Description
Greyhound racing, greyhounds, or even simply “the dogs” is an age-old sport that remains at the heart of betting in some countries, particularly Britain.
In fact, when you see a ‘BAGS’ meeting this means Bookmakers Afternoon Greyhound Service which was introduced some years ago. Meetings are put on daily with free entry, the idea being that there is a sport people can bet on during the day that brings money into the bookmaking industry and is paid for by them.
Greyhound racing is also hugely popular in the States, particularly in Florida.
Major Greyhound Races
While on a day-to-day basis the prize money in greyhound racing is not huge, in the sport’s heartland of Great Britain more than £15million is still handed out over the year. Races are split into category one, two and three races with the first category guaranteeing a £12,500 minimum purse. The big one though is this:
Greyhound Derby
There are two of these with minimum £50,000 prize money each; the Scottish Greyhound Derby at Shawfield near Glasgow and the English Greyhound Derby at Nottingham.
How to play
What You Can Bet on in Greyhound Racing
Prices for all six dogs in a race are shown as they are in horse racing, but this is a fast-moving sport with many meetings and many races in a day. A fairly typical spread will look like this:
Trap
|
Greyhound
|
Odds
|
1
|
Broughane Lady
|
9/2
|
2
|
Veetec Surprise
|
7/2
|
3
|
Debs Moment
|
3/1
|
4
|
Fog
|
9/2
|
5
|
Tintreach Jack
|
3/1
|
6
|
Moaning Beyonce
|
11/4
|
So, while there is a favourite, odds for all six can be very tight making betting on the nose a difficult thing with races being typically competitive and less predictable than horse races.
Most people bet on forecasts and tricasts, i.e. predicting the first two or the first three home in the right order which can pay out big money.
Dog Racing Terminology
- Double – backing two dogs to win different races, you can also place trebles or other accumulators.
- Forecast – betting on the first two home in the right order.
- Reverse Forecast – betting on the first two him in any order, costs double to place.
- Trap – dogs are placed into ‘traps’ and there are six of them in Britain, usually eight in the States. You can place your bet just by quoting the trap number rather than the name of the dog.
- Tricast – betting on the first three home in the right order.
Tips for Betting on Greyhounds
Too many people focus only on outsiders or favourites, but that’s not something you should do. Many dogs placed second or third in the market are great value but the major advice is to bet live and keep an eye on the market.
Those in the know will undoubtedly have placed bets when a dog is expected to run well, so watch the prices change moments before the race and jump on while the odds are still representing some value, for example when a second-favourite is backed strongly from 7/2 into 11/4.
Greyhound Betting Offers
Not as frequently but in the same style as within horse racing, odds boosts are offered on major races for certain dogs and you can take advantage of those, but in general simply stick with any free bets or loyalty bonuses being handed out as long as they don’t come with any restrictive rollover requirements.
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Thousands of bets are offered on greyhound races every week with major bookmakers, so be sure to use one of our recommended firms to know you’re placing your wagers safely and securely.