Australian Open Betting

What Makes a Great Australian Open Betting Site

The first thing we look into when reviewing any sports betting site is its licensing details and safety protocols. If a sportsbook is licensed and secure, then we can move on to other criteria we evaluate.

An important part of our job here at Ask Gamblers is to consider how good a site is when it comes to the specific type of betting in question. In this case, Australian Open tennis betting.  Evaluating the quality of the site with that specifically in mind helps us uncover the best sportsbooks for those wanting to bet on that particular event. 

Promotions, Free Bets and Bonuses

Promotions are a good way of keeping customers engaged and feeling valued by the sportsbook in return for showing loyalty. But, like with anything, some offers are better than others.

A good offer, such as a free bet, should be for a decent amount of money (€5 or €10 rather than, say, €1 or €2), should be available to use on just about any event you like - including for betting on Australian Open tennis - and shouldn’t have particularly high minimum odds at which it should be placed.

And whereas we accept it’s unlikely you’ll get the stake returned to you if the free bet wins, what we don’t want to see are wagering requirements on any winnings from the free bet.

Other examples of decent bonuses are Odds Boosts and reload bonuses. Whether you’re betting on French Open, engaging in Australian Open betting or anything else, the key is that the bonus gives you real value and a fair crack at actually winning some money.

Payments and Security

Some betting sites these days offer you a choice of as many as 10-15 different payment options. Whereas it’s hard to argue with the idea of ‘the more, the better’, the more important consideration is whether there’s a decent variety in the type of payment options and that they accept the most popular payment methods.

For example, you don’t need 10 different e-wallets, but it’s good to have a choice of at least three and hopefully, that includes PayPal and Skrill, two of the most popular ones. If they accept crypto, it’s important that at least Bitcoin and Ethereum are accepted.

An acceptable time for withdrawals processing is between a few hours and one working day for e-wallets, or a debit card. Withdrawals by bank transfer shouldn’t take longer than two days at the most. Any more than that, and it’s too long.

Security means anything from having the necessary software that prevents the site from being hacked to the bookie holding a respectable betting license and making sure they actually let you withdraw your money without unnecessary complications.

Betting Types and Markets

Again, this is a case of ‘the more, the better’ as the more betting markets there are, the greater the choice for the customer.

Whereas the match-winner market is the one customers most want to play for football/cricket/basketball betting or betting on tennis, some customers enjoy playing handicap markets or over/under markets instead. So, there should also be plenty of those.

There should also be the chance to bet on outright markets as well as just match ones.

Live Betting

With night matches in Australia (including the two singles finals) being broadcast in the morning for European-based tennis punters, there are understandably plenty of opportunities going on for fans of Australian Open live betting. 

With live betting, you can wager at ever-changing betting odds on Australian Open tennis on: the winner market, the winner of the next set and even on the winner of the game in progress, among many others. 

Speaking of betting features, many of the best sportsbooks also offer livestreaming, allowing you to watch the match as it progresses. It’s a great aid for those who enjoy live betting.  

The sportsbook should also have a decent Bet Builder product, as that’s all the rage these days. You should also be able to place accas and special bets like Trixies and Lucky 15s on the site.

Mobile Version

With most people using their phones rather than their laptops for betting these days, it’s vital that not only does the betting site have a mobile product, but that it’s a good one.

Most betting sites these days have a stand-alone mobile app for both iOS and Android or a mobile-friendly website. These allow you to stream matches, transfer money and claim bonuses, just like you’d do on the web version.  Some sportsbooks even give you special bonuses that are only available on mobile.

Australian Open Betting Types and Markets

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to tennis punters. One may wish to just back red-hot favourites, whereas another may look for high betting odds on the Australian Open by only backing big outsiders.

Some punters may prefer to just bet on the winner of the match as a whole, while others may prefer to focus on just parts of the match, like who will win the next set. Another tennis bettor may prefer to just try to work out who may serve the most aces or how many a particular player might serve.

So, the secret for a betting site is to offer a nice variety of markets. Here are some of the betting markets you can expect to find for Australian Open betting.

Total Set Betting

The first couple of pages of any decent Australian Open betting guide will explain that men’s matches are played as best-of-five sets here in Melbourne, while women’s games are best-of-three. 

If you were wagering on total set betting for a men’s game the choices would, therefore, be three, four or five sets. For women’s games, it would be two or three sets. 

Match Betting

This is by far the market that attracts the most interest, as the winner of the match is what punters are primarily concerned with. For the most part, customers bet on this market as a single, but there’s nothing to stop you from putting two or more selections from match betting together in an acca. 

Outright Betting

If you’d rather predict the winners of the men’s singles, women’s singles, or doubles events as a whole, rather than individual matches, you can turn to Outright betting: who will win the whole tournament? 

Betting odds on the Australian Open outrights are available as far as a year in advance and outright markets remain open until the final is completed. 

Punters whose research and gut feeling tells them that a particular unfancied player can go all the way can therefore secure some huge odds on players who can seriously improve as the tournament approaches and be in contention when it comes around.

History of Australian Open Betting

The Australian Open has been going since 1905, except that up until 1988, it was played on grass rather than hard court, as it is now. Having been known initially as the Australasian Championships, it changed its name to the Australian Championships in 1927 and finally to the Australian Open in 1969. 

Though it’s been played at Melbourne Park since 1988, it’s also been held in Sydney, Adelaide and two other Australian cities over the years, plus two in New Zealand: Christchurch and Hastings. 

After all those years played on grass, it’s since been contested on three different types of hardcourt: first green-coloured rebound Ace, then blue Plexicushion and since 2020, blue Greenset. 

Fans of US Open betting might be interested to know that, of the four Grand Slams, it’s not the New York-based one that attracts the most spectators but rather - this one. 

The 2024 edition set a new record for the total number of spectators in attendance over the two weeks during which it takes place: 1,110,657. On January 21, 2023, it also set a new record for the most spectators at a Grand Slam in a single day: 94,854. 

Men’s Australian Open

Serbian Novak Djokovic is the King of Melbourne with 10 men’s singles titles, the last of which was in 2023 when he beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets. Djokovic also has an incredible record of having played 10 finals in Australia and having won all of them. 

Next-best in the Open Era is Roger Federer, who won six times, the last of them in 2018 when he got the better of Marin Cilic in the final. 

During the Amateur Era, it was all about local favourite Roy Emerson, with the Australian winning six titles between 1961 and 1967. In doing so, Emerson set a record for the most consecutive wins here, with five. 

However, Swedish player Matts Wilander holds a record that will never be broken: he’s the only male player to have won the tournament both on grass and hard court. 

Women’s Australian Open

Daphne Akhurst Cozens won the tournament on five occasions between 1925 and 1930, including three in a row between 1928 and 1930. 

After tragically passing away at the age of just 29 as a result of complications during childbirth, the organisers of the Australian Open named the winner of the women’s singles trophy after her: the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup. To this day, that’s the trophy awarded to the women’s singles champion, who for the past two editions was Aryna Sabalenka.  

Still, Couzens’ record pales in comparison to that of fellow Australian Margaret Court, who won it on no less than 12 occasions: seven in the Amateur Era and five in the Open Era. The great US star Serena Williams won it on seven occasions over a 14-year period, the last of which was in 2017. 

Thanks in great part to the contributions of Cozens and Court, there have been more Australian women’s champions than from any other country by some margin. Australia has in total produced 44 women’s singles champions, with the US next best with 25 across the Amateur and Open eras. 

Australian Open Betting Tips  

So far, we’ve looked at how to pick one of the best betting sites for Australian Open betting, what sort of bonuses you can expect to claim there, which betting markets are available when wagering on the Australian Open, how match markets differ from outright and why live streaming is such a great aid when betting live on the Australian Open. 

We’ve also looked at some important landmarks in the history of the Australian Open and some records in the men's and women’s tournaments over the years. 

So, let’s round things off with some betting tips on the Australian Open. As always, you can find even more information and tips in our dedicated tennis forum section.

Heat, Endurance and Fatigue Play Their Part

The tournament is played bang in the middle of the Australian summer, so temperatures in day matches can be downright boiling with sunstroke and dehydration coming into play. Before backing a player to win a match in such punishing conditions, consider whether the hot temperatures will affect them more than their opponent. 

Winners Need All-Round Skills 

The courts here are far quicker than clay ones but not as quick as grass courts. So, to go all the way here, a player is going to need a good serve, a strong return, solid stroke-making and plenty of endurance. In other words, if you’re looking for the outright winner, a great all-round game is a must. 

Cash Out Is an Option, Not a Must 

Cash Out can be a good option, particularly if you’ve placed a big bet or are in line to win a big bet. If you don’t want to risk a late turnaround in the match, by all means, Cash Out your bet. 

But before you do, consider whether the offer is a fair one.  Consider how much you could win if you let it ride (and it won) and the current (live) odds at which it’s available. If it’s not a fair offer, don’t take it.