Which type of bet is most profitable?

The main reason that bookmakers are keen to promote multiple bets, such as doubles, trebles and accumulators, is that they are inherently more risky and therefore more profitable, for the layer, than single bets. Of course, such bets provide tasty bait for small-stakes punters – even without the added consolation of three, four or even five times the odds for a single winner in some cases – and bookmakers are quite happy to risk the occasional huge payout in return for regular profits.

By contrast, the single bet, specifically, the single win bet, is the least profitable of all horse racing bets for bookmakers. From the punter’s perspective, a single win bet is straightforward, involves no wastage of stakes and affords better bankroll management than any form of multiple bet. Furthermore, attempting to find a single selection to win a race focusses the mind on the strengths and weaknesses of the horse in question; the unit stake could be, say, 10, 50 or 100 times that placed on a typical multiple bet, so the selection process becomes a sharp, decisive – and, hopefully, profitable – exercise.