What is Live Betting?

Live Betting or Betting in play as it is sometime referred to, is an innovative method of betting on a sporting event once the match, race or contest has begun. Essentially, you can still bet on many of the outcomes of that event, but this is a fast paced, exciting and potentially very lucrative addition to the sports books which is growing in popularity every day.

But what markets are open to the gambler when it comes to live betting? To answer that question, it’s better to use football as an example, as this is the most popular sport of all within the betting fraternity, and it also tends to list a wider range of live bets than other disciplines.

Once a football match has kicked off, the live betting options take over, and the most popular bet of all is to back the result. You can still bet on a win for either side or a draw at any stage, right up until the final whistle.

You can also speculate on the name of the next goalscorer, whether there will be a red or yellow card issued, how many corners there will be and much more. So there’s a wide range of betting options, but what makes live betting so popular?

The majority of punters love to see themselves as football analysts, and that’s essentially what everyone does if they’re betting on a game prior to kick off. Unless you bet on the basis of a pure ‘hunch’, you will need to study form, look at previous results between the sides and note if there are any injuries and / or suspensions that could have a bearing on the match in prospect.

That type of analysis is vital if you are going to make a profit on football betting, but once a game has kicked off, you can really test your skills as a soccer pundit.

You need to assess how a game is developing – are tempers starting to fray that could lead to a red card? Has a particular player come close to scoring, and does he look likely to find the net later in the game? All of your analytical skills are brought into focus when you get involved with live betting.

So it’s obvious that you need speed of thought if you are going to be successful with betting in play, but you need to employ speed of action at the same time. Market odds change rapidly during a football match, so you need to act quickly to secure them at the most favourable price.

Maybe you’re looking at a substitute to come off the bench and score the next goal in any game. If you wait until he warms up, ready to enter the pitch, then his odds will naturally drop, but if you can predict the substitution ahead of time then you can secure your bet at a much higher price.

There are countless other examples where speed of action gets you better odds, and that makes it very important with regards to how you bet, and the equipment you have with you plays a vital part as well.

If you’re at home watching a match, there’s little point in having a PC in another room that you need to switch on when you decide to place a bet. Even if that PC is fired up and ready to go, the chances are that the odds will have changed by the time you stake your money.

It’s far better to be prepared and to have a laptop, switched on in front of you so that you can monitor the markets as they change in real time. Alternatively, you will find even more flexibility with a mobile phone.

If you have a mobile with a fast browser then you can still watch the match at home, but taking your device with you allows for betting in play at a friend’s house, in a bar or even at the game itself!

You may find that there is a very short time delay between accepting odds, and when this happens, the price may change before the bet is registered. This can be frustrating at times, but having a fast paced browser and a fast internet connection will certainly help to limit the occasions when this happens.

Aside from football, live betting can be applied to many sports, and above all, it has become the most exciting betting method around. When carried out effectively, it can also be a very lucrative way of staking your money.