Sportsbooks provide endless fun. You can bet on your favorite team to win the Super Bowl months in advance. You can make a bet on the total score between the Patriots and the Steelers in a regular-season game. You can also bet live.
In-game betting is a great option for those who want to enhance their sportsbook experience. In-play betting can make sports more exciting because you’ll need to make split-second decisions as the game progresses. Will the quarterback get sacked? Will he throw an interception? How many rushing yards will a certain player have on the next drive? This is the fun of betting live.
Below we’ll explore the vast world of live sports betting and the best sportsbooks for in-game wagering. Plus, we’ll give you some important factors to look out for like changing odds.
Best Live Betting Sites
How to Bet Live
The majority of online sportsbooks that offer live betting feature an “In-Play” or “Live Bet” button. The in-game function allows you to bet on more propositional factors instead of picking a Sportsbook or loser before the event begins. It also creates more excitement for bettors since you’ll need to pay attention to how individual players are performing.
For instance, you could make a moneyline bet on the Saints, picking them to win over the Panthers before the game starts. During the game, you can also bet on what the next play will be. Your options will generally include a run, a completed pass, a sack, an incomplete pass or an interception.
Watch the Odds
When you bet on sports, whether it’s a moneyline wager or the point spread, the odds will remain fixed. For a typical NFC East matchup between the Cowboys and Eagles, the line might look something like this:
Cowboys -7
Eagles +7
However, as the game progresses, the odds will change and could look something like this if the Cowboys stumble after the first quarter:
Cowboys -4
Eagles +4
The odds can change rapidly with each drive, especially if one team falls into an early deficit. In the first part of this example, the Cowboys were favored by one touchdown (7 points). In the second part of this example, they’re only favored by 4 points because they’re fumbling – pun intended – through the game.
Live Bets for Other Sports
Besides live football betting, you can wager on MLB, college football, soccer, NHL, NBA and tennis (women’s, men’s). For each inning, round or set, you have options available, including:
Some sites have up to 50 live options on a single game, and it can be tricky to select which bet you should choose. Furthermore, the type of bet available depends on how much time has elapsed in the game. You won’t be able to find a live spread bet when there’s two minutes left in the match.
In-Game Soccer Betting
What Europeans call “football” has so many leagues that you can probably find live betting options no matter what time of the day it is. Between the EPL and the Champions League, live sports betting is available at most sportsbooks. You’ll also find live lines on MLS, Bundesliga, Serie A, Liga MX, La Liga and Ligue 1. Because soccer is played in over 200 countries around the world in different time zones, finding live odds is easy.
What is the Best Live Betting Sportsbook?
Any of the sportsbooks we recommend above are safe and trustworthy. We can’t tell you which one of these is the best, because it comes down to personal taste. What we can tell you is to look out for incentives. Bonus programs are available at the majority of betting sites in the form of welcome offers, deposit bonuses or a free bet. Depending on what method you use to fund your account, you will be offered a bonus that matches your initial deposit up to a certain amount. For example, if you use Bitcoin, the site may match your deposit up to 100 percent.
Another thing to look out for when choosing a live sports betting site is the user interface. If the site does not work on your phone or tablet, it may not be ideal for in-game betting. We spend most of our day glued to our smartphone and it’s assumed that you will be using it to bet live, whether you’re watching the game from your home, a bar or in person at the stadium.