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Football is by far the most watched, supported, and gambled on sport in the world. At every betting site you find will have a multitude of football bets available and you will never be short of betting options be it correct score, total goals, total corners, Asian Handicaps, players to score first, players to foul or to be fouled, the choice is phenomenal. Or you can just bet on what way a match will go!
This page will give you an overview of Football betting and aims to provide guidance whether you are just starting out, or even if you already betting regularly.
As we are sure you know Football is simply a sport played between 2 teams of 11, lasting for 90 minutes split into two halves. The aim being to outscore the opposition by kicking the ball into the opposition goal. Despite sounding simple the number of betting options are huge and there are plenty of ways to study the form and analyse strategies to help you get an edge on the bookies, or at least to have fun trying.
The game of football began in England and can be traced back to a game played between villages in medieval times, with one ball shared between teams of hundreds and the goals spread miles apart. This form of football still exists and is known as Shrovetide football though it’s only played once a year now in the UK village of Ashbourne.
The game we recognise today was born from English public schools, who had the need to create games for the children to play, and then competitive rivalry led to fixed rules applied by all so that the game could be played between the various schools and colleges. Over time disagreements over what exactly the rules should be is what led to a split into the game of rugby and the game of football (soccer).
The football association was formed in 1863 with a set of rules agreed upon by all that could be used nationwide and led to the creation of national leagues and later international soccer between nations began.
The simplicity of the game, get the ball into the goal gives it a universal appeal and means it can played almost anywhere with very little equipment, from back gardens, parks even front rooms and kitchens! This ease of play meant it spread quickly around the world in the early 1900s taken by British sailors, workers, and colonists to every corner of the world on steamships and railways during the age of global expansion.
Football was added to the Olympics in 1900 and around this time FIFA was formed to regulate international matches. The acronym FIFA stands for "The Fédération Internationale de Football Association" which in English translates as International Federation of Association Football. Nowadays every nation has a national team registered to play in FIFA competitions, a local national league and numerous inter-continental competitions with varying levels of professionalism. This is not to mention all of the local teams, tournaments, leagues, and cups taking place every single day.
How many and what leagues and countries covered at Betfred, is there live streaming of any? How many betting markets? Can you request a bet? What are the odds like? Any bonuses or promotions - relevant ones like 2up / odds boosts? Can you cash out / partial cash out? What are they good at?
Betfred are going to have to be our all round number one when it comes to betting on football. With a generous Welcome bonus that of course can be used on football. You can bet on a remarkable 57 different national football leagues from across the world plus all the main international and club competitions. In-play betting is supported and there are huge amount of markets to bet on. In the unlikely event that you want to place a bet not listed then you can request any specific bet, via the PickYourPunt feature. They have numerous bonuses and promotions available to existing customers as well as a nice touch which is a tailored football betting suite where you can easily see the bets available on your favourite team throughout the season.
Bet365 are obviously also going to be in this list. They also have a very nice Welcome bonus which is simple to qualify for and both qualifying bets and Free bets can be used on football (they also give some free slots spins on top). You can bet on matches from all around the world and with a good depth of leagues and a wide range on in-play opportunities. There are two things that really set them apart and the first is the odds, time and time again Bet365 will have the best odds for what you are wanting to bet on, and that is not even factoring in the regular price boosts that may catch your eye. The second thing is the bet limits, if you are wanting to place a big bet, or an Acca with the potential to win big, then Bet365 is the place to do it.
Skybet have a nice little welcome offer, notable by the low amount required to qualify for it. When it comes to football bets the promotions keep coming with weekly free to enter Free bet competitions after collecting your teams of the week, and regular price boosts which offer terrific value. There are always a large number of matches available from around the world and each match has a wide range of markets. Although the payment methods available to use are limited to debit card, withdrawals are processed and paid almost instantly.
AllBritishCasino’s entry to our top five list may surprise some but despite the name, they also have a sportsbook and it has a lot to shout about. As you would expect they have all the matches you could hope for from all around the world and a wide range of betting markets to choose from. The things that set them apart and are (as far as we know) unique to them are two specific bonuses they have, which are available to all existing customers. The first if the price boosts, and specifically the “Golden Boost”, which are quite rare, usually only once a week, but they alone are worth having an account for. The other thing is that you qualify for 10% cashback of your monthly losses, and whilst nobody is trying to lose, knowing that when you do you get 10% back, as cash, with no small print, is very nice indeed.
SBK is the bookmaker version of the betting exchange Smarkets, you access it from your same account but you can only use it via the mobile app. It is basically the simplicity of a bookmaker but with the odds of a betting exchange. It is a compelling concept, and although there are not many bells and whistles that come with it, and there are not as many matches and markets as some others, in all probability there will still be the bets you want to place listed here. What gets them on this list is the quality of the odds, especially the outsiders, where the difference in value can be eye watering.
Copy Bet were founded in 2016 and are a relatively new UK bookmaker who have been making a name for themselves, and you may have seen them if you follow Championship football as they are the official betting partner of QPR. They are one of the few UK betting sites to offer a Welcome bonus that does not require a deposit and they have other ongoing Free bet offers and bonuses. They have stand alone software and many football bets from all around the world but the one thing they could do with improving is the account management section. It is not easy to see what you have bet on, what bonuses are available to you, and how to customise the account.
FanTeam are a US brand who have a Sportsbook attached to their fantasy sports game. Since 2019 they have been fully licenced by the UKGC and so meet all the relevant standards and have a very wide range of football matches available to bet. The downside is that navigating to them can be a struggle. Sometimes they offer promotions and bonuses but they come and go and there is nothing available to all players all of the time. It is worth having an account for when you are Emailed about these offers, but it is clear their main focus is not on the sportsbook.
Football betting is completely legal in the UK it’s regulated by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). There are some criteria you need to meet, mainly being over 18 to register for any account or place any bets and also being a resident of the UK. Although common sense it is worth mentioning that you must also use your own money to gamble with. Bookmakers may ask for proof of age, and address, and further details of where the deposited money came from and this is not unreasonable for them to do. If they ask you for it, just send them what they want.
As a side note, unlike many other countries, not only is gambling legal all winnings are completely tax free, and that applies whether you simply get lucky or if you are professionally gambling for a living.
The most simple bet you can place, simply selecting the team that you think will win, or if you think it will be a draw. This market is sometimes called the 1x2 market, and usually the teams are displayed as the home team first. Unless otherwise stated this market is settled after 90 mins (plus injury time) has been played.
This market is just picking what you believe will be the exact final score at the end of the game. It is common to see scores listed up to around 4-4 but for higher more infrequent results you may need to request a price. (For instance Tottenham 10-1 Arsenal !)
This is a bet placed on who you believe will be the first person to score in the match
It’s worth hunting around for the best odds on these bets and keep your eye out for bonuses, money back offers and boosts should your player score again.
This is a wager based on how many goals will be scored in the game. The most common type is the 2.5 market because the two options, over or under, and both usually about evens. It is possible to also bet the number of goals scored by a specific team, but this is less common.
Very simply you are betting on a red card to be shown in the match. Although you should always check specific T&C’s at your betting site, we have only ever seen this also apply to two yellow cards, which then result in a red, as well as just a direct red. Interestingly whether or not it applies to cards shown to support staff on the touchline varies from site to site.
Asian Handicaps involve betting on the result but with one team having either a head start or a handicap at the start. The most common handicap for a fairly even match would be +0.5 / -0.5 which essentially just takes away the draw. In this example if it was 0-0 then the team +0.5 would win, because the score was 0 - 0.5 to them. There can be a large number of different handicaps and sometimes split handicaps and as a rule these are complex bets that should be avoided unless you fully understand what you are doing.
As the name suggests it is a simple bet placed on whether you believe both teams will (or won’t) score during a match. It is based on the final score (so own goals would count).
A single bet is placed on one single outcome to happen.
Betting on more than one outcome over a number of different matches. As soon as you add another match to your coupon it will become an acca, and depending on how many outcomes you pick it could be a double, treble, etc. These bets roll up the winnings of each game and place them all on the next one, meaning that the winnings can be very high from a low stake, but if you get just one result wrong, you get nothing.
This term is for bets placed during an ongoing “live” match. Originally a new and quite uncommon thing to do it is now very popular and offered by virtually every bookmaker.
This is a good question and it is a hard one to answer because different people want different things when live betting, and comparing many bookmakers against each other is hard when you only have a limited window to do so using the same game (which would give the best data).
We would suggest that is is probably going to be the betting exchange Betfair. This is based on the good quality odds, the ability to trade odds swings as well as simply cashing out, and the amount of games which are also available to watch via live stream (unfortunately not UK domestic leagues though).
Find out. You can not Prem League, you can most FA cup, and some Euro leagues. Not sure RE World Cup. Research and write 200 or 300 words.
Almost all bookmakers will offer some version of live streaming, and football you will find is well covered. When it comes to live streaming unfortunately due to broadcasting rights the premier league is not allowed. You might get some European and RoW leagues, the FA cup, and some England internationals, but not UK domestic leagues. This is true of all betting sites.
As a rule unlike more niche sports where a live stream from the bookmakers might actually be the easiest way to watch, it is unlikely that watching a football game via a bookmaker live stream is going to be the easiest way for you to do it.
Below are the main payment methods used across all of the UK online betting websites. The exact ones each bookmaker accept will vary, and details are available either from our reviews or the betting site FAQ page.
The best football betting Welcome offers will change all the time, so the best we can do is write about what is best at the time of publication. As a general rule we think BetMGM has the best Welcome bonus. There is also Skybet, Betfred, and CopyBet which are very good and definitely +EV. To keep up to date with the latest Welcome bonuses from the top 100 UK bookmakers, you can follow this Twitter account: LINK
The best bonuses for existing users at the present time are:
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.
You’ll find football is well-represented on all the apps being the main sport out there
Things to watch out for are the speed of the app to load, so you are not missing out if odds change, what payment methods it accepts, that it’s covered with a UK betting licence and how easy it is to contact customer services when needed. A big advantage is being able to quickly cash out or place an in play bet while your match is ongoing on the app.
Betway - This is the top app store rated betting app for esports and it has very fast and easy access perfect for beginners Rated 4.2Google App Store 4.8/5
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
BetVictor - Has a strong football offering particularly and the app itself is user friendly and offers full and partial cash outs and in play bets. Rated 3.4 Google & 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
The football season originally ran from August to June but is now an almost non-stop event. There are the domestic league playoffs, as well as international matches and pre season friendly tournaments. And that is just the UK, leagues around the world all start and finish at different times. All this means that you would be hard pressed not to find a day in the calender when there isn’t a football match taking place somewhere for you to bet on it.
Listed below are the main footballing competitions that all betting sites will cover and usually run special promotions for.
| Began: | 1992 |
| Played Between: | August - May |
| Where: | UK |
| Teams: | 20 |
The premier competition in the UK and most watched and gambled on league in the world. Most websites use this as their main point of attracting new customers and tailor offers with all the big matches and you will be able to find a promotion or bonus offer on any game during the season.
Matches are in a weekly league format and occur from Saturday through to Fridays with so much data available this is the easiest place to start gambling on football matches.
| Began: | 1871 |
| Played Between | Qualifying Aug-Oct, Main Event Nov-May |
| Where: | England, Wales, Channel Islands |
| Teams: | 745 (From Qualifying) |
The world’s oldest knockout competition can be gambled on at every stage the magic of the FA Cup is the chance it gives smaller teams to score an upset against one of the big boys. Think WImbeldon’s win in 1988, Wigan in 2013, Wycombe’s run to the semi finals in 2001 or numerous cup upsets when a non-league team knocked out more fancied opposition
This represents a great chance to back an underdog against the odds and win a memorable bet!
The early qualifying rounds take in clubs right down to university teams and include levels down to level 9 of the UK football league so will not always be as easy to bet on due to the size of the teams entering., But from the 1st round websites will run numerous promotions and markets on all matches and each round closer to the final at Wembley this will ramp up with the Premier League sides entering in Round 3. With so many matches accumulators and both teams to score bets are also a fun way to have a punt on this competition
With extra time and penalties you can also bet just on one team advancing from a given tie.
| Began: | (1955 as European Cup) Champions League since 1992 |
| Played Between: | July - May |
| Where: | Europe |
| Teams: | (81 Qualifying) 36 from Group stage |
Every European team’s national champion (except Lichtenstein) qualifies to play (at some stage) in the Champions League and it’s the main footballing league competition on the planet. Originally just played in a simple format between the champions of each country over 2 legs it’s now a sprawling competition including teams finishing as low as 4th in the major Euro leagues with qualifying from July to September before the group stage
Upsets are a bit rarer with the 2 leg set up than in national cups in the early stages but the group and knockout matches really represent the biggest matches you can get other than the world cup, bookies will offer bonuses and full coverage of all the games from the group stage onwards and will often be included on the main landing page of sites.
| Began: | (1971 as UEFA Cup) Europa League since 2009 |
| Played Between: | August - May |
| Where: | Europe |
| Teams: | (58 Qualifying) 36 Group stage onwards |
Originally known as the UEFA Cup and played between teams who weren’t top of the league at the final standing this is Europes secondary club competition. It;s standing has been slightly diminished by the expansion of the Champions League it still remains highly regarded by most top clubs It has a smaller qualifying section but the group and knockout stages are the same size and format as the Champions League.
You’ll find many offers are copied over from the Champions League to the Europa (and their smaller cousin the UEFA Conference League) However though all matches are covered you will likely find less bonuses and offers than the Champions League in line with the lesser status of the competition.
| Began: | 1960 |
| Played Between: | Every 4 years in the Summer months |
| Where: | Europe |
| Teams: | (53 Qualifying) 24 in the Final tournament |
Every continent has a national team tournament to find the continental champions, the oldest and most well established with the biggest teams is the European version, which is known as the Euros. With the geography supporting a large number of federations and arguably the best world national teams you will find the 4 yearly final stage easy to follow from a betting point of view with offers and promotions running right across the tournament.
The qualifying stages are a group stage followed by playoffs and will get some coverage as well but mainly just the normal interest attached to international matches.
| Began: | 1930 |
| Played Between: | Every 4 years usually in the Summer months |
| Where: | A set venue for the finals (Qualifying is home and away regionally) |
| Teams: | (206 in the 2022 Qualifying Stage) 32 in the Final tournament |
The global celebration of football is held every 4 years to establish the world’s best team and earn the title of world champions.
Qualifying for the finals tournament is held over a 2 year period preceding the finals and you can bet on all of it! During the qualifying the matches will be treated pretty much as international matches though you can also wager on teams advancing to the next stage
During the world cup all betting sites will have numerous ongoing and match by match promotions, with an estimated 1.8 billion dollars spent on gambling in the US alone on the 2022 World cup it’s big business
There will be a group stage and knockouts, and you can bet on all and everything top goalscorers, match outcomes, in play and all the games will be shown so it’s a great fun way to get involved.
The Woman's version of the Men’s Euros tournament in Switzerland will likely attract the most interest this summer for betting sites football wise. England will be looking to defend their title qualifying is still ongoing but the top 9 teams are already through.
Upsets in women’s football are rare so don’t expect many shocks and markets may be limited on matches but the month long tournament should provide a bit of fun and few opportunities for a punt while you are waiting for the league season to restart.
This is the North American and Caribbean continental tournament with Mexico defending their title. Qualifying will be complete in February and a host will be selected soon, it seems likely that will be the USA at this stage. Coverage on UK sites will be smaller than on US betting sites, and the games will generally be taking place well outside UK waking hours, so unless you are pulling an all nighter don’t get too excited about in-play bets or cash outs!
The Ivory Coast will head to Morocco to defend their bizarrely won 2023 title*. This tournament usually annoys club managers across Europe who in the middle of their season lose all their African talent for two weeks or more. This competition throws up shock results regularly but don’t expect huge UK coverage.
*They sacked their manager after 3 games thinking they were out, and the new coach won them the title after taking over in a knockout match!
Women’s football in the UK was played alongside men’s football at a lower level from the 1880’s. During the first world war with most men overseas it received a surge in popularity as their leagues replaced the men’s leagues for a time and was watched by thousands as a war spectator sport. Arguments about money led the FA to put a ban on women’s association football between 1921 -1970 This was echoed in many countries across Europe and the development of the ladies side of the game suffered.
With the ban being lifted the game has evolved and become more popular, and recent international tournaments have led to larger crowds and interest in the Women’s game.
However it still remains relatively small at this stage and there are limited markets and bets available on league matches
You will find both the Women’s World Cup and Women’s Euros will be the best place to gamble on Women’s football currently for markets and fun. Though over time as the game becomes more professional it will see some growth I’m sure but it’s unlikely to grow gambling wise beyond a smaller European league status.
Is there any additional tips or strategies for betting on football? What important factors to consider when betting on football? What are common mistakes to avoid in football betting? Cover as many as you like but no more than 500 words total this section.
How can I start betting on football as a beginner?
It’s easy to start betting on football, the easiest way is to sign up with one of the main betting sites which will have plenty of help getting started and a welcome bonus.
Place simple bets on who will win, correct score and low stake accumulators are all fun ways to add a bit of excitement to watching your favourite team play. It can also test your football knowledge and you might just win a little extra money from doing it!
Do you pay tax on football winnings?
No tax is paid on any gambling winnings whether from football or otherwise.
Are football matches rigged?
There have always been rumours of match fixing in all sports and football is no different. There have been a few major scandals like the Calciopoli scandal in 2004 in Italy that saw Juventus relegated for fixing outcomes or the floodlight failures in the English premier league in the 1990’s linked to Asian betting syndicates. With the amount of money involved in betting outcomes and prize money available for teams, there will always be the temptation for unscrupulous types to offer sums of money to fix outcomes.
What is the most I can win betting on football?
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 football?
Betting should be a fun pastime and no one is suggesting you should base paying your rent or mortgage on your ability to pick a winning bet. Underdogs win and things happen that no one can predict if your gambling is becoming an issue and losses are unmanageable then you should seek help and take a break, never chase losses. Only ever gamble with what you can afford to lose and money which you do not care about.
