Lucky 15 explained: the 15 bets, the cost, bonuses & returns

How four selections become 15 bets, what the total stake really is, how returns build with each winner & what conditions sit behind bookmaker bonuses.

What a Lucky 15 is

A Lucky 15 is a multiple bet built from four selections, each in a different event, combined into 15 separate bets. The Racing Post’s betting glossary lists them as 4 singles, 6 doubles, 4 trebles & an accumulator. William Hill & Paddy Power give the same breakdown.

A single is a bet on one selection. A double links two selections & a treble links three, & every selection in that bet must win for it to pay. An accumulator with four selections is called a fourfold.

Wikipedia describes a full cover bet as ‘any bet which consists of all available multiple bets over a given number of selections’. It lists the Lucky 15 among the full cover bets with singles included.

Each of the 15 bets carries the same amount, known as the unit stake. Paddy Power says the bet is most commonly used in horse racing but can be placed on other sports too.

What it costs

Paddy Power’s Lucky 15 calculator page states the rule directly: ‘Your total stake is 15 times your unit stake, so £1 a bet costs £15, or £30 each way.’

William Hill’s Lucky 15 guide explains that this is because each of the 15 bets carries the same amount, so £2 a bet costs £30. An each-way Lucky 15 has 30 bets, it says, so 50p each way costs £15 & £1 each way costs £30.

A bet described as a ‘£1 Lucky 15’ is therefore a £15 bet in total, or £30 if placed each way.

Returns with one or two winners

Because singles are included, one winner is enough for a return, according to Paddy Power. William Hill’s guide contrasts this with a standard accumulator, where all selections must win for any payout.

William Hill’s quick example uses £1 a line on four horses at 4/1, 5/1, 6/1 & 8/1, a win-only bet costing £15. Fractional odds such as 8/1 show the profit relative to the stake, as the Racing Post glossary explains.

In that example, one winner at 8/1 returns £9, less than the £15 staked. William Hill says that with one winner only the single pays, & with two winners two singles & one double pay. The guide does not give a cash figure for the two-winner case.

Returns when three or four win

With three winners, William Hill’s guide says, the bettor collects on three singles, three doubles & one treble. With four, all 15 bets land, including the fourfold.

Paddy Power’s calculator page works through £1 a line on four horses in four races at Doncaster, at 4/1, 6/1, 2/1 & 2/1. If all four win, it says returns are £767, a £752 profit. If the 6/1 horse loses & the other three win, returns fall to £95, an £80 profit.

Paddy Power’s each-way Lucky 15 guide uses decimal odds, which the Racing Post says show the total return including the stake, so 4.0 is the same as 3/1. Its example takes four selections on day one of the Cheltenham Festival: Tullyhill at 4.00, Il Etait Temps at 5.50, Meetingofthewaters at 6.50 & State Man at 1.40.

A £1 Lucky 15 on those four, the guide says, ‘would return £584 from a total stake of £15’.

Bonuses & consolations: a real rule

Some bookmakers add extra payouts to a Lucky 15. William Hill’s bet types rules list a consolation of double the odds when only one selection wins, & a bonus of 10% added to total returns when all four win.

The same page sets conditions. Only one selection per race is allowed, selections must be horses or greyhounds at starting price or, where applicable, show price or early bird price, the bet must be at level unit stakes & all selections must run.

Ante-post prices, which the Racing Post defines as betting on an event well in advance of the day of the race, do not qualify. William Hill adds that in each-way bets the consolation applies only to the win part.

Wikipedia says the Lucky bets are so named because of the bookmaker’s practice of ‘offering bonuses for one or more winning selections’, the most common being ‘double the odds’ for one winner.

These offers are not universal. William Hill’s guide says ‘Some bookmakers offer one-winner bonuses on horse racing, such as enhanced odds’, & the Racing Post glossary says bonuses & consolations on special bets appear especially around big festivals, telling readers to check the full terms with their bookmaker.

Each-way Lucky 15s

An each-way bet splits the stake in two: half backs the selection to win & half backs it to be placed, according to Paddy Power. The Sporting Life glossary of bets notes that, as this is two bets, £1 each way costs £2.

Paddy Power’s each-way guide says each-way Lucky 15 bets ‘feature an eye-watering 30 wagers’ from the same four horses, & that ‘Your horses can therefore win or place and still earn returns.’

The place parts pay a fraction of the win odds, 1/4 or 1/5 according to Paddy Power. Sporting Life lists basic terms with major bookmakers ranging from win only with fewer than 5 runners to 4 places at 1/4 odds or 3 places at 1/5 with 16 or more runners, & says most firms offer enhanced versions for major meetings.

In the Cheltenham example, going each way doubles the stake to £30 & the potential profit rises to £631.62. Paddy Power notes this is not double the win-only figure, because half the bets pay at the reduced each-way fraction.

Yankee, Lucky 31, Heinz & other full-cover bets

A Yankee uses four selections without singles. William Hill lists it as 11 bets, 6 doubles, 4 trebles & 1 fourfold, & says at least 2 winners are needed for a return.

With three selections, a Trixie is four bets (three doubles & a treble) & a Patent is seven bets, adding three singles, according to William Hill. A Patent needs only one winner for a return, while a Trixie needs two.

With five selections, William Hill & Sporting Life list a Canadian, also called a Super Yankee, as 26 bets & a Lucky 31 as 31 bets, the difference being 5 singles.

With six, the Racing Post & Sporting Life list a Heinz as 57 bets (15 doubles, 20 trebles, 15 fourfolds, 6 fivefolds & a sixfold) & a Lucky 63 as 63 bets including 6 singles. Paddy Power’s calculator page describes the Heinz as using seven selections, which differs from those glossaries.

The Racing Post lists a Goliath as 247 bets on eight selections.

Costs & risks

Every line in these bets carries the unit stake, so the outlay grows with the number of bets: 15 units for a Lucky 15, 31 for a Lucky 31 & 63 for a Lucky 63. Each way doubles it, & Paddy Power’s each-way guide notes that a £3 Lucky 15 each way becomes £90.

Paddy Power’s Doncaster example shows how much rides on the final selection: £767 back with four winners, against £95 if the 6/1 horse loses.

Returns can also come in below an estimate. William Hill says a Rule 4 deduction can apply after a late withdrawal & dead heat rules apply in a tie; Paddy Power describes Rule 4 as recalculating a bet when a big favourite pulls out, shortening the odds of the other runners.

The Racing Post says that in a dead heat for first place, half the stake is applied at full odds & the other half is lost. Bonuses & consolations carry their own conditions, such as William Hill’s exclusion of ante-post prices, so the bookmaker’s published terms decide whether they apply.

Questions

How many bets are in a Lucky 15?

Fifteen: 4 singles, 6 doubles, 4 trebles & a fourfold accumulator, built from four selections in different events, according to William Hill, Paddy Power & the Racing Post.

How much does a £1 Lucky 15 cost?

Paddy Power says the total stake is 15 times the unit stake, so £1 a bet costs £15, or £30 each way. William Hill says 50p each way costs £15.

Does one winner give a return?

Yes, because singles are included, one winner is enough for a return, according to Paddy Power. In William Hill’s example, one 8/1 winner returns £9 from a £15 stake.

What is the difference between a Lucky 15 & a Yankee?

Both use four selections, but a Yankee has no singles. William Hill lists it as 11 bets & says at least 2 winners are needed for a return.

Do all bookmakers pay Lucky 15 bonuses?

No. William Hill’s guide says some bookmakers offer one-winner bonuses, & its own rules attach conditions such as horses or greyhounds only, all selections running & no ante-post prices.

Sources

• help.williamhill.com
• news.paddypower.com
• news.williamhill.com
• news.paddypower.com
• en.wikipedia.org
• sportinglife.com
• help.racingpost.com

Sources checked 30 October 2026. Information only. 18+.