Cricket Betting for Dummies - The Complete Guide

How to Gamble on Cricket - All you need to know!

In this article we will give you an overview of the game of cricket which is suitable for anyone, either a total newcomer to the sport or those who just want some advice, hints, and tips on how to gamble on it.

As most people already know Cricket is a sport associated mainly with the old British Empire and although it has spread to some other regions it still holds appeal mainly in the former colonies, for example the subcontinent of India, across Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, and of course England too. The game lends itself well to strategic gambling, having matches that can a minimum of hours and even up to 5 days. This usually creates many twists and turns and the way the odds react to this provide many betting opportunities.

It is a nuanced sport full of antiquated terms, slightly bizarre scoring systems, and in recent times many different formats. It’s important to know what kind of match you are betting on and have a bit of knowledge before delving into betting on this most quintessentially English and “civilised” of sports. What other sports do they stop for rain, lunch, and of course tea!

The history of cricket

Cricket can trace its roots back to medieval times as a children's game on the Weald, an area of the downs in the south of England. It is in this area that you can find the world’s oldest existing cricket stadium. The game was initially developed from lawn bowls (add link to lawn bowls article?) with the idea that you hit the ball away from the target it was thrown at. As cricket further evolved it was played on the spare farm fields during their fallow year* - with just the one ball, a stick used as a bat and the original wickets of the fields gate.** The name of cricket derives from the original name of creckett which was an extension of cricc or Krick that meant staff or stick in old English.

More adults took the game up across the 17th century and after the English Civil war it was one of the few pastimes that was not banned after the heavily religious puritan government of Oliver Cromwell took power. This allowed the sport to grow during the period but it was actually gambling on cricket after the return of the Monarchy in 1660 that led to the creation of the national British game. This was as Earls would put together teams from their areas to face each other and bet on the outcomes. Stakes between these noblemen would get so high that they had to be limited by law to £100 a match (still around £19k in today's money). The county cricket system grew from this across the 18th and 19th centuries.***

Cricket was portrayed as a regal and civilisied sport and was exported around the world in the 1800’s as part of a propaganda exercise intent on showing the spirit of British colonialism. The new colonists were encouraged to play cricket everywhere the British landed and It actually spread to the West Indies and North America before it reached Northern England! It also soon found a home in India, New Zealand,South Africa, Kenya and Australia. The reason these countries took the sport to heart, and why it remains so strong in them today is because the locals found it a source of covert nationalism as they found a sport where they could challenge and beat their colonial masters. It was also a way to get yourself ahead in the colonies with a lot of business being done at colonial cricket matches.

The international game itself developed fully in the 1900’s with test cricket with world cup competitions added in the 1970’s and there are new formats of the game still being added to this day.

*Still a cricketing term for a struggling batter or bowler experiencing a fallow time

**That simple design remains in today’s 3 stump wickets.

***The Earl of Sussex team playing the Earl of Surrey’s team for example

Rules of Cricket - In Brief!

Cricket is played between 2 teams of 11. Played on an oval field with the batters and bowlers  inhabiting a strip in the middle with a wicket at either end.

One side take up fielding and bowling with the objective of getting 10 of the opposition batters “out”. One side are batting and will aim to score as many runs as possible by hitting the ball with the bat either over the boundaries of the field (or as far as they can) and running between the two wickets before the ball is returned to the middle.

For the bowlers they bowl 6 balls a time which is known as an over and can get a batter out either by hitting the 3 sticks behind the batter (the wicket) or by a variety of other means though mainly by a fielder catching a hit ball before it has touched the ground.

The match duration is across a pre agreed number of overs or balls and the team with the most runs at the completion are the winners

Forms of Cricket

Test Cricket

Test cricket is the ultimate test of one’s cricket abilities, matches are played at international level only, over 5 days with 90 overs being bowled per day.

First Class Cricket

First class cricket is usually county or club level and played between 3-5 days

One Day Cricket

International and county one day games consist of 50 overs a side played over one day. Amateur club matches are usually shortened to 40 overs.

T20 Cricket

A more recent and popular version of the game that consists of just 20 overs a side. Popularised by the Indian Premier League and the Big Bash in Australia.

The Cricket 100

Doing away with the overs system the 100 sees each team face 100 balls and has been popularised by the British mens and women’s competition of the same name.

The top Three cricket Betting Bookies in the UK

Bet 365

With Bet365 being the most popular online site in terms of subscribers it’s natural that they would make the top 3 cricket sites. Being so well established online you can relax knowing your money is safe and secure with them. They have an excellent mobile app so you can get your bets whilst you are on the go. Their dedicated cricket section on the site is fully packed with multiple cricket betting markets and they cover all the main international matches as well as the main cricket leagues. Whilst they don’t have the greatest streaming package they stand out with their coverage of the big cricket tournaments and they will run multiple promotions for these big events.

Bwin

With over twenty five years in the online market Bwin is a site you can trust when depositing at an online betting site. They have competitive odds and cover all major competitions as well as the big global international events. They like to offer odds for major tournaments as early as possible.

What’s a nice touch with Bwin is you can back against an outcome, for instance, a player not to score a fifty which adds an extra element when watching a game. To that end they have a versatile app with a strong in-play cricket option.

As you can expect having been online so long Bwin are fully licensed and take all main payment methods, including Neteller and Paypal, also they thankfully have strong customer service.

Unibet

Unibet have been online since 1997 and are now seen as one of the established sites online after rapid growth in the early 2000s. They cover all the general major sports and have a quick and simple site design that allows you to navigate easily and gets bets on quickly. They have a dedicated cricket section and a large range of cricket betting markets whilst covering all international matches and most major cricket leagues. What stands out on their site is their live streaming service which is extensive and is marked out as one of the best online. Furthermore they also run regular cricket promotions on their promotion page to boost up your cricket bets.

The Best New cricket Betting Sites

Rhino

Rhino are new in the UK betting market and were launched in 2021 during the midst of the global covid pandemic. They offer comprehensive cricket coverage and have leagues from around the world. The website is user friendly for quick and easy placing of bets. The mobile app is well designed and easy to use as well. They do focus on odds rather than promotions and bonuses on the site, but there is a welcome bonus available and it can be used on cricket for your opening bet. Sadly there is no live streaming available on the site at all currently.

How we Evaluate and Rank Cricket Betting Sites

There is no one universal “best” cricket site, for the very simple reason that no two people are exactly alike, and what is best for one will not necessarily be the best for another. We have a team of researchers who join the sites and then deposit and take them for a “test ride” so to speak. Whilst doing so there are key metrics that are assessed, to do with odds margins, range of markets, quality of the betting app, responsiveness of the customer support, value of the promotions and bonuses, and more. These tests provide an objective score for each bookmaker, and these are refined for the cricket product in particular. We hope our guidance is a useful starting point but ultimately only you will know the best cricket betting site for you.

Is Cricket betting in the UK legal

Betting on cricket is absolutely legal to do in the UK. All UK bookmakers are regulated by the UKGC who provide the licences and they ensure that all customers are over 18 to register for any account or place any bets and also that they are living in the UK. Of course you must also use your own money to gamble with and the UK differs from some other countries in that Cryptocurrency can not be used.

Some good news is that not only is gambling legal all winnings are tax-free regardless of how much or how often you win.

Popular cricket Betting Markets

Match Winner

A simple bet where you either back a team to win or the match or for it to be a draw. Draws in one day Cricket are incredibly unlikely (it is where both teams have all batters “out” and finish with exactly the same number of runs). When picking a result you will need to check the terms of the bet in case the match isn’t completed, this can be classed as a “tie” or the result be given using the Duckworth Lewis method, or possibly all bets are voided.

As a sidenote draws in Test matches on the other hand happen when one team is still batting at the end of the last day, this often happens after rain delays in matches or strong batting pitches where both teams score highly in their opening innings.

Completed Match

There are a number of reasons why a cricket match won’t be completed but it is usually the rain delaying play or bad light ending the game early, and before either team has been completely bowled out over two innings and the other team beat the total. You can actually bet on whether a match will be completed or not, rather than who will win.

Series Winner

International match ups between nations are generally played in a series of three or five games. You can bet on which country will win the total game series. Odds can shift heavily during the series as injuries and weather play their part.

Toss Winner

Which team will win the pre match coin toss that’s used to decide batting or bowling first. This is literally a bet on heads or tails on a coin!!  It can be vital in terms of the match but it’s completely 50/50

(I personally always go tails, though annoyingly you will have to choose one team to win rather than the coin result, and you won’t know what side the captain is going to call)

First Wicket

You can bet on how the first wicket will fall which is a bit of a lottery really. There are usually around 10 options - caught, clean bowled, hit the ball twice, hit wicket, leg before wicket/lbw, obstructing the field, run out, retired, stumped, or timed out.

Man of The Match

Another tough market to predict, but with decent returns if you pick an outsider.

Top Performer

You can back who will be the best batsman, bowler or wicketkeeper. You can either pick this as a single choice of player or which team will have the best one.

Highest Opening Partnership

A flutter on which sides two opening batsman will make the most runs before one of them is dismissed

Tournament Winners

Quite simple choosing who you believe will be the outright winners in a specified tournament or league

Which bookmakers offer the best live betting?

Watching the match you have bet on adds an extra level of enjoyment to your punt, and there are a few sites that can offer a live stream, though the site will have some stipulations before you are allowed to watch the stream, you can watch cricket on the below sites

What payment methods do they accept?

The exact payment methods each bookmaker accept will vary, and details are available either from our reviews or the betting site FAQ page.

Below are the various payment methods used across all of the UK online betting websites.

• Debit Cards (Visa / Mastercard)
• Pre Paid Cards (Paysafecard)
• E  -Wallets (Paypal, Skrill, Apple Pay, Google Pay)
• Bank Transfers

What are the best cricket betting Welcome Offers

With cricket being a major sport you will find that the majority of sites will allow you to use your Welcome Offer bet. The ones listed below are some welcome bonuses that we have checked out for you already that are definitely going to be OK. (Remember each will have it's own T&C's which you must also adhere to)

QuinnBet Significant Terms: Get a Free Bet up to £35 based on 50% of your first day’s losses plus 10 Free Spins! UK 18+ T&Cs Apply.

10bet Significant Terms: UK Only. 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+

What are the best cricket betting existing user bonuses

Most sites will have their best promotions running when the major tournaments are on, so keep your eye on our tournament preview pages before and during tournaments to make sure you don’t miss out on any.

What are the Best cricket betting Apps

A betting app on your phone will usually offer the quickest way to access your chosen betting site and place bets while you are out and about. Considering the amount of time you probably spend on your mobile the easiest way to sign up and use most sites.

You will be encouraged to download the app and sometimes there are specific bonuses available only if you have done so. The sites below all have highly rated apps

Bet365 -Well established with quick and easy navigation with live streaming, in play bets, bet builder tools and features  Rated 4.6 Google play & 4.7/5 App Store

Ladbrokes - A simple layout and easy to use, low minimum stakes and deposits and a high number of bonuses and offers available.Rated 4.0 Google & 4.6/5 app store

Betfred - Quick to use with a simple layout and large buttons when selecting odds they also offer regular free app bet promotions. Rated 3.8 Google & 4.4/5 app Store

What are the major cricket events or tournaments popular for betting on in the UK

There are several major cricket competitions across the world, below I’ve picked the main international ones which will be the best promoted, and listed the main cricket leagues. You should be able to find not only odds but also promotions run by the bookies on these.

National Cricket Competitions:

International Cricket Competitions:

The Ashes

What’s the biggest sporting shock you can think of? Well when England lost to Australia in a cricket match in 1882 this was seen as the biggest sporting shock ever! It was unheard of -a furious media announced  it was the death of English cricket and carried out full obituaries saying the body would be burned and the ashes returned to Australia. So in the winter of that year the England team travelled to Australia for a 3 match series vowing to regain those ashes and this competition was formed.

England would win that series, however Australia have been the dominant force over time. Nowadays it’s a 5 match series, with all games played as 5 day tests. The ashes was seen as the pinnacle of international cricket until the other nations caught up in skill levels and it now simply forms part of the World Test championship but it’s still by far the biggest event in that competition

ICC World (Test) Championship

To revive test cricket from the sporadic matches between nations a new championship was devised in 2019 that means that all the top 9 test playing nations have regular scheduled fixtures. These will be ongoing regularly so there will be plenty of test cricket to bet on if that’s your thing

Cricket World Cup

Given the high levels of skill needed for test cricket a shorter form of the game was needed internationally for the expansion of the game outside of the main cricketing dominions leading to one day games. These matches allowed the concept of a World cup to rival other sports and to this end this competition began in 1975. Over the years this has gone through a number of different tournament formats and differed in how many teams are involved in the finals. It’s been hard for the smaller teams to make a mark on the tournament (despite a few shock results down the years from the likes of Scotland, Netherlands, Ireland and Kenya) all this said it’s a tough month long tournament to win and is always well contested.

T20 World Cup

To increase popularity and spectator numbers a 20 over game was trialled with club teams. The newer shorter form of the game became rapidly popular (thanks largely to the Aussie and Indian leagues) and an international competition followed in 2007. T20 cricket caters for those newer to cricket with the lessened match lengths and so this is the newest and most vibrant international tournament with the greatest worldwide participation.

What are the major cricket events coming up soon

2026 T20 World Cup

The big event in 2026 will undoubtedly be the T20 world cup with 20 international teams facing off for the title of world’s best twenty twenty team. With the short form of the game providing so many thrills and spills for the crowd and it being played at the home of the defending champions and chief proponents of the format India it should make for a fantastic spectacle.

Both India and the co-hosts Sri Lanka have a deep affinity with cricket and with the group and knockout setup of the tournament lasting an entire month it will make for a bookmakers dream with plenty of opportunity for a punt.

Betbrothers will of course keep you in the loop with a full tournament preview just before the event goes live, although qualifying is still ongoing at the moment.

Women's cricket

Despite being played since the 1700’s women’s cricket is still not well established as a public interest sport outside of international one day and T20 matches. The strongest international teams are India, Australia and England - with the women’s game having been played in all these since the late 1800s. Whilst the county and club cricket setup has failed to attract the commercial and spectator interest to grow the sport at large the Women’s International game is now better supported and the women’s version of the world cups are growing. The 100 matches - played in the morning before the men’s day/night games have also seen a larger number of supporters in recent years. Due to lower levels of participation test cricket for ladies is still in it’s infancy. This should change over time but the high levels of ability that it entails across a team of 11 to bat/bowl for 5 days isn’t currently available.

In terms of betting you will find odds and offers available on the main women’s events like the world cups and the 100 and as and when test matches are played.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I start betting on cricket as a beginner?

We would suggest low stakes whilst you are learning to bet on cricket and watching a few games to get an idea of how the game works. Pick one class of cricket to focus on first and add the others as you go. With T20 being the easiest to learn.

Are cricket matches rigged?

Cricket has a long history with match fixing, particularly spot fixing where an event is planned to happen say the bowling of a no balls at a certain time during the game. However this will have little affect for the majority of gamblers in the general scheme of things.

What is the most I can win betting on cricket?

You may find some sites will cap your stake amount for certain bets but not all do. You will find buried in the T&C’s of every site a maximum amount that can be won from one bet on football, but there is not usually anything to say you can not win multiple smaller amounts. So the answer really is that there is a limit per bet but no limit on the overall amount in the long run.

Can you make a living betting on cricket?

Betting should be fun and you should not base your monthly bills on your ability to pick a winner! Shocks happen. If your gambling is becoming an issue then you should seek help and take a break, never chase losses. Only ever gamble with what you can afford to lose