What is Cash out?
Cash out is a feature that lets a bettor settle a bet before the event finishes, for an amount offered by the bookmaker based on the current odds.
If a £10 bet at 5.00 is going well, the bookmaker might offer £30 to cash out before the end, securing a profit but forgoing the full £50 return. If the bet is going badly, the offer may be below the stake, allowing a smaller loss. Partial cash out lets the bettor settle part of the bet and leave the rest running.
Cash-out offers include a margin, so on average they are worth slightly less than the bet's fair value at that moment.
The feature is popular with in-play betting and accumulators and has become a standard part of sportsbook products. Operators can also suspend cash-out during key moments of an event, so it is not always available. The feature has become an important driver of engagement for sportsbooks, and it is often included in debates about how product design affects betting intensity.