Football Review

Introduction to Football Betting

Football, which is also known as soccer, generates the highest number of bets in the online global sports betting market. The sport lends itself to betting for many reasons, and one is the simplicity of the scoring. The key objective is to score more goals than the opposition. The number of shots and corners and amount of possession is periphery. Football is a global sport which means bookmakers can tap into a huge market. Live betting is huge around the world, and many fixtures are shown live on television. Some bookmakers offer live streaming of matches which encourages in-play betting. Bookmakers take down the odds after a key event such as a goal, penalty or red card. The advent of the video assistant referee (VAR) will cause longer suspensions of the odds.

Betting Events

Bookmakers offer odds on a vast number of football leagues, Cup competitions and tournaments. Typically, an online bookmaker will cover over 50 football-playing nations, from each of the continents. The most popular leagues for betting are the Premier League in England and the Champions League. The main domestic leagues in Europe and South America generate plenty of betting interest. The English FA Cup and Europa league are also very popular for betting. There is a boost to betting turnover every two summers. The World Cup and finals of the European Championships are played in a four cycle, so there is a major tournament every other year.

Betting Types

A recent addition to football betting is the Bet Builder facility. Customers can create a personal bet which combines several match outcomes. These events are often related, so the odds are adjusted downwards accordingly. Bookmakers publish odds for upcoming matches some days in advance. There is plenty of time to place pre-match bets, and the odds can fluctuate. Once a match begins, betting moves to the in-play environment. Cash out betting allows customers to close a bet to guarantee a win or limit the loss. Bookmakers publish ante-post betting on many leagues and Cup competitions. The most popular for this betting type is the English Premier League.

Football Markets

The match result after 90 minutes is the most bet on market. Other popular options include the total number of goals and handicaps. Customers can bet on markets for corners, cards and bands of goals. Bookmaker also offer more exotic markets such as the correct score and first scorer. These are popular bets because they have the potential to produce a decent win from a small stake. Most markers are available for the full 90 minutes and the first half of a fixture.