How to Place a Bet Online ?

Have you decided to start an online sports betting journey and want to find out how to place bets online? If you answered this question with a big nod of your head, then you have come to the right place. This guide will tell you all that you could possibly need to know about placing a bet online. Anything that is not in this guide is just simply something that is not worth knowing. So, without further ado, let's crack on!

How to Place a Bet Online

When it comes to placing bets on your favourite sporting events, you can do so in two ways. You can get dressed, put on some shoes, and walk or drive to the closest land-based sportsbook to you. Alternatively, you can lounge about on your sofa in your comfiest clothes and place bets from your mobile phone or any other device that has the ability to connect to the Internet. I think we know which one we would prefer out of these two options.

While there are some sports bettors who prefer the more traditional method of betting at a land-based bookmaker, there are way more advantages of betting online than betting in a shop. The best online sports betting in the industry offer their punters a variety of banking options, a plethora of bonuses and promotions, loyalty schemes, top levels of security, quality live betting platforms, higher odds, and a plethora of other great betting features that land-based bookmakers simply cannot offer their clients.

The main benefit of online sports betting sites is that you can place bets on your favourite sport from wherever you happen to be. If you are out and about when there is a sporting event on that you would like to place a wager on, you can simply just take your phone out, connect to the Wi-Fi or use your Internet data, log into the bookmaker that you have an account with, and place the bet that you want to make. Before the rise of online sports betting, you would have had to miss out or rush to the closest land-based sportsbook.

Choosing a Betting Site

Apart from the odds that are on offer, there are a number of other factors that you should keep in mind when you are choosing a betting site. If you do not, then there is a very good chance that you will end up having a less than satisfactory sports gambling experience whenever you log in to do a bit of betting on your favourite sports.

For example, a wide selection of banking options is definitely a necessity. Why is this the case? Well, you will be depositing and hopefully withdrawing plenty of money from your account, so you want to be able to use a banking option that you are familiar with and know how to use. By making sure that they have a payment option that you know well, you will be making sure that you do not waste precious time whenever you need to make a deposit or want to request a withdrawal.

Additionally, a quality betting site is one that offers their punters competitive odds and a variety of markets on a wide range of sports. Yes, betting on a team or player to win a particular sporting event can be fun, but if this was all that you could bet on, then things would end up getting boring pretty quickly. Variety is the spice of life, so before you opt to register with a sports betting site, it is wise to check whether they have enough markets to keep you highly entertained.

Top-notch customer care is something else that is vital when it comes to sports betting. Encountering problems at the best sportsbooks is something that is quite rare, but this does not mean that they do not happen. Whenever a rare problem does pop up, it is important that the bookmaker that you have an account with has a quality customer support team so that they can fix whatever the issue is as quickly as possible. If you want to test out a sports betting site's customer care, then you can send them a message using one of their contact methods and see whether their response time and reply is satisfactory.

Also, we all know that gambling is something that can be really addictive, and nobody is immune to addiction, so any sports betting site that you open an account with should come with a number of responsible gambling tools. For example, they should have the option of placing daily, weekly, or monthly deposit limits as well as the option to self-exclude from your account for a long period of time should you feel that you are developing a gambling addiction that you are losing control of.

Other important features that you should look out for when you ae choosing a betting site include cash out, request a bet, bet builder, and a live streaming platform. Many novice sports betting fans rush into opening an account with a bookmaker, and then a short period of time down the road they realise that they have made a mistake and then have to go through the hassle of closing their account with that sportsbook and searching for another one to register with. All of this hassle can be avoided by taking your time when it comes to selecting a sports betting site to sign up with.

Registering at a Sports Betting Site

As soon as you go on the homepage of a sports betting site, you will see an option to sign up with them - usually this option will be found at the top right-hand side of the screen. Click on it, and you can then start the registration process, which is something that should not take you too long at all. Below we have provided you with the typical step-by-step process that you will have to go through in order to open an account with a bookmaker.

1. Click on "Register" or "Sign Up" on the sportsbook's homepage
2. A registration form will pop up where you will be required to enter personal details such as your name, date of birth, email address, and place of residence
3. You will then be required to create a username and password that is unique, and then you will be required to accept the bookmaker's terms and conditions, cookie policy, and privacy policy
4. You might then be asked to upload some documents so that you can prove you are who you say you are. You will have a restricted account until you have completed this verification process, which can take one to two days. If the bookmaker does not ask you to do this here, then you will probably be asked to complete this process when you make your first deposit
5. Once you have provided them with the necessary information and accepted their T&Cs, the next thing that you have to do is deposit money in your account as you will obviously not be able to make any bets if you have not funded your account. To do this, go to the payments method page and choose one of the banking options that suits you the best, and then follow the simple instructions to place a deposit
6. Once your deposit has gone through, which is usually right away, you are free to go ahead and start placing bets with the betting site

How to Place a Sports Bet Online

Now that you have your own sports betting account, you can start to think about how to make a bet online on your favourite sporting events. You will be glad to hear that placing a bet on a sport is a very simple process, and once again we have taken the time to outline the process for you below. No matter what sports betting site you decide to sign up with, the betting process will be more or less the same:

1. Take a look at the different sports that are on offer and click on the one that you would like to place a bet on
2. The different events that are related to your chosen sport will appear. Click on the event that interests you and all of the available markets will show up
3. Take a look through the markets and the odds that are attached to each one until you find the one that you would like to put your money on. Click on it, and you will find that it is automatically added to your betting slip
4. The next thing that you need to do is decide how much you are going to stake on it. Once you have decided how much you would like to bet on the outcome happening, add your chosen value into the stake box. If you want to add some more selections to your bet slip, then simply just repeat the process that we explained above
5. Once you are content with the number of selections that you have chosen as well as the amount of money you are going to bet, click on "Submit", and you will have just placed your very first sports bet

How to Place a Bet on a Horse Race Online

Betting on horse racing is something that has been very popular in the UK for a long period of time. There are two major types of horse races in the UK, and these are national hunt races and flat races. Both of these race types come with a variety of classifications that help determine the prestige of a horse race. Below you can find some common horse racing betting terms that you should know if you plan to start betting on horse races:

• SP - Starting Price
• NR - Non-Runner
• NRNB - Non-Runner No Bet
• Ante Post - A bet that is placed at least one day before an event is due to start

Before you go ahead and start placing bets on a horse race, you need to do plenty of research as this is something that will improve your chances of landing a winning bet. For example, you should find out as much as you can about the form of the horse and jockey that you are considering placing a bet on. If they have performed badly in the last five races or so, then we really do not recommend that you risk your hard-earned money by betting on them. Additionally, you should check what the weather conditions will be because wet conditions can have an impact on who goes on to win the race.

How to Place a Bet on the Grand National Online

There are many horse races that take part in the United Kingdom throughout the course of the year, but some of the biggest ones are the Grand National, the Royal Ascot, and Cheltenham. In fact, the Grand National is one of the biggest horse races in the world, with 500-600 million horse racing fans tuning in from all over the world. When there are no horse racing festivals on in the UK that you can bet on, you will find plenty in other countries such as Ireland, Australia, France, and the United States. Thus, you will never find yourself getting bored since there will always be something that you can put your money on.

Below you can find four of the most popular types of horse racing bets for the Grand National:

To win: You choose a runner in a race and if it goes on to be the winner, then you will win your bet.

Each-Way: This type of bet is made up of two separate bets - a win bet and a place bet. This means that if your chosen horse finishes in first place you will win both bets and make a nice profit, but if it finishes in one of the places (usually 2nd, 3rd, or 4th), you will still win some cash.

Forecast: With such a wager, what you are doing is selecting the two horses that will finish first and second in the exact order. If you bet on Horse B to finish first and Horse A to finish second, yet Horse B finishes in second and Horse A finishes in first, then you will still lose your bet.

Tricast: With this type of bet, instead of predicting first and second in the correct order, you have to predict first, second, and third in the correct order. Since this is harder to predict than a forecast, the odds that are on offer will always be high, and the profit margins will always be very attractive if you manage to land a win.

You will find that many of the best sports betting sites that British horse racing fans can open an account with will have a "Best Odds Guaranteed" promo running. What does such a promotion entail? Well, it means that if you bet on a horse and the starting price increases by the time that the race starts, you will be paid out according to the highest odds on offer if your chosen runner goes on to win the race.

How to Place a Bet on Football Online

When it comes to sports betting, it is fair to say that football is one of the most popular sports for people to place bets on. All of the best sports betting sites are well aware of this, which is why they will have a variety of markets and top odds for a wide range of football competitions from around the world. Below we have provided you with a list of the biggest and best football leagues and tournaments that you can bet on:

• English Premier League
• La Liga
• Bundesliga
• Serie A
• Ligue 1
• Champions League
• Europa League
• FIFA World Cup
• UEFA European Championships

The top sports betting sites will have football markets and odds for all of the above as well as odds and markets for football events from countries that you have probably barely ever heard of. So, when the above leagues and tournaments are taking a summer vacation, you can try your luck by betting on some obscure leagues such as the Uganda Premier League, Vietnam V-League, Kuwait League, and Egypt Division 1. In other words, you will never be short of something to bet on in the football world.

What makes football such an attractive sport for punters to bet on is the fact that there are so many different markets that football bettors can put their money on. Below we have listed some of the most popular markets that you will find at any online betting site that is serious about the industry that they are in:

• Match winner
• Tournament winner
• Number of corners
• Player shots on target
• Player shots
• Player to be booked
• Penalty in the match
• Team to score first goal
• Total number of goals
• Red card in the match
• Number of throw ins
• Player to score
• Correct score of the game
• Player to assist

As you can see from the above list, when it comes to betting on football, you can basically bet on anything.

Where to Place Bets Online

Nowadays, it is safe to say that British sports betting fans are spoiled for choice when it comes to online sportsbooks that they can open an account with. However, just like with everything else in this life of ours, not all sports betting sites are created equally. There will always be those sportsbooks that are much better than their rivals, and we are going to look at some of these right now.

If you decide to sign up with any of the below-mentioned sports betting sites, then we are pretty sure that you will have a great gambling experience. Whether you are looking for betting sites for horse racing or some betting sites that accept PayPal, these bookies will be able to cater to all of your needs.

Bet365

When it comes to online bookmakers, there are not that many that can hold a torch to Bet365. The fact that they have around 35 million customers is a testament to just how good they are, and before we know it, they will probably be able to claim that they have 40 million customers.

One of the main things that we love about Bet365 is the fact that their site has been designed brilliantly. Some sites are tricky to navigate around which leads to plenty of frustration, but you will never have any such issues with Bet365 as navigating around it is as easy as 1, 2, 3. Another great thing about this bookmaker is that they offer new customers a great Welcome Bonus while existing customers will have plenty of promotions that they can take advantage of.

They have a wide variety of markets and really competitive odds for all of the sports that they offer, so no matter what your favourite sports are, you will be able to find plenty to bet on should you decide to open an account with Bet365. Additionally, they have a plethora of payment options available, meaning that you should be able to find one that suits you, ensuring that you do not have any hassle when you go to make a deposit or request a withdrawal.

You will not come across many problems when you are betting at Bet365, but on the rare occasions that you do, your issues will be solved promptly thanks to the fact that they really do have one of the best customer care teams around. When you speak to one of their agents, you will be able to tell that they really want to help you and are not just going through the motions.

Ladbrokes

You might not know it, but Ladbrokes is the oldest sportsbook in the world as it was founded way back in 1886. The fact that it is still going strong in a digitalised world goes to show just how good they are. A sportsbook that has any major flaws will be lucky to survive a year in this fiercely competitive industry, let alone more than a century.

Ladbrokes has become a popular sports betting site for punters to gamble at because they have top odds and a variety of markets available for around 35 different sports. Sportsbooks that offer markets for all of the most popular sports in the world will obviously be more attractive to sports bettors than those that have markets for a fewer number of sports.

Security is something that Ladbrokes takes very seriously, and this is something that also helps to increase their popularity. Nowadays, people are more wary when it comes to spending their money online because of all the scammers that are about, but thanks to the security software that Ladbrokes makes use of, sports bettors know that they can gamble at Ladbrokes without having to worry about any of their money going missing or their personal details being sold to third parties.

If you are a big horse racing fan and are looking for a site to bet on huge races such as the Grand National, then we are not exaggerating when we tell you that Ladbrokes is one of the best Grand National betting sites around. Not only will they offer you some of the best odds for this prestigious race, but they will also provide their customers with a variety of great horse racing betting tips that can improve your chances of landing a winner. If you sign up with Ladbrokes just before the Grand National is due to start, you will be able to claim four free bets worth £5 each after you make an initial bet of £5. To top it off, they have a live streaming service that streams thousands of live sporting events each year.

888sport

888sport came into being back in 2008, so it can be considered a baby when compared to some of the other sports betting sites that we look at on this page. However, despite its relatively young age, it has already shown the sports gambling world that it has what it takes to stick around for many decades to come.

One of the things that attracts us to 888sport is the bonus offer that they have available to new players as well as their existing players. Any new player that opens an account with 888sport can use the bonus code "30FB" and deposit £10 in order to claim £30 worth of free bets. While 888sport know that it is important for new players to open an account with them, they also know that it is very important to keep existing customers happy so that they stick around. They do this by offering free bets existing customers as well as a variety of other quality promotions.

When it comes to the sports that are on offer, you will be able to find plenty to place bets on, no matter what sports you like, since they have a variety of markets and competitive odds for no fewer than 30 sports. If you are into your football betting, then we really do recommend that you check out 888sport as they allow you to bet on football matches from all over the world and offer all the popular markets regardless of the popularity of the league.

If you enjoy betting on horse racing and then watching all of the action, you will be glad to hear that 888sport has a live streaming feature available where you can watch live action from all of the biggest horse racing festivals in the world. Whether it is the Cheltenham Festival, Royal Ascot, or the Grand National, you will not miss any of the action thanks to the 888sport live streaming service.

William Hill

William Hill has been around for close to nine decades, making it one of the oldest sports betting sites in the world. It is now one of the world's most popular bookmakers, and this is mostly thanks to the fact that they have more than a dozen promotions that their players can take full advantage of. Such promotions include the likes of enhanced odds offers and best odds guaranteed.

If you decide to make William Hill your go to sports betting site, then you will be able to claim two free bets that are worth £15 when you place a first bet on £10 on any sport. One of the things that we really like about William Hill is that they have one of the best mobile apps around at the moment, so we recommend that you take the time to download it should you decide to sign up with them and like to bet on the go.

One thing that really helps William Hill to stand out from their rivals is the fact they have their own radio station where they discuss big sporting events and offer their own tips and advice for betting on such events. If you are going to start betting at William Hill, then you would be foolish not to make use of their great radio station. Alongside this station, they also have a live stream that streams thousands of sports events each year.

When it comes to depositing and withdrawing money, you should not have any issues as you will be able to choose from all of the most popular deposit and withdrawal methods such as VISA, MasterCard, PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, Paysafecard, Trustly, and Bank Transfer.

Understanding Odds and Types of Betting Odds

So, you should now know how to place a bet, but when you are betting it is important that you fully understand betting odds and the types of odds that you can encounter at betting sites. For those who are completely new to sports betting, odds are there to indicate the chances of an outcome happening, and it is important that you try and make use of the best odds possible as this is how you ensure that end up with the highest profit possible should your chosen bet go on to be a winning one.

Odds can be represented as decimal, fractional, and American, and below we are going to take a bit of time to explain each kind to you.

Fractional: These are represented with a hyphen or slash, such five-to-one or 5/1. In essence, this means that for every £1 that you bet, you will land a £5 profit if your bet goes on to be a winner. So, if you bet £2 on a horse to win at fractional odds of 5/1, you will get £10 profit back and your £2 stake. These odds are very common in the United Kingdom.

Decimal: These represent the total amount of money that you will get back for every £1 that you bet. For example, if you bet £2 on a football team to win at odds of 4.00, it means that you will get a total of £8 back - £6 of this will be your profit and £2 of it will be your stake.

American: With such odds you will see a minus sign for the favourites and a positive sign for the underdogs. The negative sign shows how much you need to bet to make £100, while the positive sign shows how much you will land for every £100 that you bet. For example, if an outcome is priced at -200, you will need to bet £200 in order to make a £100, while if an outcome is priced at +200, you will make £200 for every £100 that you wager.

Bookmaker's Margin

Sports betting sites charge a margin of profit on all bets that punters place that is known as the bookmaker's margin. In other words, this is how the sportsbooks manage to make money. This margin will differ from market to market and is dependent on the popularity of the event that you are betting on.

Before you go ahead and place a bet on a site, you need to take a look at the margin of profit that the bookmaker is charging, and elect the bookie that has the best odds for a bet that you would like to place. A margin that is closer to the ideal mark of 100% is better than one that goes beyond 110%. Betting variants that have a high margin are harder to land a profit from, but how is it that you can go about calculating the margin of profit?

Well, in order to calculate the bookie's margin for the betting variant, you have to find out the odds overround. In order to do this, you have to convert the fractional outcomes on the betting variant to decimal form. You can do this by dividing the outcomes by 100, and then adding the resulting numbers. Or, if you think is too complicated for you to do, you can just use your search engine to find a useful odds overround calculator.

Popular Betting Types

This how to bet online guide is now going to take a look at some of the most popular types of bets that sports bettors like to make when they are betting on their favourite sports.

Match winner: This type of bet requires you to predict the winner of a certain match.

Outright winner: This type of wager requires you to try and predict the winner of the whole event.

Totals: Totals require you to try and guess the total number of a particular outcome - for example, the total number of goals scored in a football match over the course of 90 minutes.

Over/Under: This betting type requires you to try and guess whether an event, such as total corners or goals scored, will be over or above a specific number. For example, in football you can often bet on over or under 2.5 goals – if you bet under and 2 goals are scored you win, but if three goals are scored then you will lose.

Handicap: Sometimes one of the teams or players will be much stronger than their opponent, so there is no point in betting on them because their odds are low. However, to stick with football, you could the favourites a 2-goal deficit at the start of the game, meaning that they will need to win the match 3-0 in order for your bet to be a winner. By giving them such a deficit, you can improve their odds.

Betting Tips for Novices

When it comes to betting on any sport, you can jump right in and start betting on whatever you like, but if you rush into things then do not be too surprised when you start losing more than you win. Below we are going to provide you with some very useful betting tips for novices that you should keep in mind whenever you are betting on your favourite sports. If you do, then you can increase your chances of making successful bets. However, please keep in mind that nothing is set in stone when it comes to gambling, so you can still end up losing even if you make use of the following tips - that is just the nature of gambling.

Always Do Plenty of Research

Some betting sites will provide you will pre-match and in-play stats, but before you go ahead and make a bet you should always take the time to do your own research and look at past results, team/player form, injury and suspension news, match predictions, pundit views, and all the latest news. At the end of the day, knowledge is power, and the more knowledge that you have about the event that you are going to be risking your hard-earned money on, the higher your chances of placing a successful bet will be.

Do Not Always Aim to Win Big

Many novices who gamble have a dream of winning big, but if winning big was that simple, everyone would be doing it and beaches in exotic countries would be even more crowded than they usually are. In order to win big, you usually have to take a lot of risks such as making bets that have little chance of happening or placing huge wagers on something that you are sure will happen.

While many novices are obsessed with trying to make huge profits all at once, the more experienced sports bettors will know that winning a large number of small bets is much better than always aiming for a big win. Small but frequent wins will add up over time, and you will make a decent profit.

We are not saying that you should never try and win big, just that you should not make it a habit as winning life-changing amounts of money is something that does not happen that often.

Set Yourself a Budget

Before you go ahead and start betting on any type of sport, you really should set yourself a budget as to how much you can afford to potentially lose if the betting Gods are not on your side. If you do not set yourself a budget, then you could end up risking more money than you can afford to lose. Once you have lost the money that you have set aside, log out of your sports betting site, and go and occupy yourself with something else.

One thing that you should never do is try to convince yourself that it is okay to spend a bit more money in order to try and recuperate some of the losses that you have made. Yes, you might get lucky and win some money back, but the most likely scenario is that you are just going to end up spending the money that you set aside for more important things such as rent or food.

You should also set yourself a profit aim, and then stop playing once you have reached it. If you carry on betting when you have reached your aim, then there is a chance that you are going to lose all of the money that you made, which is obviously something you do not want to happen. So, set yourself a budget of how much you can afford to lose and a profit aim and stick to it!

Responsible Gambling Features

Aside from the aforementioned setting yourself a budget as to how much you can afford to lose, there are features available at sports betting sites that allow you to gamble responsibly. We touched on these a bit earlier, but they are so important that we are now going to go into a bit more detail and refresh your memory.

By law, all sportsbooks have to offer their customers responsible gambling features that they can use to control their gambling urges. For example, you will usually find a deposit limit feature where you can set the total amount that you can deposit in a single day, week or month. Once you have hit your deposit limit, you will not be able to add any more money to your account until the specified time frame has passed. Additionally, you will be able to set a stake limit or loss limit to keep control of your betting activity.

Also, you will find that some sports betting sites give you the option of setting up constant reminders. What this means is that you will be informed as to just how long you have been spending on a sportsbook. You can set up a session reminder where a message will appear on your screen after a specified time period has passed. It is then up to you whether you log out from your sportsbook or carry on placing bets – we suggest that you do the latter.

If you feel that it is best that you take a bit of a temporary break from the betting site that you have an account with, you can opt for a time out period which can range from a solitary 24 hours to six months. Additionally, if you feel that your gambling addiction has gone too far and that a longer break is needed, then you can opt to exclude yourself from your account for a period of six months or more.

All of the top betting sites will usually have a responsible gaming questionnaire that will help you to assess your gambling activity. Additionally, they will have links to responsible gaming organisations, and links to child protection software.

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