Request a bet (sometimes styled as #RequestABet or RequestABet) has revolutionised how punters interact with bookmakers, allowing you to create completely custom bets that don’t exist in standard markets. Want to back “Haaland to score a hat-trick, City to win 4-0, and De Bruyne to get an assist”? That specific combination isn’t available as a pre-built market, but request a bet lets you ask the bookmaker to price it for you.
But whilst the concept of custom bets sounds brilliant, the reality involves response times, pricing transparency issues, and the question of whether you’re actually getting fair odds or just paying for the convenience. Understanding how request a bet works, which bookmakers offer it, and when it’s genuinely useful versus when it’s just marketing theatre is essential if you want to use this feature strategically.
Quick Request a Bet Summary
- What it is: Ask bookmakers to price custom bet combinations not available in standard markets
- How it works: Submit your request via Twitter, app, or website; bookmaker quotes odds
- Response time: 15 minutes to several hours depending on complexity and demand
- Best platforms: Twitter for speed, in-app for organisation
- Key bookmakers: Paddy Power, Sky Bet, Betfair lead the way
- Pricing reality: Odds often include higher margins than standard markets
How Request a Bet Works
The request a bet process is straightforward but involves several steps between your idea and actually placing the wager:
Step 1: Formulate Your Custom Bet
You decide what combination of outcomes you want to back. This could be anything from simple player-specific combinations (“Salah to score and Liverpool to win 3-1”) to complex multi-leg scenarios spanning different markets within one match.
Step 2: Submit Your Request
Most bookmakers offer multiple ways to request custom bets:
- Twitter: Tweet your request with the bookmaker’s hashtag (e.g., #RequestABet @SkyBet)
- Mobile app: Use the built-in request a bet feature with pre-formatted fields
- Website: Submit via dedicated request form
- Live chat: Some bookmakers accept requests through customer service
Step 3: Wait for Pricing
The bookmaker’s trading team reviews your request and calculates odds. This involves assessing correlation between outcomes, checking available liquidity, and applying their margin. Response times vary from 15 minutes for simple requests during quiet periods to several hours for complex requests during busy fixtures.
Step 4: Accept or Decline
Once priced, you receive a notification with the quoted odds. You then have a limited time window (typically 10-30 minutes) to accept the price and place your bet. If you don’t accept, the quote expires.
Request a Bet Example
Your request: “Man City to win, Haaland to score 2+ goals, over 3.5 match goals, De Bruyne to assist”
Submitted via: Twitter to @SkyBet
Response time: 22 minutes
Quoted odds: 18/1
Your decision: You calculate that backing these outcomes separately (if possible) or via bet builder would give approximately 14/1. The 18/1 quote looks generous, so you accept.
Stake: £10
Potential return: £190
Request a Bet vs Bet Builder
These two features seem similar but serve different purposes. Understanding when to use each maximises your value:
| Feature | Request a Bet | Bet Builder |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | Requires manual bookmaker pricing | Instant, automated pricing |
| Flexibility | Can request almost any combination | Limited to pre-defined markets |
| Response time | 15 minutes to hours | Instant |
| Pricing transparency | Opaque—can’t verify margin easily | Semi-transparent—can compare to separate markets |
| Best for | Unusual combinations not in bet builder | Standard same-game multiples |
If your desired bet is available via bet builder, use that—it’s instant and pricing is more consistent. Request a bet is for truly custom scenarios that automated systems can’t handle.
Requesting Custom Bets on Twitter vs In-App
The platform you use for requesting custom bets significantly affects your experience:
Twitter Requests
- Faster responses: Bookies prioritise Twitter for visibility
- Public accountability: Bookmaker less likely to offer terrible odds publicly
- Community feedback: Other punters can comment on whether odds look fair
- Marketing exposure: Bookmakers use interesting requests for promotion
In-App Requests
- Better organisation: All requests tracked in one place
- Privacy: Your bet ideas aren’t public
- Structured format: Pre-filled fields reduce errors
- Direct to bet slip: Accepted quotes go straight to betting
Platform Selection Strategy
Use Twitter when: You want fast responses, don’t mind public visibility, or your request is interesting/unusual enough to attract attention
Use in-app when: You value privacy, want organised tracking, or are making multiple requests across different matches
Response Times for Custom Bet Quotes
How quickly you get your custom bets priced depends on several factors:
Complexity of Request
- Simple (2-3 outcomes): 10-20 minutes typical
- Medium (4-5 outcomes): 20-45 minutes typical
- Complex (6+ outcomes or obscure markets): 1-3 hours or longer
Timing of Request
- Mid-week quiet periods: Faster responses, less backlog
- Saturday afternoon: Slower, traders overwhelmed with requests
- Just before kick-off: May be declined as too late to price
- In-play: Rarely accepted unless bookmaker explicitly offers live request a bet
Bookmaker Resources
Larger bookmakers with dedicated trading teams (Paddy Power, Sky Bet, Betfair) typically respond faster than smaller operators. They’ve invested in systems and staff specifically for handling custom bet requests efficiently.
The Waiting Game
If you’re requesting a bet for a match kicking off in 30 minutes and the response takes 45 minutes, you’ve missed the window. Always request custom bets well in advance—at least 2-3 hours before kick-off to allow for pricing delays. For big-match days, request 4-6 hours ahead to account for high volume.
Types of Bets You Can Request
The beauty of request a bet is flexibility, but there are practical limits on what bookmakers will price:
Usually Accepted
- Player-specific scenarios: “Kane to score first and England to win 2-0”
- Timing combinations: “Both teams to score in first half and under 3.5 total goals”
- Mixed markets: “Arsenal to win, over 10 corners, Saka to be carded”
- Multiple players: “Salah and Nunez both to score, Liverpool to win”
- Detailed scorelines: “Chelsea to win 3-1 with Mount scoring”
Often Rejected or Delayed
- Extremely low probability: “Leicester to win 8-0 with Vardy scoring all goals”
- Non-correlated obscurities: Combining random stats with no predictive value
- Cross-match multiples: Most bookmakers want request a bet for single matches only
- Bets already available: If it exists in standard markets or bet builder, they’ll redirect you
Bookmakers Offering Request a Bet
Not all bookmakers provide request a bet functionality, and quality varies significantly among those that do:
Paddy Power
Pioneered request a bet in the UK market. Excellent Twitter responsiveness, good odds transparency, and willing to price creative requests. Often boost particularly interesting custom bets for marketing.
⚡ Response: 15-30 mins average
Sky Bet
Strong request a bet offering with #RequestABet Twitter presence. Good in-app integration. Reliable pricing and fair treatment of quoted odds. Frequently features popular requests in their marketing.
⚡ Response: 20-40 mins average
Betfair
#YourCall service offers custom betting. Solid pricing but can be slower during peak times. In-app experience is well-designed with clear request tracking.
⚡ Response: 25-50 mins average
Coral
Offers request a bet but less publicised than competitors. Response times can be inconsistent. Better for straightforward requests than complex scenarios.
⚡ Response: 30-60 mins average
William Hill
Basic request a bet service. Limited Twitter engagement. Pricing can be conservative. Best for simple custom bet requests rather than creative combinations.
⚡ Response: 40-90 mins average
Limitations and Restrictions of Custom Bets
Request a bet isn’t a free-for-all. Bookmakers impose several restrictions:
Minimum and Maximum Stakes
Custom bets often have lower maximum stakes than standard markets—typically £10-£50 max. This protects bookmakers from large liabilities on bets they’ve manually priced. Some bookmakers also enforce minimums (£2-5) to discourage frivolous requests.
Market Restrictions
Not all markets can be combined. Common exclusions:
- Related contingencies that are too correlated (e.g., “Team to win 5-0 and over 4.5 goals”)
- Obscure statistics not tracked reliably
- Markets dependent on subjective decisions
- Cross-match combinations (want different matches? Build separate requests)
Quote Expiry
Once you receive quoted odds, you have a limited acceptance window—typically 10-30 minutes. Miss that window and you’ll need to re-request, potentially receiving different odds if market conditions have changed.
Request Volume Limits
Most bookmakers limit how many custom bets you can request per day or week to prevent system abuse. Limits vary but expect caps around 5-10 requests daily during busy periods.
Unusual Betting Requests
The request a bet format allows for some genuinely creative (and sometimes ridiculous) betting scenarios. Bookmakers have priced everything from “Will it snow at Christmas in London?” to “Which celebrity will be first to tweet about X?”
Whilst novelty bets are fun, they’re typically priced with enormous margins—30-50% overround isn’t uncommon because bookmakers have limited data and high uncertainty. These are entertainment bets, not value bets.
Creative Request Example
Request: “Haaland to score, be booked, and Man City to win with under 2.5 goals”
Why it’s interesting: Combines a goalscorer with disciplinary action (rare for forwards) and constrains total goals despite City scoring
Likely odds: 35-50/1 depending on opponent and bookmaker margin
Value assessment: Difficult to calculate without detailed stats, but the “Haaland to be booked” element is the longshot—City forwards average <1 yellow card per 10 matches
Pricing Transparency on Custom Bets
The biggest concern with request a bet is pricing transparency. Unlike standard markets where you can compare odds across bookmakers, custom bets are one-off quotes. How do you know if 18/1 is fair or if 25/1 would be more appropriate?
Rough Verification Methods
- Build a bet comparison: If your request can be roughly replicated in bet builder, compare the quotes
- Manual calculation: If you can price each component individually, multiply probabilities to estimate fair odds
- Multiple bookmaker quotes: Request the same bet from 2-3 bookmakers and compare
- Community feedback: If requesting via Twitter, other punters often chime in on whether odds look fair
The Pricing Black Box
Bookmakers have no obligation to offer fair odds on custom bet requests. They can price with whatever margin they choose, and you won’t know you’re being ripped off unless you do the calculation yourself. Assume custom bet margins are 15-25% higher than standard markets unless you can verify otherwise. This is the convenience tax for bespoke pricing.
When to Use Request a Bet
Given the downsides—slow responses, opaque pricing, stake limits—when does request a bet actually make sense?
1. Genuinely Unavailable Combinations
If the specific combination you want genuinely doesn’t exist in standard markets or bet builder, request a bet is your only option. This is legitimate use—you’re paying for access to a market that wouldn’t exist otherwise.
2. Creative Betting for Entertainment
If you’re betting small stakes for fun and want a unique bet for the social experience (e.g., requesting a ridiculous bet with friends watching), request a bet delivers entertainment value even if not monetary value.
3. Exploiting Inefficiencies
Occasionally, bookmakers misprice custom bets because their traders don’t have perfect information about all correlations. If you have specialist knowledge about a particular market combination, you might spot value in quoted odds that the bookmaker missed.
4. Marketing/Boosted Requests
Bookmakers sometimes boost the odds on featured request a bet selections for marketing purposes. If your request gets selected for a boost, you’re getting enhanced odds which might represent genuine value.
Request a Bet vs Manual Combination Betting
Before request a bet existed, sharp punters would manually combine outcomes by backing different bets across multiple bookmakers. How does this compare?
Manual Combination Approach
If you want “Haaland to score and City to win 3-0”, you’d back:
- Haaland anytime goalscorer at one bookmaker
- City to win 3-0 at another bookmaker
You’re not combining these into one bet—you’re hoping both win independently. The advantage is that each bet is priced at market odds. The disadvantage is that you need both bets to win to profit, but your stakes are separate and you can’t get “accumulator” returns.
Request a Bet Approach
Request “Haaland to score and City to win 3-0” as one bet. You get combined odds (e.g., 16/1) which reflects both outcomes needing to happen. The advantage is simplicity and single-bet structure. The disadvantage is that the bookmaker applies margin to the combination.
Which is better depends on the specific odds and your objectives. If you can manually combine at better effective odds, do that. If the request quote is competitive, the convenience might be worth it.
Combining Request a Bet with Other Offers
Can you use request a bet alongside other bookmaker promotions?
| Feature | Compatible with Request a Bet? |
|---|---|
| Acca Insurance | Usually no—single match custom bets don’t qualify as accumulators |
| Price Boosts | Sometimes—bookmakers occasionally boost popular requested bets |
| Free Bets | Usually yes—can use free bet credits on accepted custom bets |
| Cash Out | Rarely—custom bets typically don’t support cash out functionality |
| Edit Bet | No—can’t edit custom priced bets after placement |
Mobile App vs Website Request Experience
The request a bet experience varies significantly between mobile app and desktop website:
Mobile App Advantages
- Push notifications when quotes are ready
- Integrated request forms with match/player auto-complete
- Quick Twitter integration for social requests
- Easy tracking of pending requests
Desktop Website Advantages
- Easier to type detailed custom bet descriptions
- Better for comparing odds across multiple bookmaker tabs
- More screen space to review request history
Most active request a bet users prefer mobile for convenience, but desktop for complex requests requiring detailed description.
The Social Media Angle
Request a bet via Twitter has become a marketing phenomenon. Bookmakers actively promote interesting custom bets, feature creative requests, and use the format for customer engagement.
This creates an interesting dynamic: if your request is particularly creative or funny, the bookmaker might feature it for marketing, sometimes offering boosted odds to incentivise acceptance. This is rare, but when it happens, you’ve essentially crowdsourced value—the bookmaker offers better odds for publicity rather than profit optimisation.
Getting Featured
Want your request a bet to get attention (and potentially better odds)? Make it interesting:
- Tie it to current events or news
- Include unusual but plausible combinations
- Use humour or personality in your request
- Tag the match or players for visibility
Just remember: the primary goal is getting fair odds, not Twitter likes.
Realistic Expectations for Custom Betting
Let’s be clear about what request a bet delivers versus what marketing suggests:
What It Promises
- Unlimited betting flexibility
- Access to markets that don’t exist
- Personalised betting experience
- Creative freedom in bet construction
What You Actually Get
- Slow response times (15 mins to hours)
- Higher margins than standard markets (typically 15-25% worse)
- Stake restrictions (max £10-50 common)
- No guarantee your request will be priced at all
- Limited promotional compatibility
- No cash out or edit bet functionality
Request a bet is a niche tool for specific scenarios, not a revolution in betting. Use it when necessary, but don’t assume it’s offering better value than standard markets just because it’s customised.
The Bottom Line on Request a Bet
Request a bet fills a genuine gap in the market—it lets you back specific combinations that wouldn’t otherwise be available for betting. That’s valuable. But the convenience comes at a cost: higher margins, slower execution, and less transparency than standard betting.
Smart Request a Bet Strategy
- ✓ Use for genuinely unavailable combinations not in bet builder
- ✓ Request well in advance (2-4 hours before kick-off)
- ✓ Compare quotes to bet builder or manual calculations where possible
- ✓ Be realistic about response times—Twitter is faster than in-app
- ✓ Treat quoted odds sceptically—assume 15-25% higher margin than standard markets
- ✗ Don’t request bets already available in standard markets
- ✗ Don’t expect fast responses during peak Saturday fixtures
- ✗ Don’t assume custom pricing is fair pricing
- ✗ Don’t use it as your primary betting method
If bet builder can do what you need, use that—it’s instant and more transparent. Request a bet is for the times when automated systems can’t handle your specific combination. Use it strategically, not habitually, and always question whether the quoted odds represent genuine value or just convenience pricing.
And if you’re getting into truly exotic custom bets, remember: the more unusual your request, the higher the bookmaker’s margin will be. They’re pricing uncertainty as much as probability, and that uncertainty costs you money. Sometimes the best custom bet is the one you don’t place.
