Betting on football is easy when you know how. Check out our expert guide here to everything you need to know to get in on the action when watching the match.
Football betting explained
Football betting in India has seen a major transformation lately, with a growing number of international platforms now catering specifically to Indian punters.
Odds in football reflect the likelihood of a particular result and directly impact how much you stand to win. To calculate your potential payout, just multiply your wager by the listed decimal odds. Generally, higher odds suggest a lower probability, but also a bigger possible reward if it hits.
When it comes to legality, sports betting in India exists in something of a grey area. It's not explicitly legal at the federal level, but it's not outright banned either. That said, many Indian bettors legally place wagers through offshore sportsbooks, which are licensed and regulated internationally, and therefore allowed to operate in the Indian market.
If you are keen on knowing more about football bookies in India, The Sporting News has you covered. We want to help you learn how to bet on football online, both safely and responsibly, equipping you with the knowledge to make the best educated choices in your online soccer betting. Read on for more...
Different types of football bets
There are several different types of bets to get your head around when navigating the football markets. Let's break them down.
Outright betting
There are a multitude of ways to bet on football these days, but at its most basic level is the outright football bet or the full-time result.
Often known as 1x2 betting, a bet is placed on one of three outcomes, either the home team to win, the away team to win or the game to end in a draw.
Crucial to note, this bet is within 90 minutes and does not include the final score of the match after extra time or penalties, which may occur in knockout matches, like in the Champions League or the World Cup finals.
For example, in spite of who wins a penalty shootout, the official result will go down as a draw, as per the result of the match after 90 minutes.
Double chance
A double chance bet is a smart, low-risk option for football fans who prefer a bit of cushion when placing their wagers. Instead of backing just one outcome, this market lets you cover two out of the three possible results in a single go, offering a wider safety net.
So, whether you're unsure if your team can seal the win or just want to play it safe, double chance betting gives you more room to work with: home win, draw, or away win: pick any two.
Double chance betting bundles two potential results into one bet, giving you better odds of winning, though with slightly reduced payouts compared to picking a single outcome. Here's how it usually breaks down:
- 1X – Your money's on the home team to either win or draw.
- X2 – You're backing the away side not to lose (a draw or win).
- 12 – You're betting on either side to win—draws don't count.
Goal Line: Over/Under
Sometimes abbreviated as O/U betting, you can predict whether a match will feature either under or over a specific goal line. For example, if a match goes over or under 2.5 goals.
In this instance, if there are three goals or more your bet would win. However, if the match has two goals or less, then the bet will lose.
You can also bet on under that goal margin, so if the match features two goals or less, then the bet would land.
Both Teams To Score (BTTS)
Rather than wagering on the outright winner, you can bet on a match to see both teams scoring, which has now become a common accumulator-based bet on online soccer betting sites.
It's unique to football betting, where you bet on both teams either scoring or not. It takes away the tension of betting on an outright winner, but can also keep your acca interesting, often with greater odds involved.
These bets will only stand on the regular 90 minutes plus stoppage time and wouldn’t include extra time in tournaments like the FA Cup and Champions League.
Spread betting and Asian handicap
So what is spread betting? This type of bet differs from your traditional fixed-odds betting in that you are betting on a range of outcomes to an event/match rather than a fixed result.
With football, this could mean betting on the total goals scored in a match, the time of the first goal, the number of booking points a team or player will receive, the amount of corners, or even a market called 'Supremacy' — the margin of victory one team beats the other by.
Spread betting originated from professional bettors attempting to find the edge in the financial markets, but due to widespread interest has found its way into mainstream online football betting.
Elsewhere, Asian handicap betting is a form of match betting where the possibility of a draw is removed, with just a win or loss the two possible outcomes.
One team receives an advantage or a disadvantage to level the playing field, effectively giving one team a virtual deficit to overcome. You are betting on which team will win, with the handicap taken into account.
For insurance, if team A is the heavy favourite, but has skinny outright odds in the 1x2 market, then you could give them a handicap to overcome, which would widen the odds and offer more of a return of investment. In addition, you could find value when an underdog or favourite is either under or over-rated by the traders.
Here's how this might look:
Bet | Handicap | Outcome for Liverpool | Outcome for Ipswich | Odds |
Liverpool (-1.5) | -1.5 | Win by 2+ goals | Win by 1 or fewer, Draw, Lose | 2.45 to 1 |
Liverpool (-2) | -2 | Win by 3+ goals | Win by 2, Draw, Lose | 3.00 to 1 |
Ipswich Town (+2) | +2 | Win, Draw, Lose by 1 goal | Win, Draw, Lose by 2+ goals | 1.85 to 1 |
Ipswich Town (+3) | +3 | Win, Draw, Lose by 2 goals | Win, Draw, Lose by 3+ goals | 8.00 to 1 |
MORE: How do betting odds work? Check out our guide on how to read and interpret prices
Corners, cards and prop betting
Corners and cards betting, which are off-shoots of proposition betting, otherwise known as ‘prop bets’ have grown in popularity in recent years. A type of market, known to be great for finding the best value in a saturated but ever-evolving industry.
There are some straight-forward card markets, such as the amount of cards to be shown in one game, a specific player to be shown a card or betting on a team to get the most cards in the match or even to be shown the first red card of the game.
Commonly, corner betting consists of three different elements: under/over an amount of corners, exact amount of corners, and corner bands.
Corner bands differ from the other two mentioned, alternatively you can bet on the numbers of corners without having to be tied down to one specific number, for instance you can bet on 0-4 or 4-8, for example.
These all come under prop betting, which can also be known as side bets or novelty bets, with other examples being a player/team to have X number of shots on target, or even things such as shirt colours, or which half will produce the most goals.
Accumulators
Accumulator (acca) betting is popular among both casual and professional football bettors alike. This is where you can combine multiple selections into one bet. The motivation behind this sees the odds boost and the possibility to increase your overall winnings if all selections land.
The more picks you add to the acca, the bigger the odds, but that also heightens the chance of the bet losing, given the amount of variables that have to fall in your favour.
For example you can bet on the outright result, both teams to score and the goals market in individual matches to make up one accumulator bet. These are often called fold bets, so for instance, you place a six-fold accumulator on Saturday’s football.
This differs to the 'Bet Builder’s' that online football betting sites will put together, which are bespoke multiple bets that could incorporate a player to score, a player to be carded as well the full-time result.
Live football betting
Live betting, also widely known as in-play betting, is a process of placing a bet when a football match is ongoing.
You can find some good variance and betting value when spread betting and betting arbitrage across, tracking a variety of online sports bookmakers for the edge of the in-play markets, as prices can change quickly and often.
For instance, you could be watching a match where a player has just committed two fouls, that could be an ideal time to place a live or in-play bet on said player to be shown a yellow or red card.
Top tips for football betting
1. Do your research
Try to avoid placing bets on matches and leagues that you have no idea about. Albeit you may win this way once or twice, this is not a long-term solution to successful betting. Dive into the statistics of players and clubs including recent form, how teams fare in home fixtures against away fixtures, as well as up-to-date teams news like injuries and suspension.
2. Follow tipsters on social media or other platforms
Take note from experts in the field, including us here at TSN, who have an impressive track record of making successful bets. The last 15-20 years has featured the rise of online betting experts making a name for themselves with as much, if not even more, influence as the traditional media.
Keeping track of a diverse portfolio from a variety of sources will only help you to make educated, informed bets. Another good way is to make use of online tools and tipping resources.
3. Make use of promotions and welcome offers
You'll need to pick a solid, trustworthy bookmaker, one that welcomes Indian users, supports INR, and delivers a smooth experience on both desktop and mobile.
Here at The Sporting News, we work alongside a variety of trusted bookmakers, including some of the leading and most respected brands within the industry. You can follow links to their sites in this article!
With more and more sports betting sites popping up, the competition to get your attention is fierce. This is where welcome offers, reload offers and promotions can make a serious impact to swaying new customer sign-ups and existing customers coming back for more.
An example could be Dafabet tempting offer, where you can get 150% deposit match up to ₹150,000 when you sign up for a new account with the bookmaker.. Keep across the various online football betting platforms for the best value.
Here's our round-up of the best welcome offers right now from our selected partners.
Just remember, all offers are subject to terms and conditions, so check those carefully before you sign up to make sure you can activate the offer and any potential bonuses.4. Bankroll management
It’s important to ensure you’re betting within your means. Bet responsibly and don’t chase your losses. Deposit limits have changed massively in the last five years, with regulations tightening to help you manage your money. But with the best football betting sites competing for your loyalty, you must ensure you’re keeping a track of your betting history and bankroll.
How to sign-up for a betting account in India? — Quick & easy guide
The good news? Signing up takes just a few minutes. Just be sure to use your real info and keep your KYC docs handy as most sites require quick ID verification before you can deposit or withdraw.
- Choose a licensed site that accepts Indian users
- Create an account with your name, email, and phone number
- Verify your identity (usually Aadhaar, PAN or utility bill)
- Choose your deposit method: UPI, Paytm, NetBanking, GPay, etc.
- Make your first deposit
- Claim your welcome bonus (check our list out above for the best ones!)
- Start browsing markets and place your bets!
Pro tip: Always set a budget and stick to it. Betting should be fun not stressful. Use tools available on betting apps to set daily or weekly deposit limits.
BEST FOOTBALL ODDS AND OFFERS