Managing Risks When Betting on English Football

England may not always be famous for the right reasons, but one thing they do seem to have gotten right, is football.

English football is arguably the most competitive in the world, and it’s certainly the most popular. Sure, you’ve the glitz and glamour of La Liga, but most die hard footy fans would take a cold and drizzly local derby over ‘El Classico’ any day of the week.



For most football fans, betting on the football is a weekend tradition, and is up there with the classic Sunday roast. If you know what you’re doing, because of the quality of the markets, not to mention the sheer competitiveness of the Premier League, Championship, and Leagues 1 and 2, you could stand to make a very tidy profit.

When betting however, it’s essential to do so safely. Looking to start betting on the football? If so, then here’s a quick guide on managing risks when betting on English football.

Learn the Lingo

Before taking up football betting, it’s always a good idea to do a little research and figure out what it is that you’re betting on.

One of the greatest things about English football betting, is the sheer number of different betting markets available to choose from. It’s always worth learning the lingo so that you can understand the different types of bet.

BTTS for example, stands for ‘both teams to score’ and the explanation for why is pretty obvious. You can bet on Match Results, where you bet on what you predict the final score will be. There’s Over/Under Goals where you can predict whether the scoreline will be over or under a certain number of goals, and there’s Accumulators, or Accas for short. Here you can combine several bets into one to enjoy better odds and the potential for a much higher payout.

Make Use of Oddscheckers

Oddscheckers have been real game changers when it comes to online betting, especially with sports such as horseracing and English football. If you’re thinking of dabbling in a spot of Premier League betting, make sure you use an oddschecker before you place your bet.

Oddscheckers are free online tools designed to help punters get the best odds and the best possible prices. They work by comparing prices across different bookmakers so you can clearly see the prices and odds that each bookmaker is offering.

If for example, Ladbrokes and BOYLE Sports are offering odds of 1/1 for Arsenal to win the Premier League, while another bookmaker is offering less favourable “odds-on” bets of 1/2, you’ll be able to see clearly and pick the bookmaker currently offering the best odds and prices.

Only Use Licenced Bookmakers

This next tip should go without saying, but alarmingly, black market gambling across the UK and Ireland has been steadily increasing over the last several years.

Since 2019, black market gambling stakes in the UK have more than tripled, jumping from roughly £5 billion, to more than £16.6 billion. Despite greater levels of control and reform being implemented, black market gambling remains a real problem.

Black market gambling sites operate illegally. They are unregulated and not secure. That effectively means that gamblers have no protection or control. Black market gambling operators could quite easily steal your personal data and banking info, or withhold your winnings, and there wouldn’t be a thing you could do about it. This is why you should ALWAYS bet with a licenced bookmaker!

Licenced bookmakers are regulated which means you can enjoy greater levels of player protection. A quick look at licensed bookmakers like Quinnbet for example show that they must register with “Gamstop” to allow you to self exclude from all licensed bookmakers, if you think you are betting too much. They must operate within the confines of the law, they must adhere to strict rules and regulations, and they must ensure that their sites, and your sensitive data and info, is kept safe and secure at all costs.

Set a Budget and Begin Small

The idea behind a football bet is to add an element of excitement to the match, and hopefully win some money in the process. It’s supposed to be good harmless fun. This is why you should always set a budget before placing a bet, and always begin small.

Decide how much you can realistically afford to potentially lose, stick to that amount, never bet more than you can afford to lose, and never chase losses. That way, if you lose it’s no huge deal, and if you win, great, you’ve a few extra Euros in your pocket to grab a pint or two of the black stuff down at your local after the game.

Leave Emotions Out of It

Football is an emotional game, and we aren’t talking about the players rolling around on the floor in tears when they slip over or mess up their expensive haircuts. Football fans are loyal and passionate, and whilst those are admirable traits, with football betting, that isn’t necessarily the case.

While it’s admirable to back your club, if you support Mansfield Town and you draw Manchester City in the FA Cup, the smart money isn’t going to be on Fleetwood.

Rather than betting purely on passion and emotion, bet logically and realistically instead.