Soccer Betting
Soccer betting has been around since time immemorial. It’s not hard to imagine that some form of book existed for the game in the medieval world of 12th century England, and quite probably, the Han Chinese practised some form of wagering too.
Some things never change, and the world of professional soccer currently has a huge number of bookies orbiting around it. Wherever betting on sports is legal, the sport of soccer is certain to be represented by vendors.
Contents
Top Online Bookmakers for Betting on Soccer
Folks will have their personal best bookies, and there is certainly no shortage of licensed online bookmakers to choose from. Fans can find their favourite markets with all the reputable brands.
Football
Bonus
£25
Percent
-18+. UK Customers (Excluding NI) only. Cash stakes only. Min £10 stake required for initial £5 free bet. Min odds ½. Max £25 in free bets. Subsequent free bets equal 50% average of each 3 £5 max qualifying bets. 13 settled bets required to receive full £25 free bet. Qualifying bets must be placed on sportsbook within 30 days of opening account. Cashed out bets will not qualify towards your average stake. One free bet offer per customer, household or IP address only. Free bet expires after 7 days. Payment method restrictions apply. 18+. T&Cs apply. | begambleaware.org | gamstop.co.uk
Football
Bonus
£20
Percent
-18+ | New UK players only | Min deposit req. £10 | Certain deposit methods excluded | Pace 1 sport bet (3+ selections) } Excl Horse Racing | Min stake £10 | Max stake £20 | Min odds 2/1 (3.0) for each selection | Max FreeBet £20 for football only | FreeBet valid for 7 days | FreeBet stake not returned | T&Cs apply | begambleaware.org | gamstop.co.uk
Football
Bonus
£30
Percent
-New customers using Promo Code R30 only. Min £10 stake, min odds 1/2, free bets paid as 3 x £10 free bets credited after settlement of first qualifying bet, free bets will expire 30 days after the qualifying bet is placed, payment methods/player/country restrictions apply. 18+ T&C apply | begambleaware.org | gamstop.co.uk | Play Responsibly
Football
Bonus
£30
Percent
300%New Customers only. Registration required. Bet £10* & Get £30* in Free Bets. Sign up, deposit between £5* and £10* to your account and bet365 will give you three times that value in Free Bets when you place qualifying bets to the same value and they are settled. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits. Min odds/bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. +18 | Terms & Conditions time limits & exclusions apply.
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Bookie of the month
The great thing about this abundance of options is that if you can’t find exactly what you’re looking for at your regular bookies, there are a host of other trusted betting websites out there. A few little clicks, and boom!
BoyleSports
The bookie BoyleSports is a dedicated football betting sportsbook that covers all top football leagues. The bookie offers complex and basic football betting markets such as Match Winner and Draw No Bet.
- Pros
- Covers international and domestic markets.
- Offers the best football bonuses.
- Refreshes football events daily.
- Provides access to live football betting services.
- Cons
- Few live football markets.
Bwin
If you are looking to enjoy football betting, Bwin should be your first football betting website. Bwin allows pre-match and live betting with a long list of football markets.
- Pros
- Accepts football live streaming.
- Offers the best football live statistics.
- Guarantees the best pre-match odds.
- Allows access to football live scores.
- Cons
- Live football odds are not compelling.
William Hill
The operator William Hill is a major football betting site. It covers every major league and provides punters with widespread odds.
- Pros
- Offers multiple bet types.
- Allows live betting.
- Supports cash-out
- Offers generous odds.
- Cons
- Few in-play events.
Bet365
The brand Bet365 has an ideal sportsbook for football betting. After all, it has everything needed to place football bets swiftly.
- Pros
- Has the best pre-match fixed odds.
- Offers an incredible football bonus.
- Allows live betting.
- Has a bet builder for Acca betting.
- Cons
- Not enough local events.
Pinnacle
When it comes to the top football betting site, Pinnacle easily fits the profile. It provides punters with fantastic football betting features.
- Pros
- Offers free bets.
- Allows in-play betting.
- Has a football welcome bonus.
- Great football odds.
- Cons
- Lacks enough in-play bet types.
Parimatch
Parimatch has been offering football betting for years. Thanks to the bookie, you can access nearly every EPL event.
- Pros
- Has the best EPL coverage.
- Provides football punters with free bets.
- Offers real-time football results.
- Number of markets per event is massive.
- Cons
- Does not offer multiple football odds.
1xBet
The platform 1xBet is a dependable football betting site with cashback offers and a welcome bonus. Furthermore, the bookie covers Bundesliga and EPL, among other top football tournaments.
- Pros
- Allows in-play live betting.
- Offers punters live football results.
- Provides fantastic football betting tips.
- Great odds.
- Cons
- Few local events.
Most Popular Betting Markets
We all tend to stick with what we know as bettors, but when it comes to wagering on a different sport, it might pay to check out some of the other markets on offer online. Here’s a shortlist of some of the more popular markets out there.
- Half time/Full time
This bet is on which team will be leading at half-time and also which team will win at full-time. It also covers bets for if the teams draw. - Full-time result
The full-time bet is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a straight result bet on the winner, decided once the match time has elapsed. - Correct score
The correct score bet is based on the exact final score of the match, and bookies usually give great odds on the correct prediction. - Double chance
You must correctly predict one of two things happening. For example, you could bet on Villa Real to win or draw. If either occurs, you’ve won the wager. - Goals – Over/Under
Over/Under is sometimes called totals betting. The bookie will set the bar, and the bettor simply opts above or below that number. - Asian Handicap
The Asian version of the handicap guarantees a result by awarding the underdog points in decimals. This means you have a two-way bet since one of the teams must win. - European Handicap
The European handicap is a three-way bet. Since this bet expresses the handicap in whole numbers, it’s possible for there to be a draw, unlike the Asian type in which the handicaps are expressed in fractions of whole numbers. - Both teams to score
BTTS betting is simple yet can get great odds. The call is that both teams will score at least once in the game, and the bet wins. The opposite call is a no-goal bet, where the bet wins if one or both teams fail to score during the match. - Draw no bet
Also known as a 0 handicap or a push bet, the draw no bet option eliminates the third possibility in soccer, namely the draw. If your team wins, you win. If they lose, you lose. If the teams draw, your bet is refunded in full. - Goalscorer
Goalscorer bets come in a range of options, but the basis is a bet on a particular player to score during match time. You can juice it up by adding elements such as scoring first, second, etc. - Winning margin
This bet does two things. To win the bet, you must correctly choose the winning team and also the margin of the victory. So, if you pick Manchester United to win by two, they must be two goals clear for your bet to win. - Outrights
Outrights are wagers on the results of entire tournaments rather than single events. Most often, bookies will give odds before the start of the competition, although some do offer running odds during tournaments.
Why Bet on Soccer?
Here’s our bulleted summary of why you ought to think about placing a bet on an upcoming soccer match with your online bookies.
- Pros:
- It’s a game that rewards close study
- It has tons of action and athleticism
- A wide array of markets and choices
- The truly enormous worldwide betting sector
- The fairly basic format makes for wide appeal
- Cons:
- Learning a new game is sometimes hard
- Some fans may prefer full-contact sports
Important Factors to Consider
A lot of folks think that soccer betting is analogous to pulling a guess out of fresh air, but most bettors know that’s not true. It takes knowledge and rationality to bet successfully, so here is a quick rundown of things you ought to know going in.
Understand the markets on which you bet
When you place a wager, you really ought to understand what it is that you’re betting on. It’s rule one of the wagering handbook. Some bets are quite simple, while others can be more specific than you think.
Be patient and do not chase your losses.
In general life, it’s very easy to get carried away by emotion. In the betting world, being clouded in this way will sting you big time, right in the pocket. You should never place a bet simply to reverse a loss. Only bet what you can afford to lose.
See the form of the teams.
There’s no substitute for knowledge, and one of the surest ways to acquire it is to study the forms closely. What kind of season is the team having? How do they play under certain conditions? What are the past results against certain other teams? These are the things that reward the bettor.
Look at the statistics before the match.
You don’t have to be a nerd to realize that numbers cannot lie. Studying the stats is a must for any serious bettor, and wagering in ignorance of the facts is a fool’s errand for sure. You might get away with it here and there, but it’s a long-term failure.
Consider the home-field advantage.
You may think that one soccer field is much like any other, but you’d be quite wrong. With margins as fine as they are in top-tier sports, psychological advantage becomes very serious. The benefit of a home crowd can even turn some venues into fortresses for the home team.
Concentrating on certain leagues will grow your chances of success.
It’s a truism that certain regions favour particular styles, and so do their referees and officials. It pays the bettor well to narrow down the focus and properly grasp a certain league.
See if there are injured/suspended/missing players.
Teams are composed of individuals, and they work on this basic principle. Individual players are not units that can be swapped in and out but are organic to the whole. Even if an injured player isn’t a star performer, their absence can have serious knock-on effects to the wider team.
Analyze team performance and style.
Watching a team’s seasonal performance is a major must. Things rise and fall, ebb and flow. A team in the ascendancy can be a massive winner to the bettor who spots it correctly. Similarly, the style of play means a lot when two different approaches go head-to-head. It’s really worth keeping an eye on here.
What About Betting In-Play on Soccer?
The in-play option has been a fantastic innovation in the betting world. This couldn’t be more true of soccer.
It’s a sport that turns on a dime, and keeping up with the play-by-play action puts you right inside the game in a way that wasn’t possible before the in-play feature. It also lets you mitigate your margins if your initial bet was off the mark.
Alternatively, it allows you to bolster a winning bet if your chosen team is playing really well. It’s a very popular feature, and it won’t be going anywhere soon.
Our thoughts
It just makes sense to add soccer to your list of betting choices. It’s a game of fast-moving action and incredible skill. Additionally, it gives the bettor so many different angles to work that it naturally lends itself to the world of the wager.
Soccer betting sites have flourished alongside the game because of this, and it isn’t hard to see why. Just take in a game or two, and you’ll soon see what all the fuss is about.
FAQ
How does soccer betting work?
Soccer betting websites differ little from others in that most of the markets will be pretty close to what you’re familiar with. Having said that, each sport will have its own peculiarities, and you should be aware of this going in.
Where to bet on soccer?
There’s an abundance of choice online for the game. In all likelihood, your favourite bookies will have some odds for you. If not, another site definitely will.
Which soccer betting sites should I avoid?
It’s always a good idea to only work with properly licensed and regulated entities online, and this applies to soccer betting sites. Work with sites you can trust, always.
What is a totals bet on soccer?
A totals bet is a bet on the spread given by a bookie. You assess the bookie’s projected outcome and go above or below that number.
Which are the best soccer betting sites?
Most properly regulated and best soccer betting sites will give great odds on a range of markets, but occasionally you’ll have to shop around a bit to find exactly what you’re looking for.
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