How to Bet on Football? Comprehensive Guide for Beginners in Football Betting

If you are new to football betting and want to learn the basics, you should keep reading this guide. Find out how and where to bet on football in Zambia.

What is Football Betting?

Football betting is the most popular type of sports betting in Zambia and elsewhere. Basically, this is betting on a certain outcome in a football match.

As this is the most beloved sport among Zambian punters, they can explore the greatest variety of sports betting opportunities. There is not a single bookmaker that doesn’t include football in its offering. 

Where to Bet on Football in Zambia?

The best betting sites in Zambia offer thousands of football games daily, many of which are available for live betting and streaming, a number of bet types, and competitive odds across various games. In the following table, you can find some of the top sportsbooks where you can engage in football betting:

Football Betting Odds Explained

To begin with, football odds indicate the likelihood of a particular outcome. Moreover, they can also show you who is the favoured team and who is the underdog. 

However, it should also be noted that odds come in different formats. The most widespread forms include American, Fractional, and Decimal odds. Read on and discover the most popular football odds in Zambia.

The Total

Often, sportsbooks will also offer Total odds for football games. In other words, the bookie will propose the number of total points or goals to be scored in the match.

You should bet on the Over if you think the score will be higher than the one offered by the bookie. Or, you can pick the Under if you assume it will be smaller. 

The Point Spread

Odds with point spread are pretty common with bookmakers. In this type, the favoured team is assigned a minus symbol in front of the spread.

The given number indicates how many points the favourite must score for the bet to win. 

While the favourite is handicapped, the other team has a virtual advantage. However, you won’t see a number for the underdog since it’s understood that they receive the same number of points.

The Moneyline

The Moneyline odds, also known as American odds, don’t involve point spreads. When you bet on the Moneyline, the team you back has to win the game for your wager to be successful.

In this type of bet, the favourite gets a minus sign, while the underdog is assigned a plus symbol.

The number preceding the underdog signifies the amount you can win if you stake a $100 equivalent in your local currency. On the other hand, the number next to the favoured team indicates how much you should lay to win a $100 equivalent in Zambian Kwacha.

Football Betting Markets Explained

Since football is the most popular sport for betting, bookies have the biggest coverage of football betting markets. Keep reading and learn more about some popular betting types among Zambian bettors.

1×2

To begin with, 1×2 is one of the most popular and straightforward football bet types. So, if you wish to learn how to bet on football, placing your first bet on the 1×2 market is best.

All you need to do is select one of the three possible outcomes of a football match. And here is how to back a desired outcome:

• Choose 1 if you think the home team will win.
• Select x if you predict the game will end in a tie.
• Pick 2 if you think the game will end in an away team win.

Double Chance

Double Chance is an extension of the vastly popular 1×2 betting market. This type of bet requires you to select two independent outcomes of a single game.

Home Win or Draw or choose Away Win or Draw. For example, you can bet on Chelsea to Win or Draw.

So, your wager will be winning as long as the opponent doesn’t win.

Half-Time/Full Time

Half-Time/Full-Time bet allows you to predict the half-time score together with the full-time result of a football game. If a knockout occurs, then the extra time doesn’t count.

Handicaps

Handicap is a common betting type offered whenever a superior team competes against the inferior. Also, it’s worth noting that there are two types of football Handicaps – European Handicaps and Asian Handicaps.

The purpose of this bet type is to level the playing field. Therefore, the bookmaker gives a virtual disadvantage to the superior team. 

For example, if Manchester United competes against Watford, the sportsbook can give United a -2 Handicap. In that case, if you back the Red Devils, they must score three or more points for your wager to win.

If they score two goals, that’s a push, and you get your stake back. In any other scenario, you lose your stake. 

Outright Winner

Outright Winner bets allow you to predict which team will win a particular tournament. For Instance, this can be the FIFA World Cup or the English Premier League.

You can predict that Arsenal will win the championship of the 20 teams in the Premier League. 

Over/Under Bets

If you don’t want to predict the game’s final result, you can pick the Over/Under market. This type of bet enables you to predict variables rather than exact results.

For instance, you can bet on Over 2.5. The total match score must be three or more for your wager to win.

Parlay Betting

Parlay bets, also known as accumulators, are wagers with several predictions. Moreover, the main types of parlay bets are treble (contains three predictions), four-fold, five-fold, and six-fold.

However, all of your predictions must be correct for you to have a winning bet. 

How to Bet on Football in Zambia?

If you wish to learn how to bet on football, it’s also a good idea to get familiar with a few tactics.

Keep reading this review and learn more about football betting tips that can help you place a more informed first bet.

Understand Football

The most crucial thing is to understand the rules of football. In addition, you need to be familiar with different football betting markets. Also, you shouldn’t select a betting type that you don’t have a good understanding of.

As a newbie, it’s best to start small. For example, you should bet on 1×2 or Totals rather than place parlay wagers. 

Take Advantage of Football Betting Predictions

Betting predictions can help you immensely when planning your wagers. Most bookmakers offer different types of betting predictions, such as statistics, results, and more. 

There are live scores and match trackers for bettors who want to engage in live betting.

Finally, you can also read betting tips proposed by football betting experts. Although these tips don’t guarantee a win, they are put forward after careful research and are quite reliable.

Keep Track of the Latest Odds

Furthermore, it’s important to know how to read football odds. Generally, decimal odds are the easiest to understand.

Most sportsbooks allow you to pick the odds format you want to see on the site. So, if this is new to you, it may be best to try with these odds. 

see the latest odds as they best show the most likely outcome of a game.

In addition, football news provides much valuable information. If you keep track of news from the sports world, you can extract details about a particular team or football player.

For instance, they can write about athletes on reserve for the week or an injured player. And such info can have a significant impact on your betting decision.

Home Field Advantage

Finally, when you wager on football games, you always need to remember the home-field advantage. Even though this is an entirely psychological factor, it’s worth considering. 

Most Important Football Events

Football bettors in Zambia can wager on a vast range of leagues and games. Furthermore, you can discover the major football competitions and events in the following sections of this review.

Champions League

The Champions League is a major football competition with top European clubs playing for the championship title. Moreover, this international football competition is held every year.

Europa League

Europa League is an annual second-tier football club competition. In addition, it hosts 48 European football clubs competing across six rounds for the winning title.

FA Cup

The FA Cup is an annual knockout competition in English football. Furthermore, this is an annual competition with .

World Cup

The World Cup is the biggest football competition in the world. National teams from all over the world meet every four years, hoping to emerge as the new World Cup champions. 

AFCON

The African Cup of Nations is the most prestigious football tournament in Africa. Every two years, African national teams compete for the championship title.

Euro

European Football Championships, or Euros, is an international European football competition. Like all other football tournaments, it is organised by the Union of European Football Association.

Zambia Premier League

Bettors in Zambia can also bet on numerous events within the Zambia Premier League. Because it is the most prestigious league in the country, bookies make sure to offer a range of options to punters during the season.

English Premier League

The English Premier League is an exciting English football competition. It hosts excellent teams, such as Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, and many others.

This guide lets you learnhow to bet on Premier League and enjoy a great football betting experience.

La Liga

La Liga is the primary Spanish football competition, boasting Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, and others. Moreover, bettors who support some of these teams can explore a range of betting opportunities while the season runs.

Serie A

In addition, Serie A is a professional football competition in Italy. During the season, you can make predictions about the performances of teams like Juventus, Milan, Napoli, and Inter. 

Bundesliga

Bundesliga is a primary football competition in Germany. Punters can bet on Bayern, Borussia Dortmund, Red Bull Leipzig, or some other club to win the competition. 

Eredivisie

Lastly, Eredivisie is a professional Dutch football league, with Ajax, PSV Eindhoven, and Feyenoord at the top of the table.

Summary

Football is the main choice of most bettors in Zambia. However, tennis is another vastly popular sport among wagerers.

Football punters who want to learn how to bet on tennis can notice some similarities between wagering on the two sports. Take a look at some below:

• For starters, you can find similar betting markets within the two sports disciplines. For example, the Tournament Winner market in tennis corresponds to the Outright Winner bet in football. Also, Handicaps, Over/Under, and other bet types are present in both. 
• However, one of the significant differences is that there are three possible outcomes in football, whereas in tennis only two.
• Also, in tennis, the outcome depends on individual performance. On the other hand, you must take into consideration the form of all players in a football team.

All in all, whether you decide to bet on football or any other sport, you should prepare beforehand. So, learn as much as you can about different bet types and how specific changes can impact the outcome of the match, and most importantly, keep in mind that you should always bet responsibly.

How to Bet on Football in Zambia? – FAQ

Finally, take a look at this FAQ section regarding football betting for bettors in Zambia:

Is football betting legal in Zambia?

Yes. Betting on football events is allowed in Zambia so long as you are wagering on a licensed betting website.

Can I bet on international football matches?

As a player from Zambia, you can wager on a range of international football games. These can be friendly matches or international competitions. 

How do I open an account with a football betting platform?

New players can open a betting account intuitively and within minutes. All you have to do is visit the preferred wagering site, click the Registration button at the top of the operator’s home page, and fill out the sign-up form. 

Also, most brands require potential new customers to verify their mobile phone numbers before their accounts can be activated. Once activated, you can claim free bets as a new player and start your football betting journey.

How old do I have to be to participate in football betting?

All new players must be at least 18 to join the preferred betting site and bet on football.

Are there any bonuses or promotions for football betting?

Yes, most bookies enable new customers who claim free bets on their sign-up to wager on football. However, many also offer exclusive football promotions for existing punters.

For example, operators often feature a cashback bonus. Meaning they offer to give you back your losing football multi-bet as a free bet if only one of your selections misses. 

Additionally, there are bonuses like football accumulator offers, goalless football, football substitute guarantee, and other free bet promotions.