Gambling terms, explained straight

Racing & Pari-Mutuel

Quinella payout

The money returned to a bettor who correctly named the two runners that place first and second, regardless of which one wins.

Bet type
Quinella (also called quiniela)
How payout is set
Determined by the parimutuel pool, not fixed in advance1
Applies to
Horse racing and greyhound racing1

Key points

  • The bettor picks two runners; the bet wins if they finish first and second in either order.1
  • Because it is parimutuel, the payout depends on the total money wagered in the pool, not on fixed odds.1
  • The same bet type is known as quiniela in some markets and umaren in Japanese racing.1

Where this term is used

Not the same as

  • Quinella — the bet type itself, whereas quinella payout is the money returned when that bet wins
Racing Quinella Explains the bet type itself, where you pick two runners to finish first and second in any order. Racing Superfecta payout Covers the payout for picking the top four finishers in exact order. Racing Quinella vs quinella box Compares the standard quinella with a boxed bet that covers multiple combinations. Racing Trifecta quinella Describes a bet combining trifecta and quinella elements. Racing Quinella wheel Shows how to key one runner with multiple others in quinella bets. Racing Trifecta payout chart Provides typical payout amounts for trifecta bets.

Sources

  1. Parimutuel betting en.wikipedia.org Defines the quinella bet, explains that payouts are parimutuel, and notes the bet applies to horse and greyhound racing.

Sources are drawn from regulators, universities and published research, and each one is labelled with what it actually is — a preprint is not called a paper. Bookmaker and affiliate pages are never cited here, because a page that sells betting is not a neutral authority on it.

Written and maintained by Ellis Warrender, writer and maintainer.

Last updated 28 July 2026. Spotted an error? Tell me and it gets fixed and logged on the corrections page.