Football Betting Guide

Football

Considering the pure exhilaration of watching each passing minute, almost all kinds of sports can be delightful, especially when you have some money riding on it. Case in point: there's nothing more exciting than watching your favourite footy team earn a big win in the league while you collect a hefty real money payout. In the past, a visit to the bookies was usually associated with betting on the horses. However, football betting has become a huge attraction in the UK since the explosion of Internet gambling and thanks to several top sportsbooks on the web, British punters can now earn big money on every game.

Then again, betting on footy is not a new phenomenon to punters in the UK. Football Pools have existed for nine decades, where hundreds of thousands of eager fans would fill in weekly coupons, in an attempt to foretell the results for Saturday afternoon and with hopes of winning a cash prize. According to an estimate from 2013, the sports betting industry (both legal and illegal markets) generated a total of around £435 billion - £625 billion, per year. Approximately 70% of which was directed from bets made on football.

Regular season match betting is popular with many fans of the sport, as they back their club to the final week of the domestic competition. While football fans can enjoy placing real cash wagers on weekly Premier League action in the United Kingdom, there are also La Liga fixtures, European and international tournaments to take into account as well.

Football betting has an obvious advantage in that a large percentage of the British public know the game and closely follow a particular team, which means all of that information can feed into smart real cash wagers.

How To Bet On Football

Perhaps the best part about football betting - apart from actually collecting those lucrative cash payouts - is the massive range of bets available to the punter. While placing bets in Asia means being restricted to a rather incomplete range, the selection of opportunities for the UK and Europe is far more than the conventional and basic choices of win or lose. Online sportsbooks have outdone themselves with the number of football wagers offered, so if you are thinking about taking a punt on an upcoming match be sure to find out what sort of wagers you can expect, but here are a few common bets you can expect:

  • Fractional/decimal odds on who will win the match, e.g. 1/4 for Chelsea to win means every bet of £4 will win you £1 of real cash
  • Goal line (also known as over/under) bets are a wager on whether more or less than a certain number of goals will be scored by both teams
  • Match specials e.g. Ronaldo to score the first goal, two players to score in the first half and so on

In addition, bettors have the option to bet on the possibility of a draw. When you compare with other sports, this is much more common outcome in football, which is why it's offered as a bet. There are also plenty of unique betting options for regular season matchups, from halftime score all the way through to the number of corners. If you’re fascinated by the prospect of turning a few quid into hundreds, there’s no reason that could keep you from betting on football. There are a few pointers which can certainly boost your winnings and even benefit you in the long run:

  • Don’t Choose Based On Odds: It may be difficult not to consider odds when you’re picking your teams, since bigger odds mean better wins. But then again, odds only sway your judgement, just choose the result you believe is most likely to occur.
  • Stop Betting On Low Odds: There’s no sense in enduring a match with miserable odds, they don’t increase your winnings by much. Plus, given the regular shake-ups and surprises, you may possibly lose out because you wished to make a little extra.
  • Consider Betting On Draws: Why forget the fact that every game does not finish when a team wins or loses. Draws are an obvious possibility, and often offer superior value.

Understanding The Odds

Football

Simply put, odds are the probability or chance of a particular outcome to occur in an event. Bookkeepers assign prices or form odds to reflect the chance or likelihood of an outcome. Rather than utilising percentages, bookies use odds. Generally, online bookmakers provide punters the option of the type of odds they want to use.

Decimal Odds

Bearing in mind their popularity in Europe, Decimal Odds are also known as European odds. To covert a percentage chance to decimal odds, simply divide 100 by expected your percentage. For example, if Arsenal has a 40% chance of winning, 100/20 = 5. If Arsenal wins the match, for every £1, you will receive £5. This includes your original stake.

Fractional Odds

These are the odds popular with bookies in the United Kingdom. If we consider the previous example, the fractional odds will be 4/1. Meaning, for every single win, you can also lose 4 times. Same as declaring a 20% chance of winning and 80% of losing. In the event of Arsenal’s win, you pocket £5, which includes £1 stake and £4 winnings.

Where To Bet On Football

Betting on football is extremely common in bricks and mortar bookies on UK high streets. You'll find a range of different match specials, which vary from bookie to bookie, which can sometimes result in top real money wins. But you'll find a much wider range of possible wagers on the web:

  • For an individual game, the best online sportsbooks in excess of 200 different possible bets
  • Because sports betting sites on the Internet take in much more money than your local bookie, they're careful to update odds in real-time
  • Live betting is available on most betting sites, but can't always be found in offline establishments

Making a selection for the best bookmaker depends on a number of factors, e.g. the country you reside in, the betting markets you prefer or the size of stake you fancy. Certain punters hunt actively for bonuses, some are merely interested in landing a great joining offer. In other cases, securing the best odds is the highest priority, since they are crucial to building long term profits. In general, you’ll always find an excellent online sportsbook, which is safe and secure, that offers terrific lines and wonderful service that suit your liking.

Did You Know?

If you can't get enough football action, some sites on the web offer virtual football betting. Once you've placed your bets, an advanced video game style simulation runs to predict the score.

Why Bet On Football?

Put simply, it's one of the best choices if you're looking to try sports betting and get out of the online casino. Football betting has an obvious advantage in that a large percentage of the British public know the game and closely follow a particular team. All of that information can feed into the real cash wagers you place and potentially help you get some wins.

For those who don't follow a team, online sportsbooks offer odds on who will win tournaments and cups well before the competition is concluded. You can bet on the outcome of the Premier League and the World Cup long before the tournament takes place, often at very lucrative odds. Yes, you'll need a bit of luck to predict who will top the league tables, but there's so much football on that practicing your betting is a doddle.

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