Online Sports Betting Guide & Popular Sports Markets
This guide will get you up to speed with everything on the subject of sports betting. From which sports you can bet on, what kinds of bets you can make, how odds work, as well as essential tips which will help you avoid costly mistakes which beginners typically make.
I am a professional gambler who wants to spread the knowledge of how to win at online sports betting. I was asked by the Wettformatteam to give some useful information to our readers, so of course I said yes. If you follow the truth bombs that I release in this sports section, you will be ahead of 95% of even the experienced sports bettors. So buckle up, and let’s enjoy the ride together.
Your Guide to Sports Betting Markets
The most popular betting market for any sport is the match winner, where you predict who will win the present game. Simple enough, especially if you start with a typical sport like football betting or horse racing. Normally, these bets are placed before the game or race starts. However, as you become more advanced in your sports wagering, you will want to try the in-play markets of live betting, where you can place your bet after the game has already started. This will be useful in fast-moving, high-scoring sports like the NBA or tennis betting. You can even enjoy online wagering while on the move, with the advent of mobile betting using your smartphone. Watching a combat sport like MMA on your mobile device is an easy and exciting way to place sports wagers.
Popular Sports Betting Markets
We mentioned some of the more popular betting sports above, and in the table below you will find links to dedicated, in-depth guides to every sport you can bet on.
Football Betting
Football (soccer) is the world’s most popular sport, as well as the most wagered sport on the planet. Why not join the masses and see what all the fuss is about, with our guide to Football betting ->
NBA Betting
The NBA is the premier basketball league in the world, covering the US and Canada, with some exciting betting action. Are you ready for the thrills and spills of NBA Betting? ->
Tennis Betting
Tennis is a premium spectator experience, with Grand slams showcasing the best in elite sport, as well as some excellent sport betting opportunities. Read more at Tennis Betting ->
Horse Racing Betting
Horse Racing was made to be bet on, so why not use this sport to place wagers on flat or jump races? Make sure to get up to speed on this equine sport in our guide to Horse Racing betting ->
MMA Betting
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is perhaps the newest major sport, and is definitely the most thrilling. You can bet on it too. Find out how to place the best bets in our guide to MMA Betting - >
Boxing Betting
The original combat sport, boxing has been bet on by punters for as long as the sport has existed. If you like sports with a side of danger, read more in our guide to Boxing betting ->
Rugby Betting
The gentleman’s version of football, rugby is a physical, high-scoring sport which has a thriving betting scene - read all about in our guide Rugby betting ->
Formula 1 Betting
F1 is the most popular motorsport globally, and the glamour and excitement of watching the races is enhanced by betting on it. Find out how in our handy guide to Formula 1 betting ->
Golf Betting
Golf is a fine sport to enjoy in the summer months, whether you play or watch it. You can also bet on it, and we explain how to get the best out of it in our Golf betting guide ->
Snooker Betting
Snooker is a popular, colourful spectator sport which is just made for watching on TV, and is therefore ideal for wagering,as you can read all about on our Snooker betting guide:->
Darts Betting
For decades, darts was an unglamorous unfashionable pub sport, but that is changing with gambling at the forefront of the shift, as you can read about on our Darts betting guide ->
Hurling Betting
The other Irish sport which shows up in most sportsbook lobbies is hurling, a sport which is a cross between football and field hockey, and can be bet on, as you will learn in our Hurling betting guide ->
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How Sports Betting Works
Sports betting is a leisure activity that is one of the most popular in the world, and it is growing year on year. In 2025, it was estimated that the total handle (amount wagered) globally was some $1.4 trillion. To grab a piece of this action, it’s wise to know exactly how sports betting works. Bookmakers are the companies who you must bet against, and they use betting odds to give themselves a small advantage on each bet.
For example, take a football game between Liverpool and Arsenal. Bookmakers offer decimal odds formats at 2.0 for a Liverpool win and 2.9 for an Arsenal win. The draw is set to 4.5. How much will you win? Depending on what outcome you choose, and bet 10 units on each outcome, you will win 20 units, 29 units or 45 units, respectively. Sounds good, right? But if we translate these odds into implied probabilities, you will find that these outcomes add up to 106%. Where does the 6% come from? That 6% is the house edge, which allows the bookie to protect their risk, pay for their costs, and make a profit.
And this is essentially how sports betting works. It is in your interest as a bettor to choose a bookmaker with a house edge that is as low as possible. That is true for match winner betting, total betting (over/under), handicap betting and the many markets involved in live betting.
The majority of sports bettors never understand this, but if you can grasp this essential truth, then you have gone a long way to becoming a seasoned sports bettor.
Which are the most popular sports to bet on? Let’s explore them now.
Football
Football is the most popular global sport by any measure - be it participation, spectator numbers and of course betting. You can bet on domestic competitions like the Premier League or FA Cup, as well as international club competitions such as the Champions League or Copa Libertadores. Of course, you can also bet on games between nations, and the FIFA World Cup is one of the most exciting and immersive football betting tournaments.
Basketball / NBA
Basketball betting is highly popular in North America and Europe, and we can see why. The NBA in particular showcases the best talent in the world, which leads to high scoring point-based markets which you can bet on to great effect. As well as betting on the individual match-ups, NBA playoff betting is where things get really interesting as each season reaches its thrilling climax. And we haven’t even touched on how well the NBA suits live wagering. The fast pace and transitions in games leads to high octane in-play betting action, whether you choose to focus on prop bets or on team totals.
Tennis
Tennis betting is seen by bookmakers as one of the top draws in terms of volume. It is well known for attracting well-heeled bettors who seek excitement and constant action. Their presence means huge volumes of betting money is wagered, and if you are looking for a sport to bet big, this is the place to be. You can choose to bet on men’s (ATP) and women’s (WTA) tournaments, culminating in the 4 Grand Slams. What kind of markets are available? Plenty to get your teeth into, such as match winner and set betting, and you can even drill down into the game level. If you seek an immersive betting experience, tennis is one of the best places to place your bets.
Horse racing is the classic betting sport, indeed it was created for the purposes of placing wagers. The simple idea of horses running around a track, and you betting on which ones will finish in each position is ingrained in the global sporting calendar, and whether you choose to select the outright winner, places (positions 2-4) or each way bets, there is something for every risk appetite. You can delve deeper by exploring the differences between flat races or jump racing, or betting in the UK and Ireland or overseas in our betting guide..
MMA / UFC
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and its most popular league UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) have grown in popularity in recent years. This combat sport offers a wide range of markets to bet on such as fight outcome betting, as well as the method of victory and round betting. Best of all, it is a truly global sport, with fighters hailing from as far afield as the US, Europe, the Latin world and the former Soviet Union. The clash of styles and cultures makes MMA as thrilling as it is fascinating, and a fine way to spend a late night is betting on the stars of UFC.
F1 is the most glamorous motorsport around, with cities around the world queueing up to host the races, and events like Monte Carlo prime destinations on the calendar. Of course, such glamour attracts huge betting interest, partly because of the many competitive aspects of each race. You can bet on the race winner and the pole positions, for both the drivers championships and the constructor competition, as well as various prop markets.
Live sports betting, in-play betting, live betting odds
Live betting has been the main innovation in sports betting over the last few decades. Sometimes called in-play betting, this feature allows customers to place bets during matches, as the circumstances, and the odds, change in real time.
The advantages of participating in live betting should be obvious. The fact that you have more information than the pre-match betting crowd means you can place bets with more confidence.
Another aspect of live betting which is much loved by bettors are the cash out options. These refer to the abilities to close out existing trade and take a smaller profit, with extra house edge paid by the customer. Be careful with overusing this facility, however - sportsbooks love cashouts as they really inflate their house edges when you select this option.
Bet on the action as it happens.
Mobile Sports Betting
Most top sportsbooks now offer mobile apps for betting on the go, or at the very least, a mobile-friendly version of the website which you can access on your smartphone. This allows you the flexibility to bet while at work, travelling, or down the pub watching the event on a large screen. While this has a lot of advantages in terms of managing existing bets, be careful with mobile sports betting, as it can lead to overbetting. Know your safe limits.
Best Sports Betting Apps
The best sports betting apps will offer several features which bring real value to the customer. These include one tap bet placement, since minimizing friction is a key metric for mobile usage. What’s more, a personalized home screen, with quick access to the sports and events of interest to the user is highly useful. But perhaps the most sought after feature is the ability to construct parlays (accumulators) while in the app. In many ways, these features are all about reducing friction, and saving time for the user.
These betting providers are particularly strong for mobile betting:
These days, there isn’t a huge amount of difference between iOS and Android platforms available on sportsbook apps. Some differences do linger, however, partly because lower level Androids are incapable of supporting features such as live streaming, or real-time updating of odds This is less of an issue with iOS devices, since there are only a few versions available to customers, and is therefore easier for app developers to reach a common standard.
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Sports Betting Strategies
Winning at sports betting requires you to take a considered and tactical approach, and the strategies below will help aid in that approach. Bankroll management is the foundation of any sports betting strategy. Whether you assign 1%, 2% or 5% of account balance to each bet, you must be disciplined in how much you bet each time you enter the market. You can’t bet the farm on any one idea, and responsible wagering must be the cornerstone of any strategy. Once we have established this disciplined approach to position management, it’s time to build a technical approach of entering and exiting bets. You need statistics and research to know what works and what doesn’t. This is true for match result betting and live betting strategies. Finally, you will come to realise that one of the key pillars of successful betting is line movement, particularly closing line value (CLV). The most accurate odds are found right before the game starts, but if you can get a better price than this at an earlier stage, then you will be a long-term winner in the game of sports betting.
Beginner Sports Betting Tips
Looking to get into sports betting? As a beginner, you will find the following essential tips of great value as you learn to become a successful bettor.
Comparing odds between sportsbooks is of the utmost importance, since these odds are different from provider to provider, and getting the best price can be the difference between long-term success and failure.
Avoiding emotional betting is another vital lesson everyone has to learn. That can be from runs of positive or negative results, where you become overconfident and look for opportunities that simply aren’t there, or from bad runs where you end up giving up on gilt-edged opportunities.
Understanding betting markets is important, as you don’t want to enter positions without understanding what the payout is, or how to get out of the position.
Tracking your bets is an important one, as this shows you where you are strong, where you are weak, where you make most of your profits, and where you leak money. This knowledge is important as it gives you some benchmarks where you can improve and which behaviours you need to avoid.
FAQ – Sports Betting
What is sports betting?
Sports betting is the activity of placing wagers on the outcomes of sporting events.These are typically bets between retail customers against sportsbooks.
How do sports betting odds work?
Odds are the returns that the sportsbooks offer for betting on each outcome - whether it be match winner, total points or goals, and so on. The sportsbook sets the odds and they can (and do) offer different odds from each other. These odds can be expressed as decimals, or as fractions.
What is live betting?
Although typically bets are placed before the match starts and are settled at the end, live betting involves opening bets after the match starts and these may settle before the end. This lets bettors respond to changing match conditions.
Which sports are best for beginners?
The most simple sports are probably the best for beginners to bet on. That means football, rugby and perhaps basketball.
What is value betting?
When an outcome should have one price (odds) but the bookmaker offers a higher price, then this can be said to be a value bet, as the payout is superior to the reality of the outcome happening. These circumstances are what pro sports bettors search for.
Can I bet on sports using mobile apps?
Yes you can bet on sports using mobile apps, since most sportsbooks offer mobile versions of their sites.
What are the most popular sports betting markets?
Match winners are always the most popular sports betting market, as that is the most simple to grasp. After that, points (or goals) totals are also very popular.
