What is an acca?
An acca, short for accumulator, is one bet that combines several selections. Coral's glossary defines it as a single cumulative bet involving four or more selections, all of which must win to get a return [1]. Ladbrokes describes an accumulator as a bet of four or more selections on different events, and says that if one selection does not win, neither does the rest of the bet [2].
Both bookmakers describe doubles and trebles separately: Ladbrokes says a double is one bet on two selections from different events, and both must win [2] [3]. The worked examples below use four legs, so every one of them is an acca on those definitions.
How do an accumulator's returns multiply?
Because every leg must win, the return from one leg becomes the stake on the next. In decimal terms you multiply the stake by each leg's decimal price. Decimal prices already include your stake, as how to read betting odds explains, and that guide shows how to convert fractions.
| Leg | Fractional price | Decimal price | Calculation | Return if every leg so far wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1/2 | 1.50 | £10.00 × 1.50 | £15.00 |
| 2 | Evens (1/1) | 2.00 | £15.00 × 2.00 | £30.00 |
| 3 | 6/4 | 2.50 | £30.00 × 2.50 | £75.00 |
| 4 | 5/2 | 3.50 | £75.00 × 3.50 | £262.50 |
Calculated for this guide using invented prices. The final return includes the £10.00 stake, so the profit is £252.50. If any leg loses, the return is £0.00 and the £10.00 stake is lost.
The four decimal prices multiply to 1.50 × 2.00 × 2.50 × 3.50 = 26.25, so the whole acca is priced at 26.25. Taking away 1 gives 25.25, which is 101/4 as a fraction. A £10.00 stake at 26.25 returns £262.50, the figure the table reaches one leg at a time. You can do the same sum yourself with any number of legs: multiply the stake by every decimal price.
Each added leg is another result that has to go the right way. Treating the four events as separate, the prices above imply chances of 66.67%, 50.00%, 40.00% and 28.57%, and 1 ÷ 26.25 gives 3.81% for all four winning together. More legs mean a lower chance that every leg wins, whatever the return. Implied probability is arithmetic on a price, not a forecast.
What happens to an acca if a leg is void or a horse does not run?
Coral's glossary defines a void bet as one declared invalid, where the stake is returned without deduction [1]. For one leg of an acca, Coral's page on void selections says an accumulator “stands on remaining selections, i.e. 4-fold becomes a treble; treble becomes a double etc.” [4]. Its general rules say void selections in multiples are treated as non-runners and the stake runs onto the remaining selections [5].
| Outcome | Calculation | Return | Profit or loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| All four legs win | 1.50 × 2.00 × 2.50 × 3.50 = 26.25 | £262.50 | £252.50 profit |
| Leg 3 void, the other three win | 1.50 × 2.00 × 3.50 = 10.50 | £105.00 | £95.00 profit |
| A leg that is not void loses | Stake lost | £0.00 | £10.00 loss |
Calculated for this guide using invented prices. The void leg is removed from the multiplication, so the four-fold settles as a treble.
A postponed event is treated the same way at Coral: for multiple bets, “your bet continues on the remaining selections with a double becoming a single” [6]. Ladbrokes' non-runner rules say that in single bets the stake is returned, and that for multiple bets the bet continues with the remaining selections [7].
A late withdrawal can also reduce winnings. Ladbrokes says a Rule 4 deduction may apply if a horse is withdrawn before coming under Starters Orders [7]. The deductions are made to winnings when the horse you backed wins or is placed, and only when a horse is withdrawn after you placed the bet [8]. They are based on the withdrawn horse's last price, and more than one can apply if more than one horse is withdrawn [8].
Ladbrokes' own example is that if you win £10 and there is a 10p Rule 4 deduction, you receive £9 in winnings [8]. That page does not say how a deduction is applied to one leg inside an accumulator, so this guide does not either; read the bookmaker's rule for multiples before you bet.
These are the rules of Coral and Ladbrokes, two brands of the same licensee. Gambling Commission condition 4.2.6 requires every betting licensee to set out in its own rules when it will void a bet and how it treats withdrawals and non-runners [9]. The rule therefore varies by bookmaker, so read the rules of the one you use.
What is a Lucky 15, and how many bets is it?
A Lucky 15 places one unit stake on each of the 15 combinations of four selections. Coral's Lucky Rules page describes it as 15 bets involving four selections on different events: four singles, six doubles, four trebles and one accumulator [10]. Ladbrokes gives the same breakdown [11]. The sum is 4 + 6 + 4 + 1 = 15.
A Yankee is 11 bets on four selections: six doubles, four trebles and one four-fold accumulator, with no singles. Both bookmakers say the stake is multiplied by 11, and both add that you need two of your selections to be successful to win the bet [3] [2].
The amount you enter is the unit stake, the stake on each bet inside the combination. The total stake is the unit stake times the number of bets. Coral's Yankee wording, a stake multiplied by 11, is that sum, and a Lucky 15 uses the same sum with 15 bets.
| Bet | Singles | Doubles | Trebles | Four-folds | Bets in total | Total stake at £1.00 a bet | Total stake at £2.00 a bet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lucky 15 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 15 | £15.00 | £30.00 |
| Yankee | 0 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 11 | £11.00 | £22.00 |
Calculated for this guide. Total stake = unit stake × number of bets, so £1.00 × 15 = £15.00 and £2.00 × 11 = £22.00.
A return is not the same as a profit. Coral's Lucky Rules page says one winner guarantees a return [10]. Suppose, with invented prices, only one of the four selections wins, at evens (2.00), on a £1.00 unit stake. Only the single on that selection pays, returning £2.00 against a total stake of £15.00, a net loss of £13.00.
A void selection changes the count. Coral's void-selection page says the unit stake is returned on single bets containing a void selection, and that accumulator bets stand on the remaining selections [4].
What is a bet builder, and how is it different from an acca?
A bet builder combines selections from one event into a single bet. Coral and Ladbrokes say their Horse Racing Bet Builder lets you create custom bets by combining Winner, Top Finish and Race Winning Distance selections from the same race, with a live price that updates as you build it [12] [13]. Both pages call the result “a unique accumulator” [12], so in their wording a bet builder is a kind of accumulator. What sets it apart is that every leg comes from the same race.
A standard acca is built differently. Ladbrokes describes its selections as being on different events [2], so each leg has its own price and the prices multiply, as in the table above. In a bet builder the bookmaker quotes one live price for the whole combination as you build it, and Coral says combinations that can’t possibly occur are automatically blocked before you place the bet [12].
Void legs work differently too. Coral and Ladbrokes say that if your chosen horse becomes a non-runner, the entire Horse Racing Bet Builder is void and your stake is returned [12] [13]. In an accumulator at Coral, by contrast, a void leg is removed and the bet stands on the rest.
Each of these is one bookmaker's wording. A bet builder on another site, or on another sport, can follow different terms, so read its rules before you place it. If you are thinking of settling an acca or bet builder early, how cash out works quotes three bookmakers' own rules on when cash out is not offered.
Where can you set limits and get help?
More legs and more bets mean a larger total stake and a lower chance that every leg wins. A deposit limit caps what you put into an account, and deposit limits and account tools sets out what licensed businesses must provide. If you want to stop gambling with licensed online businesses, how GAMSTOP works explains the scheme.
Safer gambling and help lists the National Gambling Helpline and other support services. If betting is causing harm, you can talk to someone today.
Sources
The numbers in the text point to these pages. Each was opened on the date shown.
- Coral, A to Z of Betting Terminology (Coral sports help). Read 28 October 2026.
- Ladbrokes, Available Bet Types (Ladbrokes sports help). Read 28 October 2026.
- Coral, Available Bet Types (Coral sports help). Read 28 October 2026.
- Coral, I have a void selection, what happens to my bet? (Coral sports help). Read 28 October 2026.
- Coral, General Rules for Sports Betting (Coral sports help). Read 28 October 2026.
- Coral, What happens to my bet if an event is postponed or abandoned? (Coral sports help). Read 28 October 2026.
- Ladbrokes, Non-Runners (Ladbrokes sports help). Read 28 October 2026.
- Ladbrokes, Rule 4 Deductions (Ladbrokes sports help). Read 28 October 2026.
- Gambling Commission, LCCP Condition 4.2.6: Display of rules – betting. Read 28 October 2026.
- Coral, Lucky Rules (Coral sports help). Read 28 October 2026.
- Ladbrokes, Lucky Rules (Ladbrokes sports help). Read 28 October 2026.
- Coral, What is Horse Racing Bet Builder? (Coral sports help). Read 28 October 2026.
- Ladbrokes, What is Horse Racing Bet Builder? (Ladbrokes sports help). Read 28 October 2026.
About this guide
Published by Avenmark Media. A separate pass re-opened every source above and checked each claim against it, on . A second, independent check compared a sample of the claims with the same sources. How we research and correct our pages.
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