Online Betting » Betting Guide » Bet Builders Explained: A Guide to Online Bet Builders

Bet Builders Explained: A Guide to Online Bet Builders

Dave Kuzio
Editor
Fact checked by: Mike McKean
Publish Date: 31.01.2024

A bet builder is an innovative feature offered by online sportsbooks that enables you to personalise your betting slip. You can work multiple selections into your bet, enabling you to boost your odds in the process.

When you use this tool, you can take full control of the selections that you bet on, rather than relying simply on sportsbook specials and promotions. You may even benefit from odds boosts, which is a great promotion for adding more value. Read on to discover how bet builders work, how to use them, and where they are currently available.

What is a Bet Builder at an Online Sportsbook?

A bet builder is a feature offered by many of the best soccer betting sites. The tool enables you to make multiple selections within the same game to increase the number of bets that you place and increase the potential payouts.

You can customise every aspect of your sports bet with this tool, factoring in multiple in-play markets like the first player to score and whether a specific player will pick up a red card in the fixture. The more selections you add to your builder, the more money you can potentially win.

In many respects, a bet builder is similar to an accumulator. However, the key difference is what is known as a related contingency. For a bet builder wager to pay out, more than one same-game occurrence needs to come true (e.g., Manchester United to win AND Marcus Rashford to score). Accumulators tend to deal with single instances in different matches.

If you’re new to sportsbooks and are keen to make the most of this impressive feature, we provide an example of how this feature might look when you make your own selections while betting on the English Premier League.

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How Does a Bet Builder Work? A Football Example

Though bet builders are available in multiple sports, most sports bettors use them for football (soccer) betting. To show you how it works, here’s an example of a bet that we built for a recent English Premier League fixture between Newcastle United and Arsenal:

  • ✅ Newcastle United to Win
  • ⚽ Callum Wilson to Score Anytime
  • 🟨 Joelinton to Receive a Yellow Card

We included three selections in this builder, but you can add many more if you wish. In fact, most sportsbooks allow you to add up to 12 legs to your builder, but check the terms and conditions before putting your bet together. Just remember that for your selection to payout, every leg within your builder needs to occur. If one leg lets you down, you won’t win anything.

Though every sportsbook offers slightly different markets, here are some of the things you can add to a soccer bet builder to keep things interesting throughout the game and potentially increase the amount that you win:

  • Match result (both half-time & full-time)
  • Both teams to score
  • Total goals in the match (over/under)
  • Any player to score first, last, or anytime in the match
  • Corners (total number of corners or team corners)
  • Cards (total number of cards or players to receive red or yellow cards)
  • To qualify (if the game is a knock-out fixture)

Be mindful that the in-play markets within bet builders vary from sport to sport, and you should check what is available before betting. In our research, we found bet-building options to be available for lots of mainstream sports, including American football, ice hockey, tennis, and numerous others.

5 Bet Builder Tips to Use This Feature Like a Pro

When online betting at any sportsbook, developing a strategy is a great way to enhance your enjoyment and increase your winning potential. Now that we’ve shown you how bet builders work, we want to introduce you to some bet builder tips that you can refer to as you make your selections:

🧑‍🎓 Do Your ResearchThe beauty of this tool is that you can bet on a wide range of occurrences within the same match. As such, statistics can prove extremely valuable. If, for instance, you know that a particular team nearly always scores first within the first half of a game, you can add this to your bet slip. Take some time to do your research, and building your own bets can be profitable throughout the season.
Don’t Get Carried AwayAs is the case with accumulator betting, building your own bets is exciting. However, it’s really important not to get carried away. Most sportsbooks allow you to work 12 legs into your builder, but the probability of you predicting 12 things correctly in one game is very low. Therefore, be realistic with your selections and consider adding just a few legs to your betting slip to reduce your risks.
🤑 Look for Odds BoostsSome sportsbooks tie odds boosts promotions to bet builders, and some even offer pre-built bets with odds boosts attached that you can place on specific fixtures. Odds boosts offer great value, and they’re sought after by all sports bettors, so be sure to check ahead of time to see if you can access a boost for the fixture you’re planning to bet on. Alternatively, maintain accounts at more than one sportsbook so you can manually check the value of odds at various sites before placing a bet.
🏈 Bet on Familiar SportsUsing bet builders is only a good idea if you’re familiar with the sport that you’re betting on. After all, you need to understand how the game works to bet on various actions that may or may not occur while the game is ongoing. For instance, in American football, you need to understand things like touchdowns, field goals, downs, flags, and various other aspects of the game to build these selections into your bets. If you’re keen to build your own American football bets, check out the best NFL betting sites to get started.
💰 Gamble ResponsiblyNo matter which type of wager you place at an online sportsbook, you should always gamble responsibly. For us, responsible gambling is about setting your limits and always betting within your means. Therefore, when using a bet builder, you need to decide how much to gamble and how many selections to make. You can also use a website’s responsible gambling tools like deposit and time limits to help you stay in control of your online betting habit.

Finding the Best Bet Builder Sites

There are lots of bet builder sites out there, offering a huge selection of in-play markets for sports ranging from soccer to ice hockey. We have tested lots of bet builder sites and found that they work the same at the vast majority of sportsbooks.

To choose one of the leading bet builder sites, check out our comprehensive betting site reviews to learn more about how this impressive feature works and the other things you can expect from the world’s best sportsbooks. You can also use this handy checklist for things to look for in the best bet builders currently available at sportsbooks:

  • ✅ Wide selection of sports offered (soccer, American football, boxing, tennis, etc.).
  • ✅ Excellent value regular odds and decent offers as you build your bets.
  • ✅ Regular promotions like odds boosts that you can access to improve value.
  • ✅ Live streaming options so you can watch the action to monitor your bet.
  • ✅ Responsible gambling tools to help you stay in control.

Of course, you should also check things like the site’s licence and regulatory requirements before creating an account, as gambling at unlicensed sites is a risky strategy that you should avoid at all costs.

Our Best Vote: bet365 for Soccer Punters

We were particularly impressed by the offering at bet365, specifically as far as soccer betting is concerned. You can make 10+ selections via the bet365 builder, and we love the fact that you can live stream a huge selection of sports directly from the mobile app. We found bet365’s in-play betting offering to be unrivalled, which is why we recommend it as one of the very best bet builder sites around. Honourable mentions to Betway and Unibet, too, as their builders are intuitive and easy to use.

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How Does Bet Builder Work: Pros & Cons

We firmly believe that building your own wagers at online sportsbooks is a good thing, and it can really enhance your enjoyment of online betting in general. That being said, we want to leave you with some pros and cons of this tool so you can decide for yourself whether building your bets is a good move:

  • An excellent way to add value
  • Huge selection of in-play markets
  • Widely available at most betting sites
  • Odds boosts are sometimes available
  • Easy to get carried away

If you are betting within a market that you are well familiar with, the advantages of bet builders often outweigh the pros. Just remember to be reasonable with the amount of legs in your betslip, as all the outcomes within the match are ultimately linked to one another.

Use Bet Builders at Online Sportsbooks to Elevate Your Online Gambling Experience

A bet builder is an awesome tool available at lots of sportsbooks. When used properly, it can personalise your betting strategy, improve your odds, and offer you lots of enjoyment as you watch live sports.

The key thing to remember is not to get carried away by adding too many legs to your betting slip, and you should do your research before making selections. Equally, make sure you gamble responsibly and within your means. You’re now all set to get started at the leading bet builder sites in the business to enhance your betting experience.

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Bet Builder FAQ

❓ Are bet builders worth it?

There is great value in bet builder bets. When using this feature, you can personalise the betting experience and make your own selections with ease, which is hugely beneficial when betting on your preferred matches. Just be sure to do your research before making your selections and always gamble responsibly.

🖥️ Do all bookmakers offer bet builders?

The majority of the top bookmakers, such as bet365, Betway and Unibet, have bet builder options available. However, not every bookmaker offers this feature, so be sure to check before signing up if you’re keen to use this feature. You should also check which sports have a build-your-bet option available. 

🧐 What does ‘Build a Bet’ mean?

‘Build a Bet’ is the same thing as a bet builder. It allows bettors to build a bet with multiple selections on one bet, and it’s like an accumulator for a single match. Most sports bettors use this tool for betting on soccer, but you can also use it for other sports like American football and ice hockey.

⚽ What is an example of a bet builder?

In a Premier League matchup between rivals Manchester City and Manchester United, you can back City to win, both teams to score, and Erling Haaland to score first. All three selections must be successful for your bet to win. You can usually add up to 12 selections to your betting slip, but some sportsbooks have tighter restrictions.

⌛ Do bet builders go into extra time?

Bet Builders only apply to 90-minute matches unless stated otherwise. However, they do count for additional time awarded by the referee. Note the distinction between extra time and added time, and don’t get confused when placing your bets!