Straight forecast bets are most commonly associated with horse racing and greyhound racing but they are becoming more widely offered in betting other sports such as football, where bookmakers may price up a forecast on, say, teams to finish first and second in the Premier League.

How you place forecast bets and how the odds and winnings are calculated can differ slightly from one bookmaker to another so it’s always important to check the in-house betting rules, especially during big horse racing meetings such as the forthcoming Glorious Goodwood festival.

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How to place a forecast bet on horse racing

The majority of betting sites, including bet365, Ladbrokes and Paddy Power use the following method for placing forecasts on horse racing:

1. Select the forecast tab from the markets at the top of the racecard
2. Pick the horses you think will finish first and second
3. Add the forecast to your betslip if it hasn’t been added automatically
4. Choose your stake and place the forecast bet

Other online bookmakers, including Betvictor and William Hill use a different method where you pick your two horses then select the forecast option at the betslip stage.

Straight forecasts on other sports

Forecast bets aren’t generally available on sports other than horse racing and greyhound racing to the same extent, but it’s not uncommon for them to be priced up for Formula 1 races or outright markets such as the Premier League outright betting or Premier League relegation betting.

Things to consider when placing a forecast

• Most bookies will only offer forecasts on a field of three or more runners
• Generally, the more your forecast differs from what the event winner odds suggest is the most likely outcome, the more you stand to win if you pick correctly.
• Many bookmakers offer fixed odds on forecasts, but not all.

How do you work out forecast bet odds and returns?

Many bookmakers will offer you fixed odds on Forecasts meaning that once you’ve added the bet to your betslip you will be able to see the odds and potential returns of your bet. This will always be the case in sports other than horse racing and greyhound racing.

Those bookies that don’t offer a fixed price on the straight forecast before the start of a horse or greyhound race use the Computer Straight Forecast (CSF) to work out your return. Essentially this is a computer calculation based upon the number of runners and their starting prices (SP).

Other types of forecast bet 

As well as the straight forecast there are two other similar, but not identical forecast bets to learn about, the reverse forecast and the combination Forecast. Find out more with the guides below.

Find out more about horse racing betting

Visit our horse racing betting section for more straightforward guides to betting on racing including: