How does football betting work?
The football betting industry is huge: according to Statista, 77.7 billion euros were bet on Premier League matches worldwide in 2023 alone. With so many betting companies and unfamiliar terms, understanding how football betting works can be difficult. That is why we’ve collaborated with Mark Dash of Dashtickets to help you get familiar with the most important aspects of this topic.
The most popular types of bets
When it comes to sports betting, and football in particular, there are lots of possible bets to choose from. Basically, every single variable can serve as the subject of a bet, so there is no reasonable way to describe all of them in one article. Let’s focus on some of the most popular and well-established types of bets instead.
| The most common types of bets | |
| Match odds | By far, this is the most popular type of bet, focusing on the outcome of the match. You bet on a team, and if it wins, you get rewarded |
| Correct score | You bet on the exact outcome of the game in terms of the final score. |
| Over/under | You bet on how many goals, shots, corners, or anything else will occur during a match using the over/under measurement.
For example, you might bet that more than 3 goals will be scored between the two teams. |
| Both teams to score (BTTS) | You bet that no matter the outcome of the match, both teams will score at least once. |
| The first team to score | You bet on the first team to score a goal in the match |
| Accumulator bet | You put several bets together to form a unified prediction, and if every single one of your bets succeeds, you get rewarded.
For example, you might bet that both teams will score, one of the teams will win, and choose the first team to score. In general, accumulator bets mean that you decrease your chances for the win, but increase the potential reward. |
There are multiple other bets you can make: from halftime results and card totals to the first goalscorer and player sent off.
Best betting practices
If you decide to make a bet, remember that there is no perfect strategy and no guaranteed winnings. While some choices seem better than others, and you can expect certain outcomes depending on the team’s history, sports and betting are both extremely random, and anything can happen on the field.
First, before you start betting, make sure to learn all the terminology and rules. For example, if you decide to make an accumulator bet, you should be aware that you won’t get anything even if you predict 4 out of 5 events correctly.
Let’s round this up with a few tips from Mark Dash of DashTickets best casino magazine. Remember that while betting outcomes are mostly random, there are still better and worse decisions to make, and most of the worst ones come from emotional responses.
Next, you should choose a reliable betting company. Take time to research your local market, learn about your options, and stick with the one that is the most trustworthy. We also recommend checking out the company’s and its founders’ history to make sure there were no incidents with payouts in the past.
With that said, your research isn’t over yet. Now that you’ve decided on who to trust your money with, you need to learn more about the teams you’re about to bet on: what is their current roster, how well do they perform this season, who are their most valuable players, what are their strategies, and so on. This will provide you with a better understanding of what you can expect from them.
For example, if the team focuses heavily on their defense, you shouldn’t generally expect them to score many goals. If you want to bet on a certain player scoring a goal, make sure that they aren’t injured and can participate in the game. Your financial decisions should be as well-considered and informed as possible, so make sure to do proper research beforehand.
Finally, we recommend that you restrain yourself and not bet huge sums while you’re still learning. Remember that the healthiest way to get involved in sports entertainment is to assume every bet will be a loss, not a guaranteed profit. Stick to the safest bets first and see how they play out before deciding on your next steps.
A few mistakes to avoid
For example, you shouldn’t bet on a poorly performing team simply because it is your favorite — you might be their most loyal fan, but you won’t support them by losing money to a betting company. You should never chase losses as well — accept that your wager didn’t work out and don’t try to cover it by placing an even larger sum for another risky bet.
Finally, while it might be difficult, try to consider all the circumstances of an upcoming game to make better predictions and bets. Follow the teams’ press releases and latest sports news to make sure you have enough information to work with.
