Sports betting is one of the most popular pastimes for sports fans across the world, and even interests those with less of an interest.
Sports betting is one of the most popular pastimes for sports fans across the world, and even interests those with less of an interest. It is a way to make a match day even more exciting, adding an added layer of spice to what could otherwise be run of the mill games.
The gambling industry in the UK is one of the most prosperous, with studies showing that nearly 50% of Brits wager on sports. It was recorded that the gross gambling yield (GGY) in Great Britain in 2020 was 5.89 billion British pounds, which was down from the previous year's GGY of 14.12 billion pounds, however that was mainly due to the COVID Pandemic shutting down operations for the major sports leagues across the world.
There are a multitude of sports that people in the UK typically bet on. Horse racing is one of the most popular, particularly at the time of big festivals such as Cheltenham and Glorious Goodwood.
However, the biggest outlier is of course the Grand National. In 2021, a British record was set for UK Online sports betting for the race at Aintree. Over 100 million pounds was bet on the race across the industry with a viewership of over 13 million in the UK alone.
Tennis, rugby and cricket are also very popular amongst punters in the UK; however, nothing comes close to football. Nearly half of all money wagered on sport in the UK comes from football betting and the only other sport with a high percentage is horse racing, coming in at just over 27%.
As the national sport of England and Scotland it is no surprise that football tops the list. This is especially considering that the Premier League is most popular and watched league in the world, whilst punters also wager on Serie A, La Liga and the Champions League.
The UK also stake claim to the most popular domestic cup tournament in the world with the FA Cup, with 2021’s final being watched by over 9 million viewers in the country.
Part of what makes betting on football so popular is the sheer amount of markets that are available to bet on and the choice of online sportsbooks available. There are so many types of football bets you can place, there really is something for everyone. Let’s take a look at a few of the most popular.
Accumulators
These are probably the most popular type of bet to place on football. An accumulator or ‘acca’ is a bet consisting of four or more selections, requiring all selections to win.
Most people use accumulators for betting on game outcomes. For example, four teams to win, two teams to win two to draw, four draws etc.
You can also combine other markets to make accas however such as both teams to score in the match, the result and both teams to score, the number of goals in a match and much more.
Outrights
Outrights are very popular as they stretch throughout the entire football season and competitions. They are also some of the easiest bets to make.
Quite simply, you are betting on a team to win a league or competition. Many bookies will offer each way bets on those markets too, meaning you can still win if they finish 2nd or 3rd depending on the number of places offered.
It’s not just winners you can back however. You can also wager on teams to be relegated across hundreds of leagues all over the world.
Player bets
As well as backing teams you can also back individual player markets. These can be as simple as a particular player to score or be carded in the game, but many sportsbooks now offer the chance to create ‘bet builders’.
Bet builders are essentially in-game accumulators where you back a number of events to take place within one game. For example, you could bet on Cristiano Ronaldo to have a shot on target and Harry Maguire to be booked as well as the number of corners in the match and the final result.
These are some of the most exciting bets to make as you hang on every tackle and goalscoring opportunity, making for an exhilarating viewing experience.
The possibilities really are endless and every year we are seeing new markets added, keeping betting on football fresh and exciting.
Football being the most popular sport in the UK and much of Europe too has undoubtably contributed to the number of bets placed on the sport.
Nielsen research found that in the 2018/19 season, 3.2 billion people watched the Premier League, dominating their European rivals in La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1. This number only takes into account at-home viewing, meaning that number is likely to be considerably higher were you to factor in streaming and out-of-home viewing in bars and pubs.
The Premier League is so popular amongst bettors that in 2020, it generated over 60 billion pounds of wagers. That number is more than Serie A and Bundesliga combined.
Sports betting in the UK continues to grow along with the number of people who bet on football. It is beyond any doubt that football is the most popular sport to bet on in the world and it is likely to stay that way for a very long time.
Due to its massive audience, the Premier League is also likely to stay at the top of the list for leagues to bet on both in the UK and outside.
