Everybody knows football is the most popular sport in the world.
Therefore, it is no surprise that bookmakers offer a line with hundreds of matches and multiple markets for football fans to place bets on daily.
Pros and cons of football betting
Football betting has some advantages but also has a few drawbacks to keep in mind.
Some of the advantages are:
- A huge number of matches to bet on every day – even on weekdays, matches on sports betting platforms can include more than 500 matches!
- Sportsbooks accept in-play (live) bets, and there are up to a thousand such events, every day.
- Unlike tennis and basketball, odds in football do not change rapidly, so you can place a bet with more time to pounce on particular (potentially) favourable odds.
- Lots of betting strategies available along with various betting models for football betting.
The need for research can be seen as a drawback of football betting.
Bettors who want to win should not just read the statistics, but analyze every match and study external factors that could affect the outcome of a game.
Football is full of surprises.
It has happened on a few occasions where key players get injured just before kickoff. Weather conditions also can adversely affect a game.
Changes in coaching staff can affect the team’s system, chemistry and morale too. Therefore, in order to make a successful prediction, one must not only consider the results of the previous games but also follow the news.
Types of football bets
There are lots of outcomes possible when betting on football. Players can bet on:
- Total Goals – overall or individual for each team;
- Handicap – a spread in the score between opponents;
- Match result – a home win, away win or draw;
- Both Teams to Score (BTS) – bet on both teams scoring a goal;
- Correct score – prediction of the match score over regular time (90 minutes).
These are the most common betting options that bettors select when betting on football.
There are also some more options that offer competitive odds, such as predicting the number of corner kicks, fouls, yellow/red cards, shots on target, and the half time score as well.
Choosing a reliable sportsbook is the way of ensuring safe gambling
The matter of choosing a reliable bookmaker must not be ignored.
Competition is huge in the online sports betting space and several companies offer their services on the betting market. Before placing a bet on an online sportsbook, do make sure that it is licensed and regulated. This is the way you will know that the chosen firm is reliable and secure.
You cannot simply get carried away by more favourable terms and conditions. Do not blindly be swayed by bonuses or high odds.
It is important to do thorough research and read the reviews of other bettors and also check the sportsbook’s rating.
Avoid using offshore bookmakers. A few are massive and legitimate, however, their reliability, and safety with your funds, are not as high as that of legal offices due to lax registration rules and ease in regulation as well as legislation.
Tips for bettors
The players/bettors can be split basis different reasons foe deciding to join the world of sports betting –
(i) out of curiosity or to just experience it and learn,
(ii) to bet on their favourite team(s),
(iii) those who enjoy the thrills that come with betting
(iv) make some money by betting.
Just good luck is not enough to succeed in betting. It may be over a short period but more often than not, you will lose if you play the guessing game when it comes to sports betting, especially, football betting.
It is necessary to analyze a lot, do your homework, research whenever possible, review matches, track its history, identify trends and patterns and then determine the strengths and the weaknesses of teams, and how they match up head-to-head.
If you do not have enough energy, time or knowledge to do research, you can identify some predictions of experienced analysts and “tipsters” who are correct on most occasions.
Before every big match, there are plenty of such articles that are available for you to read through and get a sense of what to expect from a game.
Of course, never blindly trust the forecasts but at least you will have some idea and direction before you make your decision on the likely outcome of the game.
Bettors looking for good returns and profits need to take their bets seriously.
If you want to make your hobby profitable, you have no choice but to keep learning and gain some live experience in betting. Start slow and you will eventually find the strategy that works for you or develop your own.
The most important thing is the ability to manage your bankroll. Only bet with money that you can afford to lose.
Betting needs to be treated as fun and not gambling.
