A generation ago, football betting was, to many people, an alien subculture. In many parts of the world, it took place underground, and even in jurisdictions like the UK, where it has been legal for decades, a sports betting shop was a mysterious domain hidden from public view behind frosted glass windows. How times have changed. Today, a combination of legislative reform in some of the most sports-mad countries and enhanced accessibility through technological advances has opened up sports betting to a far wider audience.
Placing a bet has become part of the routine for many football fans. It’s not about trying to make money the way a professional gambler might. Casual fans place a bet in order to have a personal stake in what happens. Of course it’s nice to win, but that is almost incidental to the experience itself. If you’re new to betting, it’s worth noting that there are numerous different types of football bets available to you. Here are some of the most popular.
The moneyline
This is the starting point, and it is the simplest bet of all, whereby you simply back one team or the other to win. Many fans place a bet on their favorite team each week without even thinking about the odds. It’s a sign of support, like wearing a game shirt. It also means that if their team wins, they have an extra reason to celebrate in the shape of a financial reward!
Accumulators
In an accumulator, you bet on four or more different outcomes and combine them in one wager. A traditional accumulator considers different matches, and you have to predict the outcome of each. The returns can soon ramp up – it’s worth plugging the odds into a bet calculator to see how much you stand to win. Just be aware that you need all the results to go your way, or you'll end up with nothing.
Combinations
A combination bet is a close variation on the accumulator, but it relates to different events in the same game. So for example, if Persepolis are playing Nassaji, you might place a bet on Persepolis winning and Mehdi Abdi scoring the first goal and the half time score being 1-0 and Nassaji finishing goalless. If you’d tried that that in their recent encounter, incidentally, you would have won nothing. The first three components came true, but Nassiji scored one goal, and with this sort of bet you need to get every part right.
Live betting
Perhaps the most exciting and entertaining form of betting is live or in-play betting. It’s a form of football betting that has only been made possible by advances in technology. With live betting, you can place bets on a game while it is in progress, right up till the full time whistle. The odds can swing dramatically with every goal or after a substitution. It’s fast and furious, and you need to keep your wits about you, but it is also great fun – and ultimately, that’s what football betting should be all about.