One of the most popular features of wagering online is live in-play betting. Being able to react to active markets offered, for example, by the bet9ja sportsbook, delivers an entirely different experience to pre-event sports betting.
On top of live odds, there are also many superb features available when it comes to live sports betting. A lot of bookmakers integrate live-streaming into their services, so punters can get as close to the action as they can without actually being there.
Using Cash Out to settle an active in-play bet early is another huge tool. That ties into in-play betting strategy, like backing a football match to end Over 1.5 goals when the scoreline is at 0-0 with twenty-five minutes left to play.
Rapid markets, which are small chunks of time-based betting, such as what event (a goal, free kick, throw-in etc) will happen in the next five minutes of football betting can also crop up.
With so many live options available, here is a list of the best five sports for in-play betting.
Football
A lot of major football matches from competitions like the English Premier League and UEFA Champions League are broadcast around the world. That makes it very easy to follow soccer games with in-play betting via live broadcast or stream.
When making a pre-match selection, there is no way to determine if a team is going to play to its full potential or not on the day. But during the game, you could spot an underperforming team and make in-play bets based on that.
It could be a central defender struggling and having a horrible time of things, or an influential midfielder going off early potentially affecting the outcome of a game. Things like that, along with the time passed on the clock, will affect the odds. Betting selections can then be made in accordance.
Basketball
A good sport to try and get the flow of for live betting is basketball, with the prominent markets coming from the NBA. Even if a pre-match favourite has gone into the half-time break in a deficit, there are so many points still on offer in the second half of the match for them to turn things around.
Arguably it’s easier for a good basketball team to come back from behind, than it is for a football team, trying to recover from just a 1-0 scoreline for a win. But at that halfway stage in an NBA match, the price on that favourite is probably going to be better than it was pre-match.
Also look for teams going on a point-scoring streak during a match, which commonly happens. Totals and player props bets are popular in-play basketball options.
Cricket
The slower pace of cricket makes it a great fit for live in-play sports betting. There are pauses between every ball that is bowled down the wicket. Longer delays occur at the change of an Over and an Innings.
Cricket matches are highly influenced (more so than a lot of sports are), by the weather conditions. If the clouds break above and a direct hot sun starts beating down, that could start to favour the bowling team which has a strong pace attack.
Playing conditions have a big bearing on cricket matches and therefore keeping an eye on them, along with the state of play in a current match, can help sway in-play cricket betting options.
Tennis
Another top spot for in-play betting is tennis. This is a sport that has become increasingly popular over time for live in-play markets. That’s because tennis matches can be nicely broken down into options like Next Game Winner, or Next Game Correct Score.
Whether the player on serve for the next game has been powering through their service games or has been fragile in holding serve, that gives punters a potentially good picture of where to put their live betting stake.
From the final correct score in the match to handicaps while in play, tennis has a lot of options. The natural pauses in the game between points afford punters just that bit of breathing space to make calls.
ESports
Pulling a selection from left field, we also have to consider eSports. It’s one of the fastest-growing sports in the world for betting. The volume of matches that are now being streamed live by bookmakers has rapidly increased.
From the likes of Counter-Strike: GO, League of Legends and Dota 2, to eSports football betting, this is a great, varied genre of live betting. The markets aren’t as extensive as those available for a Premier League match, but the live-streaming aspect that comes along with it is fantastic and thrilling.
In-play betting on a mobile betting app offers a tremendous amount of convenience to punters. It’s part of the reason why this area of sports betting has become so popular. Active real-time markets across a number of sports are available at your fingertips and that allows for the easy application of strategy. It’s a big area of sports betting to explore.