What is a Ghost Leg?

In sports betting, bookmakers use many ways to create promotions and offers for users, and one approach in BuildABets is the Ghost Leg. Typically seen in football bets, Ghost Legs let you remove one selection from a BuildABet if your bet was let down by a single leg.

Here at OddsMonkey, we’ll look at what the Ghost Leg is, how it works, and how you can use it in your betting strategy to make the most of BuildABet bets.

What Does Ghost Leg Mean?

A Ghost Leg is a promotion offered at certain bookmakers which allows for one of the selections in a BuildABet bet to ‘ghost’ if it is unsuccessful. For example, if you place a BuildABet bet with 5 selections, and 4 out of the 5 happen, then the one selection that did not come in will be ghosted, which means it is removed from your BuildABet.

In turn, this means the BuildABet bet will become successful, yet the odds and return will drop in value, as the ghost leg market will be removed from the bet.

It is important to note that the Ghost Leg does not mean that your bet will have the same value if the Ghost Leg applies. The one selection that was not successful will be removed from your bet entirely, meaning the odds applied to it will also be removed.

How Does A Ghost Leg Work?

Now that we know what the Ghost Leg is, we will look at how this promotion works in a real-life example. The Ghost Leg is only available when you are using a BuildABet, meaning it is not available in accumulator bets. For more details on BuildABets, we have a detailed BuildABet Guide available for users at OddsMonkey.

Since the Ghost Leg can only be placed on BuildABets, there are different terms and conditions to follow to make sure that this promotion can be activated. Here are some of the rules to follow if you are going to use the Ghost Leg:

• Pre-match BuildABets Only
• Minimum of 5 Legs
• Minimum odds of 3/1

If we use a real-life example, let’s say that a user has created a BuildABet on an England Football Club international fixture, and every outcome is successful, except a bet on Harry Kane to score. Instead of the entire BuildABet being unsuccessful, the Harry Kane to score bet will be removed, meaning the bet builder will only have 4 selections, therefore decreasing the odds of this bet.

The Ghost Leg does not apply to every single bet builder that fits into the criteria, as the bettor will have to use a Ghost Leg token. These tokens can be offered as part of a promotion and can be found in the offers section of the bookmaker. There are plenty of promotions and offers available, and you can find further information on these through our matched betting blog.

Is The Ghost Leg Worth Using?

If you are taking part in value betting, then the Ghost Leg may be worth using as a promotion, as it can offer a type of insurance on your bets. Whilst using a Ghost Leg will not guarantee that a bet will be successful, it allows for a return to be made if only one leg lets you down.

However, this does not mean you should add extra selections onto your bet builder just to be able to use the Ghost Leg. If you are placing a bet builder with 5 or more selections anyway, then there is no harm in using the Ghost Leg, but it is not recommended to add more selections onto your bet just to claim the promotion.

However, a Ghost bet can also be used in matched betting. By laying your selection, you can cover your bet if the ghost leg does not come in, and if the ghost leg activates, the bookmaker will also return the bet as successful.

Ghost Leg FAQs

Can I Use Free Bets On A Ghost Leg?

No, the Ghost Leg promotion cannot be used alongside free bets.

Will the Odds of the Losing Leg be Included in the Return?

No, the odds of the losing leg will not be included if the Ghost Leg token is used.

What Bookmakers Offer the Ghost Leg?

At the moment, only Sky Bet, Paddy Power and Betfair offer the Ghost Leg promotion, but this is subject to change.

What Happens if I Cash Out My Ghost Leg Bet?

If you cash out a bet that has a Ghost Leg token applied to it, then you will lose the Ghost Leg token.

Can the Ghost Leg be used in Matched Betting?

Bet builders are not typically part of matched betting strategies, so the Ghost Leg is not seen to be part of matched betting and is better suited to value betting. However, it can be used in matched betting to potentially cover bets and create a return if you place a lay bet on the selection.

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