Lucky 15 and Lucky 31 bets are two of the most popular full-cover system wagers in UK horse racing and greyhounds. The Lucky 15 consists of 15 bets across four selections (4 singles, 6 doubles, 4 trebles, and 1 four-fold accumulator). The Lucky 31 expands this to 31 bets across five selections. While these bets offer comprehensive loss mitigation by covering all possible combinations, their actual profitability is often highly dependent on specific bookmaker bonuses. Therefore, the ‘best’ sites for these wagers are those that offer the most generous and reliable bonus structures horse racing betting odds.
The Crucial Value Proposition: The Bonus Structure
For the professional or serious bettor, placing a Lucky 15 or 31 without a bonus is inefficient. The standard bonuses associated with these bets are twofold:
- The ‘One Winner’ Consolation: A small odds multiplier applied to the single winner if three (for L15) or four (for L31) other selections fail to win. This mitigates total loss.
- The ‘All Winners’ Boost: A significant percentage increase (e.g., 10% or 20%) applied to the total returns if all four (L15) or all five (L31) selections are successful. This is the primary target for maximizing the bet’s return.
The top bookmakers offering these bets distinguish themselves by providing the highest, most reliable ‘All Winners’ bonus, alongside the necessary features like Best Odds Guaranteed (BOG).
1. Bet365: Consistency and Reliability
Bet365 is consistently rated highly for system bets due to the reliability and clarity of its bonus structure, coupled with its market-leading foundational features.
- Bonus Offerings: While their ‘All Winners’ boost may not always be the highest in the market (often 10% for L15 and 15% for L31), it is applied automatically and reliably to all UK and Irish horse racing bets, provided the selections are not subject to a specific price boost promotion. This consistency is vital for high-volume punters.
- Best Odds Guaranteed (BOG): Bet365 applies BOG to all UK and Irish races. For a system bet, BOG is critical because even if the odds of one selection shorten, the winning combination returns will be calculated at the higher price if the Starting Price (SP) was greater than the Early Price (EP) taken.
- Integrated Data: As highlighted in the analysis of handicap betting, Bet365 offers deep race card data, which is essential for making four or five informed selections across different races—a necessary component of a successful system wager.
2. Ladbrokes and Coral: Generous Fixed-Bonus Structure
Ladbrokes and its sister company, Coral, often compete aggressively on the bonus percentage, making them attractive options when their specific bonus conditions align with the bettor’s selections.
- Bonus Offerings: These bookmakers frequently offer competitive fixed percentages, sometimes reaching 10% on Lucky 15s and 20% on Lucky 31s. They also tend to offer generous ‘One Winner’ consolations, sometimes doubling the odds of the single winning selection.
- The Caveat (Non-BOG): It is crucial for bettors to check the specific terms. Often, the highest bonus percentages are only applied if the bet is placed at the Early Price (EP) or Board Price, and the bet may then not qualify for BOG. For the serious punter, the decision becomes a calculated risk: accept the higher guaranteed bonus but forgo the protection of BOG if the odds drift.
- Retail Synergy: Ladbrokes, in particular, appeals to punters who transition between online and physical shops via its “The Grid” card, which can often be used to track and settle these large system bets.
3. Paddy Power: Simplicity and Promotional Focus
Paddy Power appeals to a slightly broader audience but offers solid features for the Lucky bettor who also seeks daily promotional value.
- Bonus Offerings: Paddy Power’s system bet bonuses are generally competitive, but their true value lies in the daily money-back offers applied to single races. If a bettor builds a Lucky 15 using four races that are all covered by a “Money Back if 2nd or 3rd” promotion, the overall risk profile of the entire system bet is dramatically reduced.
- BOG and Streaming: Like the others, Paddy Power provides reliable BOG and excellent live streaming, which is useful for watching the results of four or five distinct races unfold across an afternoon meeting.
Conclusion: A Strategic Choice
The choice of the best site for Lucky 15 and Lucky 31 bets is ultimately a strategic one, balancing reliability against maximum percentage return. Bet365 provides the safest, most consistent platform by guaranteeing both a bonus (albeit a moderate one) and BOG protection on all UK/Irish races. In contrast, sites like Ladbrokes and Coral offer the potential for higher returns with their 20% ‘All Winners’ boosts, but this may require sacrificing the essential BOG protection.
For the serious system bettor, the approach must be flexible: secure the BOG and reliability of Bet365 for most wagers, but strategically leverage the high-percentage fixed bonuses of rivals on days when the selected races have stable, non-volatile markets where BOG protection is less critical.
