Best Water Polo Betting Sites for UK Players

Over the years, many best betting sites in the UK have integrated competitive water polo odds for different tournaments in and out of the UK.

Water polo, it is fair to say, is not high up on the list of sports that people think about when they are considering doing a spot of sports betting online. As a result, there are not as many bookies that offer it when compared to other sports that are more popular. However, those that do offer it, will provide you with plenty to keep you thoroughly entertained.

Online punters in the UK may not list water polo betting as a top gambling option. However, the game is much enjoyed by its 400,000+ members and millions of fans worldwide.

In the following guide, we are going to teach you everything that you should know about placing bets on this fascinating sport.

Author: Annsley Payne , Last Updated on 04.12.2024

A Look at the History of Water Polo

Water polo might have a bit of a reputation as being a brutal sport, but the game that we know today is a lot less violent than it used to be. This sport, like many others, began in England in the mid-1800s as a water-based type of rugby. It was played in indoor pools as well as outside in ponds and lakes.

The London Swimming Association developed rules for indoor version in 1870, and these rules stated, alongside other things, that a goal is scored when a player uses two hands to hit the back wall with the ball. Goalkeepers were allowed to stand on the side and jump on opposing players with the ball. Complete violence, severe injuries, and drowning accidents were all part of the game.

The Scottish changed water polo in the late 19th century – they were the first ones to use a cage as a goal and they played a water polo game that was closer to football than to rugby. They used a bigger ball and put a lot more emphasis on passing. Hungary, in 1889, were the first country to make use of these more civilized rules. Other European countries such as Germany and Austria (1894), France (1895), and Belgium (1900) followed suit. Meanwhile, across the Atlantic in the US, the more violent kind of water polo, which began there in the 1880s, was flourishing.

In 1900, water polo was given the honour of being the first team sport at the Olympic Games. It was only played by men at the time due to the sport’s inherent violent. America’s preference for the violent style of water polo prevented teams from Europe competing at the Olympics in 1904 as they were held in the US.

Records show that women’s water polo was played for the first time in 1906, but the women’s game did not gain much popularity until around 100 years later. The US held a tournament in 1926, but it was considered much too brutal for women to play.

A Hungarian coach, in 1928, created the dry pass, and this changed the dynamics of the sport and created a water polo dynasty in Hungary that would last for six decades. This new emphasis on passing is something that forced players to develop skill and finesse – brute force was no longer all that was needed to win a match.

In 1930, FINA became the official governing body for water polo. Most US clubs by 1914 had adopted the less brutal European rules, but there were some that were still playing the violent game. However, this all changed when the FINA brought out their own rules. In 1949, the game speed increased when a rule changed let play carry on after a normal foul, while in the 70s a shot clock started to be used. Teams had 45 seconds to try to score, and if they failed, they had to hand the ball over to their opponents. Nowadays, the shot clock has been reduced to 30 or 35 seconds.

Violence returned to water polo during a 1956 Olympic Games match between Hungary and the USSR. Due to political tension between these two countries, the semi-final started with some verbal taunts before things became really aggressive in the pool. A Hungarian player got punched in the face, which started a riot in the crowd. The referees, fearing for the safety of everyone, ended the match with a minute still to play. Hungary, at the time, were winning 4-0, and advanced to the final, where they would go on to win the Gold Medal.

Their win was dramatic, but not much of a surprise as they were the dominant power in the sport. They would go on to dominate for the next two decades – of the ten gold medals that were available from 1932-1976, Hungary picked up six of them.

Women’s water polo became popular from the 1960s onwards, and nowadays it is played in many high schools across America. The first World Cup for women took place in 1979, and the US team were victorious. Women’s water polo was added to the Olympics in 2000, and has been a part of it ever since.

Major Water Polo Competitions

One of the biggest challenges that you will face when it comes to water polo betting is finding competitions that are worth betting on. A number of European leagues are played throughout the year and there is a competitive college water polo scene in the US, but there are not that many bookies that provide consistent coverage apart from when major events are being played.

Below we will take a brief look at some of the major water polo events that you can place multiple bets on. We will also look at the European leagues, just in case you come across a bookie that happens to offer odds for them.

The Summer Olympics

The Summer Olympics is the event that bring the best Olympic water polo odds. It is played every four years and is one of the most significant water polo betting events in the world. Just like any other major discipline at the Olympics, this sport is available at the best water polo betting sites. It is also a gambling paradise since bookies often provide spectacular water polo betting odds throughout the course of the event. Water polo betting on the Summer Olympics is relatively easy once you have an idea of who are the favourites and what Olympic water polo odds are available. So far, Italy, Spain, and Hungry have topped the list of the most successful men’s teams while the USA have had the most wins among the women’s teams.

World Cup

The FINA World Cup is an international water polo betting competition that began in 1979. Since 2002, this event is held once every four years, which works out as two years after the Olympics. The competition is a very tough one involving no more than eight participating countries which means water polo odds here are straight to the point. Brazil have been the only team to participate in all world cup finals and are the leading winning team with five titles. The second most successful teams are Uruguay and Argentina while Spain and England come next. To increase your winning probability in the world cup water polo betting, it may be good idea to include the teams with the most appearances.

World Championships

This is an international tournament that is played every two years for aquatic sports like water polo, diving, and swimming. Also known as the FINA World Championships or the World Aquatics Championship, this competition is one of the biggest water polo betting events in the world. It often comes with interesting water polo odds brought about by analyzing the skill level and potential performance of competing teams. To increase your chances of successful waterpolo betting, it’s important to keep in mind that the USA are the team that have not missed any final since the competition was first played. In other words, it’s possible that their water polo betting odds be lower than a team like Japan who have never played the final.

World League

The World League is another fabulous event where tempting water polo odds can be found. This is an international tournament that is held each year and runs from the end of July until winter. The tournament is made up of continental teams, with the top teams participating in the Super Final to determine who the champions will be. During the 2000 Olympic games, water polo betting saw a rise as the game gained popularity, leading to the introduction of the men’s league play in 2002 and the women’s in 2004. Italy and Spain hold the first titles for men’s and women’s respectively while Serbia and the United States hold the most titles. If you look forward to participating in waterpolo betting for the next World League, keep an eye on the performances of teams these teams as it’s likely that they wake it to the final rounds of the competition.

Domestic Leagues

In the UK, there are many yearly competitions that bring competitive water polo betting offers. School and University level competitions in addition to the Swim England Water Polo National Age Group Championships make up the most followed events for water polo betting. To make the best of these competitions, note that water polo betting on domestic teams may be different from betting on international teams. Domestic leagues are easily affected by social and economic factors which in turn affect the nature of water polo betting odds. You might want to stay tuned to the latest news about your favorite teams to know if they’ve got what it takes psychologically to walk their way through the tournaments.

Water Polo Betting Tips

Water polo is a sport that provides a number of great betting choices, but this is only true for those who have taken the time to do some research and have come up with a winning strategy. If you do a bit of homework and learn all you can about the sport, you will start to find those value bets and promotions. Water polo can be a predictable sport at times, which gives a lot of value to those who happen to know where to look.

A big advantage is that there are not a lot of people that watch this sport very closely, so great value is definitely there to be had for experienced sports betting fans. Below we have given you some great tips to keep in mind when you are placing bets on this sport.

Do Some Proper Research

This is something that we touched on above, but we will mention it once again because it is that important. If you want to be successful when betting on water polo, do some research and inform yourself about injuries, lineups, and personal lives of the participants as this can help you find some important information that can help you to place a successful bet. Check out how teams have performed at tournaments in the past. All the information that you need is on the Internet, so you would be foolish not to make use of it.

Look at Previous Matches

By taking a look at previous matches you can get a good insight into the form of a team. To add to this, you can get a good idea as to what type of match to expect when two teams face each other. If two teams have not been scoring a lot in their previous matches, then you should expect that it will be a tight and low scoring affair.

Pay Attention to the Goalkeeper

This might sound pretty unbelievable if you are new to this sport, but more often than not it is the keeper that determines which team wins the match. In water polo, keeping is a lot more than just anticipating and blocking shots, it is also about telling their teammates about imposing threats and any gaps that occur in their defense. Also, keepers in water polo are often responsible for starting counter attacks, which is the reason why many have a number of assists to their name. So, before you go ahead and bet on a team, you should take a look at their keeper and see if he is any good. How often have they helped their team to win a game by making top-class saves?

Never Chase Your Losses

This is a betting tip that applies to any sport that you are betting on, and if you have read some of our other pages, then there is a good chance that you have read about it already. However, it does not hurt us repeating it because it is just that important. Losing is a part of gambling, and there will come a time when you go on a bit of a losing streak. Now, we know that when this happens you will have the urge to place more bets to try and regain your losses, but this is a big mistake. More often than not, such a strategy will just lead to you losing even more money. When you are gambling, you should yourself a budget and stick to it – once you have spent your budgeted money, log out of your account, and go and occupy yourself with something else.

How Do We Choose The Best Betting Bookies For Water Polo?

There are numerous bookmakers out there that sports betting fans in the United Kingdom can create an account with in order to place boxing bets.

For new sports gamblers, choosing can be quite a challenging task, but we have done all the analysis for you. 

Below we will explain the different aspects of a sportsbook that we analyse when we are deciding whether a particular bookie or online casino is worth recommending to our readers.  

Reputation

A good reputation is a must-have for any site that claims to have the best water polo betting offers. For each site, we seek to know how it is rated by checking the reviews by customers who participate in water polo betting there. Reputation is also affected by the quality of the betting platform and the availability of responsive customer service. Ideally, a well-reputed water polo betting site not only provides the best water polo odds but also pays out timely.

Bonuses and promotions

When we rate sites that have the best water polo odds, we check what type of bonuses they have. The various forms of bonuses increase how far you can explore water polo odds. Generally, punters signing newly with a sportsbook get a welcome bonus which is often in the form of free bets. Other offers that may come up subsequently include bonuses for re-loads and VIP promotions.

Odds and Markets

If you’re going to stick around with water polo betting at a specific sportsbook, there should be a wide variety of markets. Before recommending a sportsbook, we check available water polo betting odds by comparing them with other bookies to ensure that punters truly stand a chance of winning.

Water Polo Competitions Available

Above, we’ve discussed a few events punters can find at the best water polo betting site. The longer the list of competitions, the more opportunities for water polo betting and the wider list of available water polo odds. We ensure that our recommended waterpolo betting bookies have an all-year-round calendar with diverse national and international events.

Banking Option

Our recommended brands are one of the best cashout betting sites you can find in the UK. They offer numerous options for depositing and withdrawing funds. e-Wallets like Skrill and Neteller are very common while bank cards like MasterCard, Visa and Credit cards are equally widely accepted.

Popular Water Polo Bets

Above we gave you some great free tips for water polo betting that you should definitely keep in mind when gambling on this sport, and now we shall look at the popular betting markets you will find for this sport. When it comes to placing bets on water polo, you will find more than enough markets to keep you highly entertained. So, read on to find out everything that you should know about popular water polo markets.

Match winner: This bet, also called a straight bet, is as easy as it sounds. All you are tasked with doing is trying to predict the team that will go on to win a match. You also have the option of betting on a draw, but we should stress here that the odds of a draw happening is pretty rare. This is why you will always find high odds for such a bet type.

Total score: When it comes to this type of bet, what you are tasked with doing is predicting the number of goals that will be scored in the game by both teams. The bookie will give you a value, and you have to decide whether the total goals will be over or under the value that they give. For example, the bookmaker will give you a figure of 15.5, and then you need to decide whether the total goals scored will be 15 or fewer (under) or 16 and above (over). The odds for such a wager are usually somewhere between 1.70 and 2.00.

Handicap betting: When one team is a huge favourite to win, their odds will be so low that it will not be worth betting on them. Likewise, their opponent’s odds will be so high, that your chances of winning when betting on them will be pretty slim. This is where asian handicap betting comes into play, as you can give the favourites a goal deficit of -4 goals to improve their odds a little, meaning that they have to go on to win the match by at least 5 goals for you to win your bet.

Prop bets: There are a number of different prop bets that you can make and these range from the top scorer in a game to whether a particular team will win a medal at a major event. You can also try to guess the team that will win the competition or try to predict the three teams that will make it onto the podium at the end of the tournament.

Best Bonuses and Free Bets for Water Polo Betting

If you are looking for the world’s most competitive industries, then you do not need to go much further than the industry that is sports betting. The highly competitive nature of the sports betting industry is something that is negative for sportsbooks, but highly positive for us punters as it is this competitiveness that forces bookies to provide us with attractive welcome bonuses. Bookmakers know all too well that if they do not offer enticing welcome bonuses then they are going to lose out on plenty of custom.

Some people like to think that bonuses are all the same and it does not matter which one you choose, but this is wrong. When you start spending time in sports betting world, you will find bonuses that are a lot better than some of the others that you will find. In fact, do not be too surprised if you come across bonuses that are a complete waste of your time. It is for this reason why it is important that you do some research before you commit to a bookie and the bonus that they have available. Below we have given your four quality bookies that have top-notch bonuses and live betting that can be valuable for water polo betting.

bwin

Bwin sport is one of the free bet sites available for UK punters. It was launched in 2001 as one of the multiple brands owned and managed by Entain plc formerly known as GVC Holdings. bwin sport brings over 25 sporting events where punters can enjoy very competitive offers like water polo odds. The site brings live streaming and betting to increase your flexibility while making it possible for punters to access its platform from mobile devices. Numerous banking options including Visa card, PayPal, Skrill, and Neteller are available for your deposits and withdrawals at bwin sport.

Pros

✅Bet £10 Get Up to £100 in Free Bets

✅Enhanced Accas

✅Live Betting

Cons

❌ Limited Customer Support

Casumo

Casumo is probably the best water polo betting site in the UK when it comes to available competitions. It has water polo betting offers in addition to options for over 30 sports disciplines. The site also has esports with virtual events and odds that are frequently updated. Its live betting section has interesting features on an easy going platform. When you sign up for an account at Casumo, you can rest assured that all your info is safeguarded by advanced security tools.

Pros

✅ Deposit Bonus Up to £500

✅Odds Boost

✅Multiple Payment Options

Cons

❌ Unreliable Customer Service

Betway

Betway is a leading water polo betting site where punters can find the most followed sporting events in the world. The brand was launched in 2006 and now has West Ham Football Club as one of its prestigious sponsors. It offers numerous gambling options in addition to the best water polo betting odds that can be found for competitions like the Champions League and Summer Olympics. Once you sign-up for an account, you’ll have access to competitive water polo odds, promotional offers, and much more.

Pros

✅Up to £30 Free Bet

✅Cash Out

✅In-play Betting

Cons

❌ Free Play Unavailable

Unibet

Unibet UK is the best water polo betting site in terms of welcome bonuses and other promotional offers. It has been in the business for over 2 decades offering sports betting opportunities through thousands of events. The site has a furnished sportsbook that even includes rare betting options on politics and TV shows. In addition to these exceptional services, Unibet brings water polo betting to your doorstep with one of the best betting apps. Unibet’s commitment to delivering high-quality gambling has earned it partnerships with Derby County FC and Middlesbrough FC.

Pros

✅Up to £40 Money Back Bonus £10 Casino Bonus

✅Sports Statistics and Live Score

✅Mobile App

Cons

❌Unsuitable for High Rollers

William Hill

William Hill is an old-timer water polo betting site that has been rooted in the gambling industry since 1934. Over the years, the bookmaker has acquired invaluable knowledge which makes it a top provider of the best water polo betting odds. Gambling at William Hills can be an assurance of fair outcomes delivered on a secured platform that bears the eCogra certification. The site has over 35 sports disciplines and covers major aquatic competitions that bring competitive water polo odds. William Hill also has a Podcast service where you can listen to very instructive books on how to wager on specific sports disciplines.

Pros

✅Bet £10 Get £30 Free Bets

✅Free Play Betting

✅Secure and Fast Banking Options

Cons

❌No Live Streaming On Mobile App

N.B. Online bookmakers are constantly switching their bonuses about as they need to keep things fresh and attractive in order to stay relevant. A bookmaker that offers an attractive Welcome Bonus is one that will see more customers sign up than one that offers a poor Welcome Bonus, and every serious sportsbook is aware of this. Therefore, there is no guarantee that the four bonuses we just described above are the ones that you will be able to claim when you go to sign up with one of the bookmakers.  We are sorry about this, but we do not have a lot of spare time to constantly search for any bonus updates.

Something else that we would like to highlight before we move on is that you should pay attention to the T&Cs that apply to a bonus. By reading the different terms, you will learn what the wagering requirements are, what the min deposit is when claiming the bonus, how many days you will be given to use the bonus money, and so forth. Read every single T&C carefully to lower your odds of accidentally forfeiting the bonus.

Where to find the best Water Polo Odds

Sportsbooks will not all have the same odds because they know the importance of offering odds that are better than what their rivals are offering. A bookmaker that offers odds that are some of the best around is one that people will sign up with in a heartbeat, while a bookmaker that offers some of the lowest odds around is one that the majority will completely ignore.

Before signing up with a bookie, you have to carry out some research to ensure that the odds being offered are ones that are competitive when compared to their rivals. You can only get value for your money by making use of good odds. When you buy other products, no matter what it is, we are certain that you do some research to ensure that you get a good deal, so why would you not do this when looking for a bookie to spend your money at?

We are now going to give you a quick example that proves how much of a difference the odds can make when you bet on something. Let us say that you have found a volleyball game that you want to bet on, and after looking at the odds that are being offered, you see that one sportsbook, who we shall name sportsbook A, has odds of 2.40 for your chosen team to win, while another sportsbook, who we shall call sportsbook B, has odds of 2.60 for your chosen team to win. If you make a £10 wager with odds of 2.40 and they win, you will make a profit of £14, while if you place a similar bet with odds of 2.60, you will make a profit of £16. Now, losing out on £2 is not a dire situation, but losing £2 with every bet you make will quickly add up.

So, what sportsbooks do we recommend you have a closer look at when it it comes down to odds for water polo. Well, we believe the following bookmakers are the best betting sites with great odds:

Water Polo Live Betting

Betting on sports is something that became a lot simpler in the 90s when betting sites made the move to the Internet. While this move meant that sports betting fans could bet on sports without having to go and visit their closest brick-and-mortar bookmaker, there was one thing that was missing, and that was the ability to make a live bet. If you are new to sports betting, then we understand that there is a chance you are not too sure what live bets are. Well, if that is you, a live bet is a bet that you place when the event is still being played. Technology is much better now, and you can find live betting at every bookmaker or live casino that is serious about their profession.

Sports betting sites know that their punters love to bet live, and they know that failing to offer a solid live betting platform is something that will lead to a lack of customers registering. While most bookmakers will have some type of live betting options available, some have much better options than others. If you like to make live bets on water polo, then we recommend looking at these bookmakers:

• Karamba

• NetBet

• William Hill

• BetBull

This water polo betting guide has provided you with a lot of very handy information to digest, and we hope that it helps you have a successful water polo gambling experience.

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