The Top Betting Sites for Soccer (Association Football)
Soccer is one of those sports that appeals to bettors from all walks of life. Whether you’re making soccer bets from your phone at Old Trafford while watching Man U take on Man City live, or wagering from the comfort of your own home on Toronto FC vs LA Galaxy, we’ve got you covered with the best soccer betting sites.
Also known as football in many countries, soccer is available worldwide offering online gambling opportunities for experienced and novice bettors alike. Soccer betting gives you the option to wager on different leagues from across the globe. Because it’s such a low-scoring sport, the matches are very intense and are more suspenseful than a horror movie. Plus, with special events like the World Cup and Euro Cup, any sportsbook worth its weight in cleats will offer odds and in-game betting opportunities for these top matches.
Top Soccer Betting Sites
Bovada
When it comes to sportsbooks geared to American bettors, Bovada offers everything you need to bet on the NFL, NBA, MLB and college sports. There’s also lines on hockey, UFC, e-sports and politics. From live betting to exclusive bonuses on certain deposit options, Bovada is the ultimate sports betting site for those looking for quick withdrawals, special promotions and different language options (English and Spanish).
- Real-Time Lines, Props and Live Betting
- 24-Hour Customer Service
- Industry-Leading Promotions
BetOnline
Known for their killer Welcome Bonus and refer-a-friend program, BetOnline.ag is focused on the bettor. Choose from player props to $125 worth of risk-free bets when you use this sportsbook for your wagering needs. They also boast early lines and quick payouts, making them one of the most respected in the industry.
GT Bets
GTBets is the sportsbook of choice for football fans due to their NFL and college football betting lines and odds. Their easy-to-use interface makes betting a breeze. Plus, their ample sign-up bonus will match your first deposit 50% up to $500. Whether you're wagering on the NBA, baseball or horse racing, this is the online betting site you need.
Betting on Soccer
Unlike other sports, soccer has more than one top league. Betting is available for Major League Soccer (MLS), European leagues (Champions League, English Premier League, Italy Serie A, Bundesliga, La Liga, Ligue 1) and Liga MX.
Moreover, having basic soccer knowledge will help your odds greatly. You should also familiarize yourself with the vocabulary before laying down real money at the betting sites.
- Club: Team
- Draw: When the game ends in a tie.
- Foul: Any misconduct committed by a player like pulling an opponent’s jersey, delaying the start of play, attacking the referee, etc.
- Goalkeeper: Goalie, goaltender
- Fixture: A game that is scheduled for a certain place and time. This is equivalent to a schedule in other sports.
- Match: Game
- Pitch: Soccer field
- Table: A list of each club in a league arranged by record. In other sports this would be referred to as standings.
- Red Card: A card the ref holds up to signal that a player is expelled from the game after a series of yellow cards (see below).
- Yellow Card: Also known as a caution, this is a card a ref holds up to signal that a player has committed unsportsmanlike conduct.
- Bookmakers: Sportsbooks, betting sites
Now that you’re fluent in “soccer speak,” you can explore different online gambling options. There are three forms of straight bets which are optimal for soccer betting beginners:
Moneyline
Moneyline bets are among the most common options for soccer wagers. This type of bet requires you to pick an outright winner of the matchup. Odds would look something like this:
Liverpool -135
Barcelona +115
In this Champions League scenario, Liverpool is the favorite and Barcelona is the underdog. If you were to bet $50 on the Reds and they won, you’d get paid $87.04 – your original $50 is returned + your winnings of $37.04.
Conversely, a $50 winning bet on Barça would give you $107.50 – your original $50 is returned + your winnings of $57.50. When selecting the underdog, the payout will be bigger since there is more risk involved.
Another version of this type of wager offered at betting sites is a three-way bet. For this type of bet, you’ll need to choose between Liverpool winning, Barcelona winning, or the game ending in a tie. At most betting sites, overtime and penalty shootouts do not count toward this bet.
Our Odds Calculator can help you determine how much you’d win based on the odds and how much money you wager.
Point Spread
In point spread betting, the oddsmaker will adjust the line so the lesser team will receive an advantage in the matchup. Generally, the underdog will be given +0.5 goals before the match even begins. The favorite will start with -0.5 goals. In this case, if the underdog loses, they mustn’t fail by more than one point. At betting sites, odds for a soccer spread would look something like this:
Atlanta United -2.5 (+110)
Seattle Sounders +2.5 (-120)
If you bet on Atlanta, then they would need to win by three goals or more. If you took the other side, Seattle would need to win, lose by two goals or less, or draw for you to win your bet. The numbers in brackets are the juice. This is the cut the sportsbook takes from your bet.
Soccer spreads are sometimes called goal line wagers.
Totals
Totals, also known as OVER/UNDER bets, allow you to choose between the score going OVER or UNDER the bookmaker’s set number. The average total in soccer betting is 2.0 goals, but that can vary depending on the matchup. Let’s say the total is set at 2.5 for a bout between Tottenham and Arsenal. If you think the combined score for both clubs will be three goals or more, you would bet the OVER. If you think the combined score is going to be two goals or less, you would bet the UNDER.
Advanced Soccer Bets
If you are looking for a bigger betting experience or better entertainment value than the above bets can offer, try one of the following wagering options:
Asian Handicapping
Like the runline in baseball or the puckline in hockey, Asian Handicapping takes the draw out of the equation while handing the advantage over to the underdog. The oddsmaker forms the spread with two options instead of three. When the draw is eliminated, this gives each team a 50/50 chance of winning.
Live Odds and In-Play Betting
The live betting market for soccer is huge. There are countless options for in-play wagering at betting sites, like whether a player will make a penalty kick. In-game odds are posted at the sportsbook during most high-profile soccer matches and are perfect for bettors looking to stay engaged with any given game.
Props
Prop betting involves wagers made on just about anything to do with a soccer game. Props will range from:
• How many yellow cards a club receives
• Which team will score first?
• How many goals will be scored in the second half?
• Will player X score at any point during the match?
Futures
Soccer futures work the exact same way they would in any other sport. A futures wager is a bet made in advance of a season-ending event. A great example of a futures bet would be predicting the World Cup champion before the tournament begins. You can also place a futures wager on which player will be declared MVP of their respective league.
What is the Best Soccer Betting Site?
The answer to that question requires you to select one of the betting sites we list above. Any of the sportsbooks we recommend are safe and provide ample soccer betting options for the various leagues (EPL, MLS, Champions League, etc.). These betting sites offer odds, in-play betting, and pretty much everything you’ll need to wager on soccer and hopefully make some money. It may not be David Beckham dollars but it’ll be enough to put some cash in your pocket.