Best Football Betting Sites - The Most Trusted Bookmakers
If you are serious about punting, it's essential to find the best football betting sites. There are hundreds of bookmakers out there, but how to recognize the best ones? Our expert bettors test, rate and review bookmakers to recommend the most reputable and trustworthy options.
At Topfootballbettingsites.co.uk we are regularly checking for free bets and promotions, available competitive odds, better in-play and mobile experience and more. All of the football betting sites we rank are licensed and have a strong reputation in the UK. Now, let's get straight to our top rated website ranking!
Top Football Betting Sites in the UK for 2024
| # | Bookie | Advantages | Markets | Bonus | Rating | Review | Bet | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Betway |
|
100+ | Get Up To £10 in Free Bets | 10/10 | Betway Review | Claim Now | |
| 2 | Unibet |
|
90+ | Bet £10 Get £40 in Bonuses | 9/10 | Unibet Review | Claim Now | 18+. BeGambleAware.org. New GB customers only. Min £10 debit card deposit. Place a £10+ bet at Evens or greater (2.0) each leg on Sports within 7 days. Opt in for £20 in free bets and £20 Casino Bonus. Valid for 7 days. Geographical restrictions and T&C’s apply. #AD |
| 3 | bet365 |
|
110+ | Up to £30* in Free Bets | 8/10 | bet365 Review | Claim Now | Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply. #AD |
| 4 | Betfred |
|
40+ | Bet £10 get up to £50 | 8/10 | Coming Soon | Claim Now | |
| 5 | 10bet |
|
110+ | 50% up to £50 |
8/10 | 10bet Review | Claim Now | New bettors; Code SPORT; Wager deposit & bonus 8x; Max qualifying bet stake=initial bonus; Valid 60 days; Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply; T&C apply; 18+ |
| 6 | Grosvenor |
|
60+ | 100% Odds Boost Token | 8/10 | Coming Soon | Claim Now | |
| 7 | 32Red |
|
50+ | Get up to £150 | 8/10 | Coming Soon | Claim Now | |
| 8 | William Hill |
|
130+ | Bet £10 and Get £30* in Free Bets | 8/10 | William Hill Review | Claim Now | *New customers using Promo Code P30 only, min £10/€10 stake, min odds 1/2, free bets paid as 2 x £15/€15 (30 days expiry), free bet/payment method/player/country restrictions apply. |
| 9 | Casumo |
|
40+ | 50% back on your first bet up to £25 | 8/10 | Coming Soon | Claim Now |
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How We Rate the Football Betting Sites
In our review process, we test certain features to ensure the selection of the best bookmakers.
Competitive oddsThis is the least a sportsbook can do, and if they offer above-average odds, they certainly get bonus points for that.
Market variety Having plenty of choices is a key factor in influencing our choice of bookmaker. The more markets football betting sites offer, the better the experience.
Bonuses and promotions Incentives matter, and bookies are competing to incentivise us. When bookmakers compete, punters win.
Customer support Nobody thinks about customer support until they need it. We think about it all the time, and we test it as well.
Live betting and streaming In-play betting has become a staple of online betting, but some bookmakers’ live services are way better than others.
Betting apps Mobile betting significantly enhances the online experience, and no doubt, we need to test the apps and mobile sites.
Betway
Pros:
- A huge range of games and odds
- Football-specific offers and promos
- You can earn free bets
Cons:
- Some of the popular live markets are missing
- Live streaming options are limited
- Some pages are difficult to read
The Betway brand covers many different ways of betting, so it’s no surprise to see football well-represented here. You can find all the top leagues and tournaments from around the planet, so you’ll almost always find a selection of live games to choose from. Enter a game and you’ll see many ways of betting, with markets like total goals scored, first goalscorer and so on. The Cash Out button gives you the option of collecting your current winnings and closing the bet.
There’s a wide range of promotions to help you get started smoothly when you join. A welcome offer lets your first deposit go further, while you can also pick up ongoing deals. Their offers include free bets and accumulator deals. Since football is so popular on this site, it’s no surprise to see that many of their best promotions are based on this sport.
Since the site is packed with information, it can take a moment to find what you’re looking for, but once you’re up and running you should find it easy to use and get around. The Betway mobile app is a smart choice if you want to be able to access their bets anywhere you go.
In terms of banking, many of the most trusted online payment methods are accepted for deposits and withdrawals. If you have doubts about this or any other part of the site, you can find the information you need in the online help section.
Unibet
Pros:
- Odds boosts available
- Attractive website
- Lots of football on their live-streaming service
Cons:
- Lack of football promotions at the time of writing
- Some of their offers are of limited value
- Not all banking methods are accepted
If you decide to look for the latest football odds on the Unibet site, you’ll find an attractive layout where each of the sports they cover is listed down the side of the screen. There’s no surprise in the fact that football has the largest number of bets of all sports, and you just need to click on this category to see live and upcoming games.
All the major leagues are here, from the EPL to the Bundesliga and more. You can also gamble on Champion’s League games and internationals. As you’d expect, there are many ways of betting on these games, from the outright winner to specific details such as corners awarded and cards given out.
Getting started with Unibet football betting is simple, as you just need to follow a short signup process and then make your first deposit. At this point, you’ll be asked to accept the welcome bonus that gets you off to a flying start with the chance to make a free bet. The list of payment methods isn’t particularly long but pretty much all of the most popular banking methods used by British gamblers are accepted.
This is a good all-around betting site that should appeal to football fans as well as people who want to bet on other sports.
bet365
Pros:
- Range of promos for 18+ players, T&Cs apply
- Football is strongly featured
- Bet builders can be used
Cons:
- Can be awkward to locate some information
- Some 18+ offers where T&Cs apply require high odds on wagers
- Bank transfer withdrawals may be slow
Another of the biggest names in the UK sports betting market, bet365 covers just about any football game you might want to look for odds on, with a wide selection of live betting on games going ahead just now. They cover many other sports, too, but it’s football that might catch your eye thanks to the big selection of games from different leagues and cups.
The process of signing up and placing the first bet I found to be extremely simple. In next to no time, I was ready to place my first wager. They offer numerous ways of betting, with the bet builder option proving to be a good way of creating interesting wagers with different elements.
Live-streamed games are available, which you might find makes it easier to bet on live games. In addition, they have useful cashout and bet boost offers that you might like to check out. The site is easy to get around and their customer support team can be contacted 24/7 in several ways whenever you need a helping hand.
Overall, it’s a slick and professional approach to sports betting, with an emphasis on safety and security, that’s likely to give you something you’re interested in gambling on.
Betfred
Pros:
- Many sports, including football
- Daily price boosts are available
- Good range of bonuses
Cons:
- Mobile access can be slow
- Not a lot of football-specific promotions
- Withdrawals can take up to 48 hours in processing time
The Betfred website is one of the easiest to use, with the home page giving you links to the latest football bets, their current promotions and all the other information that you need quick access to. A bar at the top of the screen lets you go directly to the rest of the betting options they offer, while footie fans can just look for that sport on the sidebar.
Once you enter the football betting section, you’ll find the Champions League, the Europa League and all of the other top games coming up. As you’d expect, the options include betting on live games taking place at the time and others that will be getting played later.
All of the key features that are important in the online sports betting market are present here, meaning that you can cash out early and will find a good variety of live streams offered at all times. The first thing you need to do is register, which only takes a moment and leads you to the deposit process and the chance to collect a welcome bonus.
Betfred has an intuitive layout where you can quickly and easily find any open bets and cash out if it suits you. They also have a solid welcome offer where you can collect free bets, followed by other promotions, with football accas included.
10bet
Pros:
- Good-looking website
- Sizable welcome bonus for newcomers
- Easy-to-use mobile app
Cons:
- Some deposit methods may be slower than others
- Not many football promotions listed
- Not all e-wallet deposits are eligible for the welcome offer
The 10bet home page has a strong focus on football, letting you see right away that they offer plenty of ways of betting on this sport. Choose the live bets tab and you’ll see the matches that are in progress or just about to kick off.
At the time of writing, the welcome bonus gives newcomers 100% extra, up to £50, with 8x wagering requirements and you have 60 days to use it. Other offers you might like the look of on their promotions page include boosts to winning accumulators and the chance to pick up free bets if more than a certain number of goals is scored in selected games.
There’s also currently a deal that encourages you to try their mobile app, as it gives you a £5 free bet when you wager £30 in this way. The live streaming is based mainly on horse racing, but you’ll also find some footie games, and all you need to enjoy live action is an account with funds in it.
Instant deposits can be made from £10 upwards using any of the typical methods such as debit cards and e-wallets. Withdrawals have a processing time of up to a couple of days and they can be carried out with many of the same methods.
Grosvenor
Pros:
- Lots of information for new members
- Their blog has news and tips
- No free bet welcome offer
Cons:
- The responsible gambling section is rather short
- Live streaming options are limited
- Just a few banking methods accepted
It’s easy to find the latest football odds at Grosvenor, with all the top leagues from Europe and beyond included on the list of games. The handy guides on the site let anyone completely new to sports betting understand right away what it’s all about.
The promos are split between casino and sports offers. For new members, the welcome bonus gives double the regular odds on any sports bet rather than a free wager. After that, ongoing offers are split between sports, with not a lot based on football games. However, they have a prediction game where you can win prizes by guessing how certain matches will end.
The site has all the details you need to know in terms of practical issues like how to make deposits and how to carry out responsible gambling. You should also find some interesting news and betting tips on their blog that lets you work out what wagers you might want to place next.
Make your first deposit using debit cards like Visa or Mastercard or e-wallets, including PayPal and ApplePay. The paysafecard gives you the option of using a prepaid card to fund your account, although you need to consider how you’re going to get out your winnings if you use this method.
32Red
Pros:
- A bright and attractive website
- Cash out lets you grab profits before the game ends
- Excellent customer support
Cons:
- Not all payment methods qualify for the welcome bonus
- Few promos for footie fans
- Lack of football on live-streaming
The 32Red brand is well-respected in the online gambling world, so it’s no surprise to find that their sports betting site is well-designed and easy to use. Everything is done professionally here, from the registration process to the ways they offer instant answers with 24/7 customer support.
Banking can be done using e-wallets and a variety of different debit cards. It’s worth noting that bank transfers can only be used for withdrawals and not for depositing money, while the prepaid paysafecard is only for deposits and not withdrawals. With a UK license, you can trust this site to look after you.
When you look through the live and upcoming odds, you’ll find a handy search facility that lets you look through the teams and leagues listed. Games and tournaments from many countries are included, and you just need to click on any of them to open up a betting slip.
The 32Red promotions are fairly limited at the time of writing, with an odds boost available on horse racing but not on football games. However, their use of competitive odds and the way you can build bets makes it a worthwhile site if you love betting on sports.
William Hill
Pros:
- Lots of ways of betting
- Ask for any odds you want
- Various promos boost football odds
Cons:
- Not many free bet options at the time of this review
- You might get a chatbot rather than a human on live chat
- Some people might find it difficult to navigate
This major betting brand has a site that’s packed with ways to bet and useful information but remains user-friendly and relatively uncluttered. Their football section is filled with all the biggest games as well as many relatively minor matches from around the different corners of the planet.
There are quite a few promotions listed, and a few of them are based on footie matches. You can even contact their team to ask them to create a price for any wager you have in mind. There’s also an odds boost and an acca boost available for football games.
Banking is always a key issue when betting online, and William Hill accepts deposits from a variety of sources, with many of the same methods accepted for withdrawals, too. Their banking process is fast and smooth, but you should bear in mind that each of these methods takes differing amounts of time.
Customer support is important in any betting site and William Hill has an extremely comprehensive help section that’s neatly divided into sections. Live chat is the quickest way to speak to someone and it’s open on a 24/7 basis. As a UK-regulated operator, they’re going to ask you to verify your identity but they make it as easy as possible to do so.
Casumo
Pros:
- Numerous ways of betting on football matches
- Welcome bonus refunds 50% of losing bets
- Good, responsible gambling information
Cons:
- Just a few deposit methods
- No live streaming
- No ongoing sports betting promos
With Casumo, you get a bright and welcoming where the live events are listed on the home page for you to jump straight into. Their football betting is comprehensive, with many different bet types like outright winner, total goals and next goal some of the most popular options.
To get started, you’ll need to go through a short registration process, and then you’ll get 50% up to £25 if your first bet doesn’t win. As with all sports betting offers, you should be sure to check the T&Cs carefully before going ahead. At the time of writing, there are no other sports betting offers for you to grab.
They’ve clearly worked hard to make this a welcoming site that’s simple to get to grips with. The wealth of responsible gambling information is also good to see. Live sports are one of Casumo’s strong points and it’s easy to place a bet as the action is taking place.
Banking is done through a relatively small number of accepted deposit and banking methods. However, the positive aspect of this is that you can be sure that they only use the most reputable cards and e-wallets for moving money in and out. As an operator that’s historically been focussed on their casino, we might see their sports betting offering improve over time.
The Variety of Football Betting Markets
Value in everyday markets should be matched with choice, and when it comes to online football betting, that means a wide range of markets from each bookmaker. Moreover, the best online bookmaker for football should provide variety in both the types of bets and the available championships.
What Are the Most Popular Football Bets?
We have listed here the most popular football bets in no particular order. Some of these wagers are just popular with football fans, while others are unique to the sport.
Straight resultAlso known as 1X2, this is the simple case of betting on a win or a draw.
Individual goalscorers These bets have been around since before the Internet had even been dreamt of. We’re talking about separate bets for first, last and anytime scorers. In addition, the rise of live football betting sites has given us the new option of ‘next goalscorer’.
Total goals Football betting sites list a number of goal lines, starting at 0.5 and finishing at around 10.5 or possibly higher. Punters must then decide whether to go over or under a line and stake accordingly. There is an additional option for the exact number of goals, but this is much harder to predict and, as a result, is less popular.
Correct score It can be challenging to predict the exact outcome, but this type of bet is popular because the odds for an accurate prediction can be very high. When it comes to football betting sites, UK-based firms are very competitive on this particular bet, and it's widely available across sportsbooks.
Both Teams to Score (BTTS) This wager requires the bettor to decide whether both teams to score during the match in question. It's also possible to stake on either side to score in that game. As with any market that is related to goals, a quick look at a team's scoring record over recent matches offers strong indicators as to whether the bet will be successful.
Discipline bets You can’t bet on whether there will be a yellow card in a specific match, as they are incredibly common, but it is possible to bet on the odds of a send off. A small selection of football betting sites also publish a market on whether a specific player will get a yellow card.
Handicap bets Handicap bets are good to leverage both risk and profit. Additionally, they are excellent for betting on matches where the winner is evident.
Top Football Championships and Leagues to Bet On
In addition to bet types, there is another aspect of markets which is very important to football punters – the availability of championships and leagues. Nowadays, the best football betting sites offer competitions from all over the world, and there is coverage of games even in the most remote parts of the planet. However, some leagues and tournaments will always be more popular than others. Here are the competitions that remain the main focus for all football betting sites:
At the start of the 1992/93 season, the best teams in England broke away and formed the Premier League. More than 25 years later, the league has grown to become one of the best. When it comes to football betting, UK sportsbooks always give the EPL extensive coverage.
The FA Cup is much older than the Premier League, but it's just as prestigious. Every club under the auspices of the Football Association takes part, and when the teams reach the finals in May, it’s one of the highlights of the sporting year.
The top division in Spain features two giants of world football – Barcelona and Real Madrid. Some of the greatest players in the game compete in this league. Since it's such a big draw for spectators, it also gets a lot of attention from football betting sites across the web.
This is the biggest domestic cup competition in Spain. Once again, Barca and Real feature heavily. The nation’s football is competitive, with Atletico Madrid and Sevilla providing stiff opposition, so this is an important area for the online football betting industry.
This is the top Italian division, and the best football bookies have hundreds of markets available. In the modern era, Juventus have been a dominant force, but there are challenges from top teams such as Inter and AC Milan.
This is the biggest knockout competition here, and the sportsbooks are particularly active when this competition reaches its later stages. Its first edition was held in 1922. Juventus is the competition's most successful club with 13 wins.
The Champions League (UCL) features the winners of European divisions and the top-placed teams below them. This event is highly significant for football betting sites UK, as it is one of the biggest events in the entire sporting calendar and when they are busiest.
This tournament features strong teams that finished just outside the Champions League qualifying places. Once again, this competition proves to be a big draw for the best football betting sites, offering numerous betting opportunities throughout the long tournament.
These are the main markets to look out for, so let’s now take a look at the top football betting sites marketwise:
How to Assess the Best Betting Odds
Which betting site is best for football? There are many ways to approach this question. All bettors need to know that they are getting good value for their money. So, the first point to consider is whether the football betting sites have regular odds that keep pace with the rest of the industry. If you are doing the research yourself, there are two ways of carrying it out, and the first is to head over to the main odds-comparison websites.
You can compare betting odds at a glance there, but the problem is that the football betting sites listed tend to be only the established brands. That's a good start, but the newer brands aren’t covered, which means punters could be missing out on great value.
The only way to address this issue is to identify the online football betting site that you want to assess and check the prices yourself. This doesn't need to be a long process: Just pick a top football match and look at the odds for the results and a couple of prop bets, such as the first goalscorer. You’ll quickly see, by assessing the options, whether the bookie is competitive or not.
The value that can be found in regular, everyday odds can also be lifted by price boosts and this option is available on the best UK football betting sites. While not essential, they are excellent bonuses to have when it comes to choosing a bookmaker.
Betting Offers and Promotions
We’ve seen how value for money comes from competitive odds, but there are other ways for good football bookmakers to give their customers a little boost. Offers and promotions can take many forms, but the object of all of them is to provide an incentive in the shape of bonuses, free bet refunds and more.
These bonuses should come at the very start of your business relationship when you sign up for a new account. A welcome deal will typically offer a 50% or 100% match on your opening deposit up to around £50.00 or possibly higher. Alternatively, you may get £30.00 in free bet tokens in return for a £10.00 qualifying stake. The exact terms of each deal will be different depending on who you use. In terms of the best football betting sites, punters should always find some form of a welcome bonus.
Football Betting Offers at Betway
-
Free bets and price boosts
Various promotional offers
Top rated by bettors and experts -
Sign-up Offer
Get up to £10.00
in free bets -
Free Bet Club
Bet £25 in trebles or higher
and get £10 Free -
Betway Boost
Daily Price Boosts to increase
your winnings
These initial deals can then be backed up by ongoing promotions across the lifetime of the account. For football matches, some bookies issue ‘Bore Draw Refunds’. In such wagers, losing bets in the ‘correct score’ markets are returned if a game finishes with no goals. Also, there are acca insurances, where refunds are sent if one leg of a four-fold or higher lets you down. Furthermore, there are even acca boosts, where a percentage of additional profit is sent in the event of a long, straight-line winning multi.
Lots of other deals are available, and you can check our ‘Betting Offers’ page for more details on promotions. Bonuses take many different forms, and customers should always check the exact terms and conditions of each one. Just remember that the best football betting sites should be providing offers and promotions throughout the lifetime of an account.
Security and Licensing Information You Must Know
All trusted football betting sites are very open about their licencing, security and collaborating organisations. There are four main types of logos you will see at the bottom of a site’s homepage, and they all serve an important purpose in your betting experience:
- Regulators. In the UK, the text at the bottom of the homepage should confirm that the company is regulated by the Gambling Commission and that they are allowed to take on qualifying British customers. Most bookmakers also display the logo of the Gambling Commission. If you click on it, you will likely be redirected to the regulator's home page, and very often you will see the sportsbook licence as well. If the licence is not immediately visible, you can search for it in the website's database.
- Auditing and security agencies. Bookmakers undergo gambling-specific audits to ensure the fairness of their services. These audits are performed by organisations such as eCOGRA and iTechLabs. In addition, sportsbooks may list their security encryption providers and various certificates related to personal and financial data-handling.
- Alternative dispute resolution (ADR). When issues arise with bookmakers, punters may choose to solve them with independent adjudicators instead of bringing them to court. All UK-licensed bookmakers are required to work with at least one ADR organization, such as IBAS, eCOGRA, ADR Group and others. These organisations can help punters a great deal with legal disputes.
- Responsible gambling groups. Problem gambling can be a serious issue for all involved parties. Therefore, responsible sports betting sites make sure to include at least one support organisation that deals with it. You will soon learn to recognise the logos of GAMSTOP, GamCare and BeGambleAware.
In-play Football Betting Advantages
The 21st century undoubtedly belongs to live betting. Punters can recognise the elemental pull of knowing what's about to happen. It doesn't matter whether you are watching the match on TV or at the stadium: What matters is that suddenly everything seems clear to you. It is not a rational thing: It is a primal, intuitive force which is understood beyond words, and we colloquially call it ‘gut feeling’.
What do you do when you have such a feeling? Take out your phone and make a bet on the best live football betting sites, of course: This is what in-play wagering is for. Nowadays, it is unthinkable for bookmakers to not offer in-play markets. There is also the prospect of finding better odds than those in the ante-post equivalents.
While some value comes with great odds, you should also expect the best in-play betting sites to list as many markets as they would pre-match. A quick scan of the live section of any of the UK football betting sites will quickly tell you whether there is an extensive selection or just the results and a few prop bets.
Finally, if a picture is worth a thousand words, imagine the value of live footage. This is where live streaming comes. Punters recognise an opportunity when they see one, and some football matches offer plenty of opportunities from start to finish. However, you need to watch the game somewhere, and nowadays, live streaming football betting sites are the only easily accessible providers of live streaming for some games.
Live betting and live streaming offer great value. We've compiled helpful information on the top choices for both options. Make sure to check out our 'Live Betting' and 'Live Football Streaming' pages for additional details and tips.
Mobile Betting Experience
The importance of a mobile betting app is often overlooked, but punters are fast to recognise the utility of a good app when they run across a shoddy one. Fortunately, the best football betting sites offer solidly engineered software, and the probability of your phone crashing during a pivotal moment is minimal.
In all cases, apps should be free to use and available for iPhone and Android. They should be easy to find and install, but most importantly, they should provide the same functions as the main betting website. Moreover, they should absolutely use the same login details as the website.
As far as the top football betting sites are concerned, there shouldn't be any issues, and the app should suit your gambling needs. Having one is a plus for any punter, so check the availability with your bookmaker. Or you can do one better and check our dedicated page of mobile betting apps and all the tricks and tips that will come in handy.
Football Betting Sites UK: Payment Options
In general, the more flexible football betting sites are with financial transfers, the better experience punters will have in this regard. Here are the main methods to load cash into your betting account and unload it back into your pocket:
- Cards. Visa and Mastercard are the staples of payment options, but they provide only debit solutions. This is the minimum most betting sites accept. There are also prepaid card alternatives such as paysafecard.
- eWallets. Most football bookmakers accept PayPal, NETELLER and Skrill. These are the quickest deposit and withdrawal methods. There is a twist, however: Sportsbooks don’t usually accept eWallet deposits for their welcome bonuses. Thus, you may want to check their terms and conditions for claiming the sign-up offer.
- Bank Wires. This is not as popular a method with bookmakers as one may expect. Still, some do offer it as an option.
- Cheques. Some bookmakers accept cheques as a deposit method. Just keep in mind that they take time.
- You can always load your betting account at physical betting shops if your bookmaker has one near you. Betting chains like William Hill, Paddy Power and Betfred have plenty of shops across the country.
Football Betting Is a Lifestyle Choice
Sports betting has always been more than just a hobby. For dedicated punters, it’s sort of a primal calling, while for casual ones, it’s becoming more and more of a lifestyle choice. Is it about seeing the future, or perhaps analysing information successfully? The thrill of risk, the joy of triumph, the learning experience of losing gracefully… perhaps there is no need to explain it. Sports betting is here, and for the last century, it has grown from being illegal to a multibillion industry.
Betting Shops Have Moved from the Backstreet to the High Street
Over the past 40 years, betting shops have gradually moved their venues to more prominent locations. It is arguable whether this was the cause or the effect of the diminishing stigma associated with gambling. However, sports betting has earned back the place of significance it occupied in Roman times, both literally and figuratively. While it may not be essential for the best football gambling sites to have betting shops in the real world, there are some definite benefits. The majority of football online betting sites who own shops opened them many years ago, long before the Internet was invented. That means they are established brands who have an element of trust.
Football Sponsorship Promises Brand Visibility for Sportsbooks
Bookmakers and football are becoming more and more intertwined in the public eye. Nowadays, there is an increasing number of Premier League clubs to be sponsored by gambling companies. This has created concern that the betting industry is becoming increasingly popular, which will exacerbate issues like problem gambling.
On the other hand, major bookmakers are competing through sponsorships, and competition between businesses is always good for customers. In this case, we get better football as a direct result of these multimillion-pound deals.
A Peek into the Top Football Betting Myths
Nowadays, there are a lot of popular misconceptions about betting on football. While there is a grain of truth in each of them, it is so distorted that all meaning has been lost. The worst part is that these myths are actually quite easily dispelled by quick research, but people continue to perpetuate them without giving them much thought. Here are the top three:
Bookmakers Always Win
This is a variation of ‘the house always wins’, which is used for casinos. However, casinos offer games like roulette and blackjack, which have a distinct edge in favour of the house. In contrast, bookmakers don’t win by betting against punters.
They win by charging a commission on each bet. This commission is often called vigorysh, vig, overround or margin. In addition, bookies set the odds in such a way to attract punters on both ends of an outcome. In the end, even this doesn’t guarantee a win for them: Badly made odds can cost bookmakers millions of pounds. Paddy Power goes as far as proudly advertising such losses and paying them out early.
Bookmakers Will Suspend Your Account If You Win Consistently
Bookmakers do study the accounts of consistent winners and may even go as far as to check your account with other bookmakers to determine whether you are engaging in arbitrage betting, aka ‘arbing’. If they do discover any violations of their terms and conditions, they can suspend your account. However, if there are no violations, all they can do is cry their eyes out. Their tears taste as sweet as marshmallows.
Everyone Loses in the Long Term
This is yet another myth with probable origins in casino games. While the majority of football punters do lose money in the long term, there are a lot of bettors that stay on the profitable end of the goal line. After all, sports betting is more akin to stock trading, where knowledge of both the game and wagering pays off. Make sure to check our Betting Strategies page for more info on how to keep the ball turning in your favour.
Alternative Markets: Fantasy Vs. Virtual Football
As we have already seen, the betting industry is a very fluid one. To survive and thrive in such an environment, the best football gambling sites have to stay ahead by innovating. New trends are coming online all the time, and there is a host of new betting opportunities for punters to enjoy.
One of the more popular options is fantasy football, and while this concept has been around for many years, online sportsbooks are only now starting to embrace it. The game originated from national newspapers in the 1990s, and in football terms, it involves picking a national team from the hundreds of players available across a division.
Players assemble their imaginary squads and earn points for goals, assists and clean sheets. In time, the concept was picked up by specialised football betting sites. Now, it's a big hit in the United States, where a number of daily fantasy sites (DFS) have cropped up. With American laws on gambling just starting to be relaxed, we can expect the best football betting sites in the UK and Europe to pick this trend up and develop it further.
The game of virtual football is sometimes confused with the fantasy version, but it's important to understand that these are two completely separate entities. Virtual football games are played between computer-generated characters, and they were initially picked up by physical betting shops before being transferred online.
Love the Game
In the end, the passion for the greatest game can easily be combined with the joy of football betting into an invigorating mixture. If you need more information on finding the football betting sites most suitable for you, check our reviews and discover useful information on many punting-related subjects.
Reviews of The Best Football Bookmakers
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