Millions of people bet online these days, but where do you start and how do you make sure you are doing it right? This guide will give you the basic tools to begin betting online safely, securely and with the ability to find great value for you money.

WHY BET ONLINE?

There are several advantages to betting online as opposed to doing it in high street shops. Without having to maintain shops and pay wages, the costs for an online bookmaker are much lower, meaning they can afford to offer better odds to the punter as well as free bets.

In addition many online bookmakers provide not just sports betting but other areas of online gambling. From the same playing account you can play on their partner casino, bingo and poker sites. If you want a break from seeing if you’re bet will come in you can play a few spins on the slots or hands of video poker. Having an account at these sites has another benefit – additional promos and bonuses. Betting sites will offer free bets promotions but on the same site you can also pick uo other bonuses. For instance Ladbrokes casino’s bonus offer includes a $500 bonus, as well as a VIP program which stretches across their casino and sports betting platforms, so you earn loyalty points by placing a bet on any event or game!

Here are just some of the many advantages of opening an account and betting online:

Finding The Best Price

When betting in person in a shop, it is impossible to know what prices various bookmakers are offering. Most towns don’t even have every bookmaker available and so there is a captive audience for the ones who do operate in a particular location.

Betting online gives you the opportunity to see what odds or special offers every bookmaker is offering live as they happen, so getting value for money is a much easier task.

Convenience

It’s better to be able to place a bet straight from your mobile or from the comfort of your sofa, right? Furthermore, betting ‘in-play’ means that even if you couldn’t get to the betting shop on time or you realise an event has already started, you can still join in online and make your selection live.

Instant Payouts

As well as not having to visit your local shop, or not being able to due to other commitments, betting online means that when your selection wins you are paid instantly. No queuing to receive your money!

Privacy

Some people love the betting shop environment however others, for whatever reason, would rather not be seen in one. When betting online, this is something completely private between you and your bookmaker. That anonymity can suit some people’s lifestyle choice.

PLACING YOUR BETS

Having signed up with a reputable online bookmaker, placing your bet is incredibly easy. Simply select the desired sport, then the event, then your selection. Do remember that for multiples and full cover bets, your ‘unit’ stake will not be your final stake.

If you are signed up to multiple bookmakers, then using the comparison boards on oddschecker or on the industry websites will allow you to click on the price offered by the bookie and place your bet straight from there.

Online bets can be placed on mobile devices, tablets and laptops securely and can usually be followed on those devices live.

CASHING OUT

Most bookmakers will now offer you a ‘cash out’ option on your online bet. If your selection is doing well, you can cash your bet in based on live prices offered by your bookmaker.

In a football match for example, if you’ve placed a bet to win £50 and your team is 1-0 up during the game, the cash out value may be up to, say £35. Bearing in mind it’s a close game and you may now be unsure of whether you made the right choice, you can choose to cash out at this value and take whatever profit is on offer.

Keeping a balance is important, as in some cases your selection would have gone on to win and you may have lost out on further profit. Cash out is used more and more these days as thousands of sporting events are streamed live for the purposes of online betting.

If you don’t wish to cash out, simply leave the bet alone. Your full winnings will automatically be placed into your account or ‘wallet’ should you win once the event is officially over.

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PLACING YOUR BETS

Having signed up with a reputable online bookmaker, placing your bet is incredibly easy. Simply select the desired sport, then the event, then your selection. Do remember that for multiples and full cover bets, your ‘unit’ stake will not be your final stake.

If you are signed up to multiple bookmakers, then using the comparison boards on oddschecker or on the industry websites will allow you to click on the price offered by the bookie and place your bet straight from there.

Online bets can be placed on mobile devices, tablets and laptops securely and can usually be followed on those devices live.

CASHING OUT

Most bookmakers will now offer you a ‘cash out’ option on your online bet. If your selection is doing well, you can cash your bet in based on live prices offered by your bookmaker.

In a football match for example, if you’ve placed a bet to win £50 and your team is 1-0 up during the game, the cash out value may be up to, say £35. Bearing in mind it’s a close game and you may now be unsure of whether you made the right choice, you can choose to cash out at this value and take whatever profit is on offer.

Keeping a balance is important, as in some cases your selection would have gone on to win and you may have lost out on further profit. Cash out is used more and more these days as thousands of sporting events are streamed live for the purposes of online betting.

If you don’t wish to cash out, simply leave the bet alone. Your full winnings will automatically be placed into your account or ‘wallet’ should you win once the event is officially over.

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TYPES OF BETS AVAILABLE

There are so many online betting events to choose from and hundreds of combinations of bets you can place. The simple win single is just the start as the world of online betting providing so much more.

Accumulators

These are simply a way to combine multiple selections in one bet in order to increase your potential winnings by many times. All selections must win to ensure a return. Remember that when betting online you can multiply bets across a range of different sports and events.

Full Cover Bets

Cover bets are useful for gamblers who wish to cover all available multiples when betting on more than one selection. Full cover bets make allowances for one or more legs of a multiple bet being unsuccessful.

For example a ‘Trixie’ is a bet consisting of three selections meaning there are four individual bets; three doubles and one treble. Should one of those selections lose but the other two win, the gambler will be paid out on the ‘double’ consisting of those two winning selections. These types of online bets allow you to maintain an interest in a sporting event over a prolonged period of time, as even if your first selection loses you may still be in line for a return later on.

Other Bet Types

Forecasts, handicaps and so much more are available online but can be very complicated to learn about. Guides on how to place these sorts of online bets can be found on the bookmaker’s websites and odds are updated constantly on all markets.

SAFETY AND SECURITY

Always stick with a reputable bookmaker, one listed on oddschecker or other such comparison sites for your online bets. In doing this you are betting safely and securely already, however ensure you select a good password for your online accounts and change it regularly.

The boring bit – do check the terms and conditions of each bookmaker individually, as all have varying ways of settling bets or disputes as well as rules on when you may withdraw your money.

Most online gamblers deposit funds into their account via debit card. When you have won however, it is good practice to withdraw money from the online bookmaker back into your account rather than leave it there.