James Pacheco

A player prop market (short for player proposition) is a market that is only concerned with the performance of a particular player in a particular aspect of the game. These bets aren’t impacted by the overall outcome of the game, be it the final score, the number of goals in it or the number of corners.They’re also fairly easy to place. A football player prop market will look at just one aspect of a player’s contribution to the game and ask whether the player does or doesn’t do what the market is asking during the game.Most player prop markets are binary: so either ‘yes’ or ‘no’, or over/under. Here are the most common ones you’ll encounter at online sportsbooks.Goalscorer MarketsIf you think a game will have three or four goals in it, go with bets on a player(s) to score anytime or even to score 2 or more. But if you think goals will be at a premium, you’re better off going with a player at say 12.0 to be first scorer than with two players at 3.0 to score anytime.First Goalscorer Which player will score the first goal of the game?  If the first goal of the match is an own goal, the market will be settled according to who scores the second.If there isn’t a second or any goals at all, then ‘no goalscorer’ will be settled as the winner., which is one of the runners you can back in the market. To Score Anytime It doesn’t matter whether it’s the first goal of the game or not; you just need the player you backed to score at any time. To Score 2/3 Goals You can also back a player to score two or more goals in the game, or three or more goals in the game. In most cases, the odds on 2 or more would be at least 5.0  and at least 9.0 on 3 or more, in most cases much bigger. Shots MarketsA shot that hits the crossbar or post is not considered a shot on target. Instead, it’s considered an off-target shot, as the crossbar or post aren’t considered part of the goal. The betting site will state somewhere in their rules which source they use for settling player prop bets; usually either Opta or Stats Perform. It’s possible that a different source may produce a different stat, meaning one source may have Mbappe with 3 shots on target and another with only 2. So if the bet was settled in a way you didn’t expect it to be, the different sources could be the reason for it. Player X Shots on Target The market will be based on whether the named player will manage x number of shots on target in the match. For example, will Kylian Mbappe have 3 (or more) shots on target in the match? Player X Shots Here, the shots don’t need to be on target. Whether Mbappe’s three shots end up in the back of the net, saved by the keeper, or five metres over the bar is irrelevant: what matters is that he attempted to score with a shot.Fouls and Cards MarketsFinally, the markets where your selections are typically “yes” or “no”. Fouls and cards are big parts of any football match and, if you know that a team (or both) are prone to more aggressive play, these markets will be a good choice for your bets.Player to Be Shown a CardWill the named player receive a yellow or red card during the game? Either will do for the purposes of the bet.Player to Be Sent OffIn this case you’ll need the player to actually see red, though it doesn’t matter whether it’s a straight red card or two yellows leading to a red. Player X to Commit 1/2/3 or More FoulsWill the named player commit a certain number of fouls? For the purposes of this market, being caught offside doesn’t count as committing a foul, though some betting sites offer separate markets on the number of times in a game when a player is caught offside. Player to Suffer 1/2/3 Fouls Similar to above but this time it’s the number of fouls committed rather than suffered. In this case, a handball (whether deliberate or not) does count as a foul committed.

The World Snooker Championship brings with it two weeks of gripping, gruelling and attritional snooker from the world’s best players, all desperate to win the sport’s top prize. Here’s what you need to know about the competition’s history, its iconic venue, the big stories ahead of this year’s edition and a run through the betting favourites, their odds and their chances of going all the way. History of the Crucible Theatre and the World Snooker ChampionshipThe first Snooker World Championship was held back in 1927, but in a different format to what we’re used to today. Rather than being played over a period of two weeks, it was contested between late November 1926 and mid-May 1927, with only ten players taking part, rather than the 32 we have now.But perhaps the greatest difference of all was the venue. Or rather, venues. Instead of all the matches taking place at one venue, as is the case with the Crucible these days, matches took place at multiple venues, including ones in London, Birmingham, Nottingham and Liverpool. The winner was the great champion of the day, Joe Davis, who, for good measure, went on to win the next 14 editions as well. Up to 1935, it was known as the Professional Snooker Championship, before being re-named the World Snooker Championship in 1935. After being played in different formats for the next few decades, it reverted to a knockout tournament in 1969, the start of snooker’s modern era. Over the years, the venue constantly changed, as did the number of players taking part, with some editions being played in London, Middlesbrough, Manchester, and even in Australia in 1975. However, since 1977, it has always been held at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, becoming the home of snooker and providing players and fans with the opportunity to become accustomed to the same venue and conditions every year. The Crucible Experience: What Makes This Venue UniqueThe hosting of the Snooker World Championship at the Crucible has been a subject of much debate for years. On the one hand, the more forward-thinking and progressive stakeholders (and fans) argue that the Crucible has had its time and that the flagship event of one of the world’s fastest-growing sports deserves a bigger, better and more modern venue to host it. Many point to the success of the Alexander Palace in London, which has a capacity of over 3,200 (more than three times that of The Crucible, which hosts 980 fans). It has enjoyed phenomenal success when hosting both the Darts World Championship and the Snooker Masters, thanks to a packed West Hall, where the action takes place. Top players, including Ronnie O’Sullivan and Iran’s Hossein Vafaei, have openly said it’s too small for a tournament of its stature, while also criticising some of the facilities as being outdated. An example of this is that, up to the semifinals, it is played with a two-table setup, making it slightly cramped for the players. They, in turn, may also be distracted by the action and cheers relating to the other table, where another match is simultaneously taking place. Others have called for the tournament to be hosted in such places as China and Saudi Arabia as a way of growing the sport there, similar to what has happened with Formula One or golf. But at the other end of the scale are the traditionalists who don’t want it moved away from The Crucible. Among them is 2005 World Champion Shaun Murphy, who called it ‘holy ground’ for competitors. They argue that it’s exactly the intimate nature of it, with fans so close to the players and where every cough and sneeze can be heard by all, that makes it so special. The year 2027 will be a key one in the history of the tournament as the contract between the Snooker governing body and the Crucible itself expires. It remains to be seen whether the event will remain at the Crucible or move to a different location. Top Players to Watch at the 2025 World Snooker ChampionshipThe Snooker World Championship is one of the most popular UK betting events outside the major sports like football, tennis and horse racing. There’s also plenty of betting in Ireland on it, where it also enjoys huge popularity, despite the fact that there aren’t many top Irish players at the moment who can be considered snooker world title contenders. But let’s take a quick look at six players who could win at the Crucible this year. Judd TrumpIt’s never a bad thing to go into the Snooker World Championship as the current World Number 1, and that’s exactly what the Bristol-born 35-year-old Trump will be doing after topping the rankings in August 2024 and remaining there ever since. So far this season, Trump has won the Shanghai Masters, the Saudi Arabia Masters and best of all, the UK Championship, which is part of the Triple Crown alongside the Snooker World Championship and The Masters. There have been further runner-up spots in the Xi’an Grand Prix, the Northern Ireland Open and the Players Championship, to go with a load of semi-finals made as well..  But Trump has unfinished business here at The Crucible. He may have won it in 2019, but just the one win to go with two runner-up spots in 19 attempts is a poor return for a player with 30 ranking tournament wins to his name. Kyren WilsonWhen the 32-year-old from Northamptonshire entered last year’s Snooker World Championship, he wasn’t coming into it in any great form with just one final and two semi-final appearances to speak of so far during the season 2023/24. So, the odds of around 25/1 about Wilson winning the big one sounded about right.  But Wilson would be the first to admit he benefited from a kind draw at ‘The Worlds’, facing out-of-sorts players in Dominic Dale and Joe O’Connor before finally facing a real tough nut to crack in John Higgins, beating him 13-8 before going on to also get the better of David Gilbert (17-11) in the semi. And with all due respect to Jak Jones, Wilson couldn’t have asked for a sweeter opponent in the final than Welshman Jones, who was a qualifier in the tournament and who to this day, is yet to win a ranking event. So Wilson was fortunate to avoid most of the big guns in the draw, but you can only beat the player in front of you. And he certainly did that, ultimately winning the final 18-14. Wilson has put much of his recent success down to a change of approach in tactics, where he’s looked to be far more aggressive and secure higher breaks, even if that means taking more risks. The proof is in the pudding because he’s already won four ranking events this season. Ronnie O’Sullivan It’s hard to know where to start with the man they call ‘The Rocket’. His seven world titles are a joint record alongside Stephen Hendry, his 23 Triple Crown Titles a stand-alone record, as are his 41 ranking titles. He also holds just about every other possible record in the game for century breaks, 147s, career prize money won and just about anything else you can think of. There is no player in the history of the game more popular, more talented or more exciting to watch than this one.The flipside to all this is that O’Sullivan can be at times moody and seemingly disinterested in the game he’s playing, or the game in general, having threatened to quit the sport on numerous occasions. Outbursts against low prize money, the top brass of snooker, the standard of refereeing, venues, and playing conditions have resulted in numerous fines and suspensions over the years. It says it all that Ronnie could rock up and win the whole event for a record eighth time. Or he might just walk out halfway through his first match if he’s in a bad mood.  Mark SelbyIf you needed one player in the world to play snooker for three straight days, Selby would be a good candidate to do so. The Leicester-born player loves nothing more than being at the table for hours on end and has the physical and mental stamina, plus the powers of concentration, to do just that. Not to mention: the game. He’s one of the few who is just as comfortable exchanging safety shots all day as he is compiling big breaks so there’s no clear chink in his armour, making him a nightmare to play against. He’s won four times at The Crucible already, so this marathon tournament is right up his street in terms of his strengths. If you want to beat Selby, you’re going to have to be at your absolute best.    John HigginsIf beating Selby over long-format snooker is hard enough, doing so against Higgins must feel like getting blood out of a stone. Like Selby, Higgins is a four-time World Champion, but the Scot has had a further eight years to hone his snooker skills at the highest level, which include remarkable positioning of the cue ball, consistent century breaks and a patient safety game that allows him to steal frames that appeared lost.At age 49, most players are thinking of packing in their cue, but not Higgins. After winning the Tour Championship earlier this season, beating Selby of all people, he’s certainly not done just yet. He will bank on all his experience to secure another deep run in the competition. Neil RobertsonLike Trump, for a player of his ability, Australian Neil Robertson has never really got to grips with life at The Crucible with its marathon matches and cramped venue. Yes, he won it back in 2010, but that and a couple of semi-final places are all he has to show for over 25 years of playing here. The quiet left-hander then went through a couple of tricky seasons, falling out of the World’s Top 16 and missing out on playing at the Snooker World Championship last year for the first time since 2004, after losing the final frame of his final qualifying match. But he was back in business in March 2025, winning the Grand Prix in style with a 10-0 whitewash of Stuart Bingham. But at a venue where he’s had plenty of poor results in the past, don’t expect too much from him this time round. What to Watch for at the World Snooker Championship 2025Whether the Snooker World Championship is all about the snooker betting side of things for you or the sporting drama side of things, here are possible narratives to look out for. Zhao Xintong’s Controversial ComebackXintong won the UK Championship in 2021 and seemingly had the snooker world at his feet, with many tipping him to become China’s first-ever snooker world champion. But then in January 2023, he was suspended for match-fixing (betting) offences alongside nine other Chinese players, with his suspension only coming to an end in September 2024. At the moment, he’ll be playing as an amateur after going through qualifying to secure his place at this year’s World Championships, during which he made an incredible 12 centuries en route to securing his place in the draw. It will be interesting to see what sort of reception he gets from opponents and fans after his much-awaited return to the big stage following his ban. He starts against last year’s runner-up, Jak Jones, in the first round. Grudge Match First Up, but Is It Ronnie’s Last Dance? In typical Ronnie style, he left it to the very last minute to confirm that he would, in fact, be playing in this year’s Snooker World Championship, having hardly played since January. Though he did at least confirm he had been properly practising out in Saudi Arabia these last few weeks. It may be the last time we see him at The Crucible, or he may still be there in 10 years’ time; you just never know with him. But what we do know is that first-round opponents Ali Carter and Ronnie do not get on, especially after trading insults during and after last year’s Masters. It could make for the typical fiery encounter that Ronnie’s fans live for. Fan Favourites, Underdogs, and World Snooker Championship Odds So, who are the favourites to win the Crucible Title, and who is the smart money on? The Fans' Favourite: Ronnie O’Sullivan If betting odds were determined by the number of fans a player has or the amount of noise they make at The Crucible, Ronnie would be the clear favourite. But he’s only made the quarters at the last two Worlds, hasn’t played competitively since January, broke his cue at the time and seems more disinterested in snooker than ever. So, despite being the 10/1 fourth-favourite, he’s facing plenty of obstacles if he’s to win it again.  The Bookies’ Favourite: Judd TrumpThe bookies aren’t oblivious to Trump’s standing as the World’s Number 1 player or his excellent season, where he’s won three big tournaments already and consistently made the semis in many of the others, at the very least. That’s why he’s the 4/1 favourite.  But there are two possible flies in the ointment. The first is his very average record here at The Crucible, as mentioned already.  The second is a growing difficulty in beating that man Kyren Wilson, especially when it comes to big finals. In the last season, Trump lost finals to Wilson at the Xi’an Grand Prix (10-8), the Northern Ireland Open (9-3), the Masters (6-3) and The Players Championship (10-9), so as things stand, Wilson seems to have his number. Given they’re seeded 1 and 2, they’d only meet in the final if they both got that far. But if they both do, Trump has reasons to be worried.  Golden Oldies: John Higgins and Mark WilliamsAged 49 and 50 respectively, Williams (50/1) and Higgins (16/1) are relative dinosaurs in what is increasingly becoming a young man’s game, but try telling them that. With seven World championships between them, they’ve seen it all before at The Crucible and knowing their careers can’t last forever, they’ll want to win at least one more of these before their time is up.These are two of the most focused, professional, hard-working and tactically astute players the game has ever produced so one, or both, could go on a big run. Who Will Rise at the Crucible in 2025?So, when does the World Snooker start? The main draw begins on Saturday, April 19 and runs till May 5. It’s not an event you want to miss. It may be your last chance to see Williams, Higgins or O’Sullivan at the home of snooker, as well as a great chance to see the stars of tomorrow like Si Jiahui and Wu Yize make their mark here for the first time. Elsewhere, all eyes will be on the returning Zhao Xintong, who has all the talent but has already made one serious mistake in his career. Let’s hope he doesn’t make another. There are priceless ranking points at stake here that could seriously affect players’ rankings, which in turn determine which future tournaments they qualify for over the rest of the season, and where they’re seeded in them, another crucial factor. We’ve already seen the remarkable case of Jackson Page making two 147 breaks in qualifying in the same match (despite not actually qualifying for the main draw) for the first time in history. With the standard constantly on the rise, we may see it happen again this year.  But who should your money be on? At the big price of 16/1, Higgins may yet have one big effort here left in him. There’s certainly plenty to like about last year’s champion Kyren Wilson, at 9/1, the third favourite. He’s had a huge season so far, keeps beating Trump in big finals and is scoring incredibly heavily these days, so he could go out and do it all over again.

If you’ve ever wondered how bookies work, how they set their odds and why bookmaking has been such a profitable business for hundreds of years, you’re about to find out. We’ll also tell you how different types of bookie vary in their approach to making money and the role technology will play in the future across the online betting industry. Understanding the Basics - What Is a Bookie?The history of sports betting goes as far back as ancient Egypt. Back then, chariot racing was all the rage and, gradually, people started betting on the outcome of these races. The need for mediators for betting was needed and, thus, the first bookies stepped into the scene, people who gathered wagers and set the betting odds.In the modern age, though, we bet either in betting shops or via betting sites. There are regulations, rules, and governing bodies to oversee new betting sites that started appearing with the internet boom. Though there were significant differences between land-based bookmakers and online betting sites, which we’ll discuss in due course, the actual role of the fixed-odds bookie remained largely the same. So, what do bookies do? They price up markets and offer odds on all the different runners in an event, such as a football match or a horse race, based on what they perceive to be the implied probability of each of those runners winning the event. Or doing something else within the event, like a footballer scoring a goal or a cricketer scoring a century. In the process, they also insert a house edge into their odds, which, as we’ll see in a minute, is key to them consistently turning over a profit in the long run.Once those markets are set, punters are free to place bets at the available odds on whichever selections they wish. The Role of a Bookie in Sports BettingThe description above of a bookie in sports betting applies to most bookmakers and their sportsbooks. They offer different types of betting and provide bettors with multiple opportunities to wager on their favourite sports.These are their roles in various types of betting:Who Are Fixed Odds Bookmakers?The key characteristics of a fixed-odds bookmaker are:a) the odds are non-negotiable; customers either want to bet at those odds, or they don’t b) at the time a customer places a bet, they know exactly how much they’re risking (the bookmaker holds the stake until the outcome of the bet is known) and how much they’ll win if the bet goes on to win.So unlike with some of the other types of sports betting explained below, this is a real battle between bookie and punter.The Role of Betting ExchangesRather than pricing up markets themselves (the traditional way), betting exchanges just create the markets and load the names of the runners into the markets. It is then up to customers to either ‘play bookmaker’ and lay odds themselves, or ‘play punter’ and back the odds the way they would with a sportsbook. Betting exchanges act as a ‘middleman’ between punters, introducing them to each other and providing the website and technology for them to place bets with each other. They hold customers’ money on both sides of the bet until the outcome is known, at which point winners are paid out their profits, with the exchange taking a commission. How Do Spread Betting Bookmakers Operate?With spread betting, the house doesn’t set odds as such but rather it sets ‘spreads’. For example, it may decide that there will be between 20-21 games played in a tennis match. Customers can decide if they want to ‘buy’ - bet there will be more than 21 games - or ‘sell’ – bet there will be less than 20 games. Customers need to decide how much they want to stake per unit (in this case, each game), and the more right they are, the more they’ll win; however, the more wrong they are, the more they’ll lose. A key characteristic of spread betting is that at the time you place the bet, you don’t know how much you could win or lose. Tote Betting BookmakersTote betting, or pools betting, is somewhat similar to a betting exchange in that the Tote bookmakers provide the facility for customers to place bets but neither set odds nor face liability on any market. Instead, if it was a horse race (the most common and popular type of pools betting) punters decide which horse they think will win and how much they want to stake on it. Once everyone has placed their bets and the result is known, the Tote will work out how much each customer who chose the winning horse is set to win. This form of betting is also based on the laws of supply and demand, so how much you win will depend on the size of the prize pool as a whole, how popular the selection was (the less popular, the more you’re set to win) and the size of your stake.The Bookmakers Job - How Do Bookies Make Money?Because of how different types of betting work in contrasting ways, different types of bookies make their money in very different ways. Fixed Odds BookmakersWe’ll look at how fixed-odds bookies set their odds in a second, but the key thing to realise here is that their odds have a house edge inserted into them. The simplest possible form of bet is that on the outcome of a coin toss, which is a real sports wager when it comes to cricket matches. In normal circumstances, a ‘fair’ bet would be for both India and Australia to have odds of 2.0 (evens) that they’ll win the toss. After all, a coin toss is the ultimate 50/50 chance, as per the laws of probability. But bookies don’t set fair odds as such. Instead, they’ll probably offer odds of 10/11 on each outcome, with the implied probability being 104.8% rather than 100%. That 4.8% is the house edge and means that punters are being paid out slightly less than they should be.Theoretically, if the same amount of money was wagered on both India and Australia to win the toss, they’d make 4.8 units of profit for every 100 units staked on the market. Hence the expression ‘you’ll never meet a poor bookie’. A big horse race say the Cheltenham Festival illustrates two more important points about how bookies work and how they make money. The first is that they are permanently updating their odds based on the weight of money. If punters are constantly backing the favourite, their odds on the favourite will shorten because bookies are afraid that if the favourite goes on to win, they will have to pay out far more than what they get to keep in losing bets. In the process, they’ll also lengthen the odds on outsiders to attract more business on them. The reverse could also be true. If money isn’t coming in for the early favourite, they may have to shorten the odds on other horses being backed in and lengthen the odds on the favourite. This is called ‘balancing the book’.It's true that in some cases, bookies will have a far bigger liability on favourites than outsiders so will be delighted when an outsider wins because they’ll have to pay out far less on the outsider than what they’d pay out on the favourite. But it’s also true that similar to insurance companies, they lay off their liability with other bookies. This is to avoid a scenario where an unfavourable result for them results in a big payout, which if it was on a huge race like the Gold Cup, could seriously eat into their mid-term profits. Betting Exchanges You’ll remember that betting exchanges don’t set odds themselves, nor do they at any point risk their own money. Instead, they take a commission on winning bets only. Let’s say Jack lays a bet at 2.0, and Jill backs it for 100 units. Jill wins the bet, so she’s 100 units up. The betting exchange will automatically keep a commission of Jill’s winnings- typically between 2% and 5% - as their cut for offering the betting service before paying Jill her winnings. Jack, who lost his bet, doesn’t have to pay a commission as it wouldn’t make sense to lose a bet and then pay a commission on top of it. Spread BettingHere the house edge works in a slightly different way. Let’s go back to their spread on the tennis match that there will be 20-21 games. There could be over 21 games, and all the buyers make money. Or it could be that there are less than 20 games so it’s the sellers making money. But if there are exactly 20 or 21 games in the match, both sellers and buyers lose because it’s neither more than 21 nor less than 20. And that’s how spread betting firms make their money.How Do Bookies Set OddsWhen bookmaking first started, odds were set with pen and paper, the bookies putting their expertise of the event and maths skills into practice to also include that all-important house edge into the odds. These days, it’s a very different story.Bookies use complex software based on algorithms to work out the correct odds on any event.Let’s say they’re pricing up an over/under 2.5 goals market in Everton v Liverpool. The bookie ‘feeds’ all sorts of data into the software to work out the odds, such as: The average number of goals in Everton and Liverpool’s matches so far that season. The average number of goals in Everton v Liverpool games across the last 10 contests between them. Once the software has thrown up the initial odds, the bookie may need to adjust them slightly. For example, if Liverpool’s star man Mo Salah is out injured, there is less chance of goals in the game than if he were playing. This adjustment could be based on feeding extra info to the software, such as how Liverpool’s average goals per game is affected when Salah isn’t playing. Or it could be a human adjusting the odds manually based on their expertise. These experts may also take other factors into consideration, such as the weather on the day or the formations the two teams are likely to play. And as we know, the bookies will continue to adjust those odds based on which of the two outcomes is being backed the most.Traditional vs Online Bookies - How Technology Has Transformed the Bookmaker IndustryTo an extent, placing bets with online bookmakers or land-based ones is a similar practice. However, there are some key differences between the two. These are their pros and cons, so you can decide for yourself what better suits you if you are new to sports betting.Let's talk about land-based bookies first:Pros:You don’t need to go through the process of providing personal details, passing a KYC (Know Your Customer) test and making an online deposit, though admittedly there are more customer checks in place at land-based bookies now than there used to be. You’re far less likely to be restricted at a land-based bookie than an online one. Some punters prefer to be paid in straight cash rather than having to make a withdrawal because, apart from anything else, a cash payout at a shop is instant rather than taking a few days, as happens with online bookies. Cons:There are far fewer sports and markets available to bet on. This is partly due to the fact that it’s not practical to print out hundreds of paper coupons every day for every single possible bet the shop is laying; whereas online you can browse endless markets in seconds. You need to physically go to a betting shop rather than bet from your computer or smartphone. Here are the things to consider about online betting sites:Pros: Endless sports and markets to choose from. Welcome offers, free bets, Odds Boosts, and other bonuses that we so often discuss in our sportsbook reviews, make your money go further. Features such as live streaming, Cash Out and on-site stats improve your overall experience. Live betting is much easier online. Cons:Greater scrutiny of your betting history could lead to you being limited in terms of the size of your bets, sports you can bet on, or even being able to place bets at all at that bookie.KYC checks can involve supplying lots of paperwork before you can make your first withdrawal. Online bookies may not accept you as a customer if you’re based in certain geographical locations. A land-based bookmaker should take your bet as long as you’re not a minor and can legally bet in the country.The Future of Bookmaking - Trends to WatchAs with all things, the world of online betting has evolved over the last few years and will continue to do so. Here are a few ways that’s already happened, plus a few more ways in which it will continue to evolve. Mobile BettingIn addition to just placing bets, punters can use their mobile browsers and betting apps to claim bonuses, watch events through live streaming and do a lot more; the number of things you can do related to your betting account on your phone will only keep on growing. Crypto BettingBetting with crypto gives customers even more anonymity and allows them to use different cryptocurrencies for betting if they already have them, in addition to traditional currencies. Live Betting/Live StreamingSophisticated software enables bookmakers to provide extensive live betting options for some of the biggest events. This is facilitated by the software's ability to calculate odds for numerous markets in real-time automatically.And bookies are happy to splash out on the rights to live stream some of the biggest events in the knowledge that the ability for punters to stream the biggest events for free in high-definition will wildly increase the turnover of their live betting markets. As of yet, no bookie streams the likes of the Premier League or Champions League due to not having the rights, but that may change in the future. AIJust betting on live events, even if you have the streaming to accompany them, may not prove enough in the future in terms of customers’ demands for a truly immersive experience. We’re not far away from a scenario where if you’re betting on a tennis match for example, AI will make you feel like you’re at the event itself with all the sounds and images you’d experience if you were physically there. 

What Is Sports Betting?Online sports betting is a pastime enjoyed by millions the world over; some even make a living out of it. If you’re new to it all and want to at least understand the basics, keep reading, as we’ll bring you up to speed on how it all works. By the time you’ve finished reading, you’ll be ready to open an account and place your first bet.  How to Read Betting OddsKicking off our sports betting guide is an explanation that, at its core, all betting is a game of maths, and sports betting is no different. At the heart of that are the odds that the bookmaker lays on all the different selections in a betting market. And the odds generally come in three formats. FractionalFractional odds are mostly only used in the UK these days. Of the three types of odds, these are the ones that you’ll see less of at online bookies. A bet where you’re staking 5 units to win 5 units of profit is known as evens and is expressed as 1/1. A bet at 4/1 means that if you staked 1 unit and it won, you’d profit by 4 units. With fractional odds, the odds don’t include your stake if the bet were to win, so in the case of a 4/1 winner, you’d get paid four times your bet, plus you’d also get your stake back. Not all fractional odds are nice, round numbers.  A bet at 8/11 means that if you staked 11 units and it won, you’d win 8. In other words, the second number in fractional odds (the one after the /) represents the stake you need to bet in order to win the first number. DecimalThis is probably the most common form of odds, widely used in Europe (including the UK), South America, and sometimes even in the US. A good starting point is to understand that 2.0 is evens (see above), anything above 2.0 is odds-against, and anything below 2.0 is odds-on. Odds-against means you’ll win more than what you staked; odds-on means you’re staking more than what you’ll win. Unlike with fractional odds, your stake is already included in the odds. So, a 5.0 shot (4/1 in fractional odds) will win you 5 times the value of your bet, but that includes the stake you’ll get back if it wins. If the odds were 1.8, you’d win 0.8 units for every 1 unit wagered. Plus, get that stake back, of course. AmericanUnsurprisingly, these are the odds most commonly used in the US. First up, American odds always use a baseline value of 100 dollars. The second thing to bear in mind is that odds with a minus sign in front of them are odds-on; you’re risking the amount of money before the minus sign to win 100.  Those with a plus sign before them are odds-against. It assumes you’re risking 100 dollars to win the amount after the plus sign. So, a bet that’s -135 means you’d have to wager 135 dollars to win 100. A bet that’s +250 means if you wagered 100, you’d win 250. Understanding Betting Markets and TypesBefore you start to bet on sports, it’s advisable that you understand the difference between betting markets and betting types. That’s what we’re discussing in this part of our guide to sports betting. Examples of betting markets are: the winner of a basketball match, how many goals there will be in a football game, a player to hit a century in cricket, or who will win Wimbledon. In other words, betting markets relate to what aspect of the event you’re wagering on. Betting types, or more precisely types of bets, relate to the format of the bet itself. A single is a straight wager on something happening or not happening. It’s the most basic type of bet. A double means wagering on two separate outcomes in the same wager and needing both to win. Both Teams to Score (BTTS) bet is when you wager on whether both teams playing in a match will manage to score.Double chance betting means that you are betting on two potential outcomes of a football match at the same time. The available options are 1X, X2, or 12.Accas are the generic name for any bet with more than two selections in it. Trixies and patent bets are examples of special bets where the more of the selections you get right, the more you’ll win. Bet Builders are a form of acca, but one where all the selections are from the same match. So what is spread betting? It’s another type of bet where you either go high (buy) or low (sell) on a particular outcome (e.g. the number of goals in a football match). The more right you are, the more you’ll win. But the more wrong you are, the more you’ll lose. Understanding Betting StrategiesIf you want to learn how to bet on sports successfully, there are lots of dos and don’ts to it. An advanced guide to sports betting will cover many of those in detail, but one of the key elements is to have a good betting strategy. One is what’s called value betting. The concept of it is that you take higher odds than what you think the selection should be, irrespective of whether you fancy the selection to win or not. Another is hedging. That could involve betting on, say, a tennis match and placing an odds-against bet with Bookie A on Player A and then betting on Player B with Bookie B also at odds-against. Whatever happens, you’ll always win. Sensible bank management is another form of betting strategy. It means you should never risk too much of your bank on any one bet and that you vary your stakes based on how much you fancy that particular bet.Betting on SportsUnlike casino games, which rely mostly on chance (with a bit of strategy), sports betting is more complex because it relies on humans, horses or greyhounds performing in a particular way. Sports betting rewards the true experts with good betting strategies more so than casino betting does. These days, you can bet on just about every sport under the sun, from the mainstream ones like football and racing to the now-popular esports and even more niche options, like surfing, squash or curling. A key tip, though, is to focus on two or three that you’re a real expert at, rather than five or six, some of which you might not be such an expert at. Betting on CompetitionsFootball betting, for example, is broken down into hundreds of competitions, from the Premier League and Champions League to the Saudi Arabian Premier League, Copa America, and World Cup.When it comes to cricket, the best Sportsbooks will have odds relating to all of the most important domestic and international competitions across all three of cricket’s formats.The same is true of all the other sports. Similar to being an expert in a few sports rather than trying to master them all, it’s preferable to be very knowledgeable about a few competitions than to have a basic understanding of many. Sometimes in sports betting, less is more.Signing Up for a SportsbookA crucial element of how to bet on sports online is understanding how to go about actually opening an account and getting your money in and out of it. RegistrationChoose a sportsbook from our list of recommended betting sites that ticks the most boxes in terms of what’s important to you. That could be one that has particularly high odds across the board, offers the most sports to bet on, offers the most bonuses, or has popular betting features that you enjoy.  Next up, click on Join/Sign up, and enter all the information asked of you, such as your name, date of birth, e-mail address, mobile number, home address and a username for your account. DepositingOnce your account is set up, it’s time to put some money into it. Go to the Banking section, choose ‘Deposit’ and select from their list of payment options. Most sportsbooks will accept a mix of debit cards, bank transfers, and e-wallets like Skrill and PayPal, while some also accept cryptocurrencies. Once you’ve decided on a payment option, choose the amount you wish to deposit. Most deposits are instant. WithdrawingWhen you’ve won some money and want to withdraw it, here’s what to do. Go to the Banking section again, but this time select ‘Withdraw.’ Choose the payment option you want to use. Many of the same options available to deposit should be available for withdrawal, too.However, some betting sites insist that you need to withdraw using he same method as the one you used to deposit. So, if you deposited using PayPal, you’ll need to also withdraw with PayPal. Choose the amount you wish to withdraw – all of your funds or a portion of them – and process the withdrawal.It will take between a few hours and five working days for the money to reach you, depending on the payment method and the bookie in question. How to Place a Sports Bet Online Now that your account is set up and funded, here’s how to go about placing a bet. Let’s say you wish to place one on Chelsea vs. Liverpool in the Premier League.Navigate to the column of the homepage where all the sports are listed. In this case, you want to select football (or whichever sport you’re betting on).All the different football competitions will now be listed. Seeing as it’s Premier League you want, choose it. The upcoming Premier League games will be displayed. Go to the Chelsea vs. Liverpool match. Click on the market you want to play. For example, if you wish to place a bet on a player to score anytime, navigate to the anytime scorer market.All the players will be listed with their respective odds. Select a player you believe will be one of the scorers in the match.Choose your stake and process the bet.Ready to Hit the BookiesSo that’s your lowdown on what different types of odds mean, the various betting markets, the sports and competitions you can bet on, some tried-and-trusted betting strategies and how to go about opening and funding an account, withdrawing from it and actually placing a bet. Now it’s over to you to put all you’ve learnt into practice.

A Spain side with a 100% record is up against a Czechia side that has lost both its Nations League matches so far, meaning the smart money is on another Spain win as they try to make it three from three. But Czechia never lose by many against this lot, so a Spain clean sheet in a relatively low-scoring match looks the way to go. Spain - Czechia Betting TipDifferent competition, same result. After winning the World Cup this summer, Spain went to Wembley and beat England 3-2, then hosted Croatia and beat them 4-1 in their two opening Nations League matches to top the table. Perhaps the only surprise is that they conceded in both games, having kept clean sheets in six of their seven World Cup matches. Lamine Yamal scored three of those five goals over the last week, a reminder that the sky is the limit for the Barcelona youngster, who is now the 1.8 favourite to win the Ballon d'Or, relegating Harry Kane to second favourite at 2.4. That man, Kylian Mbappe, is now a 20.0 chance. But back to the game. Spain will be hosting a Czech side who were a bit unlucky against England, playing most of the game with ten men after star man P.Sulc was sent off for a bad tackle on England midfielder Elliot Anderson. But they also lost to Croatia in the game before that at home, so with zero points to date and Spain and England in their Group, there’s little chance of them progressing to the Final Four. The good news for Czechia ahead of this one is that Spain may leave a few key players out with that tougher game against England coming up. That could include Yamal and maybe the likes of Rodri or Marc Cucurella, but by the same token, excellent players like Ferran Torres or Nico Williams, both rested against Croatia, could well come back into the team. So whatever side Spain put out, you know it’s going to be a strong one. We fancy Spain to revert to type and keep a clean sheet here against a Czech side with little firepower anyway and even less now that Sulc is suspended. But it may pay not to get overly ambitious about how many goals Spain could score. Czechia defended valiantly against England with ten men, and in their last fifteen matches, they have conceded more than two goals in a match only once, in a 3-0 defeat to a strong Mexico outfit at the World Cup. Sure, Spain can score four or five on their day against just about anyone, but even just resting Lamal could make a big difference to how many goals they get here. So, the best way of including a home clean sheet in our thoughts, while thinking it won’t be too much of a beating, is to go with Spain to win 1-0, 2-0 or 3-0, which is priced at 2.63 and looks a decent bet. Also, in the last two matches in which Spain hosted Czechia, they ended ‘just’ 1-0 and 2-0. Bet: Back Spain to win 1-0, 2-0 or 3-0   Odds: 2.63 (at the time of writing)Did You Know?Two players currently in the Spain squad are in the Top 10 for most international goals: Mikel Oyarzabal (31) in sixth and Ferran Torres (25) in tenth, but both still have a way to go to catch up with record goalscorer David Villa, who has 59 in 98 games. But a special mention goes to Sergio Ramos, who scored 23 goals as a defender. He did, however, play for Spain a mammoth 180 times. As the Czech Republic, they made the final of Euro 96 as huge outsiders, beating Portugal and France along the way before losing 2-1 in the final against a star-studded Germany. Though most of that Czech squad was unknown going into the tournament, they certainly weren’t by the end of it, with the likes of Karel Poborsky, Patrik Berger, Vladimir Šmicer and Pavel Nedved all going on to join some of Europe’s biggest clubs. 

The two teams that contested the famous 2006 World Cup final are in action in the Nations League on Friday night and even without Kylian Mbappe, the French are strong favourites to win. Here are some facts, stats, team news and the all-important betting tip ahead of it. Betting Tip: Assist King Oliseh to Get AnotherFrance beat both Turkey and Belgium 1-0 over the past week, but that win over Turkey came at a cost: Kylian Mbappe got injured while scoring, was subbed off, missed the win over Belgium, and is now out for at least two more weeks. Zinedine Zidane afforded himself the luxury of resting several other players who would normally start on Monday, but when they came off the bench, they proved too good for Belgium, with one of them, Michael Oliseh, netting a late winner. As for Italy, it’s hard to know what to make of them so far under Roberto Mancini. They lost 2-0 to Belgium but hit back to beat Turkey 4-1 away, though that result did somewhat flatter them because Turkey had just as many chances as they did.  At first glance, France are pretty short favourites at 1.4, but they’ve been one of the best sides in the world for the past few years, are ranked third in the world, have as good a squad as anyone, and won their last two games without conceding, so maybe it’s a fair price after all against an Italy side in rebuild mode. We fancy France to score a couple here and there are plenty of different goals markets to play if you agree with that view, but we’d rather focus on a particular player, and it’s that man Oliseh. Though he scored that vital winner last time out, he’s better known for his assists: after all, he provided seven at the World Cup in eight games, a new World Cup record, with the quirk that five of those were in setting up Mbappé.But Oliseh has four assists already this season for club and country- curiously all in different competitions – and one of those was an assist against Turkey for, you guessed it, Mbappe! The Bayern man will surely start here after only coming off the bench the other day, and though there’s no Mbappe to set up this time, there’s Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue and plenty of others waiting for a magical pass from former Crystal Palace player Oliseh. Let’s hope so.  Bet: Back Michael Oliseh to provide an assist Odds: 2.5 (at the time of writing)Did You Know?Eight players from the Rennes academy are now in the current France setup: Eduardo Camavinga – Real Madrid Ousmane Dembélé – Paris Saint-Germain Désiré Doué – Paris Saint-Germain Adrien Truffert – Bournemouth Jérémy Jacquet – Rennes Andy Diouf – Inter Milan Lucas Da Cunha – Como Estéban Lepaul – RennesSo the Rennes Academy is one to rival the very best in the world right now, including even that of Barcelona.Fun Fact 3-1 is quite an unusual score in football, but certainly not in this fixture, with the last four instalments all ending 3-1!France won 3-1 away in 2016, 3-1 at home in 2018 and then by that same scoreline again away in Italy in 2024. But in September 2024, Italy were the ones winning 3-1, in France.It’s 9.0 that the French will win it by that score again this time, and 27.0 that Italy will.

Both sides have won one and lost one so far in the Nations League, with both beating Czechia and both losing to Spain over the last week. With Spain in such good form, neither side can afford another slip-up, which makes for a fascinating encounter between two teams that know each other well. Here's the analysis and tips.Starts: Saturday 3rd October, 17:00Venue: Rijeka Stadium, CroatiaTV Channel: ITV OneBetting Tip: England Should Be Good for at Least Two GoalsThese two met at the World Cup in the summer, England eventually winning 4-2 and with the two before that also resulting in wins for the Three Lions: 1-0 at the 2021 Euros and 2-1 in the Nations League back in 2018, so they’ve had the better of it in the last few years.And they’re a fair price to win this one again, but we can do better than that.Bet: Back England to score over 1.5 goals    Odds: 1.8 (at the time of writing)England have now scored at least twice in nine of their last 11 matches, stretching back to a friendly just before the start of the World Cup when they beat Costa Rica 3-0. They scored two or more in six of their eight World Cup games and again against Spain and Czechia over the last week, so scoring hasn’t been a problem. They also managed two or more in two of their last three meetings against Croatia. Croatia - England: AnalysisEngland had an eventful game against Spain, going a goal behind early, going 2-1 up in response, then throwing away all their good work through defensive errors to lose 3-2.But at least they did their best to make up for it with a comfortable win over Czechia, though it needs some context: Czechia’s most dangerous player, Pavel Sulc, was sent off after just 25 minutes, so they were up against it from that point on.Goals from the in-form Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane were enough to sink the Czechs, but they can’t afford any more slip-ups here with Spain now two from two.Croatia did it the other way round; first winning 2-1 against Czechia before losing 4-1 in Spain on Tuesday night. Incredibly, Luka Modric is still going at 41 and will be adding to his 204 caps for Croatia here, though we’ll have to see whether that’s from the start or from the bench.Though Gordon is yet to score for Barcelona, he went back-to-back against Spain and Czechia, but we have a suspicion he may not start this one as Tomas Tuchel manages the workload of his key players. But 3.75 is a perfectly good price on him scoring if he does start.Even if there’s no Gordon in the line-up, there may well be Kane, Bukayo Saka, Morgan Rogers and plenty of others who can come up with goals, and we’re pretty confident that between them, they can get two or more.Did You Know?Luka Modric is one of only four players in history with 200 or more international caps.Modric has 204, two more than Kuwait’s Bader Al-Mutawa and three short of Lionel Messi, who Modric should catch up with soon, given Messi is unlikely to play for Argentina other than in a one-off farewell match.But Modric is still 30 behind Cristiano Ronaldo.Fun Fact: Croatia beat England in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup after extra time. Of England’s starting eleven that day, the only one likely to start for them on Friday night is skipper Harry Kane.

This week we’re turning our attention to the world of darts, and it’s the World Grand Prix of Darts over in Leicester we’re looking at, complete with its unique double-in, double-out format.The ‘two Lukes’ are the two favourites as per usual, but Luke Littler hasn’t been enjoying the crowds of late, and Luke Humphries has made the last three finals here, so he’s the one carrying our money this week.  Best Bet: Luke Humphries to Reach the FinalSome may feel that backing Luke Littler at 1.85 to go all the way is a great bet given what he’s achieved not just this year, but for the last two or three years, not to mention the fact that he’s the defending champion here in Leicester, so he has been here and done it already. But an odds-on shot won’t be for all, given the unique ‘double in, double out’ format (see below). If you’re slow to get to that first double, you have it all to do and can start to doubt yourself. As also explained below, there are question marks over Littler’s mindset after being booed by fans, so we’ll have to see what sort of mood he’s in this week. Instead, we prefer the 3.25 that the other Luke- Humphries- makes the final. He’s made all of the last three here in Leicester, so he clearly likes the format.This has been a pretty good, rather than spectacular, season for Humphries, with wins at the Belgian Open and US Masters, plus at a couple of Players Championship events. There was also a runner-up spot in the Premier League when losing to Littler, plus a few other second-places in big events. Yet another final, win or lose, would do us just fine.[BETTINGBONUS]Campeonbet Sportsbook: 100% up to €100 Welcome Bonus[BETTINGBONUS][BETTINGBONUS]Mr.Play Sportsbook: 100% up to €100 Welcome Bonus[BETTINGBONUS][BETTINGBONUS]bet365 Sportsbook: Bet €10 Get €50 in Free Bets[BETTINGBONUS][BETTINGBONUS]Ladbrokes Sportsbook Bonus: Bet £5 Get £20[BETTINGBONUS]Favourites Beyond Two Lukes All the favourites come from the first type of qualifier: those in the Top 16 of the Order of Merit, which is hardly surprising, since those are the elite players on the richest and most prestigious of darts’ official tours. That includes Number 2 on the PDC Order of Merit, Luke Humphries, available at 6.5, who won it in 2023. He then lost as a big favourite in 2024 to Mike de Decker and then again in the final last year against Littler, though that does mean that he’s made it to the final in each of the last three editions. Gerwyn Price, one of the game’s big entertainers, won it in 2020 and comes here ranked 4th but is the third favourite at 12.0.Gian van Veen of the Netherlands has had an excellent season and is around the 18.0 mark, while veterans James Wade and Gary Anderson are 20.0 and 23.0 respectively. Six-time winner Michael van Gerwen has by far the strongest record of anyone taking part in this tournament, but at 37, his best days seem behind him, and odds of 26.0 reflect his chances of making it seven wins here. Have we forgotten someone? Oh, yeah. That ‘man’ Luke Littler- still only 19- has won just about every event going this season, in addition to winning the last two editions of the Grand Prix and the World Championship back in January, so it’s hardly surprising that he’s a best price of just 1.85. Can Anyone Stop Luke Littler?Teenage prodigy Littler was on course for a historic clean sweep after winning six majors already this season but lost to Jonny Clayton in the Last Eight at the World Series of Darts in Amsterdam last week. While there’s no disgrace in losing to a player of Clayton’s ability, whoever you are, it wasn’t so much the defeat, even by 10-4, that drew attention, but rather what happened off the oche. Littler was booed throughout his performance and has since suggested he won’t travel to places like Germany and the Netherlands in future if he keeps getting that sort of reception. Some believe Littler has simply become too good and that darts fans are tired of him constantly winning, while others point to some bad blood between Littler and Dutch favourite van Veen, after an ill-tempered Premier League clash a few months ago, as an explanation for the reception he got in Amsterdam. Others feel there’s a simpler explanation: Littler is overly brash and aggressive for someone his age, and despite his absurd success in such a short time, some humility and more respect for other players wouldn’t go amiss. But here’s what we do know: he’s the best player by some distance, and if the crowd is on his side, or at least he ignores it if it isn’t, he’ll be very hard to stop. First up, he’s up against yet another Luke: he’s 1.22 favourite to beat Luke Woodhouse, with a second-round match against either Nathan Aspinall or Kevin Doets after that.