So you're new to the world of footie betting, and want to know how to bet on football?
Well, you're in luck, as we're going to show you how it's done, and we will try and keep it as simple as possible.
In this page, we're going to cover three topics. They are....
- How To Open A Bookmaker's Account
- Explain Odds
- Show You How To Place A Bet
How To Open A Bookmaker’s Account
Right, the first thing to tell you is that all the bookmakers we link to on this website are reputable, and you can trust them.
Trust them, as much as you can trust any bookie that is.
Take your choice from the list next door, but for the purpose of this example, we are going to show you how to open a new William Hill accounts. We regard William Hill as one of the best football betting sites.
Now I'm taking a bit of a punt here, that most people have heard of William Hill? They have shops on the high street, a presence on TV, and they have been around for years. So you can have confidence that you are opening a new account here with a well established bookmaker.
Opening A William Hill Account
Once you've clicked on the Yellow join tab, you will have two simple pages to complete your sign up. They are very simple details, as you can see below.
On the first screen you will need to fill in your personal details, including name, date of birth, e-mail, and full address.
Once you've completed that, you move onto the second screen. Here you need to fill in your security details, and login information.
Starting with your username, you then need to fill in your password, followed by your security question and answer.
You will also have to fill out your deposit limits. This is the maximum amount of money you are prepared to deposit into your account on either a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.
What this means is how much you can afford to lose. So for example, if you are prepared to bet £200.00 a month, then click on the 'Monthly' tab, and enter £200.00 in the box.
If you prefer a daily limit, then select the 'Daily' tab, and write in your daily deposit amount. ie, £5.00 a day, or a tenner.
I would suggest starting on a low amount, and when you feel more comfortable, you can enhance your limit from your settings.
Be Careful When Setting Deposit Limits
Don't enhance your limit from £20.00 a week to £200.00 though (for example). If you are going to do it, do it in small increments.
You might believe you have mastered betting, but you'll be amazed at how it can come back and bite you on the arse when you think you are the finished article (there speaks the voice of bitter experience).
Now, one you've completed those steps, you are now signed up with your William Hill account. But that's not the end of the process.
From here though, you will get e-mail instructions what to do from now on. And if you are stuck, there is online chat, or telephone help available to you. So any problems from here, and your bookmaker should be able to help you.
Bookmaker's Verification
Part of the safety measures imposed on the bookmakers by gambling regulators now means you have to verify yourself. I believe this was originally for money laundering reasons. But either way, it's a good thing, as it is a safety issue.
Don't be worried about verification, it is just a simple process of proving you are, who you say you are. Sometimes a bookmaker can do this themselves by their own methods, but sometimes it involves you needing to upload some documents.
Again, don't worry, your bookmaker will guide you through this process.
If you do need to upload documents, it will be one of your passport or driving license, and a recent utility bill. It will need to be a scan of your passport or driving license, and with your bill, you will just need to download a recent bill from your gas/electricity provider, or a recent council tax bill, etc.
Verification will either take place when you are either depositing, or the first time you withdraw. You only need to do this once, unless otherwise advised.
PS, and another thing - in the UK from April 2020, you can no longer deposit with a credit card. Your bank debit card will be fine though.
Other deposit methods accepted by bookmakers include :-
- Paypal (E-wallets)
- Bank Transfers
- Pre Paid Cards
- Cash Vouchers
How To Bet On Football - Understanding Odds
Right, now you've got your account, next on the list of how to bet on football is explaining what odds are, and how they work.
When Liverpool are playing Manchester United, with the main match bet, you will get odds on three outcomes. A win for the home team, the draw, and odds on a win for the away team.
Odds are generally displayed in 3 different formats. These are decimal, fractional, or American. Not all bookmakers will offer you the American format, but all should offer you decimal or fractional.
I'm not going to bore you or confuse you (and myself) with American odds, you have enough to read.
Fractional Odds
The above screenshot shows fractional odds. So for example, if you bet on Leverkusen at 4/1, and you put £1.00 (stake money) on them, you would get £5.00 back if Leverkusen win. That would be £4.00 winnings, and your £1.00 stake money back.
If you were to put £1.00 on Bayern Munich at 6/10, and Munich won, you would get back £1.60. Not a lot, but that's because Bayern usually win. The make up of your £1.60 would be, 60p winnings, and your £1.00 stake money back.
You only get your stake money back if your bet wins. If your bet loses, you get nothing back.
Decimal Odds
Below is the same match, with the exact same odds, but this time it's shown in decimal.
Decimal odds is probably better if you are just starting out in football betting, The reason why is because the odds you see is what you get back for a £1.00 bet (stake).
So where you see 5.00 under Leverkusen, this is the amount (in pounds) you will get back, if you stake £1.00 on Leverkusen, and Leverkusen win. Like with fractional odds, your money is made up of £4.00 winnings, and £1.00 stake.
So if you put £10.00 on Leverkusen at 5.00, you would get £50.00 back. Or if you put £100.00 on them, you would get £500.00 back. So you see how using decimals is probably easier.
How To Bet On Football - Placing A Bet
Right, onto the final part. Now you've probably already got a rough idea about how to place a bet from the last section. But fear not, we're going to go over it again.
Yes, it's Leverkusen V Munich, same game, just slightly different odds, for our example.
Now first up on the left hand side of the screenshot, you can see 5.00 on Leverkusen is dark blue. This is because I have clicked on Leverkusen to bet on them.
In doing so, I have opened up the betting slip on the right hand of the page. A quick look in the the upper red circled box, shows I have placed 1 on Leverkusen @ 5.00.
This means I am placing a £1.00 bet on Leverkusen, at odds of 5.00 - decimal odds (4/1 - fractional odds).
In the long rectangular box directly below that, you can see 'To return' 5.00, and 'Total stake' 1.00. This means I stand to win £5.00, and I am going to place a £1.00 bet.
Underneath all of that, in the green box, I have circled the words 'Place Bet'. When you click on this button, you place your bet. And that's it.
Now you sit back, and hope that Leverkusen win..... I suspect by now, you're sick of reading about Leverkusen, so here is our list of how to bet on football frequently asked questions.
How To Bet On Football FAQ
Here on Football Gambler we have all the best sites for football betting. We have sourced and reviewed all our bookmakers to ensure you get the best deal when you start betting on football.
We have the answer right here on this page, just click this link to go straight to the answer.
