Soccer Betting – A Guide
Soccer is officially the most popular sport in the world and in the US the interest in betting on soccer continues to grow. American soccer fans like to bet on a number of leagues, from the Premier League in the UK, to other top European divisions such as La Liga in Spain, Serie A in Italy and the Bundesliga in Germany. There is heightened interest in the competitions that span nations, especially in club football’s premier league trophy, the Champions League.
The action doesn’t stop there as national team events are even more eagerly watched, and gambled on. Every four years the World Cup hones into view and becomes the biggest sports betting event in the world.
Interest in soccer in the US has grown steadily over the years and this has been aided by the vast improvements in the nation’s own soccer league, the MLS. Major League Soccer was previously considered a relatively provincial affair but is now attracting some of the biggest names in the sport, leading to an extensive interest in America’s top teams, such as the Los Angeles Galaxy and the New York Red Bulls.
This soccer betting guide will help you to make the most of your soccer betting experience, providing you with key information in relation to how betting works in this discipline as well as giving you access to exclusive bets, promotions and offers from the best brands in the business.
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Soccer Betting – Top Five US Sportsbooks
A successful, rewarding sportsbook journey will always start with the task of finding a good brand that offers you the best service they can. This can come in the form of competitive priced odds, good promotions and loyalty programs or indeed also from having a great customer support team and a website with a smooth interface.
In order to help you on that journey, we’d like to provide you with the insight of our expert sportsbook professionals, who do the research into the best providers, so you don’t have to.
With this in mind, here are the five best US sportsbooks for soccer betting are as follows.
Draftkings
Initially, the home of fantasy sports, DraftKings Sportsbook is now one of the best in the business and they are very attractive as an option for soccer betting. Providing one of the best welcome offers, of over $1000, these guys should be one of your first options when it comes to signing-up.
BetMGM
BetMGM offers a nice variety when it comes to soccer and their props and futures markets help offer that additional scope you might be looking for. You can bet on pretty much any soccer event with this brand.
PointsBet
PointsBet Sportsbook is a solid option to consider. This Australian brand has started to gain a great deal of traction in the US, not just in the field of soccer betting, but across the board. Good promotions and bonuses will make your stay at PointsBet a long and rewarding one.
Bet365
Bet365 is one of the best in the business and this is even clearer to see when it comes to their soccer betting interface. This provider offers a very wide selection when it comes to soccer betting, giving you the chance to bet on lower divisions in just about every country in the world. This is particularly useful if you are interested in soccer in even the most random of geographical locations.
888
888 Sportsbook is very much the home of experienced bettors as well as those looking to secure strong sign-up and first deposit bonuses. They offer one of the widest selections of payment methods, which can be key, as well as a betting selection that is better than the competition.
The Best Leagues to Bet On – Soccer Betting
When it comes to sportsbooks, worldwide, the sport that generates the most betting action is soccer. Now it’s true that in the US the blue chip leagues of NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL are larger when it comes to the sports betting market, but soccer is starting to get a real foothold in the industry in the US.
There are a number of leagues and divisions to back with your soccer betting choices but here are a selection of the most popular out there.
Premier League
Without doubt the biggest league in soccer, the UK’s top division has a worldwide audience above and beyond the likes of NFL, MLB and the NBA. It’s home to some of the best players and the biggest teams. Manchester City have tied up the title for this season having overcome the likes of local rivals Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Leicester City.
Betting on the Premier League is vast, with the most common bets focusing on head to head encounters as well as the fight for a top four finish, which secures a prized place in the UEFA Champions League, and betting on the title winners and relegation places.
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League plays host to the best European teams and it’s a tournament that has been hosted since the mid 1950s, albeit with the title of the European Cup until the 1990s. It’s a league watched by billions worldwide and pits the best in the world against each other, all vying for the title of European champions.
MLS
The MLS, or Major League Soccer, has been run in the US since 1996 and has gone from being a rather sub-standard ‘local’ league to one that now attracts top players from around the world. Top players such as David Beckham (now the owner of Inter Miami FC), Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Steven Gerrard have played in the league in recent seasons and the allure of a move to the league continues to grow.
27 teams now fight it out for the MLS title and last year’s championship was secured by the Columbus Crew, their first title since 2008.
Other European Leagues
European football is very competitive and the biggest divisions are often referred to as the ‘Big Five’, which is made up of the English Premier League, the Spanish La Liga, German Bundesliga, Italy’s Serie A and the French top tier Ligue One.
Each league has a massive audience that stretches beyond national boundaries and interest in the US is particularly high among the Spanish speaking population, who are very dedicated to the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid, the two big guns in La Liga.
This is equally true of the Italian-American population who retain a strong interest in Serie A, a league that was boosted in it’s reach when legend Cristiano Ronaldo left Real Madrid to join Italian giants Juventus.
World Cup Betting
Every four years the best national teams fight it out for the World Cup, a competition that has a viewership vastly superior to any other sporting event. The level of betting that occurs during the tournament is enormous and grows as the tournament progresses.
The last World Cup, which took place in Russia in 2018, was won by France who overcame a surprisingly strong Croatian side to pick up their second title.
In 2022 the World Cup moves from its usual summer slot, to winter and its hosts are Qatar. It promises to be a hugely anticipated event and of course if the US qualifies then interest in the event becomes all the more increased in America.
World Cup 2022 Winner Odds
- France +600
- Brazil +700
- Germany +700
- Spain +750
- England +1000
- Belgium +1100
- Argentina +1200
- Netherlands +1400
- Italy +1600
- USA +10000
How Soccer Betting Works
As well as being a vast betting market, soccer betting is also far more complex than the likes of NFL, MLB and NBA betting and it’s useful to educate yourself when it comes to knowing how each of these works. Below you’ll see our helpful soccer betting type guide.
Types of Soccer Bets
Three-Way Moneyline
In soccer there are three possible outcomes when it comes to a one off match. A win, lose or draw. Be warned draws are very common and as such the odds on a draw are almost always superior to the favorite. Below is an example.
- Chelsea +309
- Manchester City -121
- Draw +229
In this example a $100 wager on Chelsea would return you $309 and it would take a $121 bet on Manchester City to win you $100. Betting on a draw would see you win $229 from a correct outcome.
Double Chance Betting
In this form of team betting you can basically double your chances by backing both a team and a draw, clearly with a reduced win if you select the correct outcomes.
Draw No Bet
As the name would suggest, the draw is taken out of the equation, leaving you with the selection of either team. If the game ends in a draw, then clearly your bet is reimbursed to you.
Over/Under Goals Market
In American sports the over/under market is pretty straightforward and in soccer this is doubly so. Here you are predicting the total goals scored in a game and opting to back either over or under. Getting this right depends greatly on knowing the form of each team, as well as their effectiveness in attack.
Other Over/Under Markets
This is where soccer betting expands beyond most American sports. As well as offering an over/under market on the amount of goals scored, you can also (with most sportsbooks) back other events in the same way. These include the number of corners that will be conceded and the number of cards shown.
Half-Time/Full-Time Result
Here you’ll select what you believe will be the status of a game at half-time and full-time and these can range from predictions such as DRAW/DRAW or Man City/Chelsea, indicating that there will be a complete turnaround in the match.
Both Teams to Score
This bet is very attractive to those who believe a game will be open and attacking and where both teams are evenly matched. You are backing both teams to score in regulation time.
Goalscorer Betting
As well as backing your team in a soccer bet, you may also want to wager on individual players, especially when it comes to them scoring a goal. Common bets here are first goalscorer and last goalscorer.
Asian Handicap
This form of team vs team betting imposes a ‘handicap’ on the favorite. Meaning that a favorite may have to win by a larger margin in order for you to win a bet on their victory.
Soccer Futures Betting
Futures betting in soccer is vast. Here you can back long-term bets that could include which team will win the title, which player will finish as the top goalscorer or even how long a manager will last before he is fired. Betting in this field varies with each sportsbook and is a hugely enjoyable way to make a bet last longer, offering you more interest as a tournament or league progresses.
In-Play Live Soccer Betting
Live betting is of course hugely popular in many sports but in soccer this interest is even greater, due mainly to the sheer number of events you can be focusing on in any one given game.
For instance you could be watching a key game and betting ‘in-play’ and you can see your team is piling on the pressure and you’d then like to back them to score in the coming minutes or perhaps predict that it’s hotting up and that the referee is likely to give out a yellow or red card.
Basically soccer betting is always on the move and this makes live in-play betting particularly satisfying.
Soccer Betting FAQ
To further aid your soccer betting experience we’ve compiled some common questions that are asked by Americans on this market.
Is Soccer Betting Legal in the US?
Yes it is. Soccer betting, as with sports betting, is legal in all US states where it is legally allowed. The list of states that allows sports betting is growing all the time and the availability of soccer betting is now more accessible than ever.
How Long is Regulation Time in Soccer Betting?
This is a common question in the field of soccer betting. A league match lasts 90 minutes but cup competitions, especially continental ones, can stretch to ‘extra time’, which indicates an additional 30 minutes of action. However, betting on a given match almost always only refers to the initial 90 minutes.
What is the Best Form of Soccer Betting?
Well the most popular form of soccer betting is certainly the straight moneyline, where you back one of the two teams taking part in a match. This type of bet helps you to back your team and doesn’t require a great deal of knowledge of the sport. In many ways this could be the best way to introduce yourself to the world of soccer betting.