The Exciting World of In-Play Betting

For as long as human beings have been pitting their skills and strengths against nature and one another there has been someone betting on who the victor will be. With the advent of the internet and advances in data analysis and event tracking online and mobile sports betting has grown into a global pastime.

In fact, it is this reliance on the skills and abilities of its competitors that have allowed betting to establish a foothold in many countries where games of chance such as slots, roulette, and blackjack are only now beginning to gain acceptance thanks to deep regulation and strict oversight.

Live Betting Is Trending

Historically however online betting focused on offering bets on sporting events before the match took place. This is due to bookmakers needing to work out the odds beforehand, balancing the current form of the participants with their historical performance to offer stakes that were viable for the sportsbook but also exciting for the punter.

Thanks to the massive advances in computer learning and statistical analysis bookmakers are now able to offer their customers access to real-time wagers, also known as in-play betting.

According to reports by industry experts live betting is becoming one of the leading betting formats for online gamblers. In some instances, more than a quarter of all bettors make use of live betting data and tools leading to increased betting across markets. One UK operator noted a spike of 450% in live betting action in a single football season.

Deeper Customer Engagement

What is it exactly about in-play betting that has set the world of sports all aflutter? When we delved into the benefits that live play offers sports fans, we found the following common threads:

1. Immersion and engagement – Rather than betting at home, then waiting for the match or event to end and checking in to see if you won or lost the chance to place bets on various aspects of the game as it is being played upped the excitement value of the match and left them feeling more connected to the event.
2. No need to be a stats expert – Not all punters want to spend their time learning the ins and outs of each team. By simply watching how teams and individual players fare during the match they can make a call on how they believe the competition will end.
3. The chance to get better odds – By backing the odds on favourite after they’ve conceded an early point or some other momentum-swinging event punters can in fact make use of the live updates associated with in-play bets to get better odds than those offered on pre-match stakes.

Across the board, it was found that customers who made use of live betting data and the betting options it opened to them were more personally involved in not only the outcome of the match but also each major set piece during its run time.

This is enhanced by the fact that bookmakers offer in-the-moment action on such key events as:

• Who the next point scorer will be?
• Which team will be the next one to put points on the board?
• Who will end the half in the lead?

Each substitution, foul play, near miss, and other moment-by-moment events became an important part of their experience, a far cry from the “let me know how it ends” feeling associated with pre-match bets.

Live Betting Tips and Tricks

While we know that the outcome of a wager is never truly guaranteed there are always tips and tricks that will give you the best possible chance to come out ahead.

Next time you’re making use of the in-play betting feature try these out for yourself:

1. Try backing the odds on favourite when they concede a point or suffer an injury – they are still the better team, but the live betting algorithm will offer better odds than it did at the outset of the match.
2. Back the stronger team to score next when they concede a point – to regain their footing they will likely push to score to regain momentum giving you an easy winning bet.
3. Wait for special bets to be posted – bookmaker will post live odds on corners, sideline events, point scorers, and more. Use your knowledge of momentum shifts and your teams’ strengths to capitalize on these bets as they go live.
4. Limit your betting to key wagers – in-play bets offer a wide range of engaging options; however, these can eat up your budget quickly, stick to two or three key bets that you know favour your team.
5. Keep your eye on the prize – many betting fans will be tempted to jump between games since “the stats are live”. Much of the fun of in-play betting is watching how a team’s energy and skills are playing out on the field and betting for or against them. Be sure to watch the match you’re betting on to completion to ensure the best possible outcome.

As always be sure to gamble safely, while this should go without saying never try to use the immediacy or variety of betting options available to you through live bets to chase losses. Rather enjoy the match, share the experience with friends cheering and commiserating together, and allow your betting to simply be a cherry on top of an already enjoyable experience.