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.

Second plays sixth, and interestingly, it’s Lazio who are in second spot at the moment. But this is the toughest match they’ve had to date in Serie A, and Juventus are on a decent run at the moment in a fixture where they’ve had plenty of success in the past, so check out our betting tip that reflects that, our summary of where the teams are at and a couple of good pieces of trivia.Betting Tip: Juventus to Win and Over 1.5 GoalsLazio have made an excellent start to the season, not just unbeaten in six, but with five of those being wins, so they’re not one of those teams that avoid losing just by drawing all the time.It leaves them in second place and only behind Inter Milan on goal difference; Lazio are currently +7 while Inter are +10. To be fair, they’re yet to play the biggest sides, as the calendar has been kind to them so far, so this will be one of the first proper tests of the season for them.One big advantage they have over the likes of Inter, Como, AC Milan, Napoli and their hosts this weekend, Juventus, is that they’re not playing in Europe, meaning they can focus 100% on Serie A thanks to fewer matches, less travelling and no need for squad rotation, and that could make a big difference come the end of the season. This is by no means a team of superstars, with Lazio focusing on buying players that fit in with the system, are hard-working and disciplined; left-back Nuno Tavares and midfielders Davide Frattesi and Kenneth Taylor are good examples of that. As for Juventus, their start to the season has been steady rather than spectacular, with three wins, two draws and just one defeat to Sassuolo so far.One of those draws was at the hands of Cagliari last week, where we rightly predicted a low-scoring game with under 2.5 goals in it, and it ended 1-1, so that was a good winner for us.They went one better in midweek, beating Celta Vigo 2-1 in the Europa League after falling behind 1-0, thanks to goals from on-loan forward Nick Woltemade and substitute Kolo Muani.As regards this particular fixture, you’d have to go back to 2017 for the last time Lazio beat Juventus in Turin, a 2-1 win for the Roman side, and since then it’s been all about Juventus, with six wins and two draws since that away win.So, it’s a fixture that Juventus have enjoyed over the years and, as hinted already, there’s a feeling that, good as Lazio are and a team that will always give it their all, they’ve played some of the easier teams in the league so far, such as Monza and Venezia. That means their table position reflects an easier start to the campaign, and when the tougher games start coming, they'll start dropping down a few places.After all, they finished just ninth last season, so securing a Top 4 finish this time round would be a big achievement.So we’ll take a gamble on a Juve win, who have taken seven points from their three home league games so far, beating Parma and Atalanta 2-0 and drawing 1-1 with Milan.The straight Juve win pays 1.7, but we can bump it to 2.1 by adding over 1.5 goals.We’d have to go back to the first game of the season when they beat Frosinone 1-0 away for the last Juve match where there weren’t at least two goals in one of their games, with the next seven all going that way, so with 2-0, 2-1 or even 3-0 looking lively runners, this bet covers all those outcomes, and a few others.Prediction: Juventus to win and over 1.5 goals  Odds: 2.1 (at the time of writing)Did You Know?Juventus winger Francisco Conceicao is the son of former Portugal, Porto and Inter Milan winger Sergio Conceicao. But father Sergio is best known in Italy for spending two seasons at his son’s opponents this weekend, Lazio, playing 67 times and scoring seven goals between 1998 and 2000, before returning for another season in 2003-4 with less impressive results.As a manager, Sergio holds the record for the most matches ever managed for Porto, before going on to manage AC Milan, where he led the Rossoneri in a match last season against his son’s club, Juventus, with Francisco playing in that very game.Fun FactGennaro Gattuso currently manages Lazio, but it wouldn’t be a good idea to bet he’ll still be there next year, whatever happens for the rest of the season.Since starting his managerial career in 2013 at Sion in Switzerland, Gattuso has managed 12 different teams in just 13 years, including AC Milan, Valencia, and Marseille. Before this, he managed Italy, where he lost a play-off to Bosnia, meaning Italy didn’t qualify for the World Cup again.

This should be a really interesting football game between a Barcelona side that has won all eight of their La Liga games to date and a Betis side that is six wins from eight and secured an excellent midweek win in the Champions League.It should be a game full of goals if the stats are anything to go by, but ultimately, one Barcelona should win, so bet accordingly.Betis - Barcelona Betting TipsBetis have started the season well, currently third in the table and ahead of Real Madrid, with six wins in eight games and a strong record of 14 goals scored and just five conceded.They’re also unbeaten in their last six, including back-to-back Champions League wins over Lille and Porto, showing they’re competitive not only at home but also in the biggest competition of them all. Their 3-2 win over Porto midweek was particularly impressive: they scored three against a side that rarely concedes, and they’ve won both their European matches to date, which should boost their confidence.But the bad news for them is that Barcelona are 8/8 in the league so far and have scored an incredible 34 goals in those eight games, conceding just seven, so they really are flying and, just like Betis, have been great in Europe too, with 4-1 and 5-1 wins to their name as they continue to be one of the big favourites to go all the way.Ten different players have already scored in La Liga for them, and though it’s no surprise that the brilliant Lamine Yamal has already scored seven, there’s one player who has trumped that and then some, with Raphinha already on 12 goals and in the form of his life as he carries on impressing, even more so now that he’s captain.But this game pits two sides who are playing some excellent stuff, with Betis’ home advantage important here but not the be-all and end-all.After all, as tough as Betis normally are, Barca won eight of their last nine matches in Seville.You will have noticed that six of those seven wins for Yamal and Co saw both teams scoring, and that looks like the way to go about this one as well.Across all of the last six, both teams have scored at least once, while Barcelona have conceded while winning in five of their last six games in all competitions, so goals have certainly been the order of the day not just in matches involving these two over the years but also in games involving the Blaugrana all season.That means the 2.1 on a Barcelona win with both teams scoring looks like the bet of the match, though we wouldn’t put anyone off going with over 3.5 goals at 1.65. There are also some fancy prices on 3-2 to Barcelona (14.0) or 2-1 to Barca at 9.0, which should also be considered. But we’re happy with our initial instinct, and that’s the one we’re going with.Prediction: Barcelona to win and both teams to scoreOdds: 2.1 (at the time of writing)Did You Know?Betis playmaker Isco didn’t score in his first eight games this season, but then scored two against Osasuna last weekend and the winner from the penalty spot when they beat Porto midweek. Isco also scored last season in the 3-1 loss at Barcelona. He should be particularly motivated for this one given that he spent nine years at Barca’s big rivals Real Madrid, playing almost 150 games for them. Fun FactRaphinha is rarely talked about in the same breath as the likes of Kylian Mbappe or Yamine Yamal, but his recent goal tally and performances are right up there with the very best in the game. Already on 15 goals from 10 appearances for club and country this season, including back-to-back hat-tricks against Racing and Sevilla in the last month.He also scored 21 goals in the 2025-26 season. 

This should be a pretty good game to open the Premier League weekend between the sides currently ranked fifth and sixth in the table, the two sides having very contrasting styles of play, making it all the more interesting to watch.Read on to see what we can expect from this match, a couple of facts and, of course, that all-important betting tip.Everton - Chelsea Betting TipEverton didn’t spend much money in the summer on transfers but have come out this season with all guns blazing, one of just three teams, alongside Brentford and Manchester City, to remain unbeaten in six games so far.Yes, there have been more draws (4) than wins (2) and yes, it’s early days yet, but currently sitting in fifth position is a lot better than many of their fans would have expected after plenty of lukewarm performances last season.Skipper James Tarkowski has been superb, not just leading his defense beautifully but also chipping in with an important goal and a couple of assists, while Kieran Dewsbury-Hall has also impressed as a number 10 pulling the strings, including also contributed two goals of his own.Chelsea, on the other hand, have been consistently inconsistent, with three wins, two draws and a loss to Arsenal. Highlights included a thrilling 4-3 win over Brighton and an excellent attacking performance last week against Bournemouth, winning 5-1, but there weren’t many positives from a 2-2 draw at home to promoted Hull, much less a 3-0 loss away at Brentford, just before the international break. Joao Pedro, with five goals, and new signing Morgan Rogers, with four, have been their main attacking threats, while finally having all-action midfielder Moises Caicedo back from injury is a huge boost. Everton have had good results in this fixture over the past few years.The last six ended with two Everton 1-0 wins, further Everton wins by 2-0 and 3-0, a Chelsea 1-0 win, and a 0-0 draw in 2025.Plenty of reasons to like ‘No’ on both teams to score You will have noticed that all six of those saw at least one side not concede, and that's been somewhat of a theme in Everton’s games this season too, with three of their six going that way. Chelsea, on the other hand, have been much better going forward than in defence, with only one match of theirs this season where one side kept a clean sheet; but they looked better at the back last week against Bournemouth, and were somewhat unlucky to concede from a corner. As ever, Everton’s main priority will be to keep a clean sheet, and their midfield will mostly support the back four, with players like James Garner instrumental in doing just that. Then again, Everton don’t score many themselves, so despite being at home, they may just decide that, all things considered, 0-0 wouldn’t be the worst result in a match where they start as outsiders. Either way, it’s impossible to ignore the stat that all of the last six between these two at Everton’s ground finished with at least one clean sheet, making ‘no’ on ‘both teams to score’ a great bet at 2.55 based on that alone. Bet: Back ‘No’ on Both Teams to scoreOdds: 2.55 (at the time of writing)Did You Know?No team in English football has played more seasons in the top division, the Premier League and Division 1 before the Premier League was formed, than Everton, who have spent 124 years in the top tier, including never being relegated from the Premier League.Chelsea are joint-eighth with 92 seasons.Fun FactChelsea FC have been around a long time and have bought plenty of players over the years, including some for seriously big money, but their two most expensive players of all time are both likely to feature in this match.Ecuadorian ball-winner and supreme tackler Moises Cacedo is the second most expensive player of all time at £115m when purchased from Brighton, trumped only by the man playing just in front of him, playmaker and occasional winger Morgan Rogers, who cost them £118m when they signed him from Aston Villa this summer.

Australia have dominated this competition in the past, but they’ll need to be at their best this time to keep New Zealand at bay in a month-long World Cup that promises great games. Betting TipThere’s no doubting Australia should be the favourites here, with their incredible record in this competition as the main factor. But New Zealand have been playing really well of late and have shortened the gap between the two over the last few years. They’re very likely to meet in the Final, and it may be worth taking the gamble that they’ll go on to win it, so outright odds of 3.2 are worth chancing.[BETTINGBONUS]bet365 Sportsbook: Bet €10 Get €30[BETTINGBONUS][BETTINGBONUS]Ladbrokes Sportsbook Bonus: Bet £5 Get £20[BETTINGBONUS][BETTINGBONUS]Betfred Sportsbook Bonus: £40 in Free Bets[BETTINGBONUS][BETTINGBONUS]Roulettino Sportsbook Bonus: 100% up to €100, 1st Deposit[BETTINGBONUS][BETTINGBONUS]TonyBet Sportsbook: 100% up to €100[BETTINGBONUS]Current Favourites on Betting SitesAs you’d expect from a team with 12 World Cup wins from 16 and nine from the last 10, Australia are the hot favourites at 1.62, also having home advantage on their side in addition to everything else, with all their Pool A games played on Australian soil, in addition to the semis and final.  As any rugby team that has ever played Australia in Australia knows, those are some very loud and partisan fans, so if playing the best team in the history of the game isn’t hard enough, dealing with tens of thousands of loyal Aussie supporters makes it even harder. Next up are Group A rivals New Zealand at 3.25, with Samoa 10.0, while both England and Tonga are 14.0. The rest are all in triple-figure odds, such as Papua New Guinea at 301.0 and France at 501.0. The obvious threat to more Australian dominance is clearly New Zealand. The odds of 3.0 suggest that, but plenty of other factors do too.The Kiwis are the number 2-ranked team in the world behind Australia and have won seven of their last 10, which included four wins in a row on their route to lifting the 2025 Pacific Championship, beating Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga and then Samoa again in the final, though we note they were fortunate in avoiding playing Australia during that run. The Final before the Final?We won’t have to wait long before seeing the two tournament favourites in action. Thursday’s opening match sees Australia take on New Zealand at 10:05 if you’re in the UK.  The Aussies are 1.66 to win, with the Kiwis at 2.03 and the draw at 15.0. So the bookies are showing plenty of respect for New Zealand, because against any other team in the competition, you'd expect the 12-time winners to be much shorter than that. You can get odds of 1.85 that Australia beat the -2.5 point handicap and the same odds of 1.85 that New Zealand stay within the handicap: win, draw or lose by just one or two points. Will it be a high-scoring affair, or not? It’s 1.91 that the match will have over 38.5 points in it and 1.8 that it will stay below 38 points, while Australia being up at half-time and winning at full-time pays out at 2.3; their opponents being up at the break with Australia going on to win at full-time is 6.5This is a key match for several reasons. A win here would make the winner the hot favourite to top the group and take a potentially easier route to the final, while putting the loser under pressure. Though both teams are expected to progress to the next round by beating the other teams in the Group, one unexpected slip-up in another match could put their place in the semis at risk. But if the tournament-winner odds are any guide, and we assume these are the two teams most likely to reach the Final, a win here would give the winning side huge confidence and momentum for that showdown in Brisbane in a month’s time. England v Tonga of Huge InterestAnother extremely close game to look out for is England v Tonga on Saturday morning.  Tonga are marginal favourites at 1.7 with England 2.2 and the draw 15.0. A Tonga win by 1-7 points is priced at 3.4, and that looks like one of the better wagers in the game.Fun FactInternational rugby league games tend to have about 35 to 50 points in them, with Australia’s 2013 and 2021 final wins being by scores of 30-10 and 34-2, while New Zealand's 2008 win was 34-20. So, it was a huge surprise when the 2017 final between Australia and England finished just 6-0 to the Aussies. Even more so when you consider that Australia had beaten Fiji 54-6 in the semi-final, while England also had a high-scoring game in their own semi, winning 20-18 against Tonga.