Pony Betting Term Meaning

The betting term ‘pony’ means to stake £25 on the outcome of an event. It is mainly used by punters who bet on horse racing although it can be applied to any sport.

Pony is a British English slang betting term for a £25 bet. For instance, ‘Sam wagered a pony on Red Rum to win the Grand National’. The word ‘pony’ originates from Cockney rhyming slang. 

One theory suggests that British soldiers used the word pony to refer to an Indian 25 rupee bank note. The reasoning behind it was that the 25 rupee banknote had an image of a pony on it. 

The same can be applied to the betting term ‘monkey’ which refers to a £500 bet as an old 500 rupee note had an image of a monkey on it.

How much can you make betting a pony?


To many casual punters, betting a pony on a single wager is a little excessive but there are thousands of bettors who regularly wager far more than this. 

When assessing how much you can win from a pony, it depends on the type of bets you place and the odds of your selections. Let’s run through a few examples to show you the potential of £25.

English Premier LeagueHomeDrawAway
Fulham vs Manchester City 21.00 9.00 1.12

  • Bet a pony on Man City to win: £25 x 1.12 = £28 return (£3 profit)
  • Bet a pony on Fulham to win: £25 x21.0 = £525 return (£500 profit)

Even with a pony, there is little profit to be made placing a single bet on Manchester City and while the profit on a Fulham win is very attractive, most punters would agree this bet is too risky.

One option for increasing the returns on your pony using short odds selections is to build a treble or accumulator bet.

English Premier LeagueOdds
Manchester City Win vs Fulham 1.12
Manchester United Win vs Watford 1.30
Chelsea Win vs Cardiff 1.33
Liverpool Win vs Tottenham 1.70

With a simple four-fold accumulator composed of all odds on favourites, the returns jump up to £82.30 which is a profit of £57.30 - a much better return than the £3 we got for backing Man City as a single. 

This style of betting is not without its dangers. If one selection draws or loses, the bet is lost. That is the risk-reward scenario of sports betting.

Pony Bet FAQ

What is a Pony Bet?

A pony bet is a British betting term for a £25 bet.