Why is there a delay when placing bets?

With in-play markets, Betfair introduce a delay of up to 12 seconds depending upon the specific market and sport.

We do not introduce this delay and there is no way around the delay.

You can see a list of sports and the in-play bet delay Betfair apply to the here on our forum

For details on why Betfair impose delays on in-play bets there websites:

"Why do you have a delay on placing bets on a market that is ‘in-play’?"

Markets usually carry a time delay varying from 1-9 seconds. This delay is in place to allow customers to cancel unmatched orders on the system when there is a change in market conditions. This delay protects both backers and layers and leads to greater liquidity.