It wasn’t so long ago, that if you wanted to wager on sports, you could only do so by jumping on the bus to the local high street bookmaker, checking out the odds that were on offer and placing a rather boring bet.  Times really have moved on though over the last ten years and we now have a whole host of betting facilitators that can be used to place sports bets including spread betting companies, betting exchanges and the traditional bookmaker.

 

Bookmakers

 

A bookie is your traditional betting outlet that could be found all over the high street, in casinos (in the USA), and in vast numbers on the internet.  Bookmakers tend to be rather limited with the type of bets that they take and generally stick to simple ‘backing’ type bets.  They set the odds that they are happy with and there is no room for manoeuvre with this.  Most people that are new to gambling will find it easiest to place their first wager with a bookmaker due to its simplistic and user friendly design. 

 

So what types of bet are best placed with a bookie?  Well firstly if you want to add a number of selections to your betting slip (this is known as an accumulator) then go with the bookie.  Their odds stay the same for long periods so you should not become disrupted by market changes.  Also check them out if you are looking to simply back a selection as there are many out there that can be compared and you can find some very realistic odds.  You do not pay tax on your winnings and the bookie does not charge any commission like an exchange does.

 

Betting Exchanges

 

The betting exchange has become really big business and has taken a lot of market share away from the bookie.  Exchanges such as Betfair and Betdaq, are betting facilitators in the sense that they do not actually take any bets themselves but simply act as an intermediary between you, and other prospective gamblers.  Due to the fact that you aren’t betting against professional odds setters, what you can find in the way of odds can be much more in your favour than with a professional bookie. 

 

One of the main features of the exchange is that you are not just limited to backing selections.  If you have a pretty good idea that a horse will not win a race you are able to bet on this.  By placing this type of bet, you are essentially taking the responsibility away from the bookie whose job this usually is.  Bear in mind that when betting with an exchange, you will usually be charged commission that ranges between 2-5%.  This should be factored in when you compare odds around different betting sites.

 

Spread Betting companies

 

Spread betting is a form of sports gambling that takes its roots from the financial markets.  Your goal when spread betting is basically to guess the correct outcome of a sports event, but rather than being able to win/lose a set amount, your win/loss is determined by how accurate your bet was.  For example if a spread betting company offered a spread of 8-9 corners in a football match, and you thought there was going to be more than 9, you could place a bet on this.  Your unit stake might be £5 and if there were 12 corners you will have won £15.  If however there was only 1 corner, then you would in fact lost £35.

 

Spread betting can take a while to pick up so is you are new to sports betting.  If you do start to dabble in the spread betting then make sure you start off with small stakes until you firmly have your feet on the ropes. 

 

Whichever method you use to further your sports betting experience, good luck to you!  Just remember – we have never had it so good!

 

 



http://www.google.com

Leave a Comment

Name (required)

Mail (will not be published) (required)

Website