A bet slip, also written betslip, is the panel on a bookmaker's website or app where you put a bet together before placing it: the selections you tapped, the bet type, your stake and the return the current price implies. The meaning is the same at a retail outlet, where the slip can be a paper form. Either way it is a draft: nothing on it is a bet until you confirm it and the bookmaker accepts it.
What a bet slip shows
| Field | What to check |
|---|---|
| Selection | Meeting, race number and runner number, or the game and team |
| Price | The fixed price now; a tote bet has none, because its dividend is declared after the result |
| Stake | Whether the box means per bet, per way or in total |
| Estimated return | Stake x price on a fixed-odds single; a bonus bet normally returns the winnings only |
How to bet on horse racing walks through a first racing bet.
Price changes on the slip and accepting them
Prices can move while a slip is open, and the slip then shows the new one. With illustrative prices, $30 at $2.60 shows a return of 30 x 2.60 = $78, the sum a bet calculator runs. A drop to $2.45 cuts that to 30 x 2.45 = $73.50, and a rise to $2.75 lifts it to 30 x 2.75 = $82.50.
A slip can handle a changed price in three ways, and some bookmakers let you choose:
| Setting | The price drops to $2.45 | The price rises to $2.75 |
|---|---|---|
| Ask every time | Nothing goes on until you accept | Nothing goes on until you accept |
| Accept higher prices only | You are asked first | The bet goes on at $2.75 |
| Accept any change | The bet goes on at $2.45 | The bet goes on at $2.75 |
Decide your lowest price before you open the slip. Against an illustrative fair price of $2.50, $2.60 is 2.60 / 2.50 - 1 = 4.0% above fair, but $2.45 is 2.45 / 2.50 - 1 = -2.0%, below it: a bet you would have skipped. Odds boards and other betting tools in Australia can trail the bookmaker, for reasons betting latency explains, so the slip's price counts.
Bet slip vs bet receipt
| Bet slip | Bet receipt | |
|---|---|---|
| Is it a bet? | No | Yes, with a bet number |
| Price | The price on offer now | The price you got |
| Stake | The amount you asked for | The amount accepted, which can be less |
Ask for more than a bookmaker will take and it can accept part of the stake or refuse the bet. On Queensland racing, Racing Queensland's conditions from 1 July 2025 tell off-course operators to part-accept a fixed-odds bet up to the minimum bet limit rather than reject all of it. Read the receipt, not the slip, to know what you hold.
When the slip will not place the bet
- The market is suspended, for example after a scratching; when it reopens, check the new price.
- The runner is scratched, betting has closed at the jump or the start of the game, or a bonus bet is under the minimum price its terms set.
Where B337 fits
Bet Assist, B337's Chrome extension for the Terminal, stops at the slip. Pick a win price on the board and that race opens in your logged-in bookmaker tab, with the runner already on the slip; the stake and the Place button stay with you. The Terminal reads prices from 40+ bookmakers across racing and sports on a repeating cycle, so check the slip's price before you confirm. Betting browser extensions covers what such extensions can see.
Risk: Betting involves risk. The price on the slip can change before you confirm, a receipt can show less than you asked for, and there is no guarantee of profit. See responsible gambling for limits and support.
For free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.