Football betting India - Rules, Tips & Tricks

Football is the world's biggest sport, so it stands to reason it is one of the most popular to bet on as well. The breadth and depth of games means a huge range of options are available. From local leagues to major international tournaments, there are thousands of exciting events taking place every year.

To help our Indian players and cappers get the most out of online football betting, we've put together a guide detailing some rules, tips, and tricks to help you out.

Like all types of sports betting, the more you know about how it works, the more knowledge you have about each event, the more fun you will have and potentially make more money along the way.

Football betting odds

The first thing to understand regarding football betting in India is odds. It is critical to understand betting odds as not doing so is one of the main reasons for not turning a profit.

Football betting odds essentially represent the probability of a certain outcome occurring. At Raj.bet odds are represented in a decimal format rather than a fraction. This makes knowing the odds straightforward and easy to understand.

Here's an example. Let's say Manchester United is playing Chelsea at home in a regular FA Cup match. Manchester United has shown consistently good results and is given odds to win of 1.20. Potential winnings are calculated by multiplying the stake by the odds, then subtracting the stake. In this case:

(1.20 * ₹2,000) - ₹2,000 = ₹400 in winnings.

Betting on the favourite will always offer lower odds because the probability of them winning is higher. No matter the odds, the formula for calculating the winnings remains the same. Here are some more examples:

• Team offers odds of 3.0 - (3.0 * ₹2,000) - ₹2,000 = ₹4000 in winnings
• Team offers odds of 10.0 - (10.0 * ₹2,000) - ₹2,000 = ₹18,000 in winnings
• Team offers odds of 1.8 - (1.8 * ₹2,000) - ₹2,000 = ₹1,600 in winnings

The corollary is that outcomes offering greater odds can lead to bigger winnings but have a smaller probability of occurring.

Types of football betting options

As well as picking the outright winner of a game, there are many other football betting options available to increase a game's thrills. Some can be made before the game has begun, others while the action is in play.

Here are some common options to consider when online football betting:

• Match Odds – a bet on whether a game will end in an away win, a home win, or a draw.
• Double Chance – a bet on whether the chosen team will either win the match or there will be a draw.
• Draw No Bet – a bet in which there are only two outcomes – an away win or home win. In the case of a draw, your stake is returned to you.
• Correct Score – a bet on guessing what the exact score of the game will be. As this is much harder than simply predicting the winner, the odds are much higher.
• Over/Under – many bets use an over/under system where you can bet on there being more than say 1.5 goals scored in a match, for example. Or, under 0.5, in which case no goals would be scored.

Handicap betting in football is also prevalent. Handicaps are a way of levelling the playing field between two lopsided teams to even out the odds. For example, West Bromwich might have a handicap of +2.5 against Liverpool. If the game's result is 2-1 to Liverpool, the handicap actually makes it 2-3.5 to West Bromwich.

Handicap betting in football allows fans to back their teams when it might not be wise to do so and open up a range of extra online football betting opportunities.

Football betting tips

Not even professional gamblers are right all of the time, but there are ways of potentially improving your results when football betting. Knowledge is the key, and the more you know about the teams or events you are interested in, the better the chance of finding value bets. Here are some football betting tips you can use right now.

Follow football experts

One thing many football bettors do is follow expert tipsters. They can be found all over the internet - some paid, some free. Only consider tipsters that display their track records to get a full understanding of how accurate their advice is.

Record your bets

Having a structured record of your betting history is a great way of analysing your bets. Keep in mind data points like the bets you won or lost, the amount staked, and profit or loss figures. For one, having a detailed record will help you in assessing if your current betting strategy is working or not.

Keep emotions out of it

For many, online football betting is a way of adding thrills to games involving their favourite team. In this situation, it's virtually impossible to keep your emotions out of it. For gamblers looking to take it more seriously, each stake should be approached rationally and cool-headed. Emotions can easily cloud your judgement, so be as impartial as possible and only place bets if it fits with your analysis.

Know the game inside and out

The more knowledge you have about football and the teams you are betting on, the greater the opportunities for spotting value bets. Keep up to date with rankings, stats, current form, recent results, injuries, and so on.

Many factors can influence the outcome of a game, and being aware of as many as possible can positively impact your football betting strategy. Having an in depth knowledge of the sport is one of the most fun football betting tips because it means you get to watch a lot of games!

Final word

Online football betting is an exciting and potentially lucrative pastime. Always stick to your allocated betting bankroll, and the fun times never end.

You might not always win, but if you follow the football betting tips presented here and understand how odds work, there are plenty of chances to win big.