1. Europe Football Betting
2. Football Betting Offers Today
3. Online Football Betting Offers
4. Best Football Betting Offers

The gambling industry is as big as it’s ever been and a massive reason is down to that of football betting. The football betting industry is now worth a reported £1.4 Billion per year, with bookmakers making an astonishing profit of over £330million.

As the sports global appeal and exposure continues to grow, we would highly expect these numbers to keep rising. Online earn money game play. As the numbers continue to rise, the opportunities for punters continue to rise. Never has there been more betting markets and more promotions based around football than today.

Football Betting Blog

Today's Football Offers It is always good to keep up to date with the latest offers available for the footie, and below are today’s football offers. You can see there is a mix of acca insurance, free bets or even odds boosts. Check back daily to see if there is an offer that you like. Here is our list of Betting Offers and Betting Accounts for New Customers - February 2021: 888Sport – Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets. Ladbrokes - Bet £5 Get £20 in Free Bets.

Football specific offers at 888 Sport If you are a fan of sports betting, there’s Skybet sign up offer: Get up to £20 Free Bet Oct 13, 2020 Instead of Skybet, FGG recommends Bet365 at the moment, especially the bet credits offer: With several Skybet sign up offer incentives available right now, this is a post that you won’t want to.

How to Bet on Football

Just by entering any online sports you will immediately see just how big a role the sport has within their brand. It’s likely you will see betting markets related to betting as soon as you land, but it’s only when you really start to scratch the surface that you get an idea of how big the sport is.

If you are new to the industry then betting on football can seem quite overwhelming, but it needn’t be. Throughout this article we will guide you through everything you need to know to get started.

90 Minute Betting

The first thing that you really need to know is about the 90-minute rule. Whilst it’s pretty self-explanatory once you know, a lot of people who are new to betting often get this wrong.

Basically, the 90-minute market means that bets will be settled within the 90 minutes of a match that includes injury time added on in either the first or second half. In a cup game, if the game were to go into extra time, then unless that market specifies that it includes extra time, such as team to progress to the next round, then all bets will be settled within ‘regular’ time.

Football Bets

The range of football bets is massive these days. Some bookmakers offer over 200 bets per game, which is a massive number and as the sport continues to grow in popularity, so do the betting markets. Below we have listed some of the more popular betting markets and how they work.

Match Odds

The match odds are the most popular betting form for football. The concept is very simple in that you simply choose between a home win, away win or the draw. This market adheres to the 90 minute betting rule as mentioned above, so bear that in mind as well.

There are a number of ways in which you can maximise your profits from this betting market by applying some fairly straight forward betting strategies. The first thing that we will say is that there is no substitute for hard work with this market. The more research you can invest into your bets, the more profitable you are going to be.

Team form is probably the best place to start and assessing which of the two teams are most likely to win. A good place to start is by doing this before you see the bookmakers odds for each result. Almost become your own bookmaker and choose the percentage each result has of coming in. You can then use an odds calculator to convert these percentages into odds.

Once you have your odds compare them to that of the bookies prices and see how they match-up. If the bookies are higher priced for a certain result (particularly the shortest priced result) then you are looking at your first value bet!

Correct Score

The correct score market is pretty self-explanatory in that you need to correctly choose the correct score for that match. You get a huge range of results to choose from, but be warned, it’s not always as easy at it looks and with odds of around 4/1 being the favourite, the odds reflect this as well.

The top tip for this market is to not look too far away from the most common results in that league. Usually these will be 1-1, 1-0, 0-0 and 2-1. These results will be the shorter prices in more competitive games at least, but even if you just went with any of these, then it’s likely you wont be too far away.

If you wanted to dig a little deeper then you need to start looking at the amount of goals that are both scored and conceded by each team. Try to make them relevant to if they are playing home or away as often these records can offset the overall results for each outcome. For example, one team might on average score 4 goals at home but only 1 goal away from, however their overall average would be around 2.5 goals per game, which away from home wouldn’t be a fair reflection.

Once you get an idea of the average number of goals scored and conceded, try to apply this for both teams, look at previous head to head scores and then form your prediction.

First/Last/Anytime Goal Scorer

Again, another pretty self explanatory market. For this you can choose between the player who is going to score first, last or at any stage of the match. It’s often a very lucrative market if you are able to get it right, paying out at odds of 4/1 and over, depending on the player.

There’s only so much strategy you can go into for this type of market and whilst it’s fairly small compared to others, it’s still more than worthwhile doing. The first thing we would say is that you need to look at players who are in form and scoring goals. These are the obvious picks and the shortest price, but as we say, even the favourites can move through to odds of 4/1 and above.

We also like to target players who are on set-pieces, such as direct free-kicks and penalties. These are always going to be players who are exposed to getting the maximum number of chances in the team and as such, provides you a greater chance of them grabbing a goal.

Scorecast

The scorecast is one of the more interesting markets to bet as it actually combines two markets in the correct score and first goalscorer. So, for this bet to come in you need to make sure you have the player who scores the first goal of the game and then the correct score at full time. As you can imagine, the odds for this can get pretty high, especially as you start to get more creative with your goalscorer and correct score lines.

It’s worth noting that these two markets won’t work as a double and as such you can only use it as part of the scorecast bet. This is because these two markets are dependant of each other, which essentially means that whatever happens in one market will affect the result of the other market. As a result, the bets odds have been slightly altered by the bookmaker to reflect this and in turn, it gives you the scorecast market.

In terms of strategy, the best thing we can say is that you combine the two pieces of info from the previous section for the individual markets. So, you need to work out likely score lines based on both previous and current results, before then seeing which players are going have the most opportunities to score the first goal.

BTTS (Both Teams to Score)

Both Teams To Score betting is one of the more recent additions to the sport, but it’s now grown to be one of the most popular. The concept is very simple in that you simply choose games where you think each team will score 1 or more goals. The result or the final score is irrelevant, as long as both teams have managed to score.

There are a couple of twists on this market as well, such as BTTS no, where you are essentially saying that both teams wont score and also Result and BTTS, which requires you to pick the winner of the match and BTTS.

Strategy is pretty simple for this in that you are looking for two free scoring teams. Ideally they will have poor defences and good offences, which means they are able to both score and concede. Another good area to look is previous head to heads, often this will give you a good idea of how the teams have lined up previously and what sort of attitude they have towards each other within a match.

Over/Under

The Over/under market is where you are betting on the number of goals within a single match. What you will find is that the bookmaker sets a line for that match and you simply choose if there will be more (over) or fewer (under) goals.

Often with these types of markets the line will be a decimal. For example, the most common form of bet for this will be over/under 2.5 goals. This essentially means that over bets will need 3 or more goals and under bets will need 2 goals or less. The result or which team scores these goals is irrelevant.

For this market we need to start looking at previous games that have been over 2.5 goals. A lot of stats based football sites will give you the percentage of previous games that have been over or under. Obviously, the higher the percentage the more solid your bet is likely to be.

But, you don’t necessarily need to pick games with teams that score a lot of goals, as long as they concede a lot of goals. For example, a game such as Chelsea v Plymouth is going to be pretty on-sided in Chelsea’s favour and it’s likely they are going to grab a fair few goals, even though the chance of Plymouth scoring is slim.

Handicap Betting

Handicap betting is, in our opinion at least, one of the most underrated bet types in the industry. For this one of the teams will have a handicap applied to them in the form of goals and then the final score will then be adjusted by said handicap.

For example, if you backed a team with a -1 handicap, this would mean that at full time they would have 1 goal removed from their score. Let’s say they go on to win the game 3-1. The handicap would remove 1 goal, to make the adjusted score 2-1, with the team still winning. Now, let’s say that the game finished 1-1 with the same -1 handicap being applied. It would then be adjusted of 0-1, meaning they would lose the game.

Handicap betting can also include Asian Handicap markets as well. The Asian lines work a little differently, in that they are in fractions rather than whole numbers. This eliminates the draw for any adjusted results, meaning that there is always a result from this bet.

For example, if you backed a team at -1.5 goals, and they won the match 3-1, then the adjusted handicap score would then be 1.5-1. But, if they only won that match 2-1, then the adjusted score would be 0.5-1, meaning that bet would lose.

Handicap betting is great for getting value out of short price favourites. Let’s stick with our Chelsea v Plymouth example above and say that on the match result market the odds are as follows:

• Chelsea to win = 1/5
• Draw = 2/1
• Plymouth = 6/1

Not much value in backing any team at odds of 1/5, no matter how much of a sure thing they are. Let’s apply a handicap of -1 to see how the odds might be adjusted:

• Chelsea -1 = 4/5
• Draw = 2/1
• Plymouth +1 = 2/1

We can see that at odds of 4/5 Chelsea are a much more appealing bet, especially in a game they are considered to win and to win well. It does mean that essentially they need to win by 2 or more goals for our bet to win, but this shouldn’t be a problem given their opposition.

Don’t forget that with handicap betting you don’t always have to remove goals from a team and that you can add them to a team. As you can see above, you could back Plymouth with a +1 handicap, which means that 1 goal will be added to their score.

Own Goals in Football Betting

Own goals are player’s nightmares when it comes to football, but it’s also a punters nightmare as well, with some markets including them and some markets excluding them. Below we have listed a few markets that own goals will affect in different ways.

First Goalscorer

The first goalscorer is the most common that an own goal affects. Essentially an own goal is still a goal, but for this market is doesn’t actually affect your first goalscorer bets. So, if you have placed a bet on this and an own goal is scored, for the purpose of this market it will assume that no goal has been scored and your bet is still live. If your player goes on to score the goal after the own goal, then your bet will be paid out as a winner.

Other markets that carry the same rules in that own goals don’t count include:

• Last goalscorer
• Scorecast
• Anytime goalscorer

BTTS, Match Result & Other Markets

Conversely, if an own goal is scored then it will count for the following markets, with the game being played out as normal and the goal counting towards the final result:

• Match result
• BTTS
• Correct Score
• Handicap markets
• Over/under total goals

This page lists all of the currently active football offers and promotions from the betting sites we track. As you can see the list tends to get quite long, particularly when there are a lot of big games on. This should come as no surprise given the games popularity among us punters.

So to help you get to an offer quickly, the promotions are listed according to the date they end – so offers that are specific to today’s football matches will appear at the top. Once an offers done and dusted, it will be automatically removed from the list. Towards the end of the page you’ll find the ongoing football promotions that the bookies offer such as ‘Score Draw Money Back’ and ‘Double Delight, Hat Trick Heaven’.

As with all of the offers on this site (with the exception of the introductory free bets section) all of the promotions listed on this page can be claimed by both new and existing customers.

Jump to:Latest Offers | Acca Insurance | Accumulator Bonuses

Latest Football / Soccer Betting Offers & Promotions

Winning correct score doubles, trebles and four-folds on selected matches could earn a cash bonus of up to 50%. Winning doubles could qualify for a 20% bonus, trebles a 30% bonus and four-folds a 50% bonus. Qualifying games are:

New and existing customers can get a free MyOddsBoost to use on an #OddsOnThat market of the Leeds United v Crystal Palace game which is playing at 20:00 on the 08/02/21.

Place a pre-match Bet Builder bet on selected Premier League games playing between Saturday 6th and Monday 8th February, and you can get a £5 free live bet to use on that same match. To qualify bets must be £10 or greater with a minimum of two selections each at odds of 2/1 (3.0) or greater.

Refund for any Soccer game that finishes 0-0 at bet365. Applies to losing pre-match bets on any Correct Score, Half-Time/Full-Time or Scorecast markets.

Bet restrictions and T&Cs apply. New and eligible customers only.

Place £20 or more on a 'Create Your Bet' market of any football match and if it is a winner, you could get a free £20 bet. To qualify your bet must have at least 3 legs with combined odds of at least 4/1. One per customer per week.

UK and Ireland customers only. Min odds 4/1, max free bet £20. Free bet min odds 1.2 per selection. Free bet credited on settlement of qualifying winning bet, valid for 48 hours. T&Cs apply. 18+.

Pre-Match: Back a player to score first in selected matches and if they score twice you can get double your original odds, if they score three or more you can get treble your original odds.

In-Play: Here, bet in-play on the next goalscorer in selected matches and if they score and go on to score again after this you will get paid at double your odds. If they then score again you will get treble your odds.

Upcoming games include:

Nice and simple. If your team goes 2 goals up at any point, you'll get paid out as a winner - even if your team goes on to lose the match. This offer applies to Premier League, Championship, League 1, League 2, SPL, Champions League, Europa League, Spanish La Liga,German Bundesliga and French Ligue 1 matches.

Applies to pre-match singles on either side to win on the Win-Draw-Win markets only. Bets placed on the Draw selection in each game are not applicable. Open to selected games 7th October to Thursday 31st December 2020. Retail bets excluded. Max payout £2,500. 18+, T&Cs apply.

Coral's Correct 4 game will be running throughout the football season. Answer four questions about a selected match before kick off and you could win up to £50 in cash (two correct = £1 free bet, three correct = £2 free bet and four correct is the full £50 in cash).

You can play once per week, so long as you have an eligible account.

18+. UK & IRE only. Online & Mobile. Max 1 entry per customer per game week. Any entries after kick off of selected match will not be eligible. 4 correct answers for £50 cash prize. 3 correct answers for £2 free bet. Valid for 7 days. T&C's Apply.

Predict the outcome of the eight selected matches and you could be in with a chance to win a share of £8,000. If you don't get all 8 correct, you can get a free £1 bet for each result that you do predict correctly. This competition is free to enter.

Fully verified UK customers only. Deadline for submission will be the earliest kick off time of selected games. After first 2 plays a £25 weekly wagering requirement applies (min odds 1/2). If more than one entrant predicts all 8 results correctly, the jackpot will be shared. Winnings and free bets will be available within 72 hours with free bets valid for 7 days. 18+, T&Cs apply.

Stats Articles

Factors that Affect Football Betting Offers

Although there will be a number of terms and conditions to be aware of when looking at football betting promotions, there are some key areas that you will need to be aware of which we have outlined in more detail below.

Cashing Out Bets

The majority of you now will be more than familiar with cash out betting. But, just in case you are totally new to the concept, we’ll quickly run through some of the basics.

The concept of cash out betting is simple; it allows you to settle bets and lock in a result before that market has been fully settled. So, you might place a bet on Team A to win at odds of 9/1 with a £10 stake, meaning if they did, your returns would be £100. Team A score first and go 1-0 with 30 minutes still remaining. With cash out betting the bookmaker may offer you say £60 to lock in the profit before that market has settled. You take the £60, which then means that the final result of the match is irrelevant as your bet has already won.

It’s worth noting that you can cash out for a loss. So, in the same example, the game might be 0-0 and heading for a draw with 10 minutes left. The bookmaker offers you £5 to cash out before the end of the game, meaning that you would essentially lose £5 from your original £10 stake.

How Does Cashout Affect Betting Offers

What you’re going to find with most bookies is that you can’t use the cash out function with free bets or even as a qualifying bet to trigger ant free bets or promotions. Cash out essentially means that you can guarantee return before the full result has happened, which actually puts the power into the punters hand, albeit for a slightly reduced price than the original odds for your return.

The terms of betting offers mean that a cashed out bet could be massively exploitable in the punters favour. Let’s run through a couple of scenarios why the bookies won’t allow it.

• First scenario – Let’s assume that we place a bet that requires you to wager £20 in order to receive a £20 free bet. If they allowed cash out bets for this, you could literally place a bet of £20 and immediately cash it out to receive your free £20. It offers no risk to the punter and means the bookie pays out every time.
• Second scenario – Another example would be when it comes to wager requirements. Let’s say that the offer was bet £20 and with it you get £20, but you are required to wager through your free bet 5 times before being able to withdraw. In total, this would mean £100 worth of wagers. You could essentially place £100 worth of wagers (single bet or multiple bets) and immediately cash it out before the market has even gone live, technically meaning that you have met the wager requirements with zero exposure.

Bookies bring in terms and conditions such as wagering requirements for offers and promotions to reduce their exposure and also make it hard for players to sign up, have no exposure on their bets and then just leave. Wagering requirements mean that they have to play within the bookmaker for a certain length of time and could potentially lose their initial stake, meaning no promotion has to be paid.

Extra Time and Penalties

Extra time and penalties can play a significant role when betting on football. It’s worth noting that for league games these won’t occur, and all markets will be settled under the 90 minutes of the match, which includes added time at the end of the first and second half.

For cup competitions they will become much more prevalent. Competitions such as the FA Cup and the League Cup will have a mix of both in the games. The League Cup format has recently changed and done away with replays if scores are tied after 90 minutes. This means games will head straight to extra time and penalties where needed.

In the FA Cup they will have a replay at a later date if the game is tied after 90 minutes. But, in those replays, if the scores still can’t be separated then only then do they go into extra time and penalties. This only alters once the semi-final and the final take place, usually on neutral ground and hosted at Wembley Stadium. If scores are equal in these matches, then they will play extra time instead of going to a replay. The final, also hosted at Wembley Stadium will follow the same rules.

You need to be aware that for the majority of bets they will only run within 90 minutes and rarely include extra time unless otherwise stated. You are able to bet on markets such as the team to qualify, which includes this if needed, but as stated, most are settled within 90 minutes.

How to Bet on Football

If you are new to football betting you could be put off by the vast array of options available on each and every match. Here we have picked out some of the most popular football bets that you will encounter.

Match Winner Bets

The match winner market is the most popular betting market that you can get for football. It’s pretty simple as well. There are three results possible; home win, away win and draw. All you need to do is choose the result of the match and you’re set.

There are a couple of things that you need to note for this market though. The match winner is based over 90 minutes, which includes both injury time in the first half and second half. Should a game go to either extra time or penalties, then these won’t count and the result, which in this case would be a draw, will be taken as the settled bet for the market.

Half-time/full-time

As variations of this bet you’ll also be able to bet on the half time result and full-time result. For this you need to have the correct result at both half-time and full-time. For example, you might back a draw and home win. If the scores are tied at half-time and the home team win after 90 minutes, then your bet will be successful. You need both parts of this bet to be successful for this.

Strategy & Statistics

The match winner market can take in a number of statistics that should help to form your bets. This can include, but isn’t limited to, recent form, league position, head to head, home/away form, player form and number of goals scored and conceded.

Betting patterns, in terms of where the money is headed (odds lengthening and shortening) can offer a good guide on which team’s other punters are fancying for each game.

In the 2017/18 Premier League season, the majority of games were won by the home team:

• 46% games won by the home team
• 28% games won by the away team
• 26% teams ended in a draw

Handicap Betting

Handicap betting is where you are applying a theoretical advantage or disadvantage for a certain team. The handicap will be applied in the form of goals either adding them on or subtracting from the full-time score.

For example, you place a bet on team to win with -1 goal. This means that 1 goal will be removed from the full-time score for that team. Essentially, a -1 handicap would mean that a team needs to win by 2 or more goals for that bet to win. If after the handicap has been removed or added, the teams are tied and the result would be a draw, your bet would be refunded. So, if you backed a Team A with a -1 handicap and they won 2-1, the adjusted handicap would be 1-1 (1 goal removed), meaning a draw.

Asian Handicaps

The Asian handicap has the same concept, although works a little differently. The idea is that the Asian Handicap eliminates the draw result, meaning that a result always occurs. A typical bet would be -1.5 goals, meaning 1.5 goals are removed from a score or +1.5 goals, meaning 1.5 goals are added to the score.

For example, you back Team A on the Asian handicap with a -1.5 handicap. They win the match 3-1. 1.5 goals would be removed from their score, resulting in a final score of 1.5 – 1. This would mean that your bet wins. Like the regular handicap above, a -1.5 handicap would essentially mean that a team would need to win by 2 or more goals for a successful bet.

You can bet +/- full goals, for example -1 goal with your stake returned if the handicapped result is a draw. You will also see 1/4 bets for example +1.25 which means your stake will be split equally between the values immediately above and below. In this instance half stake on + 1 and half on +1.5.

Strategy & Statistics

Handicap betting is a great place to increase the odds for short priced favourites. Any team that is priced around the 1/2 (1.50) or shorter are widely expected to win and to win comfortably. In the real world, these odds offer little value to a lot of punters, with limited returns unless you are betting large stakes.

By applying a handicap to that team you are able to then gain better odds, usually around evens (2.00) or even higher for 1/2 favourites, creating much more value in a game they are already expected to win easily.

The flip side is when you utilise the handicaps for games which on paper will be low scoring. A team that might not be favourite to win, but are tough to beat will benefit massively from a positive handicap being added, often seeing only a small decrease in price.

In the 2017/18 Premier League season, 34.78% of games were won by 2 or more goals.

Both Teams to Score (BTTS)

The Both Teams to Score market has quickly become one of the most popular betting markets over the last few years. The concept is very simple; all you need to do is pick games where both teams score at least 1 goal each. The result of the match is actually irrelevant and for this market, all we need is goals.

For example, a game which ended in a 1-1 draw would qualify, just the same as game that finished 9-1, albeit very different overall results.

There are several variations of this bet as well. One of the more popular is the result and BTTS. For this you need to choose either a team to win or alternatively the draw (score draw, essentially). You’re also going to be able to choose Both Teams to Score “no” as an addition to this market. This bet is essentially where at least one team would need to keep clean sheet for it to be successful.

Strategy & Statistics

For this market you need to be looking at teams that are free scoring and also pretty weak at the back. You’re going to be able to get exact data from many sites who offer overall percentages of games where both team have scores. In the 2018/19 Premier League season, Leicester had the highest percentage with 63% of their total games having both team scores.

It’s important to delegate your research into both home and away. For example, Leicester’s overall score of 63% of matches was offset slightly, with just 53% of home games having BTTS, but a staggering 74% of away games.

Of all the top flight English leagues, League 2 had the highest BTTS percentage of matches in 2017/18, with 54%, 6% higher than the Premier League’s 49%.

Goalscorer Betting

Another popular bet for football is that of the ever-increasing number of goalscorer bets. The most common come in form of the first, last and anytime markets. The first goalscorer is probably the most popular out of the three and for this you need to choose which player will get the first goal of the match. The last goalscorer is the opposite of this, having to choose the player who gets the last goal (note, this can be first goal as well, should the game finish 1-0). Anytime is where you pick a player to score anytime within the 90-minute match.

There are a couple of stipulations that you need to consider for this bet. For example, if your player fails to start the game and only comes on after the first goal has been scored, your bet will be voided, and stake refunded. It’s also worth noting that should an own goal be scored, this will not count towards the goalscorer market and the match will continue assuming no goal has been scored for the purpose of this bet.

Strategy & Statistics

A good rule of thumb for first goalscorer betting is to choose players that are either in form or are taking a lot of set pieces in goal scoring situations (penalties, direct free-kicks etc.).

Mo Salah, who won the Premier League Golden Booth in 2017/18 for Liverpool, scored first in 10 of their 38 games that season (26.35%).

Correct Score

The correct score market is one of the toughest bets to call, but it can be the most lucrative if you get it right. The bet means that you need to predict to the exact score of that match. The score has to be absolutely spot on for the bet to win and will need to be settled within 90 minutes, unless otherwise stated. For example, if you backed a team to win 3-1, you would need that game to win 3-1 for your bet to win.

There are a few variations of this bet that can be used as well, such as half-time/full-time correct score. This is where you need to select the correct score for both half-time and full-time. As you can imagine, this bet adds another layer of difficulty for the market due to you needing both scores spot on for a successful bet. Even if the full-time score is correct, if you’ve failed to predict the half-time score then your bet will lose.

Strategy & Statistics

There are some scores that more common than others in football. The Premier League in the 2017/18 season had the following percentages and score lines as the most frequent:

1. 1-1 = 12%
2. 1-0 = 12%
3. 2-1 = 8%
4. 0-0 = 8%
5. 2-0 = 7%
6. 1-2 = 6%

It’s worth noting that the 6th spot (1-2) is the only away victory result in the league and the most common for away teams when winning.

Half time results:

1. 0-0 = 33%
2. 1-0 = 19%
3. 0-1 = 14%
4. 1-1 = 9%

You’d be hard pushed to really look outside of the more popular result as stated above. In total these 6 results equated for 53% of the matches that year. The half-time results are really interesting though, with 73% of the total half-time scores being made up from just 4 results.

Previous meetings between the two sides are often used as decent guides as to how games play out. Another good point to make is that traditionally local derbies are played out as tight affairs, regardless of the gulf in class between the two teams.

Total Goals – Over/Under

Another emerging and popular market is the over/under on goal lines within matches. These work by the bookmaker setting a line for that match and the punter then choosing if there will be less or more than those goals, stated as over or under.

The bets are highlighted in fractions, which means that there can be no draws or “push” results. The most common line for each game is 2.5 goals. The punter then essentially needs to pick if there will be over or under 2.5 goals, or in laymen’s terms 3 or more, or 2 or less.

The line can be adjusted with each match though, often starting from as low as 0.5 going right up to 5.5 or even higher for some matches.

Variations of this market can include both the match result (match results + over/under goal line) and the Both Teams to Score market (BTTS Yes/no + over/under goal line).

Strategy & Statistics

This market is one of the most flexible that you can bet on, in that, for each game you should be able to form an opinion on how it might play out. The idea is to first come up with a likely result and then to see how it fits with this betting market.

For example, from your research you come to the conclusion that a 2-1 result is the most likely. So, for this you could choose either the over 2.5 goals or under 3.5 goals bet.

In 2017/18 season, the Premier League averaged 2.68 goals per game, which would suggest that if backed over 2.5 goals for every game, you would win more bets than you would lose. Important to note that this does not equate to profit, given the odds for each game will fluctuate accordingly.

Additional Football Advice

As the most popular sport on the planet, there is lots of information available on the game. Below we consider a number of areas, including when matches are played and what you need to know about VAR.

League Formats

Each season around the world can take place at different times. This is often to coincide with climates. In Europe, the vast majority of games are played throughout the winter time, including autumn and spring, avoiding summer. This is mainly down to the fact that it avoids the hot weather that can affect players and games.

Most leagues will start in September and run through until early May time. These leagues all run around the same time as it means that when major tournaments such as the World Cup and European Championships are running throughout the summer, players who are involved are able to get ample rest.

Winter Breaks Across Europe

There are many leagues that also have a winter break held across Christmas and the New Year. Leagues such as the Bundesliga in Germany and La Liga in Spain are keen advocates of this to prevent player burnout. The Premier League in England has always been opposed to this and actually have one of the busiest stretches of games throughout this very period.

But, for the 2018/19 season this is going to be trialled in England for the first time. A 2-week break will start at the beginning of January to allow players rest after the hectic Christmas schedule.

Matchdays & Kick-Off Times

There was once a time where all games for the top English league would take place at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon. It’s a time that is synonymous with football and even as fixtures are released for new seasons these days, the default time and day is 3pm on a Saturday afternoon.

But, as TV money and sponsorship deals have taken over leagues such as the Premier League, it means that games are now more spread out than ever and often you are only left with a handful on 3pm kick-offs on a Saturday. In the 2017/18 season a game was played on every day of the week at some point throughout the season, with the first Thursday night match in history.

Whilst the structure can be complicated for games the common slots are highlighted below with rough times:

As you can see, they are very much spread out, with the likes of Super Sunday on Sky Sports and Monday Night Football offering up huge viewing figures for major games that have been moved in order to accommodate TV viewings.

One thing that we do want to highlight is that no games are broadcasted on TV from the 3pm kick offs on a Saturday. The whole concept of moving matches for TV and not broadcasting all matches was the fear that fans would stay away from grounds in favour of watching from their own home, in effect reducing revenue numbers from ticket sales for clubs.

As these games aren’t shown, it means that not all games can be (legally) watched on TV and still keeps the tradition of attending football matches running. Although, you could argue that there are that many games shown on TV these days that this could change in the not too distant future.

From a betting perspective, the increased number of games that are on TV and the variety of days that games are spread out over is actually a good thing. It dilutes the research that needs to be made each day for each game and allows you to focus in on a single match much nearer to kick off (essential for things like team news) instead of working through 10 games if they were all played at the same time.

Final Games of the Season

There is a time where all teams play on the same day at the same time and it happens just once a season. This is the last game of the season and it’s required in order to keep games competitive in the hunt for league places and relegation. By playing all games no team at the same time, no team can get an advantage in terms of playing first/last for their place in the league.

There are still games that are on TV on the final game and it’s often one of the most exciting and exhilarating of the year as a result.

Home advantage

A huge emphasis is made in football for the home team having an advantage over their opponents, and there is a number of reasons why this is. In the 2017/18 Premier League season 46% of results were that of home wins, compared to 26% draws and 28% away wins.

One of the biggest attributes to this, and something that many people aren’t aware of is that the home team are actually able to set up the pitch dimensions for each game. There is actually quite a large discrepancy between the biggest and the smallest, as highlighted with the 5 biggest Premier League pitches compared to smallest.

Largest and Smallest Premier League Pitches 2018/19

There will be grounds that simply can’t go any bigger in terms of the size of the pitch, but there are also others that are able to, but choose not to increase the size. A lot of this depends on the style that the team wants to play that’s going to aid them most for each game.

For example, Wolves, who have the smallest pitch in the league, will likely be wanting to keep games fairly tight, which means they want to close off as much space as possible for their opponents. The flip side is someone like Arsenal, who are famed for open, attacking football, who want a big ground that allows them space to get in behind opposition defences.

Home Support

Another big factor when it comes to home advantage comes in the form of home support. Home grounds are going to have a much larger number of fans cheering on their team than traveling away fans. The allocation of away tickets will depend on a number of factors, but as a general rule you can expect it be around 10% the total capacity of the stadium for Premier League games. This number can rise for competitions such as the FA Cup.

Having the fans behind a team can play a huge role as it gives players confidence and drive. But, it can also influence the referee and it’s often agreed that playing at home will entitle your team to more 50/50 calls, even though referees should remain entirely impartial for both teams.

VAR (Video Assistant Referee)

VAR is a fairly new technology that has been brought into some football games. It’s highest profile outing has been at the 2018 World Cup, but the technology has been met with mixed reactions throughout.

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The concept is to allow a team of officials watching the game via several televisions and camera angles to help the on-field referee in major decisions. It’s used for calls such as goals, penalty decisions, direct red card decisions and mistaken identity for yellow or red cards, overturning clear and obvious errors.

It’s technology that has worked well with the likes of tennis, cricket and rugby, but for football has taken a little longer to bed in. The issue occurs in that for many decisions it’s still how a single person would interpret the act. A handball penalty decision for example, where one referee might see it as deliberate another might not.

Whilst the current set up is still flawed, there is no doubt that it seems to be the way the game is heading. The decision-making process has become clearer though and even going from its first major trial run at the World Cup, has had a massive effect on how games are run.

VAR and Betting Markets

This all links in to betting markets in some form as well. Penalty decisions has probably seen the biggest change as a result, with VAR being much less tolerant for things like holding in the box from set pieces. The rise has been substantial, with 20 penalties being awarded in just 36 matches at one point in the World Cup group stages, some 2 more than the record that was 18 across the entire tournament in 2002.

The price on a penalty awarded has been massively slashed as a result. A non-VAR match would average around 5/1 for a penalty to be awarded, whereas with VAR, these prices are nearer Even money or slightly better.

As VAR continues to be implemented, we are likely to see other markets start to be adjusted as well. Goals are likely going to increase as both linesmen and referees are going to be more lenient on calls knowing that they are going to refer to VAR anyway. Bookings and free kicks will alter as well and whilst it’s still early days to see what or how this will change, it does highlight that VAR will have an effect on betting markets over the long term, especially given the early results of betting on penalties.

Disciplinary records

A huge part of the game comes down to discipline with football matches. Red cards will mean that a player is removed from the game, meaning that the team is at a disadvantage over their opponents. But, yellow cards can also play a huge role as it means that players need to curb their aggression in fear of getting a second booking and then being sent off.

There are set guidelines that referees, and officials can look at to determine if a players deserves a card and if so, which.

Yellow card

• Unsporting behaviour
• Dissent by word or action
• Persistent infringement of the Laws of the Game
• Delaying the restart of play
• Failure to respect the required distance when play is restarted with a corner kick, throw-in or free kick
• Entering or re-entering the field of play without the referee’s permission
• Deliberately leaving the field of play without the referee’s permission

Red Card

• Serious foul play
• Violent conduct
• Spitting at an opponent or any other person
• Denying the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal scoring opportunity by deliberately handling the ball (this does not apply to a goalkeeper within their own penalty area)
• Deliberate fouls that deny an obvious goal scoring opportunity to an opponent moving towards the player’s goal
• Using offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures
• Receiving a second caution in the same match

As you can see the rules vary, but they can be interpreted very different from one official to another, which causes inconsistencies in the games and one of the reasons why VAR, which we spoke about earlier, has been introduced.

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For example, the top two criteria for yellow and red and unsporting behaviour and serious foul play. Sometimes the margins between each can be tiny, so the same tackle by a player can be deemed one or the other, which often occurs in the Premier League.

The number of red cards for a club throughout a season usually averages around 3, ranging anywhere from 1-7, which has been a common trend over the last decade in the Premier League.

Yellow cards are much more frequent and usually start from around 50, which is around 1.3 per game, shooting right up to 100 over the season or roughly 2.6 per game.

Major Football Tournaments

World Cup

Held every four years after a rigorous qualification campaign, 32 of the planet’s finest international teams do battle for the greatest prize of them all: the Jules Rimet Trophy. Split into groups of four, the top two in each bracket go forth into the knockout stage of the tournament where glory or misery awaits. Geoff Hurst’s goal in ’66, the ‘Hand of God’ in ’86, Gazza’s tears in ’90, Zidane’s head butt in ’06….the World Cup has played host to some of football’s most iconic moments. The host nation is chosen via a bidding system, alleged FIFA corruption notwithstanding.

European Championship (Euros)

Hosted every four years in the even number split between World Cup years, the European Championship crowns the finest international side on the continent following a gruelling 24 team shoot out that incorporates months of qualifying matches and then the final tournament in the summer. Spain and Germany are the most decorated teams in the competition’s history with three wins apiece, while for England fans the 50+ years of hurt continue: they have not progressed past the semi-final stage in some two decades.

Champions League

It is the undoubted pinnacle of club football: an opportunity for the continent’s premier teams to do battle to be crowned ‘King of Europe’. Well, at least for a year anyway. Formerly known as the European Cup, the competition is made up of 32 teams that qualify via strong showings in their domestic leagues. The round robin group format, where four teams play each other home and away, then gives way to the knockout phase of the top 16 sides; with the ultimate prize of the final in May to look toward.

Europa League

Known across the continent as the Champions League’s unruly younger sibling, the Europa League is made up of 48 teams that frankly don’t perform quite well enough in their domestic division to make the more prestigious tournament, or have qualified via alternative means; winning a cup competition, for example. The traditional group/knockout phase format has been in place since 2009/10, when the competition was rebranded from the UEFA Cup. These days, the Europa League has a greater significance as the winner takes their place in the following season’s Champions League.

FA Cup

The FA Cup was first held in 1871, and as such it is one of the oldest competitions in world football. It gives smaller teams and those lower down the pyramid a brilliant opportunity to face Premier League opposition; with a number of huge giantkillings taking place through the years. The lower league clubs enter the early rounds from August-December, before the larger clubs are added into the mix in round three. The final is held at Wembley in May each year, with 12-time winners Arsenal the most decorated in the cup’s lengthy history.

The League Cup

The League Cup pits the 92 clubs of the top four divisions of English football against each other in a straight knockout format. It is perceived by many clubs as lower in importance than the other competitions due to the lower prize money and lack of a direct route to European football; hence why the likes of Bradford City have reached the final and Birmingham City have lifted the trophy. The competition begins in September and culminates in a Wembley final typically on the last Sunday in February.

Types of Football Betting Offer

To help you quickly get your head around the offers listed above, we’ve compiled a brief glossary of the more common types of promotions that bookmakers run in conjunction with football/soccer betting.

Online Football Betting Offers

Note that there are two types of money/cash back offer – true money back promotions where you actually receive your money back if your bet loses (assuming the qualifying criteria is met) and promotions where you receive your refund as a promotional free bet. Check the T&C’s of the offer you’re interested or the summary we provide on this website to find out which category it falls into.

Best Football Betting Offers

• Red Card Refund – Here you’ll get your money back if a red card is shown at any point during the game. Usually the offer applies to specific markets (such as first/last goalscorer and correct score) and in most cases is for pre-match singles only. If in-play betting is permitted with this offer then only red cards shown after the bet has been placed will count – ie: if you bet after a red card has been shown in a game, you don’t automatically win.
• Nil-Nil Refund – With this offer you’re looking for games that end without either team scoring. If that happens you’ll get your money back, but usually only on specific markets such as correct score. Often referred to as ‘bore draw’.
• Correct Score, Wrong Team – This is a promotion that Coral have started running that will inevitably get copied by other betting sites in the future. Here you place a bet on the correct score market and if the result is the opposite of your prediction (eg: you bet on the game ending 2-1 and the final result is 1-2), you’ll get your money back. This offer does not apply to draws, for obvious reasons.
• Double Delight, Hat Trick Heaven – This is a long running offer from Betfred (and now their sister site, Totesport) where your winning first goalscorer bets are doubled if the player scores again during the match, and tripled if they score a hat trick.
• Accumulator Bonus – Quite simply, a bonus which is added to successful accumulators. The bonus is usually given as a percentage which rises with the number of legs – so a 10 leg acca is going to get a bigger bonus than a 5 leg one.
• Accumulator Insurance – Acca insurance is exactly how it sounds, insurance against your bet losing. The criteria varies from site to site and between promotions, but in most cases it gives money back (or a free bet) if a, accumulator loses because of only one leg (eg: you win four out of your five selections). This offer is most frequently offered on ‘both teams to score’ (or ‘BTTS’ if you’d rather) markets, but does crop up on match bettinh markets from time to time.
• Free In Play Bet – One of our favourite promotions is the free in play bet. These tend to only crop up around the biggest matches and award you a free in play bet when you place a qualifying pre-match bet. Eg: If you place a £25 pre-match bet, you’ll receive a £25 free bet to use during the game.