Experienced journalist and editor covering the sports and betting industry. A football, NFL and rugby specialist, he is a FWA member and judge at the Football Content Awards.
Best First Extra Places UK 2025: Top 10 Bookies for Extra Places
Looking to maximise your returns on horse racing betting? First Past The Post is a standout feature among UK betting sites, protecting your potential winnings on when backing particular horses. In this guide, we'll delve into the bookmakers offering the most rewarding FPTP offers (or similar) this year, helping you make informed decisions for your horse racing betting strategies.
Sign up to the best Extra Places betting sites
- Rank in our top 10s for ten different categories
- Live stream horse racing, basketball (NBA), football, cricket and tennis matches through William Hill TV
- The no.1 ranked UK bookmaker for darts
- Rank in our top 10 bookmakers for nine different categories
- Excellent in-play betting and price boosts
- Exceptional baseball betting
What is Extra Places?
Horse racing punters can place each way bets. This is an extra bet that allows bettors to back a horse to win a race, as well as a horse to "place". Usually "to place" means finishing second or third, but it is always dependant on how many runners there are in the particular race. As a promotion, bookies often offer "extra places" meaning that punters can win money if there horse finishes 4th, 5th, 6th and sometime seven more.
Although a bookmaker pays out more places than usual, the number of places paid at the betting exchange will remain the same. Although these offers are predominantly on horse racing it's worth noting that they can be used on other sports, too, such as golf when the majors are on.
It's always worth hunting around for extra places for big races – the Grand National being the most obvious example – as a great opportunity to win more money, cover your bets in more ways, or cover potential losses.
Best Extra Places Betting Sites and Why
1. William Hill
One of the best bookmakers around, William Hill give you even more chance of enjoying each-way earnings by increasing the place terms on several high-profile races each month. These aren’t ordinary enhancements either – sometimes they double the number of places on offer. Punters just need to keep a look out for banners on site informing them of all the extra places when live. Minimum runners do apply for enhanced place terms and the enhanced each way terms are at 1/5 odds unless otherwise stated.
2. Paddy Power
Paddy Power break down their enhanced places into an easy-to-follow system meaning that it's much more consistent over the course of the year. Whereas some bookies are a bit more ad hoc with their enhanced places, upping them for big races at the major festivals, and races with huge numbers of runners, Paddy Power list exactly how they determine their extra places, meaning that punters can plan accordingly. Within their extra place terms, Best Odds Guaranteed applies from 8am on the day of the race and it only applies to single and multiple bets.
- If there are less than 16 starters, they will pay 4 places.
- If there are less than 8 starters, they will pay 3 places.
- If there are less than 6 starters they will pay 2 places.
3. Betfair
Betfair offer almost identical enhanced places as Paddy Power. So if your horse finishes 4th on an extra places race and we usually pay out for 3 places, the place part of any Each Way bet will still be paid out. Once you are at the horse racing section of the Betfair site, or app, any race that has "Extra Places" and a "+" sign next it is offering extra places. You will be able to see it in the banner above the runners and riders.
- If there are less than 16 starters, they will pay 4 places.
- If there are less than 8 starters, they will pay 3 places.
- If there are less than 6 starters they will pay 2 places.
4. bet365
At bet365 they have Each Way Extra, which is slightly different, and gives bettors the chance to customise the offer and tweak it. Each Way Extra gives you the option to increase or decrease the number of places in a race when you are betting Each Way on selected horse races. When you use Each Way Extra you can add places to your Each Way Horse Racing bets and take a reduced price or remove places and increase the odds on your selection. The number of Each Way Extra places offered on a race can be viewed on the Each Way Extra coupon or on the bet slip. There is an "Each Way Extra" tab from the header of the racecard which shows bettors the additional place terms available.
5. Coral
Coral have been a staple in British bookmaking for decades, with horse racing playing a large part of their sportsbook product. Punters just need to keep a look out for the promotional banners on the homepage and racing section, informing them of all the extra places when live. Minimum runners do apply for enhanced place terms and the enhanced each way terms are at 1/5 odds unless otherwise stated.
Banking and Responsible Gambling
There are many ways to fund your betting account. While this list is not exhaustive, it covers the most popular and trustworthy methods.
The minimum deposit is often £5, but it can be much higher for some bookies. Check out our review pages for online betting sites' minimum deposit amounts. In addition to varying by the bookmaker, this can vary by the deposit method used.
Bookmakers will generally return any winnings to the same card or payment method used to deposit unless instructed otherwise. Sometimes, you will be asked to provide details to help the online bookmakers comply with money laundering regulations. Please understand that the online bookmakers are not being difficult, they are simply following legal guidelines. This will be even more likely if you withdraw using a different payment method than you used to deposit.
Visa Debit Card
The most common deposit method for online betting sites is a debit card, which is a straight transfer from a UK bank account. Bookmakers or gambling companies are no longer allowed to accept credit cards as a deposit method.
PayPal
Most UK bookies accept PayPal, the most popular e-wallet with sports bettors. Some people like to use it to keep betting transactions off their bank statements, while others find it a much faster way to deposit into and out of betting sites. However, using PayPal could exclude you from welcome offers with some bookies.
Apple Pay
Many of the larger online betting sites support Apple Pay, which is expected to be available on more sites soon. Deposit and withdrawal times will be the same as those for bank cards used through Apple Pay.
Skrill
Skrill is an alternative to PayPal. Formerly known as Moneybookers, it has always been a popular payment method for online gamblers and is accepted at most sites.
PaySafeCard
PaySafe Cards are prepaid cards which can be used to fund online betting accounts. Fees aren't charged for deposits so these are a popular way to fund online accounts for those who don't use bank cards.
Click on the links in the above list to view each bookmaker's review. We will detail all the deposit methods available for each site.
With most of the online bookmakers listed here, you may be able to easily transfer money between accounts and other products such as poker, casino, and bingo. Transferring money between accounts is often very simple, and if you only want to play the sportsbook, you can ignore this function.
Many people use payment providers such as Skrill (formerly Moneybookers) to deposit into and withdraw from online bookmakers, as these can be faster and more convenient than bank or credit cards. However, sometimes using these methods may exclude you from bookmakers' welcome offers. If so, this will be mentioned in the terms and conditions of the welcome offer. Please read through our bookmaker reviews for more info on which payment methods are accepted by which bookmakers.
👍 Responsible Gambling, Identification & Affordability Checks
In recent years, the regulations for bookmakers have tightened as the Gambling Commission has looked to increase the protection of the user. This is fantastic news for the industry and all who use online betting sites but you need to be aware that you may have some small inconveniences when trying to open a new online betting site or if you are wanting to place large bets with a bookmaker. ID verification is very strict and sometimes you may be asked to send off copies of documents for ID and address verification.
Also if you are placing large bets and or making large deposits then online betting sites have a responsibility to ensure that you can afford to do so. You may be asked affordability checks such as showing your pay slips and or you may be asked for proof of funds for money laundering checks. Don't take such requests personally, all licensed online bookies must follow these regulations or they can face huge fines.
Here are some common tips to help you with gambling responsibily online. For more information take a look at our detailed responsible gambling guide.
✋ When The Fun Stops Stop 🛑
You will have seen this slogan used by online bookmakers frequently over recent years. It is trying to get across the serious point that if you aren't enjoying gambling you should stop immediately. You can use a process of self evaluation to help you to understand if you have a gambling problem. There is a great tool at Gamcare.
If you do believe that you have a problem then there is always someone to talk to at begambleaware. They can offer great advice including helping you to self exclude. There is a valuable service called Gamstop which allows you to self exclude from all betting companies signed up to the program for a period of your choice. All UK licensed bookmakers listed on this site will be part of the GamStop programme. For this reason (and many others) you should never join betting sites not GamStop.
🔚Set Limits and Use Bookmaker Tools
We strongly recommend that you record your gambling and set yourself limits. Only bet what you can afford to lose. Online betting sites have started to offer a number of tools to help you with this including
- Deposit Limits
- Session Limits
- Account History
- Time Outs
Using playing time notifications to remind you how long you have been gambling and when to stop is a useful tool and so is setting a specific loss amount you are happy with in advance.
Who Created, Edited & Fact Checked The Content On This Page?
At OLBG, our sports betting section is powered by a team of dedicated experts who bring years of industry experience and specialized knowledge. Their collective efforts ensure we provide top-notch, informative, and user-friendly content. Let's dive into the various roles and discover each team member's invaluable contributions to our sports betting sites section.
The Experts Behind OLBG Sports Betting Content:
Our team’s dedication and expertise ensure that OLBG remains a trusted source for sports betting information. Each member's meticulous work supports the overall quality and reliability that our users expect and appreciate. Explore our sports betting section and gain insights from the best in the industry.
Content Strategists:
These professionals are the architects behind our content strategy. They meticulously plan and structure our sports betting content to ensure it addresses the interests and needs of our audience. They stay ahead of industry trends and ensure our content remains fresh and relevant.
Richard Moffat
CEO & Gambling Industry Expert
Sam Darkens
Commercial Manager
Writers:
Our skilled writers translate complex sports betting concepts into clear, informative articles, predictions, and guides. Their expertise allows them to present detailed analysis and insights in a way that both novice and experienced bettors can appreciate and understand.
James Banting
Tipster Competition Assistant
Andy Powell
Content Editor
Jake Ashton
Senior News Editor
Analysts:
Our analysts dive deep into sports statistics and betting data. They provide the foundational research and data-driven insights that our writers and strategists use to craft accurate and actionable content, helping users make informed betting decisions.
Nigel Skinner
Blog Content Manager
Dan Tracey
Data Scientist and Football Editor
Editors:
The editors play a crucial role in maintaining the quality of our content. They review articles for clarity, accuracy, and coherence, ensuring that each piece is polished and provides valuable information. Their keen eye for detail ensures that our content is reliable and engaging.
Darren Brett
Tipster Competition Manager
Steve Madgwick
Editor-In-Chief
In addition to their long experience working within the sports betting industry, all our contributors are keen sports bettors themselves, so they each have many years of experience betting with multiple online betting sites.
