By:Jens
2009-10-14

The traditional way of betting on horses saw the punter place his stake at the bookmaker and watch while his single horse took on the field. The bookmaker on the other hand knew that while the punter was cheering on just one horse, he was in effect cheering on the rest of the field safe in the knowledge that the odds were firmly stacked on his side.

Now, with the advent of the betting exchange, you no longer need to face such lengthy odds if you choose to do so.

One of the greatest selling points of the betting exchange is that it offers the punter amazing flexibility of choice when it comes to selecting his bets. Not only can the punter back a horse in the traditional sense, often at odds far better than they would receive at a traditional bookmakers, but he can also lay against a horse if he feels that the horse is unlikely to win. In doing so they, in effect, become the bookmaker themselves, taking on the risk of paying out if the horse wins, but accepting the likelihood of the gamblers stake should it not.

In addition to the mechanics of betting, many sites offer a neat précis of the race in question, the equal of any of the cards shown in the Racing Post or the daily papers. These cards can be downloaded in PDF form and printed out if required and they contain all the form, weight and jockey information you would expect to find in any other publication.

With many races shown on video on many sites, such as Betfair, as well as coverage via radio, it is possible for the punter to keep tracks of any of the horses he has backed or laid against. There are a truly astronomical number of bets available to the punter interested in betting on horse racing on the exchanges. Races from all over the globe are gambled upon on a daily basis and at all times of the day the punter can find something to whet their appetite and put their knowledge to the test.

Online exchanges are now offering the chance for punters to indulge in multiple bets of doubles and trebles which allied with the staggering variety of bets on offer, the far greater odds pricing and the fact that the punter can lay against a horse as well as back it means that for online horse racing betting there really is only one option for the punter who wants to make a profit and that is to hit the online betting exchanges as soon as possible and turn the odds in your favour.