How to play a cricket exchange on Lotus365
An exchange is not a bookmaker, and almost every first-week loss comes from treating it like one. Back and lay with real rupee numbers, what exposure is, how session markets settle, and a demo walkthrough you can follow with the Demo button open.
The short version
- Back is betting something happens. Lay is betting it does not. On a lay you risk the liability, not the stake.
- Blue box is back, pink box is lay. The number is decimal odds. Your profit on a back is stake times (odds minus one).
- Exposure is the most you can lose on open bets. The panel locks it out of your balance.
- Session markets settle every few overs and reopen. They move money ten times faster than match odds.
- Do the demo first. Place one back, one lay, watch exposure change. Ten minutes.
- Decide your stake before the toss, set your stake buttons to match, turn one-click betting off.
Exchange versus bookmaker, in one paragraph
At a bookmaker you bet against the house. The house sets the price and takes the other side. On an exchange you bet against other users. The panel only matches a back bet from one person with a lay bet from another, and charges a commission on net winnings. That is why you see two columns of prices, why the prices move every ball, and why you can take the "bookmaker" side yourself by laying.
Everything on this page follows from that one fact. The blue and pink boxes, exposure, unmatched bets, cash out: all of it is machinery for matching strangers against each other. Once you see it that way the screen stops being confusing.
Screenshot slot: market listBack and lay, with the numbersIndia versus Australia, match odds. Prices as shown on the demo on 4 November 2026.
Back India at 1.72
You stake ₹1,000 on India to win. Odds 1.72 means every ₹1 returns ₹1.72 if India win.
If India win: you get back ₹1,720. Profit ₹720, before commission.
If India lose: you lose your ₹1,000 stake. Nothing more.
Risk ₹1,000 to win ₹720.
Lay India at 1.74
You stake ₹1,000 that India do not win. You are the bookmaker for someone backing India at 1.74.
If India lose: you keep their stake. Profit ₹1,000, before commission.
If India win: you pay their winnings: ₹1,000 times (1.74 minus 1) = ₹740. That ₹740 is your liability.
Risk ₹740 to win ₹1,000.
Lay liability is stake times (odds minus one). At odds of 1.74 it is less than the stake. At odds of 5.0 on an outsider it is four times the stake, and that is how people lose ₹4,000 on what they thought was a ₹1,000 bet. The panel shows the liability before you confirm; read it every time.
Exposure, and why your balance looks wrong
Exposure is the worst case across all your open bets. The moment a bet is matched, the panel subtracts your worst case from the balance you can use and shows it next to Balance in the top bar. Back ₹1,000 on India: exposure ₹1,000. Lay India at 1.74 for ₹1,000: exposure ₹740. Do both at once and the panel nets them, because they cannot both lose.
Three things follow. You cannot withdraw exposure, only free balance, which is why a withdrawal can be refused while your balance "shows the money". Exposure on a session market changes every ball, so the number in the top bar jumps around during play. And if exposure equals balance, every new bet is rejected until something settles, which new users read as a bug.
| You do | Balance | Exposure | Free to bet or withdraw |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deposit ₹5,000 | ₹5,000 | ₹0 | ₹5,000 |
| Back India ₹1,000 at 1.72 | ₹5,000 | ₹1,000 | ₹4,000 |
| Lay 6-over runs ₹500 at 1.90 | ₹5,000 | ₹1,450 | ₹3,550 |
| Session settles, you win ₹500 | ₹5,500 | ₹1,000 | ₹4,500 |
| India win, you get ₹720 | ₹6,220 | ₹0 | ₹6,220 |
Session markets: where the money moves
Match odds settle once, at the end. A session market settles on a slice of the match: runs in the first six overs, runs at the fall of the next wicket, total fours, the score at ten overs. It is listed as a line, say 48.5 runs in six overs, with a yes price and a no price, and on Lotus365 those appear in the same blue and pink boxes: back the line to go over, lay it to go under.
Three properties make session markets different from everything else on the screen. They settle in minutes, not hours, so a losing position is confirmed quickly and the urge to make it back arrives while the next session is already open. The line moves every ball, so a price that looked good at the start of the over is gone two deliveries later, and unmatched bets pile up. And the commission on net winnings applies to each settlement, so a player who wins and loses alternate sessions pays commission on the wins and eats the losses in full.
None of this is hidden. It is simply fast, and fast is where limits break. If you play sessions at all, play them from the stake buttons you set in advance, with one-click off, for one match, and stop when the match ends. The responsible gaming page is not a formality here.
The demo walkthroughOpen the Demo button on the login screen and follow along. Nothing here is real money.
Screenshot slot: demo button- Tap Demo under Login. The panel opens with a play balance and the same in-play list a real ID sees.
- Open any live match and find Match Odds at the top. Note the two prices per team: blue on the left, pink on the right, and the small number under each, which is how much money is waiting at that price.
- Tap a blue box. A bet slip opens. Type ₹1,000, read the line that says Profit, and tap Place. Watch Exposure in the top bar become ₹1,000.
- Tap the pink box on the same team. Type ₹1,000, read the line that now says Liability, and notice it is less than ₹1,000 if the odds are under 2.0. Place it. Watch exposure change again, and notice it did not simply add up.
- Scroll to a session market, the runs line for the current over block. Place a small back on the line. Watch it settle within a few overs and see the balance move.
- Open Account, then Bets and read your own bets back: matched or unmatched, stake, odds, profit or liability. This is the screen you will use to understand any dispute later.
Unmatched bets
If you place a bet at a price nobody is offering, it sits as Unmatched until someone takes it or you cancel it. In fast markets this is how people think they are in a bet and are not. Check the Bets screen, and cancel anything unmatched before the next ball if you did not mean to leave it there.
Five first-week mistakes, in the order we see them
| Mistake | What it costs | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| Laying an outsider at high odds without reading liability | Several times the intended stake | Read the Liability line on the slip. If it is more than you would stake, lower the stake or back instead. |
| One-click betting left on | Bets placed by a mis-tap during a session | Account, Settings, one-click off. Confirm every bet. |
| Chasing a lost session in the next session | The whole balance by the end of the innings | One match, one deposit, stop when the match ends. Write the loss down and leave. |
| Default stake buttons | ₹5,000 placed when ₹500 was meant | Set four buttons that match your limit before the first bet. The register page shows where. |
| Cashing out at the wrong moment | Locking in a loss that would have reversed | Cash out is a price, not a rescue. Use it to lock a profit on a position you no longer want, not to end a losing one in panic. |
Exchange questions
What is the difference between back and lay?
Back is betting that something happens, like a bookmaker bet. Lay is betting that it does not, taking the other side of someone's back. On a lay you risk the liability, stake times (odds minus one), not the stake.
What does exposure mean?
The most you can lose on your open bets right now. The panel locks it out of your balance until the markets settle.
What is a session market?
A market on a slice of the match, such as runs in six overs. It settles in minutes and reopens, which is why it moves money fast and where most first-week losses happen.
What is commission?
A percentage of net winnings on each settled market, charged by the panel. Set by the agent; ours showed it in the Account statement next to each settlement.
Why is my bet unmatched?
Nobody is offering your price. It waits until someone does or you cancel it. In live markets cancel anything you did not mean to leave.
Can I lose more than my balance?
No. The panel refuses any bet whose worst case exceeds your free balance. You can, however, lose the whole balance, and sessions make that quick.
Is the demo the same as the real panel?
Same markets, same prices, same screens, play money. The only difference is that nothing settles into your bank.