The history of gambling goes back thousands of years, and people have always enjoyed wagering cash against various events, games, activities, and sports in the hopes of winning big through their successful predictions. And in recent years, we’ve seen that the popularity of sports betting shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, with the advent of the internet, mobile devices, and similar technological advancements, online sports betting has grown bigger and more exciting than ever before for millions of people all over the globe.
With many different online betting sites and bookmakers to choose from and an increasing variety of sports and bet types to try out, there’s never been a better time to take an active interest in the betting world. You can load up your favourite betting sites or apps in an instant, sign up in a matter of minutes, and start placing bets on upcoming events, tournaments, leagues, and matches across an array of varied sports, from football and rugby to darts, golf, snooker, tennis, boxing, and more. Read on to learn all about sports betting, how it works, and how you can get started.
How to Get Started with Sports Betting
Long term gamblers will remember the days when placing a bet involved visiting a brick and mortar betting shop or bookmaker and having to write the bet out with a pen and paper, but the modern world of technological gadgets and devices makes this process a lot simpler. With plenty of mobile betting apps and online bookies UK out there, you can start betting anytime, anywhere, even from the comfort of your own home, and the whole process can be broken down into the following simple steps:
- Step 1 – Find an Online Betting Site – The first step of getting started with online sports betting is to find a betting site to use. There are many sites out there, and it can feel quite overwhelming at first when you try to choose between them, but the key is to take your time, compare your options, and check out reviews and recommendations, like those here on Ubet, in order to find the sites you can trust. The best bookies should offer smart user interfaces, nice site layouts, competitive odds, strong security to protect your personal details, and other useful and beneficial features too.
- Step 2 – Sign Up for An Account – Once you’ve decided on a site (or sites) to try out for sports betting, you’ll need to make an account. The best betting companies try to make the sign-up process as quick and easy as possible, so you can set up new betting accounts without too many problems or inconveniences. You will usually be asked to enter some personal information like name, address, and contact details, as well as setting up a password for your account and also having to provide ID in order to verify your age and identity.
- Step 3 – Make Your First Deposit – Once your account is set up, the next step is to actually get some money deposited into it in order to start betting online. Usually, the bookmaker will give you a few different payment methods to choose from when making deposits into your account, so you can often choose between using a card like a Visa or MasterCard or a different payment system like PayPal, Skrill, or Neteller. Either way, you’ll need to enter the corresponding information and the size of the deposit you’d like to make before proceeding to the next stage.
- Step 4 – Placing Your Bets – Once you have some cash in your online account, placing bets is as easy as 1, 2, 3. You can browse the various sports and events listed on the online bookmaker in question, navigating around to your favourite sports and selecting specific bet types that appeal to you. For example, you might be a Premier League football fan, in which case you can head over to the Premier League section and bet on the outcomes, scores, or events in upcoming league games. A lot of betting sites will let you display odds in either decimal or fraction format, depending on which system you prefer, and should show you how much you stand to win on each bet before confirming it.
Bookmaker Offers and Sign Up Bonuses
When getting started with online sports betting, one thing you need to be aware of is the presence of online sports betting offers, especially welcome bonuses or sign up deals. Since the online sports betting UK industry is quite competitive, with a lot of different bookmakers all vying for customers’ attention and cash, individual companies have to find new and inventive ways to draw customers in and get new players signing up for accounts.
One of the most common ways in which online bookies try to attract new players is through the creation of sign up bonuses. These are special offers that are exclusively available to new members, promising free bets or free cash for those who sign up for a new account. It’s always important to read through the details of how these offers work and check out the small print before signing up, but they can pay off in a big way and give you plenty of extra cash to use on your bets.
Popular Sports to Bet On
One of the best things about modern sports betting is just how rich and varied it has become in recent times, allowing gamblers to place their bets on a huge variety of different sports. Some of the top options include:
- Football – Whether you’re a fan of the English Premier League, German Bundesliga, Spanish La Liga, Champions League, or some other division or competition from around Europe or the rest of the world, there are countless options when it comes to online football betting.
- Horse Racing – Horse racing is almost synonymous with gambling. Every single race has money riding on it, with big horse racing events like the Grand National and Cheltenham Festival being some of the biggest betting moments in the UK each and every year.
- Greyhound Racing – Just like horse racing, greyhound racing has historically been linked with betting right from the beginning, with punters gathering at the tracks and betting on which dogs will win each race or finish in the top three.
- Rugby – Rugby tournaments like the World Cup and Six Nations are very popular for betting, as well as rugby league games between teams from the UK and Europe too. Punters can bet on match outcomes or individual player feats like tryscorers.
- Golf – Golf is another huge sport in the betting world, especially during the four major events like the PGA Championship and US Open. You can find a lot of value in golf betting, especially by trying to pick the winners of these big events.
- Tennis – Similarly to golf, tennis betting really picks up around the time of the big events like Wimbledon. Punters can bet on the outcome of individual matches, sets, or games, as well as exploring more unique betting markets like number of aces in match or number of double faults.
- Boxing – The reason why so many big boxing bouts get promoted so heavily is in part due to how many people gamble on this sport. Huge amounts of cash can be laid on the line when heavyweight titans meet in the ring, and there are lots of different betting options like number of rounds and manner of victory.
- Others – As well as all of the aforementioned sports, you can find a great range of other sports listed on popular online bookmakers, including everything from big American sports like basketball and American football to the likes of badminton, darts, snooker, cricket, cycling, and water polo.
Popular Sport Bet Types
We’ve seen some of the top sports you can try out in the world of online sports betting, and now let’s take a closer look at some of the most popular sport bet types you might like to try. Naturally, the specifics of these different bets can vary from one sport to another, but many of them are quite similar across multiple sports.
- Match Betting/To Win – The match betting or ‘to win’ market is one of the simplest and most common options for long time gamblers and newbies alike. With this kind of bet, you’re simply asked to predict who you think will win. This might be a team in a team-based game like football or rugby, or an individual in a sport like tennis. You can also opt to bet on the draw, if this is a possibility in your chosen sport.
- Handicap Betting – Handicap betting is an interesting option for sports betting fans and one where you can find a lot of value, if you choose carefully. Handicap bets give a virtual advantage or disadvantage to one player or team. For example, a handicap bet in rugby might see one team start with a virtual score +6.5 points. This means that if you bet on them, your bet will win as long as they don’t lose by 7 points or more in the actual game.
- Over/Under Betting – Very popular in sports like rugby and football, over/under bets also offer a lot of value. An example of an over/under bet would be over 2.5 goals in a Premier League football game. If the game has three goals or more, then you bet would win. Over/under bets can also appear in several other sports and always follow the same basic principle.
- Individual Player Betting – In team games like football and cricket, individual player betting allows punters to go beyond simply betting on the team and start placing their stakes on the performances of individuals. In the cricket markets, for example, you could bet on an individual bowler to take a set number of wickets or an individual batsman to score a certain number of runs.
- Tournament Betting – Just like with match betting, tournament betting lets you pick the overall winner of a tournament like Wimbledon in tennis, the Open in golf, or the Champions League in football. As well as picking the overall winner, many of the best new online bookmakers let you bet on who will make it to the final or who will finish in the top places.
What About In-Play Betting?
In recent years, especially with the help of modern technology like mobile betting apps and online bookies, in-play betting has become increasingly popular. This is when gamblers are able to bet on a match or event while it’s actually taking place. The advantages of in-play betting are clear to see: you can watch the action unfold, see how the sides or players are performing, watch the odds adjust over time, and make bets based on these factors. Then, lots of the best bookmakers also offer cash out betting, allowing you to ‘cash out’ and take reduced winnings from your bets during the game, rather than waiting until it ends.
What Are Multiple Bets?
Multiple bets are often talked about in the sports betting world as they generally tend to lead to the biggest wins and most impressive stories, including examples where punters have turned a stake of just £1 or £10 into hundreds or thousands of pounds through a mixture of luck and their own sporting knowledge. A multiple bet is basically several individual bets stacked together, with all of their odds multiplied to give very high potential winnings for just a small stake.
Is Online Sports Betting Safe?
Many people ask this question and the answer is a resounding yes, as long as you take the time to read reviews and use recommended online sports betting sites. The best sites are safe, secure, and protect their players, allowing you to place bets freely and confidently, without any risks or problems associated with the process. Be sure to check out our recommended online bookies to find safe places to bet online.