If you are looking to indulge yourself with a bit of sports betting anywhere in Europe, you’ve come to the right place. In this guide, I will share all the essential information you need to do this safely and avoid getting scammed by anyone. In this post, I will share:
You’re exactly right, I’m not going to talk about things you don’t care about. Just a few years back, I was the one with almost no experience in sports betting and finding valuable information was really difficult. That’s why I’ve decided to help others who are now in a similar situation.
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Sports betting is a very common pastime. It’s really popular, and there are millions of people all around the world who engage in this activity every day.
The fact that it’s a market worth billions shows you how big it actually is. Sports betting is really fun, especially for sports fans and on top of that, there are good chances of winning money as well.
It’s a form of gambling, and there isn’t a single game out there that can match its popularity.
But why is this form of gambling so appealing? With so many people betting all around the world, it’s difficult to provide accurate proof – however, here are some of my guesses.
Why is betting on sports so popular
After considering all of the most important aspects of sports betting, I’ve concluded that its popularity ultimately comes down to two things:
Sports are really popular
Sports are extremely popular. Most people like sports and follow them to an extent. Of course, there are people who don’t have any interests in sports, but they are actually a minority. Just take a look at football (soccer) and how popular it is. During the World Cup, almost everyone is talking about it and watching games daily.
Sports betting is straightforward
Sports betting is really simple and anyone with just a bit of background knowledge can make simple bets and win money. At the same time, people who are into sports already have a good knowledge base that can help them make the right decisions.
For a beginner, it takes minutes to figure out the essential concept of sports betting. However, to progress and be more successful at it, you will have to crave more knowledge and keep track of all the latest news and scores.
A simple definition of sports betting would be something like: “Predicting sports outcomes and placing bets on results”. Even though this is an accurate general definition of sports betting, there are many different kinds of activities that are considered to be sports betting.
Betting with fixed odds is the most popular sports betting type, but it’s not the only way you can bet on sports. There are a lot of different types of sports betting, and the internet has only expanded the number of available options.
In this section, I’m going to explore some of the most common types of sports betting.
Fixed odds Betting
As I mentioned earlier, sports betting with fixed odds is the most popular type. It’s often referred to as traditional sports gambling because it’s also the oldest type. Fixed odds means that the bettor and the booker both agree on certain odds before a wager is placed.
If the bettor wins, they are paid out accordingly to the odds that were agreed, even if they might have changed subsequently. The simplest form of fixed-odds betting is putting a wager on a football team to win their next match. If the team wins, you get paid accordingly – it’s as simple as that.
Even though this is a typical example of fixed-odds betting, there is a lot more to it. Bookers today allow various types of wagers to be placed and different things to bet on. Some examples include the number of fouls that are going to be made and even things like who is going to take the first penalty.
Live sports betting
Live betting is a type of betting with fixed odds. The wagers are also placed with fixed odds, but there is a single major difference – you can bet on games and other sports activities even after they’ve started. The bet can be placed during any point of a game or match up to the very end.
This is one of the newest forms of sports betting and it became popular in the past several years. It grew thanks to online betting and can be played online only. All online bookies offer live betting options, and they are becoming really popular.
Pari-Mutuel
This type of sports betting is the second-oldest after fixed-odds betting. It first appeared in the 19th century, and the general idea was to move bookmakers out of the picture, as they were taking too much money out of the equation.
Pari-Mutuel betting has a simple principle – all the wagers made on a certain market are added to the “pool”. When the betting event has ended, all the winners get paid from the wagers within the pool. This setup allows bettors to avoid odds and, ultimately, bookies.
Since people bet different amounts, they won’t have the same payouts. How much you win is determined by the amount you wagered. The basic concept is the more you wage, the more you win.
Betting Exchanges
This is another relatively new type of sports betting and it became popular only recently. A lot of bettors use exchanges to make wagers and some only play this kind of sports betting. Betting on exchanges is similar to fixed-odds betting – all of the odds are fixed after the bet has been placed.
However, this type of betting doesn’t involve bookmakers. The wagers placed are between bettors only. When you place a wager, you are just going against people who are saying the outcome will be the opposite. With this model, you and other people betting are basically bookmakers.
This model includes people who make wagers and those who either support them or “lay”. When people “lay” a wager, they will have to put in the money for the potential payout instantly.
This might be a bit confusing, and this is why I suggest reading a bit more about the exchange sports betting before going through with it.
eSports Betting
eSports are the newest type of sports and, therefore, this is one of the latest betting options. It revolves around betting on “Electonic Sports”, or video games. At the moment, there are professional gaming leagues where professionals compete just like in any “traditional” sport. It’s now possible to bet on these leagues and tournaments just like with anything else.
In my opinion, probably one of the essential tips for any beginner sports bettor is to learn about odds. The whole sports betting business revolves around odds, and this is often forgotten even by people who’ve been in this for a long time. An outcome of a bet is irrelevant altogether without the odds, as they determine its value.
Every good bet has a higher probability of happening than the probability that the odds are indicating. It’s always important to look at the odds before making a bet and whether they bring enough value. For example, you can compare the odds between different bookmakers.
Luckily, in this digital world, you can even find various tools through which you can see the odds really quickly. In the end, if you want to be a serious player, bear in mind that betting on the odds lower than allowed at your market is always a bad idea.
By doing this, you will basically be giving away your money.
A lot of beginners start playing bigger accumulators along with multiple combinations that all need to be accurate to get a win. Accumulators work by giving a big win potential with minimal stakes. At the same time, with each new combination, the odds are multiplied as well.
Every punter should understand that bookies have odds that have a built-in advantage, which means that the house is always winning. The biggest thrill of sports betting is finding the correct picks and, of course, winning money from them. To do this, you will have to start thinking like a pro.
Don’t look for winners in your bets – look for value. Yes, that’s right, betting on the same team that has a good winning record doesn’t mean you will be earning money. It’s all about looking at the payout odds and the chances of the team or athlete being victorious.
Don’t make the win/loss ratio a priority. Like in business, look at your return on investment and always keep track of how much you’ve spent and how much you’ve won. Betting only on sure winners won’t get you that much money, and you will have to play a long time with really low returns.
Setting the stakes is often overlooked, as it’s really difficult to understand this concept in sports betting. However, this doesn’t mean that you should ignore it altogether. You will often find “winning” strategies on setting stakes, but there is no universal rule that will make everyone money.
The upside is that no matter what kind of stakes you’ve set if you made good bets, they won’t be affected.
People with a lot of experience in sports betting are also subjected to raising stakes when they are on a streak. Players simply get the feeling that they are invincible when they are constantly winning and have a lot of money in their pockets.
However, you need to learn how to resist these temptations and try to keep a cool head. There is nothing worse than being driven by emotions in sports betting. Don’t let your staking be random and based on how you are feeling. It’s always a good idea to have a strategy you will stick to.
When I started making bets myself, I must admit I had a lot of anger issues. Bear in mind that sports by their design have an element of random chance within them and that they aren’t an exact science. Simply put, every sport has a “luck” factor which can change the outcome of a game.
A single weird bounce of the ball can change the whole outcome of a game, and to me, this was completely unacceptable. When something like this happened, I went crazy and always thought that there was some external force working against me.
I know that this can be really difficult, but you need to look at each bet individually.
Don’t look at all the bets you’ve made that day or week. Each bet is a story of its own and winning or losing it doesn’t have anything to do with the previous bets you’ve made. This is the first step towards keeping your emotions in control.
On the other hand, a lot of punters make the same mistake of playing to get out of a slump once they’ve already lost their cool.
This usually leads to even greater losses. If you find yourself emotionally invested all the time and the game loses all the fun it had, consider stopping for a while. It’s better not to bet at all than to do it without a strategy in mind.
If you want to be successful at sports betting, you will have to be patient and hard-working. Researching important information can take a lot of time and effort. On top of that, you will have to follow the games you’ve bet on. With modern TV contracts, it’s basically impossible to follow every game you want.
As a bettor, I quickly learned that I have to pick my battles and focus my attention on certain sports, teams, or leagues. You won’t have the time to follow all the sports you want and bet on everything you would like. That’s why it’s best to stick to the one that you have the time, knowledge, and interest to pursue.
When you specialize in a more specialized area, you will find it easier to keep track of all the information, avoid impulsive bets, and become better at winning. You will have all the relevant factors and information that can help you place the right bet with a higher chance of winning.
The European sports betting market is large and offers a lot of opportunities. Still, like with any sports betting market, there are a lot of unreliable betting platforms you should avoid. In my research, I only looked at betting platforms that are:
- Certified and licensed by authorized independent regulators.
- Verified for secure data protection and financial transaction methods.
- Known for their communication with users and will respond to user inquiries quickly and in a fair manner.
Now let’s get back to the matter at hand. Since the sports betting market is highly competitive, the bookmakers are looking to stand out and attract more players. This means that they offer a lot of promotions and bonuses that can be really appealing.
Here are some of the most common types of freebies you can expect.
Risk-free bets
A lot of betting sites in Europe offer risk-free bets that new players earn when they sign up. After signing up, you automatically get this promotion for a limited time or number of bets. You make stakes with your money as you would regularly, but if you lose, the stake is refunded. If you win, you will get paid as per usual.
Doubled deposits
You can often come across sports betting platforms that offer doubled deposits or matched deposits. These bonuses can sometimes be offered to new players and sometimes to regulars as well. When this promo is on, every deposit you make will be doubled. For example, if you deposit 200 Euros, you will get 400. Even after the promotion expires, you will still have those bonus funds to play with. However, you aren’t able to withdraw them and can only use them for further betting and earning.
Free deposits
For first time players, many platforms give no deposit bets. Bettors don’t have to stake their money but are able to win money. These offers are limited by the number of funds or a period of time, and after they expire, you will have to make a deposit to continue playing. If you’ve won money using the free deposit, you will be able to keep it and use it freely in the future.
In general, I have found that Europe as a continent has a really laid back approach to sports betting, both online and in the real world. However, even though the European Union has standardized regulations and policies, there are differences in legality between different countries.
This is why I’ve decided to give you some valuable information about the legislative landscape in some of the major countries of the EU:
Germany
The German online betting market was liberalized in 2012. Private businesses can now apply freely for lottery and sports betting licenses. Even though the government has a limit on how many businesses are allowed to have these licenses, there are a lot of bookmakers in the country. At the same time, German players are able to use platforms from other European countries freely.
UK
Some of the best sports betting sites in Europe come from the UK. Online sports betting in the UK is completely tax-free and legal. As a player, you won’t have any restrictions. Additionally, the UK government has allowed private betting companies to market themselves freely, and chances are you will often see their ads online.
Even though the legality is not in question, the UK government has imposed a lot of rules and regulations that betting companies have to abide by. This is actually great news for players because betting sites have to be completely transparent and reliable, or they can lose their license.
Sweden
Sweden is one of those European countries where sports betting is extremely popular. The government has made sports betting completely legal, but enterprises need to obtain special licenses to run this kind of business. At first, the platforms were semi-backed by the state but weren’t able to compete, and today, there are a lot of reliable private sites where players can bet on some of the most popular sports.
France
As a nation, France has a long history of sports betting and gambling overall. The French invented the roulette wheel and expanded card games by adding the queen symbol. Even though betting exchanges are illegal, bettors can play freely without paying any taxes on their winnings.
There are not many gambling platforms based in France, but their bettors can use all licensed bookmakers. However, professional gamblers have deductions.
Sports betting is one of the most common pastimes and is very popular in Europe. As you can see, there are a lot of options available, and you can do it completely legally. Just be sure to master the basics before you start betting big money, and be sure to choose the right betting type and stay cool.
Are sports betting activities legal in the EU?