Decimal Odds vs Fractional Odds | Betting Displays Explained

One of the big talking points in betting circles and the bookmaking industry in recent years has been decimal odds vs fractional odds and which prices are more punter-friendly.

In the UK, the vast majority of odds on football or any other sport you see displayed online or in newspapers will be fractional, but this is not necessarily true everywhere in the world.

For example, if you are a bwin customer living outside the UK, your football bets will be made with decimal odds, as standard.

If you wish to try out decimal odds in the UK, follow these instructions:

On a desktop PC, scroll down the left-hand column until you see the ‘Bet services section’, click on ‘Settings’ and then alter the ‘Odds display’ from UK (11/4) to EU (3.75) via the drop-down menu, before pressing Save.

For mobile betting, bring up the menu alongside the ‘My Bets’ icon, which is shown as three horizontal dashes, scroll down to ‘Betting Settings’ and then switch from UK (11/4) to EU (3.75), before pressing Save.

So what’s the difference?

Let’s say you want to place a football bet on Arsenal to beat Manchester United. If the fractional betting odds being offered are 2/1, then the decimal equivalent will be shown as 3.00.

In the former, 2/1 means that you receive a £2 win for every £1 you bet on this selection. The key point is that this does not include your stake, which you also get back if you win the bet.

So, if you place £1 on Arsenal to win and they do, you will receive your winnings (£2), plus your returned stake (£1), which equals £3 in total. Similarly, a successful £10 football bet at this price would see you receive £30.

The difference with decimal betting odds is that the stake is incorporated into the price being offered, namely as one unit. So, in the example above, the 3.00 price is telling you exactly how much you will get in return in pounds for a £1 bet.

If placing a larger wager, just multiply your stake by the price on offer to get a total return (£10 x 3.00 = £30).

Supporters of decimal betting odds say that this makes their system better, in the sense that it is easy to calculate returns on these types of bets and there is no confusion with regards what are the bigger prices.

For example, many punters would have to think twice about whether 7/4 is better than 9/5, but when the same odds are expressed in decimal terms, 2.75 is clearly a lower return than 2.80.

However, fans of fractional betting odds claim that their system is more relevant because of the weight of tradition, which means punters are more comfortable and familiar with it.

The debate looks sure to continue!