The in-play delay is the short pause between submitting a bet on a live exchange market and that bet reaching the market. It stops people at the ground from cashing in on a goal before everyone else has seen it. If you trade football in-play, the delay affects how you get in, how you get out and how you plan your exit points. This guide explains what the delay does, what happens to your bet during it and how to trade around it.
Read the transcript
On a betting exchange, your bet only counts once it's matched. Here's how matching works, and how liquidity and the in-play delay affect you.
You don't bet against a bookmaker. Every back bet needs a lay from another customer at the same price. If nobody wants your price yet, your bet waits in the market as unmatched.
Say the best back price is two point nine, but you ask for fifty pounds at three. Your bet joins the queue. Then another customer lays thirty pounds at three. So you're thirty matched and twenty unmatched. If the team wins, you're paid on the thirty only, sixty pounds profit before commission. You can cancel the other twenty until it's matched.
When the match goes in-play, exchanges usually cancel unmatched bets unless you chose to keep them. Check the setting, because a forgotten bet kept in-play can get matched after a goal.
Liquidity is the money waiting at each price. Say you back five hundred pounds at two, but only two hundred waits there. You also take one point nine nine and one point nine eight, for an average of one point nine nine two.
In-play, bets wait a few seconds before they reach the market. Your price may still be there, or it may have moved, or the market may suspend and cancel your bet. So look for money several times your stake, trade when the game is quiet, remember TV pictures lag behind, and check your open bets before you leave. Please bet responsibly.
Key points
- Bets placed in-play wait a few seconds before they are processed.
- The length varies by sport and market, and the exchange shows or sets it.
- If the market suspends during the delay, your bet can be cancelled.
- Your price isn’t guaranteed: it has to still be there when the delay ends.
What the delay is
Before kick-off, an exchange bet is processed almost instantly. Once a market goes in-play, bets are held for a few seconds before they can be matched. Exchanges vary the length by sport and market, and it can change, so check what your exchange shows rather than assuming a fixed figure.
Without it, anyone with a faster view of the action could snap up out-of-date prices. The delay gives the exchange time to suspend the market, and gives other users time to pull their offers, when something big happens.
What happens to your bet
When you click to back or lay in-play, one of three things happens once the wait is over:
- The price is still available, and your bet is matched.
- The price has moved the wrong way, and your bet joins the queue as an unmatched bet.
- The market has suspended for a goal or red card, and your bet is cancelled or handled under the exchange’s rules.
Worked example
In Newcastle v Everton, over 2.5 goals is trading at 2.20 (prices for illustration only) and you ask to lay at that price to close a position.
- Your bet waits out the delay.
- Meanwhile a Newcastle header hits the bar and the price drops to 2.05.
- Your lay at 2.20 is now a better price for you than the market, so it will very likely be matched at the price on offer or better.
- Had the price climbed to 2.40 instead, your lay at 2.20 would sit unmatched, and you would need a fresh bet at a worse price to get out.
Trading around the delay
The delay is why an in-play exit can never be instant. A few habits make it easier to work with.
- Leave room in your exit plan. In-play you won’t always get the price you see, so allow for that when you set exit points.
- Trade when the game is quiet. A stoppage or a slow spell gives you the best chance of being matched before anything changes.
- Don’t chase a click. If an attack is under way, the price on screen may already have gone.
- Watch the ladder. Reading the trading ladder shows whether money is arriving or leaving.
TV delay on top
A second delay matters too. Live pictures reach you several seconds after the action, and streams usually lag further than a broadcast, so you may be watching an attack the market has already priced. That is why prices sometimes move before anything happens on your screen, and another reason not to bet on what you are watching at that exact moment. Red card trading is a good example: by the time you see the card, the market has usually moved.
In-play delay FAQs
Is the delay the same on every exchange? No. Each exchange sets its own delays, and they can vary by sport and market.
Can I cancel a bet during the delay? Usually not. Once submitted, it stays on hold until the delay ends, after which an unmatched bet can be cancelled.
Why does the market suspend so often? Exchanges suspend around goals, red cards and penalties so prices can be reset fairly. It is a normal part of live markets.
Related guides
18+ only. Betting should stay fun. Set a budget before you start, only bet what you can comfortably afford, and take a break whenever you need one. For free, confidential support, visit BeGambleAware.org or call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133.