposit £10. Min stake £10. Min odds Evs. FB applied on 1st settlement of any qualifying bet. FB 7-day expiry. 1 FB offer per customer, household & IP address only. Account & Payment restrictions. 14 days to accept £10 CB, then active for 3 days. CB 5x wagering & max redeemable £100. Game restrictions apply. Cashed out/Free Bets won’t apply. 30 days to qualify. Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. BeGambleAware.org #ad
  • Minimum Stake: 1p
  • Part of the world's largest gaming group
  • Extensive casino & live casino offering
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Established in 1997
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Established in 1997
18+ New UK players only | Min deposit req. £10 | Certain deposit methods excluded | Place 1 sport bet (3+ selections) | Excl Horse Racing | Min stake £10 | Max stake £20 | Min Odds 2/1 (3.0) | Max FreeBet £20 for football only | FreeBet valid for 7 days | FreeBet stake not returned | Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. BeGambleAware.org #ad
  • Minimum Stake: 1p
  • Fantastic betting promotions
  • More than 50 sports available
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Cryptocurrency
Established in 1902
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Established in 1902
18+ New UK+IRE Customers only. Certain deposit methods & bet types excl. Min first 5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 = 4x 5 free bets. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. No cashout, restrictions + Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. BeGambleAware.org #ad
  • Minimum Stake: 3p
  • Numerous sportsbook promotions
  • Unique special bets outside of sports
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Cryptocurrency
Established in 1934
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Established in 1934
18+. New customers using Promo code R30 only. Min £10 stake, min odds ½, free bets paid as 3x £10, free bets credited after settlement of first qualifying bet, free bets will expire 30 days after the qualifying bet is placed, payment methods/player/country restrictions apply. Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. BeGambleAware.org #ad
  • Minimum Stake: 5p
  • Best UK/Ireland horse racing odds
  • Great customer support including live chat
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UK Gambling Commission
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Cryptocurrency
Established in 1946
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Established in 1946
18+ New customers only. Opt in, bet £10  on any football market at minimum 1/1 odds. No cash out. Get £40 in Free Bets on selected events. Free Bets expire in 7 days. Debit card / Apple Pay payments only. Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. BeGambleAware.org #ad
  • Minimum Stake: 5p
  • Quick payments
  • Strong website design
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Established in 1994
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Established in 1994
18+ New customers only. Opt in and bet £10 on football (odds 2.00+) within 3 days. No cash-out. Get 6x£5 football free bets for set markets, which expire after 7 days. Selected payment methods only. Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. BeGambleAware.org #ad
  • Minimum Stake: 10p
  • No deposit or withdrawal fees
  • Excellent new players bonus
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Cryptocurrency
Established in 2000
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Established in 2000
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. BeGambleAware.org #ad
  • Minimum Stake: 10p
  • Perfect for In-play betting
  • Broad Sportsbook with sufficient football coverage
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Cryptocurrency
Established in 2012
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Established in 2012
18+ New cust only. Deposit & Place a Bet within 7 days, and settle a £10 minimum bet at odds of 4/5 (1.8) or greater, to be credited with 3 x £10 Free Bets: 2 x £10 Horse Racing and 1 x £10 Free Bet Builder. 7 day expiry. Stake not returned. Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. BeGambleAware.org #ad
  • Minimum Stake: 5p
  • Top quality betting odds
  • Stunning live streaming service
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UK Gambling Commission
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Bet Builder
Support 24/7
Native App
Cryptocurrency
Established in 1886
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UK Gambling Commission
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Bet Builder
Support 24/7
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Cryptocurrency
Established in 1886
18+ New UK+ ROI Customers only. Deposit & Bet min £5 as first bet at minimum odds 1/2 to qualify for 1x £20 Free Bet. Certain deposit methods and bet types excluded. Free bet valid for 7 days, stake not returned. Restrictions apply. Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. BeGambleAware.org #ad
  • Minimum Stake: 10p
  • Competitive and consistent odds
  • Extensive betting promotions
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UK Gambling Commission
Live Stream
VIP Programm
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Bet Builder
Support 24/7
Native App
Cryptocurrency
Established in 2006
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Cryptocurrency
Established in 2006
18+ Min Deposit: £5. Maximum Free Bet: £30. First bet on a Football or Horse Racing multiple with 3+ selections. Overall odds: 3.00 (2/1) or higher. Free Bets available upon settlement of the qualifying bet. This is offer is valid for 7 days from your new account being registered. 50 Bonus Spins credited on placement of qualifying Acca bet.50x bonus wagering applies as do weighting requirements, bonus Spins only available on selected games and expires 7 days after being awarded. Debit card deposits only (exclusions apply). Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. BeGambleAware.org #ad

Minimum Bets Per Bookmaker

BookieMin. DepositMax PayoutFastest WithdrawalMin. Stake
10bet logo£10£50,0001-2 days£0.10
the pools logo£5£250,0002-5 working days1p
bet365 logo£5£2,000,000Within 24 hours (wire transfer, PayPal, paysafecard)10p
Betfred Logo£5£1,000,000Within 48 hours (PayPal)1p
betvictor logo£5£500,00040 minutes – 24 hours (Visa Fast Funds)5p
coral logo£5£1,000,000Instant (Coral Connect)1p
Ladbrokes Logo£5£1,000,000Instant (Ladbrokes The Grid)1p
smarkets logo£10No max1-2 business days5p
william hill logo£5£2,000,00030 minutes – 4 hours (Visa Direct)3p

UK Betting sites have a range of limits in place, including minimum deposits and maximum withdrawals, all of which are important for bettors to be aware of. One such limit is the minimum bet that you can are able to wager, and whilst many punters may not be interested in the very minimum amount that they can bet, knowing this figure can prove to be very useful for a lot of people.

The term ‘minimum bet' refers to the lowest possible amount you are permitted to stake on a given market. Generally with the biggest and most renowned bookmakers, the minimum stake will be anything from 1p up to £1. You should note however that the minimum stake can actually vary depending on the selected event, market, or bet type.

A classic example of this is in the case of live-streaming horse racing where betting sites charge an additional minimum bet requirement if you want to view the races. This will typically be in the region of £1.

Bookmakers have the right to place certain restrictions on specific customers should they feel necessary in order to protect their profitability and limit their liabilities. When you place your bet online, you will need to enter your stake. This is when you will be notified whether or not the stake you have entered meets the minimum requirement.

Betting companies benefit from setting very low minimum bets because there is a whole niche of punters, commonly known as ‘micro-rollers', who play with small amounts but collectively provide a hefty profit for the bookie. In addition to this, there is a very high likelihood that bettors who start betting with small amounts will gradually increase their stakes which means results in more profits for the betting site.

Why Place Low Bets?

Although the vast majority of people place bets with higher stakes than the minimum requirement, low bets can be just as appealing to many different types of bettors too.

Low bets are perfect for those who want to enjoy betting without risking big losses.

When trying out a new UK bookie, low stakes can be beneficial as they give you the chance to explore the full betting process of the site without committing larger amounts of money.

As we will discuss in further details later in this article, low bets are ideal for placing Yankee, Lucky 15 or any other full cover wagers as they provide the chance to reap large rewards at a lesser cost.

Punters who wish to use up what’s left of their bonus without having to deposit more money into their will also be able to take advantage of low minimum bets.

Finally, and probably the common way that low stakes are used is by punters who are backing a longshot bet, where wagering a small amount can result in big rewards.

minimum bet slip
(Source: Betfred)

Accumulators

Accumulator bets are easily some of the most popular bet types thanks to their high risk, high reward nature. In an acca bet, the odds of each chosen selection are multiplied by each other and can result in an extremely high pay out. Even with a small stake, potential winnings can quickly reach into the hundreds or thousands. Naturally, the more selections you choose, the less likely your chances of winning, but all it takes is one exceptionally lucky day to make that tiny bet pay out big time. Most bookmakers will offer accumulator bet promotions to make your acca bets even more lucrative.

Full Cover Bets

Full cover bets can be seen as a package bet which covers all possible combinations in a bet. There are many different types of full cover bets, such as the Heinz and the Trixie bet, which include a different number of selections.  The difference between full cover bets and accumulator bets, is that you don’t need all the selections in a full cover bet to win, for you to receive a pay-out. This means that you will have a greater chance of getting a return, but at a higher cost as you will need to pay for the increased number of lines in your bet. This is where minimum stakes can be beneficial as with individual lines costing as little as 10p, you could easily place a full cover bet for less than £1.

Jackpots

Many betting sites offer high pay-out jackpots which do not require high stakes to join. These jackpots can come in many different forms with one of the most common being predicting the outcome of a selected number of football matches in a gameweek and gaining a share of the prize pool depending on how many selections you manage to predict correctly. Jackpots can easily have total prize pools reaching into the hundreds of thousands and with such a low entry fee, can prove be hard to resist.

cover bet slip
(Source: Betfred)

Just in case you still had any doubts about the potential of utilising a betting site’s minimum stake, we’ve compiled a list of some of the biggest accumulator wins to come out of these bets.

  • £272,500 from £2.50 – One lucky man from Berkshire started out his 2011 on the right foot when he placed a £2.50 bet on a 9x accumulator and walked away with £272.5k. This was the highest amount ever paid out by Ladbrokes for a multiple bet and has not been beaten since.
  • £500,000 from 30p – Back in 2001, an anonymous Manchester United supporter won a six-figure pay-out from a 30p bet. The man bet on a 15x acca with odds of 1,666,666/1 on a series of outright bets and had actually placed the bet months before he won.
  • £585,00 from 85p – In 2011, an anonymous punter from Malta bagged more than half a million pounds from a mere 85p bet at William Hill. This lucky player wagered a 19-match accumulator with odds of a whopping 683,738/1 to win.
  • £1 million from 50p – Fred Craggs, a 60-year-old man Yorkshire wagered a measly 50p on an 8-fold horse racing accumulator and walked away with an incredible seven figure pay-out.
  • £1.5 million from £2 – Steve Whitley is another lucky punter, who in 2011 used a free ticket to place a £2 bet on six horses and ended up leaving a millionaire. Against all odds, one of the horses Whitley wagered on lost all 28 of its previous races!

Minimum stakes appeal to a wide range of different people and can come in handy for a variety of bet types, where a small bet has the potential result in an extremely high payout. Knowing the minimum stakes allowed on different betting sites is important to prevent any form of confusion, and can help you know exactly where you stand when making your bets.

For additional info, feel free to explore our in-depth article on betting payment methods.

Betting limits refer to the minimum or maximum stake that you are permitted to wager on a bet at any moment.

Ultimately, it is the different bookies who decide how much to set as their minimum bet requirement. Many factors are taken into consideration when making a decision including the different types of events, markets, and bet types.

Yes. These terms can be used interchangeably, and both refer to the least amount of money you can bet on a single event.

At the time of writing, the lowest minimum stake is 1p which can be found at Ladbrokes, bwin, and BoyleSports.

The minimum bet at Paddy Power is 10p.

The minimum bet at bet365 for UK punters is 10p.

WRITTEN BY Adam Abela
View all posts by Adam Abela

Adam is avid sports writer (5 years and counting) who has been betting for as long as he's been legally able to. As an Arsenal fan, he knows a thing or two about the importance of patience (and heartbreak).

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