What is Acca Betting in Horse Racing?

Horse racing is one of the most popular sports to bet on here at Betfred, mainly because there are many different ways to have a punt, which all adds to the excitement it generates. You are never short of meetings throughout the week, each boasting an action-packed race card.

What is acca betting in horse racing? This is a question sometimes asked by people who are new to gambling and it can appear to be confusing. Here at Betfred Insights, we have put together this explainer to give you a better understanding of how this betting concept works.

Sports Welcome Offer

New customers only. Deposit via Debit Card & place first bet £10+ (1/1+) on Sports in 7 days. £30 Sports & £20 Acca Free Bets within 10 hrs of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility, payment excl. & T&Cs Apply.

Sports Welcome Offer

New customers only. Deposit via Debit Card & place first bet £10+ (1/1+) on Sports in 7 days. £30 Sports & £20 Acca Free Bets within 10 hrs of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility, payment excl. & T&Cs Apply.

An accumulator, more commonly referred to as an "acca", is a bet which traditionally includes four horses or more on one bet so that the odds are combined for a higher price. It increases the potential rewards but all horses must win for the bet to be settled as a winner.

The odds are calculated by multiplying the odds of each selection together. Some punters choose to use accumulators to throw together several short-price favourites to improve the price of their bet, as it works out more valuable than betting on them as singles.

It is always worth considering how many runners have been entered into a race featuring a favourite you wish to bet on, as if it is a small field your chances of success will be higher.

One of the most impressive and historic horse racing accumulator bets landed at Royal Ascot in September 1996 when legendary Italian jockey, Frankie Dettori swept up by winning all seven races on the card.

This ‘Magnificent Seven’ was priced up at 25,051/1 as an accumulator, with one brave punter winning over £500,000 that day with just a £20 bet.

Another strategy for acca betting in horse racing is including each-way selections. This involves the punter putting on two stakes, one for the horse to win and the other for them to place, with races varying on how many places they are paying out - which in turn impacts the odds of the potential returns.

Bettors will throw in some huge outsiders for races that are paying out on extra places, which will conjure up a very appetising price. They are low risk because punters can still enjoy potential high returns even with a small stake.

Similar to an outright acca, all horses need to place for the bet to be settled as a winner, and so it is always worth checking how many places are being paid out for each race you are choosing a horse from.