The legalization of online betting across most of the world means it has never been easier to back your favourite teams in some of the biggest and best leagues and competitions in the world.
Punters can access any most odds, such as Premier League odds for example, instantly .All you need is an internet connection and your phone, laptop or tablet and you can place a bet. The arrival of 5G in most areas also means that bettors can get super-fast connection speeds on the move, meaning you can really place your bets wherever you are.
Online betting has now revolutionized the way people bet in more ways than one. Not only can you now bet at home or on the move with your mobile device, but you also now no longer have to worry about missing kick-off. This is because most all online sportsbooks have incorporated in-play betting. Whereas previously your bets had to be placed before the game started (unless you had a kind bookie who would accept in-play bets via telephone) in-play betting allows you to back live markets whilst the games are being played. Now, you can back the most popular markets whilst you are watching the game itself.
Most sportsbooks accept live betting but our go to is 888 Sport. They offer some of the best in-play odds and expansive markets on everything from basketball to eSports. The 888 Sport ‘live now’ page conveniently displays tonnes of sports from around the world that you can bet on in-play. With such a huge range of sports to bet on, there is essentially in-play betting available round the clock every single day.
As sportsbooks moved online, the technology behind betting became more and more advanced, especially the live markets. Whilst there are of course engineers who work behind the scenes to make sure your experience on your sports betting app or website of choice is as smooth as possible, there are also teams of statisticians logging live stats for in-play markets. The sophisticated technology helps to analyse probabilities of specific events during sporting events.
This technology then allows said statisticians to speedily and efficiently calculate betting odds in a matter of seconds for the smoothest in-play betting experience possible for bettors. As this technology advances and broadband speeds get faster it is likely to become even smoother.
So, what is the process of placing an in-play bet? Well, it is just as straightforward as placing a pre-match bet. For example, if you want to place a bet on the score of a football match in-play simply use 888 Sport’s in-play ‘Correct score’ market. The same goes for the final result, card markets, over/under goals and many more.
Pros of in-play betting
One of the biggest pros of in-play betting is that you can change your strategy as you watch the game. For example, say you are watching a football match and a player has made a couple of fouls that have so far gone unpunished. You can presume that one more and he goes into the book of the referee, therefore betting on said player to be carded. This makes it far easier than pre-match betting as you can judge the flow of the game and the play of every individual player.
It is far easier to analyse a match whilst it is being played than it is before the match, and it can help you get better odds in-play than you could on a regular bet. For instance, say a team goes a goal down but are putting heavy pressure on their opponent’s goal after the fact, you could back them to get a goal back and for the match to finish as a draw or to go one further and win. As they were already a goal down, the odds on them doing either are likely higher than they were before the match started.
The experience of betting in-play can also make the game more entertaining. In both of our previous examples, the ability to analyse the game and bet accordingly makes for a much more immersive viewing experience.
With in-play betting has also come an exciting ‘cash out’ feature. The Cash Out feature gives you the opportunity to cash out a bet before the outcome is decided, allowing you to secure part of your winnings or to cut your losses depending on how your bet is getting on. This can also aide you in tight games where the team you have backed looks vulnerable whilst defending. Rather than waiting for full time and risk them conceding and your bet losing, you can cash out your winnings.
In-play betting has truly made sports betting more exciting. The technology behind it is incredibly advanced and as mentioned previously, we can expect it to get even better. Whether you are at the game live and in the flesh or you’re in your armchair at home, you never have to worry about missing kick-off. The group of hardworking statisticians and the incredibly advanced technology that they use make for a more entertaining and smooth experience than ever before.