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 Past The Post UK 2025: Top 10 Bookies for FPTP and Double Result
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.
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What is First Past The Post?
First past the post is a popular promotion that has been a part of horse racing betting for some time now. The name is pretty explanatory and is set by the bookmakers where they payout on the horse which finishes first, regardless of what happens to that horse.
For example, if there is a situation where the horse crosses the line first but is then demoted to second as the horse interfered with the other following a stewards’ enquiry, with the horse which finished second being awarded the winner, the bookmakers will still have to pay out on the official winner, which is where the ‘first past the post’ comes into play.
Best First Past The Post Betting Sites and Why
1. 888Sport
At 888Sport, the promotion is called Double Result. It's offered on all UK and Irish racing. They pay first past the post, but they also pay punters out if your horse gets promoted to a place or awarded a race – essentially two different promotions combined. So, bettors will win if their horse finishes first, but is subsequently disqualified post-result. Punters will also win if they finish second, and the first-placed horse is disqualified and their horse is pushed up as the winner. 888Sport offer the promo on any race where an industry Starting Price (SP) is returned and applies to Win or Each Way markets, as well as Only Place markets.
2. SpreadEx
Unsurprisingly, SpreadEx call their offer First Past The Post. If a horse finishes 1st but is then demoted for causing interference, they will pay out for both the new promoted winner as well as the original winner. This offer applies to fixed odds bets and spread bets on the 100 Index market for all UK and Irish racing. For spread bets on the 100 Win Index, the original winner will settle at 100 for buyers and 0 for sellers and any newly promoted winner will also settle at 100 (for both buys and sells). Dead heats will settle at 50.
There are, however, some exceptions that are included. They are:
- Selection taking wrong course.
- Selection carry incorrect weight or failing to "weigh in".
- Any bet placed in-running after the official “off-time”.
- Forecast or Tricast bets.
- Void Race
- Selection being given as winner incorrectly by the judge.
- Bet on "without Fav", "insurance", "place only" or any "derivative market".
- UK Grand National.
- Antepost Bets.
- All non UK and Irish racing
3. Kwiff
Kwiff are another great bookie that offers First Past The Post, and they will pay out if you back a horse that crosses the winning line in first place, even if your selection get disqualified or demoted. Like 888Sport, they also offer Double Result – should your selection be awarded a race or promoted to a place as a result of a stewards enquiry this means you will also receive a return for your selection. The offer goes across all UK and Irish racing, any other international races are settled by the official result, as per standard betting. The Kwiff promotion has exceptions – they are:
- Horses that are disqualified because they failed to ‘weigh in’ correctly.
- Horses that are disqualified because they have taken the ‘wrong course’.
- Where there is an official correction to the result by the judge or our data provider prior to the “weigh in” and any races which are declared void before the “weigh in” for which Rules of Racing will apply.
- Future Racing bets
- Races which are declared void.
4. Hollywood Bets
Hollywood Bets offer a simple First Past The Post promotion. Similar to the other offers listed above, punters will have their bets paid out if their horse crosses the line first, but is subsequently demoted a place, or disqualified from the race entirely post-race. The offer runs across all UK and Irish racing, but doesn't include any horses that have failed their weigh in, antepost bets, forecasts or tricasts.
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.
