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Online Sports Betting | The Beginner’s Guide
The UK online sports betting market has a lot to offer to its enthusiasts. Check out some tips, tricks and more below!
14:43 18 January 2021
The Ultimate Sports Betting Guide for UK Players
Interested in trying your hand at online betting? Cool! Not looking for anything too complicated? We’ve got just the thing for you. Sports betting! It’s thrilling, it’s exciting and best of all, you can place different bets on a number of national and large-scale events.
If you think online sports betting is something that will interest you, this post will point you in the right direction in terms of tips, tricks and all there is to know about online sports betting.
Sports Betting in the UK
Sports betting has sought to become one of the biggest businesses in the UK. Once it was made legal in the year 1961, there was no turning back. In fact, sports bettors and like-minded individuals can now visit a myriad of sports betting shops and venues found in all over the United Kingdom.
Alongside the numerous sports betting halls, UK sports bettors are also dabbling in online sports betting. Over the last few years, it has gained more and more momentum. What’s great about online sports books is that they offer more convenience when it comes to actually placing bets. This means that enthusiasts can just switch on their desktops and phones and follow up on the scores as the match progresses.
We spoke to Sheldon – a talented sports analyst at mybettingsite.uk. Considering he’s been working in the business for quite some time, he knows all the tricks of the trade. “The sports betting industry is here to say. UK sports bettors now have access to place their bets on a number of sports markets, and it’s not only limited to the most popular ones like football and horse-racing, either. There’s tennis, cricket, basketball, hockey, lacrosse, motor sport, boxing, mixed martial arts and anything you can think of.”
In fact, we can see that online sports betting is favoured by a number of bettors in the gambling community. According to a 2020 report conducted by the UK Gambling Commission, sports betting secured its place as the most popular gambling activity, with 35% being spent of funds being spent online at local venues. Casino games and the National lottery came in 2nd and 3rd place after they scored 27% and 22.3% respectively.
How to Place Your Bets Online
Perhaps this may seem obvious to UK sports bettors who know their way around sportsbooks. So, if there are any potential newbies in the building, here’s what you need to know.
First off you need to create/sign in to your sports betting account. Once the registration process is complete, take the time to have a browse at the events you may be interested in. Once that’s out of the way, decide on your bets and finalise the selection and the wager with the bookmaker. Everything else will be handled from the provider’s end. All you need is a reliable device and secure internet connection and you’re good to go!
Do bear in mind that this is only a general idea of what to expect if you want to place bets online. At the end, the full process will depend on the type of bookmaker your using. In fact, there are other ways in which you can place your bets. Here are some of the most common ones:
- Telephone-based bookmakers
- Racetrack bookmakers
- Bookmaking shops/betting bureaus
- Casino sportsbooks
The Different Types of Online Sports Betting
You’ll come to find out that there isn’t just one type of sports betting. In other words, if you are a UK sports bettor who’s looking for something else other that traditional fixed odds betting, you’ve got options. Here are some of the most common ones found online:
In Play/Live Betting
In play/live betting is more or less similar to the traditional fixed odds concept since wagers are placed as fixed odds. That said, you have to keep in mind a few things. As the name stands, in-play betting requires you to place you bets DURING the event. In the long run, this is a better option since you can place bets according to the outcomes and factors that come in to play during the event in question.
Exchange Betting
Exchange Betting is all about fixed odds. However, there’s one important difference here. No bookmakers are involved. In this case, two bettors do all the talking; one backs the selection, whilst the other lays it down. You can argue that the one who lays down the bet is the bookmaker, whilst the other offers the fixed odds. In the end, if the backer’s choice is the winning selection, the layer pays them out.
Spread Betting
Spread betting doesn’t feature fixed odds and in this particular case, the wager cannot win or lose. The objective is to choose a number that is higher or lower than the sportsbook’s spread. In the end, the final amount you win/lose will depend on how high or low the number is.
Pari-mutuel Betting
Sports bettors who enjoy placing bets on horse races are familiar with this type of betting. That said, it can be used on other sports as well. In short, bookmakers and odds aren’t involved here. Stakes are placed in a pool and at the end of the event in question, the bettors who placed their bets on the winning horse/selection take home the prize. The final share is based on each individual stake and how many bettors backed the winning selection.
Esports Betting
Similar to traditional fixed odds betting, but with a difference. Esports Betting isn’t about placing wagers on traditional sports; in this case, it’s all about placing bets on highly competitive video games. Recently, this type of betting has gained a lot of momentum in the UK and other parts of the world. We can expect its popularity levels to soar higher and higher in the years to come.
Sports Betting Lingo
Not familiar with the sports lingo sports bettors use? Don’t fret; we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of some of the most common bets you’re likely to come across on most sports betting websites.
Single: Betting on just one outcome
Double: A wager with two sections. Both odds are multiplied by each other and both predictions must be correct to win.
Treble: A wager with three sections. The overall odds will apply to the three selections are multiplied and all three predictions must be correct to win.
Accumulator: A wager with four or more sections. Like the other bets, you can work out your odds by multiplying them for each selection. All selections have to be correct to win.
Trixie: A three selection bet made up of three double bets and a treble. To progress further, at least 2 selections must win.
Yankee: A four section bet featuring 11 bets. To claim a return, at least two selections must win.
Super Yankee: A five section bet featuring 26 bets. At least two selections must be correct to win.
Heinz: A six selection bet featuring 57 different bets: fifteen double bets, twenty treble bets, fifteen four-folds, 6 five-fold, and a six-fold accumulator bet. Two selection bets have to win to see a return.
Super Heinz: A seven selection wager made up of composed of 120 bets.