As bookmakers compete for market share, they have devised numerous new ways to encourage customers to log in each day, hoping they will become loyal to the brand.
Due to the sheer number of bookies out there, they have had to be more dynamic than simply offering promotions, and some have ventured into the realm of free-to-play horse racing prediction games.
These games challenge punters to test their prediction skills, usually on pre-selected races. They are based on real races at real race courses, but no money changes hands. Well, not unless you win. You see there are real cash prizes involved, as well as smaller prizes in some cases, so there is an incentive to play.
Not all bookmakers run these horse racing prediction games, and those that do have all structured them in their own way. However, I can still broadly explain how they work.
Horse Racing Prediction Games Currently Running
Win cash prizes when you correctly predict 4, 5 or 6 winners! Pick winners from six selected races for your chance to win with bet365! Cash prizes are on offer for four, five or six correct results and Free Spins are available for two or three correct results.
You could win a share of £10,000 in cash if you can predict a horse to place in each of the seven races on selected days. You can also pick up 20 Coral Coins just for taking part. See the Coral website for the next available competition. This is free to play.
How They Work
Generally speaking, most of the games run either over a single day, or a single week.
In either case, the bookie will select a number of specific races from which you have to choose a horse to win. Actually, some bookies only require horses to place, but this is one of those things that varies from one bookie to another.
You won’t be able to choose your own races to select horses from. The bookies pick the races they do precisely because they are tough to call.
You will usually find that the easier the predictions are to get right, the harder it is to win the prize. In other words, if your selections just need to place you will need to get all predictions right to win anything at all. Whereas if you are asked to predict 6 winners for the top prize, you might also get a smaller reward for getting 4 or 5 correct.
The games are usually presented in a self contained interface so it’s very easy to follow from one race to the other, and once you have made your selections the system will let you know if you are successful. Sometimes you can go back and edit your choices so long as the race has not begun, but not always.
That’s it. It really is as simple as logging in, opening the interface, making your selections, and waiting.
Prizes
The prize structure will likely be completely different at each bookmaker, since they all have different marketing budgets and resources available.
Some bookies use a staggered prize structure a bit like the lottery – so the more selections you get right the bigger the prize will be. This means the rewards are shared out more evenly so more punters have a chance of getting something out of the game.
It might look like this:
- 6 Correct – £25k
- 5 Correct – £10k
- 4 Correct – £5k
- 3 Correct – 10 Free Spins
- 2 Correct – 5 Free Spins
- 1 Correct – Nothing
So lots of people will be getting a few free spins, but only a small number will do well enough to win any cash.
Other bookies have a prize pot that is simply split up between all winning entries, say £10,000 with no additional prizes. But it’s win or bust. You have to get all of your predictions correct. No prizes for coming close.
In any case, the prizes shown will be per round of the game, not per person. In other words, if more than one person wins then the prize is split between them. This means it’s possible to bank the lot if you are the only winner, however, if 20 people win a £10k game you are only getting £500 each. Still well worth the effort, but you won’t be going on holiday with it.
Like I say, it just depends, but these are two common prize structures used.
Common Terms and Conditions
Check the terms for the game you are playing as they are all unique, but here are some common terms and conditions to be aware of.
First up, if the horse you pick is a non-runner, you will be allowed to pick a different horse. If you don’t pick a new horse before the race begins, one will be selected for you. This will be the favourite based on the starting price at the off.
If no player is successful in the game, no prizes are given out. They don’t do rollovers, it’s simply a cheap day for the bookie. What’s more, other promotions the bookie runs such as fallers insurance or extra places are not applicable to free to play prediction games.
Prizes such as free spins or free bets, where given, will come with an expiry date. Usually 7 days. If they are not used within this time they will permanently expire.
In the rare cases where one of the selected races is abandoned, the prize pot may be adjusted to reflect the reduced difficulty.