How to Bet on Football

Brits and other sports bettor throughout Europe might bet on a variety of sports markets, but one person would be hard-pressed to find any of them who wouldn’t be just as happy to always bet on football (soccer). It’s Europe’s single most important betting pastime, setting aside horse racing.

If you have an interest in betting on football or would like to improve your betting performance when betting on football, the following should serve as a guide to point you in the right direction. As easy as it might seem to place bets, there’s a whole lot more to it if you wish to improve your chances of winning through an understanding of the process.

Where to Bet

Depending on where you live, you might always have the option of stopping in one of the local betting shops to place your football bets on the way home from work or play. You might even enjoy the opportunity to sit in the shop and watch a match or two with your buddies. Of course, it’s just as likely you live in an area where getting to a betting shop is not always easy or convenient.

Good news! Thanks to the laws of the land and the Internet, you can wager on football from home or just about anywhere else you might be if you have a mobile device. Many of the betting shop operators throughout the region also run licensed and reputable online sports books. Additionally, there are a number of top online betting sites that also carry a license with the U.K. Gambling Commission and provide bettors with access to a complete menu of football markets from around the globe. Or you can even check out who we’ve rated as the best football betting site. When you bet online, not only do you get access to so many markets, but you have the option of using a variety of free bets to use on football. This helps you get even more out of your online betting experience.

Becoming a Better Handicapper

In order to become a better football bettor who is capable of winning a larger portion of your bets, there’s a couple of things you need to understand about betting on football. You have to avoid simply betting on your favourite team(s) and players or you will go broke if that’s your sole reason for choosing the team. The heart will blind the brain at every stop. Secondly, remember, you can’t always depend on the advice of the so-called experts. If you pay for tips, then their motivation for giving advice or selling tips is money, money and more money. If you pay a tipster or tout cash for their picks, they win without placing a bet and you are already out of pocket before even placing a bet. Will you get a refund if they are wrong? Unlikely.

The best way to become a better football bettor is to do the work necessary to become a handicapper. With seemingly unlimited access to free statistical information about every player on every team in every league within every country, there really is very little reason why you need to guess or pay others for information about the matches and teams you wish to bet. Hard work, when possible, can yield rewarding results.

How to Bet on Football

By gaining a better understanding of what your betting options might be, you should gain valuable knowledge about how to bet on football. In this day and age, you will find that most online bookmakers are able to provide a complete menu of betting markets from all over the world. Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Spain and the US, these are all countries with top-level professional football leagues. You can see the betting scope is not confined to the Premiere League or Champions League.

These same bookmakers also offer a complete menu of betting options. Here is a quick review of the betting terminology most bookmakers, bettors and handicappers tend to use.

Single – This is a straight bet on one team in one match at odds determined by the bookmaker.

Accumulator – This is a bet that includes multiple teams from multiple events. In order for the bettor to win this bet, all games on the ticket must be winners. The bookmaker determines the odds for each individual event with the final payout on the accumulator being determined by multiplying all of the odds together. Accumulator bets take some practice, so find out more about what they are read our guide to accumulator betting strategies here.

3-Way Money-line – On football matches where a tie outcome is possible, a 3-way money-line is typically set by the bookmaker. The bettor will have the option to bet on team A, team B or the tie. This type of wager is usually available for league games and in the early rounds of important tournaments and playoffs.

2-Way Money-line – On football matches where a tied outcome is not possible, bookmakers will revert to a 2-way money-line. The bettor will only have the option of betting on team A or team B. This type of betting format is predominately used during the later rounds of important tournaments or playoffs when the teams are playing under do-or-die circumstances.

Betting Lines – In lieu of setting odds on a game, some bookmakers will post a betting line. This is a goal differential that is applied to either team to determine a winner. If the differential is a half goal, it removes the effect of a tie. Example: Manchester United might be a 1.5 goal favourite over Manchester City. If the bettor bets on Manchester United at -1.5 goals and the Manchester United wins the game 2-1, they actually become the losing side after subtracting 1.5 goals.

Betting Totals (Over/Under) – As a way of creating more betting opportunities, bookmakers will make a line on the total number of goals to be scored by both teams combined. Once the total and associated odds are set, bettors can bet that the match will go over that total or under that total. This is a great betting option for handicappers who can’t effectively separate the teams, but have a sense of how well or poorly the offences and defences will play. If this interests you, then you can read more about over/under betting strategies here.

Proposition Bets (Prop Bets) – These are betting options developed by bookmakers to give bettors the opportunity to wager on player or individual team performance. A typical prop bet might list player A at certain odds to have a certain amount of shots on goal.

With the information provided above, you will hopefully have the framework to start the process of becoming a better football bettor.

Above all, you should focus on having fun, being careful and enjoying football betting safely and responsibly.