| My experiences with sports betting are somewhat | | | | In this area of sports betting, you can also bet on a |
| limited, but I discovered that it was something I could | | | | horse, or player, losing, which would involve a simple |
| get used to: a point-to-point horse race in a local | | | | reversal of the winning odds. If you're up for a bigger |
| town on a cold spring morning, gave me a taste for | | | | challenge, there's also spread betting; betting sites |
| the sport as a spectator and to get involved in | | | | offer lots of information on what this entails. |
| sports betting. But I found that somehow I need to | | | | A number of bookmakers now offer incentives for |
| overcome my natural instinct to support the | | | | opening an online account with them. |
| underdog. At least in point-to-point, it's extremely | | | | Since it's the beginning of the UK sports season, this |
| likely that the favourite will win. | | | | is a good time to make the most of their sports |
| There are three main types of bet in sports betting , | | | | betting offers: Premier League Snooker, Premiership |
| the simplest being my earlier attempts with the single | | | | football , the Women's World Cup football and the |
| 'win only' bet. If your selection wins, you receive your | | | | Rugby Union World Cup are all either under way or |
| stake back plus the same amount multiplied by the | | | | about to begin, so there's plenty to choose from. For |
| odds that you were offered (which would normally | | | | each event, the stakes vary considerably, and will |
| be expressed as a fraction) but there are a huge | | | | continue to change right up to (and during)the match, |
| variety of bet types, and sporting events, that you | | | | so it's worth keeping an eye out as to what's on |
| can choose from. | | | | offer. |
| If at the start of a new season, you want to make | | | | One mayor betting company, for instance, will give |
| a bet based on a combination of different types of | | | | you ten pounds for opening an account with a minum |
| event, 'doubles' or 'trebles' or even 'accumulators' | | | | stake of ten pounds. The bonus must then be used |
| would be the bets for you. A double in sports betting | | | | in a 'Win Only Single' bet within a week of it entering |
| would involve, for example, the combined odds of | | | | your online sports betting account (which would |
| Colchester United winning the English Championship | | | | happen once you'd staked your own balance). |
| and Ronnie O'Sullivan winning the Snooker | | | | This would mean, for instance, that you could decide |
| Premiership, the odds for each being obtained by | | | | to throw caution to the wind, and put your 10 |
| multiplying the single odds (adding Colchester United | | | | pounds on Colchester to win the English |
| win would make the outcome significantly more | | | | Championship, at oddsof 80-1. You couldn't, however, |
| unlikely). | | | | add any further credit to this amount but you could |
| An 'either way' bet in sports betting involves a | | | | also use it on any 'outright' or 'match only' bet in any |
| combination of possible outcomes: for a horse race | | | | UK sporting event. |
| you could bet on your favourite coming first, second | | | | Another company has a similar offer for registering |
| or third, and this would be a combination of a | | | | on their sports betting website, except you can bet |
| 'winning' bet plus a 'place bet' for coming first, second | | | | less than 10 GBP, and have that amount matched as |
| or third (so you'd pay for two bets). The odds | | | | your bonus. Other companies offer free bets of up |
| offered for a place would be lower than the odds of | | | | to 25 pounds when you register with them: similar |
| your horse winning; normally around a quarter (which | | | | restrictions apply, although some don't seem to have |
| would be advertised as 'each way, 1,2,3'). | | | | time limits on when you take the offer up. |
| So if your horse came first, you'd receive a | | | | Like all things in life, you can have too much of a |
| combination of the winnings for coming first and | | | | good thing, so perhaps I'll need to exerpt a degree |
| those for gaining a 'place'. Either way bets vary in the | | | | of caution in using my new-found sports betting |
| rank that counts as getting 'a place' (normally it | | | | knowledge. However, I fully intend to make the most |
| stretches as far as 3rd place, but if 4th place | | | | of these introductory offers to find out if I have |
| counted it would be listed as 'each way quarter | | | | 'beginners luck'. |
| 1,2,3,4'). | | | | |