Article on In-Play Betting

The introduction of In-Play betting has been a revelation to most hardened punters. The ability to actually watch an event and be able to bet at the same time seems simple enough but it's arguably the best thing to come out of the bookmaker industry since, well, forever. For years, punters have always wandered what it would be like to bet on an event while it's taken place and you would often hear them screaming 'i knew that would happen'. Now the voices have the opportunity to prove it with near enough every online bookmaker featuring hundreds of live sporting events each week.

In-Play betting is now used on near enough every sport known to man. From Premiership football to betting on reality TV. Yes, it' got that far-fetched. Not only can you bet on a wide range of sporting activities but you also have the option of betting on a mass amount of markets, which in theory, should enhance your chances of winning. If only it was that simple. If anything, from first hand experience, it just entices you to bet on another stoomer.

Not only was the introduction of in-play betting a revelation to the punters but it was a godsend for the bookies themselves. The bookies snapped up the idea of having in-play markets and have evidentially seen an incredible boost in turnover. Yes, that means the punters obviously haven't quite caught onto the knack of predicting what happens next. Oh the irony.

Quantity over Quality

The vast majority of on-line bookmakers do feature on-line betting. However, only a select few do regular in-play markets for a wide variety of events. Some will stick to the main events like Football, rugby, tennis etc. Whereas firms such as Bet365 and Bwin pull out all the stops in their bid to lure in the punters with an array of in-play events for you to spend your cash on. This can range from Aussie Rules, basically a combination of football and rugby, all the way up to Volleyball.

Double Edged Sword

The ability to bet on an event while it's running has made for more entertainment and possibly more enjoyment but it can also end up with you entering into the poor house, especially if you're a so called 'Chaser'. The term chaser is used for a punter who chases gambling loses. With the availability of in-play markets now at a high, that now leads to more betting opportunity's and possibly more methods of losing cash. The variety of in-play events can lead to punters betting on sports that they know very little or nothing at all about. This is potentially very dangerous and one of the reason why bookies like Bet356 and Bwin have introduced a wide array of in-play markets.

In-Play Tips

Discipline - Ensure you keep to a stable betting bank. If you lose, try not to chase your loses. A profitable punter will pick his bets carefully and will be very selective.

Observation - It's pretty much pointless betting on an in-play event if you don't actually watch the event itself. The whole point of betting in-play is so you can view a sport and observe which team or player is on top and which you think might go on to win. Make sure you observe conditions, player(s)/team(s) performances, event statistics, the referee of umpires performance and attitude, fans, amongst other factors.

Avoid the unknown - Do not bet on anything you know very little about. Guessing an outcome will more then likely get you into trouble. Research is just as important when betting in-play as it is before an event kicks-off. Ensure you know the rules of the event as well as the teams or players involved.

It's time for an ex-change

It's not just the bookies who use in-play betting to their advantage. In a bid to not only keep up with the bookies but lure yet more punters away from the famous old firms, the exchanges have started to use in-play betting. However, their events are limited to the popular sporting events. Football, rugby, tennis and several American Sports are their main speciality.

Betfair and BetDaq both feature in-play markets with the main advantage being the ability to place bets against other punters at the exact same time. Betting on the exchange while in-play also makes for more frantic betting.


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