The rise of online sports betting means you can now bet live wherever and whenever you are, on your laptop, smartphone or tablet.
Gone are the days of phoning your bookmaker to place those important bets just before kick off.
Now, there are thousands of sporting events each year that are officially tracked minute by minute so that fans are kept as up to date as possible on the scores.
Betting live is simple. Pre-game markets will indicate if they will remain live after kick off and those are the ones to target. If you’re new to sports betting, a good way to start is by placing a bet on football, say Manchester United v Arsenal, before kick off.
Watch the first half but crucially keep an eye on the live odds. They will fluctuate according to events on the field. If Arsenal score then their odds will drop immediately but will rise again if United equalise.
Now, all because nothing is happening doesn’t mean the odds stay the same. If the scores are locked at 1-1 by 80 minutes, the chances of a draw will be slim, while both Arsenal and United’s wining odds will have climbed.
So a great way to get into live sports betting is to actually bet when the action isn’t being played out. Bet before kick off and at half time, when you have time to figure out what the best plays are and consider the likelihood of the result changing.
After a few games of doing this you should become comfortable with the fluctuations of odds and events — and then it’s time to bet in play.
But remember, don’t try and trick the system by waiting until the very last second to place your bet. As soon as Arsenal score, the markets will freeze until the odds can be adjusted. Likewise, when you place a live bet there is usually a delay of five to seven seconds, meaning you can’t gain an unfair advantage by snap betting.