Sports Betting

As we approach the second week of the first tennis Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open, online bookmaker 888sport have a couple of great tennis betting promotions running to cover your betting. With Andy Murray still in the hunt for a good run at his first career slam, and the other big three in the men’s draw still firing their way through rounds, the competition and stress will get a lot higher during the second week. Will Britain be celebrating a Grand Slam winner next weekend, or will Novak Djokovic start of the season the way he did last year with a win at Melbourne Park? What do Roger Federer and Rafael have to say about all of this? Online bookmaker 888Sport have a Fifty Love! Tennis betting promotion running for the 2012 Australian Open, which means that you can get up to a £50 free bet through your tennis bets with the popular bookie. So what is this promotion all about? Well there are actually two promotions which gives you fantastic coverage.

5-Set Special
Get a single bet down to the minimum value of £5 on a player to win a match, and if the game stretches all the way to a fifth and final set, then you will get a free bet to value of your stake, if your bet loses. So if your match bet goes down in the fifth set in a match, then you have the coverage of up to £50 back, which will be in the form of a free bet (and the value will match the value of your original stake).

Tie Break Banker
Again, place a £5 minimum bet on any player in match betting and if your bet loses, but there is at least three sets which go to a tie-break, then you will get a free bet! Again, the value of the free bet covering your lost stake in this scenario will be up to the maximum value of £50.

So great coverage from 888Sport on your tennis betting, and this will only be applicable to single bets placed on the men’s singles draw at the Australian Open. Popular bookie 888Sport offer a free £50 bet basket for new customers who register and account with them. When you place a first stake of at least £10 on your new account, then 888Sport will give you a free £10 bet token. For every 4 bets of a minimum of £10 afterwards, you get another £10 bet token, up to a total of £50! So a great way to build yourself up to a free £50 bet on your new 888Sport account. Enjoy your Australian Open tennis betting at 888Sport and take advantage of their great welcome bonus offer and their superb tennis promotions.

It will be worth paying attention to online bookmaker Boylesports on the weekends for your sports betting as every weekend they are offering Enhanced Prices. The Boylesports Weekend Wonders  promotion from the highly popular bookie gives their customers the chance to pick up some generous odds. The Weekend Wonders offers are time sensitive so you have to know when to hit the website in order to get them. Boylesports offer the Generous Enhanced Prices every Friday at 8 pm (which will be enhanced odds on a sports betting market), Saturday at 10.30 am when they will announce their enhanced odds selection on Horse Racing and then against at 1 pm on Saturday when you learn their enhanced football odds. The Enchanced Market  selections are only going to be active for 30 minutes from the time of being launched, so you will have to get in there quick to take advantage of these enhanced odds, which are for single bets only.

This Boylesports Weekend Wonders offer will be up for grabs every weekend, so you can jump on board with the bookie and grab the chance to grab your enhanced odds. It is a nice little reward offer from Boylesports who offer a £20 free bet for new customers registering an account with them. Simply register a new account with Boylesports, and when you make your first bet on that new account, the bookie will give you a free bet matching the value of your first stake, up to the maximum value of £20.

There is a great alternative betting market at online bookmaker SkyBet, which simply asks the question, What If? This is a pretty fun market and have been tracking it, and it covers all sorts of scenarios in the world of sports betting. There are some great offers in there at the moment, some applying to the football in the build up to Christmas, the PDC Darts World Championship and even England’s Euro 2012 campaign. If you have ever stopped to ask yourself What If, in certain sporting situations when weighing up your betting options, then this market will be for you. Head to SkySports and check out their What If betting market, where you can find some intriguing, and it has to be said, tempting sports betting options at enhanced odds.

WHAT IF…Christmas Comes Early
If you think that Man City, Man Utd, Arsenal and Liverpool will all win their Premier League matches on Wednesday, December 21 this week, then SkyBet are offering superb odds of 6/1 for that to happen.  Man City host Stoke, Man Utd head to Craven Cottage to face Fulham, Arsenal are away at Villa and Liverpool take a trip to Wigan for the midweek games.

WHAT IF…The Home Teams Get Hammered?
There are two Premier League matches this Tuesday, which will have bearing on the relegation scrap at the foot of the table. Bottom side Bolton head to fellow strugglers Blackburn, while Norwich City head to the struggling Wolves. With neither of those two home sides great form, what if both of the away teams won in these fixtures? What if Norwich and Bolton came away with wins, which isn’t too far fetched a scenario? Well, then SkyBet will pay out at odds of 11/1 if it is a successful away day in the Premier League on Tuesday, December 20^th.

WHAT IF…The Big Four see in the New Year?
There is top thrilling betting action coming from the 2012 PDC Darts World Championship at the Ally Pally at the moment, with the big four guns, Phil Taylor, Gary Anderson, James Wade and defending champion Adrian Lewis all hungry for success. What if these four make it to the semi finals in the New Year? If so, it would be Wade v Lewis and Taylor v Anderson if it happens. If all four of the big guns in the 2012 PDC Darts World Championship make it to the semi’s, then SkyBet will pay out at odds of 9/2 for that to happen.

WHAT IF…England win all three Euro 2012 Group Matches?
Fabio Capello’s men have to face the Ukraine, Sweden and France in the group stage of next summer’s finals. Think they can win all three without Rooney? Well, if it happens and you get a bet down on this SkyBet What If option, then you will be paid out at odds of 9/1. Are England that good, or is it wishful thinking?

It is well worth dipping into this great betting market at SkyBet, just to take a look at the market offers which come up in this one. The highly popular online bookmaker also have a superb welcome bonus offer in place. New customers opening an account with SkyBet can get a free £10 automatically credited to their new account! This is a great offer from the bookie because you don’t have to do anything else to get your totally free bet, other than register an account with SkyBet. It really is as easy as that!

Online bookmaker Unibet have a great Christmas betting promotion running at the moment with their advent calendar. For the 24 days up until Christmas, Unibet are offering a great new promotion each day, and their customers can just head to the Unibet Advent Calendar to get that particular days reward. The promotions are for gaming and sports as well, and just over the past few days, the Unibet promotions have ranged from reducing your risk on Sports Betting with 33% back from your bets which was the prize behind December 2nd, and the December 3rd Advent Calendar in Unibet’s Christmas campaign as free entry into a draw to win one of ten 100 euro prizes with a £5 wager on live betting.

So already there have been great rewards and they will likely get better and better as the month progresses. So this is the ideal time to join up with Unibet and take advantage of the daily December bonuses they are throwing the way of their customers. There are definitely going to be more some prize draws behind the doors in the days up until December 25th.

Unibet are highly recommended for their live in play betting services, as well as the popularity of their live streams. The bookie has one of the most user friendly interfaces to enjoy and are superbly competitive with their market prices and variety in their sports book. Throw in great promotions like this, where they are dishing out a different promotion every day up until Christmas, there is a great betting experience to be enjoyed there. Whether it is sports bettting or their great gaming experience, Unibet really deliver a top notch service and come highly recommended. There is a great feature on Unibet which is the Ca$h function, which means that you can settle your bets before the event upon which you have placed a wager, even finishes. So this means that if you are winning a football bet for example and are worried that a late goal is going to ruin your bet, you can Ca$h out early and take a percentage of what your full winnings would have been. This is part of their fantastic Live In Play betting service.

To take advantage of the Christmas Advent Calendar at Unibet, you will need to be a customer there. If you are not a customer with Unibet, then you will get their welcome bonus when you do sign up. The Unibet welcome bonus offers a risk free £20 bet, meaning that you can’t lose with your first bet. When you place your first bet on a new Unibet account, if it loses, then the bookie will refund your lost stake, up to the maximum value of £20, so your first Unibet wager is risk free. What better way to gun for some profit than a risk free bet! Check out Unibet for superb betting coverage and to take advantage of their Advent Calendar.

We are now into the third period of the SportingBet Summer Stake Race, with another host of superb prizes on the line. The top prize in this final period for the Summer Stake Race, is a VIP Trip to the Rugby World Cup 2011 in New Zealand (from 14th -17th October). This is a stunning prize, as you can get to see both Semi Final matches in Aukland. Prizes don’t come a lot bigger than this, and the top prize comes with travel and accommodation as well. Plus you get a New Zealand day trip to take in the sights of the wonderful country. This is a stunning prize, and someone will win it! The second prize in the SportingBet Summer Stake Race Period 3, is a full hospitality day with a box at Old Trafford. The winner of this prize, plus 10 friends, can spend a VIP day at the Centennial Suite, as well as a tour, and of course the match. The third to fifth prize winners for Period 3 can take a choice of a trip to any Tottenham Hotspur match of their choice, a trip to the Hennessy Gold Cup or Tingle Creek for horse racing, or one of Englands ODI or Test Matches against India this summer. Sixth to tenth prize winners will get a SportignBet summer back which includes some Ray Ban glasses and an iPod Nano. So there are serious prizes to get your hands on in this incredible promotion. Now, as the prizes are huge here, there are stipulations on this promotion, which you need to pay attention to. This is not just a regular promotion, as the rewards are for punters who are playing big stakes.

The prizes are handed out in a points systems, and therefore you need to earn yourself some points. How do you earn those valuable points, which could send you to the Rugby World Cup? Well, for every bet over 2.0 (which is evens in fractinal odds) or greater, placed in the SportingBet sports book, you will receive points. The bigger the stake, the more points you get. The stipulation here is that qualifying bets must be a minimum of £100 to get into this promotion. So just for absolute clarification, your bets need to be a minimum of £100 at odds of 2.0 or greater. If you play a treble bet at a stake of £500, then you will receive three times the amount of points as you normally would, because you are essentially backing three selections in that same outlay. So you get treble points, therefore playing qualifying multiples, is a quick way to boost your points earnings for these awesome prizes at SportingBet. Check out their terms and conditions fully so that you are sure about everything before participating.

Always remember never to bet more than you can afford to lose, but if this is well within your betting range, then the winner will have a field day.

The winner of the prize will be the punter who picks up the highest points during the qualifying period, which ends on August 12th for this one. The more you stake, the more the points, the more chance you have of winning. It is as simple as that, a straight shoot out for high rolling punters on the SportingBet Summer Stake Race. You do need to be a customer of course with SportingBet, so if this is something which interests you, the sooner you sign up and get betting, the better off you will be. As a note, the overall winner of the Summer Stake Race, wins a prize of a VIP Trip to Las Vegas, which includes, accommodation, helicopter rides over The Strip, the Grand Canyon and £200 spending money as well. This will go to the highest point earning punter over the course of the entire Summer Stake Race promotion. As it is drawing to a close, this is more likely going to someone who has been in from the very first period. If you have, then you will have to August 12th, the end of the Third Period of the promotion, to earn yourself some more points towards that.

For those punters who are not going to make these level of bets to qualify for the Summer Stake Race, then not to worry. SportingBet run a fantastic Rewards Program, which works in the same way, but without the high limits. Just for your regular betting on SportingBet, you can build up points which can be put towards merchandise or even earning yourself free bets. There is no stress on this one, you simply get the rewards level which you earn for your betting at SportingBet. The Rewards program is free to enroll in, and is a great loyalty reward from the bookie to take advantage of.

So whether you are signing up to get on board with the Summer Stake Race, or whether you just want the experience of regular betting with a highly recommended bookie, then you get a £25 free bet from SportingBet regardless. Just register on the SportingBet website today, to take advantage of the welcome bonus and all the great promotions and contests that the bookie comes highly recommended for providing.

1 ) 2010/11 Champions League

Chelsea to win – 5/1 at BetFred

Yes, Barcelona just have incredible power and are as near to a perfect team as you could want. Real Madrid, who are better than they have been for years, were crushed by Barca 5-0 in a recent El Clasico encounter in La Liga, and Madrid remain second faouvrites to win the Champions League. That is how good Barcelona are. The three times European Cup winners (the last time being in 2008-09) are favourites to go all of the way again, and who could argue against it? Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, David Villa, Gerard Pique, Carles Puyol and Xavi merely scratch the surface of a phenomenal side. However, Chelsea really do represent England’s best chance of being a Champions League winner for 2011. They are the team whose style are most suited to winning the tournament, and they have come so close but just haven’t been able to get their hands on it. What may work in their favour, is their poor domestic form. Yes, that may sound weird, but last year, when they crashed out from the Champions League early to Inter Milan, their league form picked up. If they are falling behind in the Premier League race this year, perhaps it will spur them on to something bigger in the Champions League. They have the quality and technical ability up front to win it, as they are a great European side, patient and looking for just that one opportunity. No, they are not in great form at the moment, but that is what makes them such an interesting proposition and good value at the moment. Who knows what the draw is going to throw up in the future. Perhaps they can avoid one of the strong Spaniards until the final, and with the final at Wembley, it seems fitting that it could Chelsea’s time finally.

2 ) 2010/11 Premier League Title

Manchester United to win – 6/4 at SkyBet

Sir Alex Ferguson, who will be United’s longest serving manager by the time this season has been done and dusted, will probably be rewarding himself with the Premier League title. It is December and no-one has beaten the Red Devils yet this season. The worrying thing for the other challengers for the title, including defending Champions Chelsea, is that United have not even been in great form. Wayne Rooney has been absent for a chunk of the season, and they haven’t had his goals to count on. Dimitar Berbatov has blown very hot and cold, and the squad looks decidedly average to what it has done in the past. However, Ferguson knows how to get the best out of people, and make them into a team which is just incredibly hard to beat. The old flair and power play of wave after wave of attack isn’t there at the moment, but they are solid enough at the back not to suffer too many hiccups on the road this year. United were tipped here at the start of the season, and are looking a good bet now at the price above. The only tweaking that they need to do, is to find a bit more of a cutting edge away from home, just to accent their great home form. It’s not been a great season in terms of out and out quality from any of the main challengers this year, and if someone is going to rise above and go all of the way, then it will be Manchester United.

3 ) 2011 Cricket World Cup

England to win – 6/1 at SportingBet

Well, no-one expected them to win the Twenty20 World Cup last year, but they did. England have really grown as a force in the shorter formats of the game, and after a long (and hopefully successful) Ashes tour Down Under in Australia, England will be in good shape. It’s been a very good year for English cricket, and why not back them to continue their good run? The One Day International format would have struck fear into England fans over twelve months ago, but England have improved enormously and that is thanks to the selectors being a bit braver in their selections. England are in a group with Bangladesh, India, Ireland, Netherlands, South Africa and the West Indies for the tournament which starts in February. Yes, the hot cricket action really doesn’t stop! Four teams from the two groups will go through to a Quarter Final knockout stage. The tournament is being hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, so there will be the conditions to deal with, which aren’t really suited to England’s game. It has put the ball in India’s court as favourites really, and the Aussies will no doubt be having a big say in things. But, with England priced as they are, and with a pretty strong batting line up which can be selected from, they really represent some good value.

4 )  2011 Women’s World Cup

England to win – 14/1 at Bwin

England do have a pretty good chance of some glory here. They are not one of the outright favourites, but an impressive 2010 has put them in some pretty good standing. They came through qualification unbeaten in their group, running up a crazy amount of goals all backed up by a solid, watertight defence. Hope Powell has built a pretty strong squad and are well worth a punt. Bwin has them out at 14/1 to win Germany 2011, and yes, they will be up against it, but why not. They are arguably the strongest European team in the tournament behind hosts Germany, and they should come through their group stage without any hassle. They are teamed up with Mexico, New Zealand and Japan. It is only Japan who realistically should cause England any real problems, and it should be a two horse race between those for the group winner. The draw could have been a lot worse for England, so they have a great chance in front of them. Germany, led by Birgit Prinz, who is probably the best woman footballer in the world are outright favourites, and Brazil and the USA will be in the mix as well. England really don’t stand toe-to-toe with the quality that Germany and the USA produce, but you know, being patriotic and hopeful of progressing further than last time, they are worth a long punt. They exited from the 2007 World Cup in the first knockout stage against the USA, but now, with veteran forward Kelly Smith leading the line, England are unbeaten in 10 matches since early 2010. They are currently the ninth ranked team in the world. Ground to make up, but potential.

5 ) Lee Westwood to win a Major in 2011

Yes: 3/1 at Unibet

Why shouldn’t the World Number One be able to win a Major? He came pretty close again during 2010, even carrying an injury. He still looked one of the most natural and comfortable players out on the PGA Tour. He surely has to be destined to win a Major, and as he keeps improving his performances in the Majors, the next natural progression for Westwood will be to land one in 2010. He has worked hard in finally deposing Tiger Woods from his world number one spot and he didn’t show any signs of letting the fantastic accomplishment get to him. Now he just needs to crown himself a Major winner to put that extra bit of gloss on his career. One of the finest strikers of the ball, with immaculate approach work with the irons, Westwood will be a threat wherever he goes. He will be in a lot better shape next year of course if his injuries do not bother him, but at least he gets a bit of a rest now before he hits the fairways next year. Helped Europe win the Ryder Cup this year as well, put it is as if the entire PGA Tour is just waiting for him to lift that Major. In a way it almost seems inevitable. Has to be backed to get that missing feather in his cap.

6 ) 2011 RBS Six Nations

England to win – 9/4 at Totesport

After some good performances in the November series of matches against Southern Hemisphere opposition, England have been instilled as favourites to win the 2011 RBS Six Nations. While England only won two of their four matches in November (against Australia and Samoa), there was a lot more promise there than has been seen for a long, long time. England finally started playing with a bit of adventure, throwing the ball around and running at the opposition instead of kicking aimless balls away. There are still plenty of flaws to their game, but at least they are now addressing one of the biggest ones, developing a cutting edge. Still, in those November matches, the gulf between real finishing power and coming close was evident against South Africa and New Zealand. The Six Nations takes on extra importance for Martin Johnson this year, as there is a World Cup to be contested in 2011. If England are going to be serious contenders there, then they have to be serious contenders to win the RBS Six Nations. England need to continue building momentum, and with the Premiership back in full swing, hopefully there is more to come from England. They have to be brave and tactically sound enough to win the Six Nations in 2011 if they are going to make an impression at the World Cup, and they stand a good chance. France and Ireland will be the main challengers, with the French looking awesome last year. The Irish always play a tight, solid game and they will push hard. It could be a close run thing, the next RBS Six Nations, and if England prevail, it will say a lot about their character.

7 ) 2011 Wimbledon

Andy Murray to win – 7/1 at Victor Chandler

It is what every British tennis fan wants to see. They all want to see the Scot lift the title at Wimbledon, and it will be worth having a punt on Murray there for 2011. That price for a third favourite is worth a flutter! Murray had an OK 2010, but didn’t quite live up to the start he had made by reaching the final of the US Open. Murray lost there to Federer, and while he had some great moments throughout the season in beating Federer and Rafael Nadal, again he could not get over the line to win a Major. His performance at the US Open really summed up his year, as he went in on pretty good form, but then crashed out early, looking a bit fatigued and out of sorts. There has to be more to come from Murray, who spent a lot of the season without a coach. On his day, he has proven that he can take on the best and beat them, that is because he is one of the best players on the ATP Tour. If he can get that same consistency and focus that Nadal and Federer is blessed with, then Murray has the natural talent in him to reach the pinnacle of men’s tennis and get his name in the hall of fame by winning a Major. He will get another four chances next year, so why not see him do it at Wimbledon?

8 ) 2011 Formula One Drivers Championship

Lewis Hamilton – 3/1 at Stan James

Another chance to get all patriotic with your betting. The only thing really which stopped Lewis Hamilton from winning his second Drivers Championship this year, was Lewis Hamilton. The British driver was in a strong position, but he edgy driving caused him to have a couple of crashes towards the end of the season, and he blew his lead and couldn’t catch up. The McLarens really were playing catch up to the Red Bull and Ferrari teams for most of the season, but still Lewis Hamilton put himself in a position to challenge for the title. If the McLarens can now go off to be upgraded properly through winter testing, then there is a great chance for Hamilton to get back to being the best in the world. What Hamilton has is bravery, and is one of the most aggressive drivers on the F1 circuit. It is a fine line which he treads which makes him so dangerous, as he pushes the limits between success and failure, unlike the steady controlled driving of team mate Jenson Button. Exciting to watch, and although he is relying on his team, worth backing to be world number one again in 2011. Hopefully he will have learned from his mistakes this year to make him an even better driver next season.

9 ) 2011 Rugby World Cup

England to win – 12/1 at Totesport

Martin Johnson’s men are currently four favourites to win the 2011 World Cup. They are worth a bet, simply because of their past performances in the tournament. Yes, we all remember the Jonny Wilkinson drop goal against Australia, and yes,  we all remember the try that wasn’t against South Africa in the 2007 World Cup final. That’s two consecutive finals for England, with the latter coming against the odds. England went into that tournament in terrible form, and without much hope, but they showed that they could grind it out when necessary (apart from the final), enjoying a much heralded victory over the Australians along the way. England are in a pool with Argentina, Scotland, Georgia and Romania, and naturally they will be clear favourites to win that group. The All Blacks, the Aussies and the Springboks are all ahead of England in the betting and understandably so. The tournament is in New Zealand, and it should be their time to lift the trophy, as they are simply a phenomenal side, and the Australians have one of the most dangerous back lines in the world. South Africa were crushed by New Zealand and Australia in the Tri-Nations this year, but they got the better of England at Twickenham in November with a great performance. World Cup winners though have pretty much been built on a solid defence, something which has been a strength of England in the past. If they can because hard to beat again, but add that spark of running creativity from the backs, then they are worth an outside bet.

10 – Elena Baltacha World Ranking

Over 61.5 6/7 at Unibet
Couldn’t let any though of the 2011 sporting year pass by without mention of Britain’s Elena Baltacha. Britain’s number one ranked tennis player has been something of an inspiration this year, picking up victories over top ten ranked players in the season, winning titles and being the face of women’s tennis for Britain. Making a return after a long injury to action in 2010, the Scot wasted no time in racing up the rankings and currently sits at a career high of 55th after starting the season in 89th. Always smiling and giving her best, there is a lot of promise and hope that there will be even more to come from her. Baltacha really epitomises British women’s tennis, and with Laura Robson and Heather Wilson coming up behind her, things are looking pretty good at the moment. Keep an eye for her on the WTA Tour.

As mentioned earlier, there are lots of different betting opportunities that are available, although sometimes your bet can last two minutes after a match has kicked off. For example, if you have a First Goalscorer bet or bet on a team to keep a clean sheet and a goal is scored straight away, then you could end up with a very quick losing bet!

If you’re betting on football and you want value for money all the way through the contest, then it might be worth placing a Last Goalscorer bet rather than a First Goalscorer bet. That way, you have a chance of winning all the way to the final whistle, providing that your player is still on the pitch. There is also the option of betting on the total number of goals that might be scored in a match, with there often being the option of backing two or less compared to three or more.

Obviously, some people will point to accumulator bets where you can place a bet on a selection of teams or horses which means a tiny stake could still return a large amount. However, there is also the option to try out bets such as a Lucky 15 where you bet on four selections and have your winnings doubled if just one of them wins.

There are plenty of good quality websites out there like soccerbetting.info and online-betting.me.uk which contain great betting information and tips to help inform you better about possible teams, players or horses that might win a particular event. However, it’s important to back your own judgement rather than completely depend on others as that will result in a far more satisfying betting experience.

The best thing to do is take on board other people’s opinions and often use friends as a sounding board but a lot of the time, it’s the punters who go against the grain that end up placing the winning bets. Sometimes it pays to have courage and stick with your opinion, even if many people disagree with you.

Betting each-way can often be a sensible thing to do, especially when there are many runners in a horse race or football teams in a competition. An event like the Grand National is where a lot of online betting customers choose to bet each-way so that they get a return on their bet if the selected horse finishes in the top four or five – even if it doesn’t win.

Placing £10 each-way on a horse would mean a total stake of £20. That’s because you are placing £10 on the horse to win and £10 on the horse to place. Naturally, it’s possible that you will win both bets (if the horse won), although the insurance is there if the horse finishes ‘in the frame’ but doesn’t win the race. The each-way returns you get back depend on the bookmaker, although they are always stated next to the market.

What sports can I bet on?

Name a sport and the chances are that several bookmakers will be offering markets and odds on it! In the beginning, horse racing and football were the two sports that were on offer with the bookies, although it has now branched out to the extent where many bookies offer odds on upwards of 30 sports. Tennis and basketball tend to be very popular with customers, due to the fact that they are played all year although football remains the most popular sport for most bookmakers.

The UK based bookmakers such as William Hill and Ladbrokes will be very good for sports such as cricket, horse racing, darts and snooker, while the European brands such as bwin will offer great odds and markets on basketball and volleyball.

In addition to sports, there are also lots of ‘special’ bets which are offered throughout the year. Events like X Factor, Strictly Come Dancing, Eurovision Song Contest and Big Brother have been popular in recent years and it’s often where you can get an edge over the bookies.

What type of bets are available for each sport?

The number of different bets for each sport can differ according to different bookmakers. For a sport like horse racing, most people want to bet on the winner of each race, although there is the option to select a forecast (where you select the 1-2) or even a tricast (where you select the 1-2-3). There is also the option to try and select the winning horse in two races (which would see you place a double) or even several races (where the bet is called an accumulator).

Accumulator bets are available on every sport and are especially popular when it comes to football betting. At the weekend, there are hundreds of matches being played all over the world and customers like to choose several teams in an accumulator bet that they think will win. An accumulator bet is also good when you want to include lots of short-priced favourites in a multiple bet rather than place a single to get a very small potential return.

For most sports, backing a team / player / horse to win is the most popular bet, although you can also bet on things like Correct Score, First Player to Score, Total Goals or Points, Half-Time Full-Time and a Scorecast (where you try to select the player to score first and the correct score). Some bookmakers offer over 100 pre-match betting opportunities which include bets relating to corners, number of yellow cards and penalties. The list is almost endless!

Can I bet on anything else apart from sporting events?

As previously mentioned, there are range of special or novelty bets that most bookmakers offer and they provide a chance to have some fun if you are watching the Eurovision Song Contest or X Factor. You can also bet on the General Election that’s taking place in the UK, US or somewhere else in the world. BBC Sports Personality of the Year is also a popular thing to bet on, along with London Mayor and even the next Pope.