There is no doubt that football has many fans around the world. No matter which is your favourite variation of the sport, the game is always exciting and it is easy to understand why so many people are so passionate about it. With the evergrowing popularity of this sport, it is obvious why punters all over the world are also enjoying placing their money on football games.
Of course, it was expected that with the innovations in interactive gambling, virtual sportsbooks will also become popular. This is why, today, many bettors have the chance to place bets both at land-based and online bookmakers.
Being able to place sports bets online provides a lot more opportunities than heading to your local bookmaker. Many virtual sportsbooks offer punters impressive bonuses and promotions that can make any betting adventure more exciting and rewarding.
Online betting also gives punters the chance to make a research about any team or player they might bet on/against. What is more, by browsing the different online sportsbooks, bettors may find the website that offers the best odds and place their money there.
The advantage of making bets online is that even if you are a resident of one country but you play at a foreign sportsbook, you can bet on the games that it offers. Let us assume that you are an Aussie punter and it is way past the season of AFL games. Then you can simply head to an offshore regulated online bookie and bet on American football or any other sport, for that matter.
Difference Between NFL and AFL
When you head to a sports betting site, you may see that there are different football games that you can bet on. Usually, there are NFL and AFL games played and football fans can choose between the different variations of the game when it comes to online betting. There are a few differences between NFL and AFL. What is more, AFL can refer to both the Arena Football League and Australian Rules Football.
If we are comparing National Football League with Arena Football League, then it can be said that NFL is outdoor American Football, while AFL is indoor American Football. The NFL has a field length of 100 yards, while the AFL field is 50 yards long. The last difference between the two types of American Football is that the NFL has an unlimited roster, while the AFL has an active roster of 20 men and inactive one of 4 men.
You can also differentiate American Football and Australian Rules Football. The first difference is in the ball that is used in both types of football. The Australian players use a lot lighter ball which in some way makes the gameplay easier. The field, however, is smaller with American football. There is also a contrast in the number of players included in both forms of football. NFL teams consist of 11 players and the number of substitutions is unlimited. Aussie Rules Football has 18 players and 3 substitutions.
Scoring and passing rules differentiate between American and Aussie football since Australian Rules Football allows almost no touching of the ball with hands, or at least no throwing in order to pass it around. With American football, a forward pass is allowed if the player passing is behind the line of scrimmage. Touchdown (scoring) in American football is done by getting the ball to the end zone and it worths 6 points. By kicking the ball through the vertical goal post, American football players can also score a point. In Australian football players score by kicking the ball across the 4 goal posts. If the ball is kicked through the outer posts this is considered a ‘behind’ and it worths 1 point. A ‘goal’ is achieved if the ball is kicked through the inner posts and it worths 6 points.
How to Bet on Football Online
You can be sure that betting on football online is not different than doing it at a land-based bookie. There are several steps to make your bets in the best possible way and expect the most rewarding outcome. If you are new to the online betting scene, then it is recommended you make a good research about the online sportsbook where you are planning to place your wagers.
There are a few criteria that you must look for when you are choosing the virtual bookie where you would bet. The first and most important thing is to find a betting site which is properly regulated and holds valid licenses. This way you will be sure that you are enjoying your sports betting adventures in a safe environment.
Another important aspect of choosing the best online bookie is accepting various easy-to-use, fast and safe payment methods. This way interactive bettors will have the opportunity to choose the banking solution that fits their needs the best. Credit/debit cards, e-wallets, prepaid cards and bank transfers are among the most commonly used methods at good web-based sportsbooks.
Once you have settled the matter with the trustworthiness of the online sportsbook and the payment methods it accepts, you can move on to the next important feature of a good online bookie. It is very important to pick a sports betting site that offers plenty of wagering options. If the online bookie of your choice offers various betting features, you will be able to make the wagers that will bring you the most rewarding outcome.
The best part of betting on sports online is that virtual bookies often offer bountiful bonuses and promotions. This is why it is always a great idea to pick an online sportsbook that will help you along your betting journey. Make sure that the web-based bookmaker of your choice offers generous bonuses and the terms and conditions of their use are reasonable.
When you bet online, it is always great to have a responsive and expert Customer Support to rely on. This is why you should pay good attention to the representatives of the sportsbook of your choice. A website that offers a proper help will be of a great benefit when you are having some issues and you are looking for a way to resolve them.
Once you have picked the best sportsbook online, you can head to your Cashier Page and upload funds to your account. Choose the payment method you prefer and claim the bonus that the virtual bookie is offering. Once you have set your funds, you can choose a betting market. This is the section that shows all the different odds about the current games that are being played.
After you have made your mind about the bet you want to make, just simply click on it and select the amount you would like to wager. Confirm your bet and you are ready to enjoy the game and the outcome of it.
Types of Bets on Football
In order to make the best choice when you bet on football online, you should be aware of the types of bets you can make. Understanding the various types of wagering options will allow you to pick the ones that are the most promising and can reward you with generous payouts.
Line Betting
When the bookmaker is handicapping one of the two teams by setting a margin, this is considered a line betting. This handicap is essentially making the odds of the two teams equal. Often the margin is called ‘line’ which explains the name of this type of bet. This type of bet is used only with games where there are only two possible outcomes.
The simplest way to make a line bet is to place your money on a line betting market. You can also opt for a ‘pick your own line’ market. A simple line is basically providing bettors with the chance of making a wager on one line that offers odds that are relatively equal. However, nowadays the majority of online sportsbooks offer punters the opportunity to choose from several lines with different odds. This is the so-called ‘pick your own line’ option. The odds change in accordance with the line that bettors choose.
Against-the-spread is the type of line bet where the bookmaker spots the underdog between the two teams and evens the odds out by handicapping the team that is predicted to win. Let us assume that team A is the one in favour to win. You will see that it will have “-” in front of its betting line. For example, if the odd is -3 this means that team A has to overcome the difference of -3 to tie or push. The wager is a winning one if team A wins by 4 or more points.
Another popular betting option is Over/Under. You will see that the line bet is listed with O/U. If there is an O/U line of 45 and team A is leading 42-0, then the bettors who chose the “under” will hope that team B will be able to stop the leading team’s offence. If the defence of team B fails, team A may push the point total to 49 or lead to a push of the wager by a final score of 45-0.
There is also the Money-Line option which appeals to high-rollers. In this case, the odds are yet again represented with “-” in front of the line, however, it is next to a 3 or a 4-digit number. For example, if the odd is -220, this means that the bettor must place $220 on the handicapped team to win $100. The team which is considered an underdog is listed with “+”, for example, +170. This means that a bet of $100 will reward $175.
Margin Betting
Margin betting is a betting technique, in which the bookmaker breaks down all possible outcomes of a game and includes margins. Consequently, gamblers have to guess the outcome of the game, as well as choose the correct margin. Essentially, margins can be small points range or a bigger number which shows a broader range, like +17.
If you decide to make a margin bet, you will have to pick the team you are favouring, as well as the margin you think is the correct one. If you pick team A, you will also have to choose by how many points you believe it will win. If punters guess the correct margin, they can expect a pretty good payout, however, if the team they have put money on wins with more points than the predicted points range, then the margin bet is not successful.
There is also a Winning Margin betting which suggests that punters must only predict by how many points will the winning team beat its opponents. This is a much better option since it does not matter which of the two competing sides wins. The only right prediction that bettors must make is the points difference between the losing and the winning team.
Lay Bet and Back Bet
Lay betting is a type of wagering which is offered in betting exchange. This allows punters to bet on an outcome of a game not happening or a team losing. If you believe that team A has no chance of winning, you simply lay team A and if your guess is correct, your bet is a winning one. There is also the possibility to back an outcome which is the opposite of a lay bett.
As it was mentioned earlier, lay bets and back bets are available only at betting exchanges. They allow online punters to play the role of bookmakers and give them the chance to exchange sports bets as if they were stocks. Thanks to this innovative type of betting, punters have the opportunity to back (buy) or lay (sell) the outcome of a game. This means that if you decide to lay a sporting selection, you will be connected with a punter who decides to back the same bet. The two bettors trade at a price which they both agree on.
Today, there are only a few sites that offer betting exchanges, however, if you decide to bet at one of them, you are guaranteed to have a great time. This innovative way of sports betting gives punters the chance to not only pick a winning sporting selection but also make slightly different wagers.
Parlay Betting
Multi bets are also known as parlay bets and although the main goal of this type of bets is for every leg to be successful, this is not always the case. There are some online bookies which allow punters another type of parlay bets that can still pay out if there are some legs that are not successful.
Teasers and pleasers are also very popular types of parlay bets. These types of bets use alternative point spreads that can be adjusted in exchange for a lower return. Teasers and pleasers are best to be left to seasoned bettors as they can be difficult to be understood by newbies.
Just like typical parlay bets, teasers allow the combination of several bets. The different aspect is that teasers give punters the opportunity to adjust the point spread. However, they will have to give up the higher eventual payout in return for using the special feature of teasers.
Pleasers are also another more forgiving type of parlay bets. If one of your bets ties and the other one is a winning one, you will still be paid. If both of the bets are ties, the bet is considered a push. Although there are certain benefits of placing pleaser bets, you will have to give up a significant part of the possible payout. Every time you make a pleaser bet the lines you bet on are moved against you with between 6 and 7.5 points.
Live Betting
As online sports betting has become a very popular source of entertainment, more and more punters prefer to bet at web-based sportsbooks. This new way of betting on one’s favourite sports have attracted even more fans thanks to the unique live betting feature it offers. Live betting, also known as in-play, allows punters to make bets after a game has started and place different wages during the course of the match.
This saves bettors the trouble of researching teams, players and other factors that may affect the gameplay. Thanks to live betting, punters have the chance the follow a game and decide on their bets as the sporting action evolves in real time.
Sportsbooks usually set odds on a sports event before it begins. Throughout the course of the game, these odds change several times depending on the way the match is being played. Along with the goals being scored, there are also other factors that affect the in-play odds. Each sportsbook usually uses a computer algorithm that will constantly update the information about a game. Live betting give punters the opportunity to pick the best time to place their bets and enjoy more rewarding payouts.
Footy Betting
If you are a fan of Australian Rules Football, you may also come across footy betting. This is a pari-mutuel type of betting where all bets are collected in a pool and the dividends are a result of dividing the total pool size by the number of winning unitholders.
One of the most popular parimutuel types of betting is footy tip 9. Punters have to pick the 8 winners from a round of several matches. All of the bets go into a pool and winners usually enjoy massive payouts thanks to the nature of this type of sports wager.
As footy betting becomes more popular among Australian punters, there are plenty of pari-mutuel wagering options available at online sportsbooks.