The Lucky 15 is one of the most popular bets in British and Irish racing, and for good reason. It gives you a return from just one winner, rewards a good day handsomely, and comes with bonuses that the bookmakers throw in on top. Here is how it actually works.
What a Lucky 15 covers
You pick four selections. The bet then automatically covers every possible combination of them, 15 bets in total:
| Bet type | How many |
|---|---|
| Singles | 4 |
| Doubles | 6 |
| Trebles | 4 |
| Four-fold accumulator | 1 |
| Total | 15 |
Because it includes the four singles, one winner is enough to get a return. The more of your four that win, the more the doubles, trebles and the four-fold start to fire, and returns climb quickly.
What it costs
A Lucky 15 is 15 bets, so the cost is 15 × your unit stake:
- A 50p Lucky 15 costs £7.50
- A £1 Lucky 15 costs £15
You can also place it each-way, which doubles everything to 30 bets (a win Lucky 15 and a place Lucky 15). A 50p each-way Lucky 15 therefore costs £15.
The bonuses that make it "lucky"
The bonuses are the appeal, though exact terms vary between bookmakers, so always check:
- One-winner consolation. If only one of your four selections wins, many bookmakers double (sometimes treble) the odds on that single winner, softening the blow.
- All-winners bonus. If all four selections win, a bonus (commonly 10%) is added to your total returns.
Some firms apply the bonus to the whole return, others to specific parts, and a few use a single advertised price. Read the bookmaker's rules before you bet.
A worked example
You place a £1 Lucky 15 (cost £15) on four horses, and two of them win at 3.0 (2/1) and 5.0 (4/1).
Which of your 15 bets pay out?
- Two winning singles: the two winners return at their own odds.
- One winning double: the double combining the two winners pays out.
- The trebles and the four-fold need three and four winners, so they lose.
So three of your 15 bets land. The two winning singles plus the winning double comfortably clear the £15 outlay, and a third or fourth winner would multiply the return dramatically. If only one had won, the consolation bonus would still hand you more than a standard single.
Lucky 31 and Lucky 63
Same idea, more selections:
- Lucky 31: five selections, 31 bets (5 singles, 10 doubles, 10 trebles, 5 four-folds, 1 five-fold).
- Lucky 63: six selections, 63 bets (6 singles, 15 doubles, 20 trebles, 15 four-folds, 6 five-folds, 1 six-fold).
Both carry the same style of one-winner and all-winners bonuses. They cost more (31 or 63 times your stake) but offer huge upside on a big day.
Is a Lucky 15 worth it?
It is fun and forgiving, one winner saves the bet, and the bonuses add genuine value. The trade-off is the 15-times stake: you are paying to cover every combination. If you only fancy your selections to win individually, straight singles may return more. If you want a flutter with a big top end and a safety net, the Lucky 15 is hard to beat.
Work out the returns before you bet with our free bet calculator, and read up on accumulators and each-way betting to understand the parts.
Betting should be fun, never a way to make money. 18+. Please gamble responsibly, BeGambleAware.org.