# Star Sports Place Terms 2026: The Full Schedule

_Star Sports place terms for each-way betting — how many places paid on what field size, which races have enhanced terms (spoiler: almost none), and how the schedule compares to rivals._

*Source: [https://stablebet.co.uk/bookmakers/star-sports-place-terms/](https://stablebet.co.uk/bookmakers/star-sports-place-terms/) · last updated 2026-04-24*

## Place Terms at Star Sports

### The Star Sports place terms schedule

Star Sports follows the standard UK industry place-count schedule. The number of places paid on an each-way bet depends on field size and race type:

| Field size | Handicap places | Non-handicap places |
|---|---|---|
| 2–4 runners | Win only | Win only |
| 5–7 runners | 2 places (1/4 odds) | 2 places (1/4 odds) |
| 8+ runners (non-handicap) | — | 3 places (1/5 odds) |
| 8–11 runners (handicap) | 3 places (1/5 odds) | — |
| 12–15 runners (handicap) | 3 places (1/4 odds) | — |
| 16+ runners (handicap) | 4 places (1/4 odds) | — |

**Key features of the schedule:**

- **Standard industry terms** — this table applies across UK and Irish racing on every race day. There are no enhanced variants for specific meetings, festivals or trained-team races.
- **No headline Extra Places programme** on the Grand National, Cheltenham handicaps, Royal Ascot handicaps, or other big festival races where the corporates compete aggressively on enhanced place terms.
- **No customisable each-way product** equivalent to Bet365's or William Hill's "Each Way Extra".
- **Non-Runner No Bet interaction** — where NRNB applies (four Championship races at Cheltenham 2026), the each-way place schedule applies normally after non-runners have been voided.

### What rivals do differently

**Betfred** runs 6 places on the 2026 Grand National plus daily Super Extra Place Races through the jumps season — on a typical Saturday jumps card, 2–4 races might carry enhanced place terms (5 or 6 places where the standard would be 3 or 4).

**Paddy Power** runs 6 places on the 2026 Grand National, plus enhanced place terms on selected Cheltenham Festival handicaps (often 5 places where the standard would be 4), plus ad-hoc Extra Places promotions on featured Saturday races.

**William Hill** as 2026 Grand National sponsor pays 5 places on the race plus customisable Each Way Extra across all UK and Irish racing.

**Coral** runs daily Extra Places on selected races plus 7 places on Coral-sponsored Cheltenham races (Coral Cup, historically).

**Bet365** runs ad-hoc Extra Places on big Saturday handicaps plus Each Way Extra as the daily tool.

Against these, **Star Sports' place-terms product is materially weaker**. There is no enhanced programme, no customiser, no ad-hoc Saturday extras on featured meetings.

### The practical implications

For each-way punters whose betting is concentrated on:

- **Grand National** — using Star Sports as an each-way account costs you 1 or 2 places of protection vs Betfred, Paddy Power or William Hill. Don't do it.
- **Cheltenham handicaps** — Paddy Power, Coral and Betfred all offer enhanced place terms. Star Sports does not. Use a corporate account for Cheltenham Festival each-way betting.
- **Big Saturday handicaps** generally — the corporates run regular extra-places promotions. Star Sports does not participate.
- **Small field races** — Star Sports' standard terms are equivalent to rivals, because extra-places programmes typically don't apply to small fields anyway. Parity here.

The place-terms gap is one of the clearest reasons why Star Sports is best used as a specialist complement rather than a primary each-way racing account. Use Star Sports for ante-post Championship races (where NRNB applies) and phone-betting at size; use Betfred or Paddy Power for festival each-way betting where the extra-places value sits.

See our [Star Sports each-way terms](/bookmakers/star-sports-each-way/) for the broader context and [full Star Sports review](/bookmakers/star-sports-review/).

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How many places does Star Sports pay on a handicap?

Follow the standard industry schedule: 4 places on handicaps of 16+ runners (1/4 odds), 3 places on handicaps of 12–15 runners (1/4 odds), 3 places on handicaps of 8–11 runners (1/5 odds), 2 places on 5–7 runners (1/4 odds), win-only on 4 or fewer. No enhanced variant.

### Does Star Sports pay extra places on the Grand National?

No. Star Sports pays 4 places on the 2026 Grand National (standard for a 40-runner handicap). Betfred pays 6 places, Paddy Power 6, William Hill 5. This is a notable gap.

### Does Star Sports pay extra places on the Cheltenham Festival?

No systematic programme. Standard industry terms apply. Paddy Power, Coral and Betfred all run enhanced place terms on selected Cheltenham handicaps, Star Sports does not.

### Can I customise my each-way bet at Star Sports?

No. Bet365's Each Way Extra and William Hill's equivalent let you customise the place-fraction trade-off. Star Sports does not have a similar tool.

### What's the Star Sports each-way fraction?

1/4 the odds for handicaps of 12 or more runners and for any field of 5 to 7; 1/5 the odds for everything else of 8 or more, which includes non-handicaps and handicaps of 8 to 11 (standard UK industry terms). Full schedule above.