Football betting is a game of luck but with strategy, you can make it a system of winning. Today, I will help you make money betting on football and will share the strategies I have been using to make thousands of pounds in profit from the bookmakers and the bank exchanges. On the surface level, football betting seems like a tough business. However, strategies make dream work. And let’s be honest, betting on football isn’t a cakewalk. So, what I’ve done is put together solid tips for those who are either new to this whole sports betting scene or have dipped their toes in and are finding it a bit overwhelming. I’m here to offer a helping hand, and to be your guide.
How to Make Money Betting on Football
1. Plan How to Bankroll
Let’s begin with a simple piece of advice. Give yourself a chance. Arm yourself with knowledge because betting is all about understanding the odds. If you manage to tilt the odds in your favor, victory is yours. First, open several betting accounts; I recommend having at least 5. When you set up these accounts, have them all funded. Do not use your existing betting funds for this purpose. Suppose you have $10,000 initially. In that case, distribute $1,000 among these 5 accounts. So, you will have another $5,000 to replenish any accounts that may be depleted due to losses. Some bets will inevitably win and others will lose. Always be prepared to inject more funds from your available resources.
For a successful football betting journey, you need a separate bank for betting. This shouldn’t be money from the household budget, or money you have to take from your partner because things haven’t been going well. You need separate finances for football betting because that money is what you’ll use to try and outsmart the bookies.
Unfortunately, betting isn’t a sure thing. When you watch that roulette ball spin, you might see 10 reds come up one after the other. There are no guarantees, even if the odds seem in your favor, that you’ll win in the short term. Over the long term, you could see wins, but you need to think carefully. If you tend to act on impulse, chase losses, or work with limited funds, I’ll advise you to steer clear for now—this is something I feel strongly about.
Now, about managing your bankroll, everyone starts with a different amount for sports betting, so there’s no need to feel bad if yours is a smaller sum. That’s perfectly fine. You can start with a modest amount, make wise choices, and gradually increase your bankroll by working hard and using reliable sports betting resources available to you.
2. Open a Sportsbook
Let’s say you have set up a way to bankroll your bets. Now, you need a sportsbook account, like Bet365. I am not advertising this platform—it’s just one of the top places for soccer betting. Here, you have a ton of options for your football betting. So, you need to make sure you can use Bet365 or anyone applicable in your region. We have others like Betfred and BetVictor.
If you can’t use Bet365, try to sign up for as many sportsbooks as you can that offer soccer betting. Some of these sportsbooks do not have many bet options for soccer. If necessary, you might need a VPN to access certain sportsbooks in your region. I made an article detailing what VPN can work for betting in any country—make sure to check out that article.
3. Think High Value with Futures Betting
If you want to make money betting on football and earn big, consider futures betting markets. You can leverage this market and make money if you are careful with your investments. Some sites allow you to cash out early, so you don’t have to wait for the bet to finish. Futures odds let you work out potential payouts and the likelihood of outcomes. So, to convert betting odds to a percentage, add the odds’ top and bottom numbers, divide the bottom number by this sum, and multiply by 100 for the percentage.
PuntforFree gives an example: Arsenal’s odds of 50/1 imply a 1.9% chance of winning, calculated as 1/(1+50)X100.
Premier League 2024-25 odds show:
- Manchester City: 8/15; chance: 65.21%
- Liverpool: 11/4; chance: 26.66%
- Chelsea: 5/1; chance: 20%
These add up to 111.87%, over 100% due to the bookmakers’ margin to retain their profit. If we adjust the bookmaker’s margin, we will get the ‘true’ odds:
- Manchester City: true chance 58.29%
- Liverpool: true chance 23.83%
- Chelsea: true chance 17.87%
This recalculated total nearly hits 100%. So, we now have real chances without the bookmaker’s markup. With this odd, you want to bet on Manchester City if their chance seems over 65.21%. However, the higher the chances, the lower the payouts.
4. Pick Quality Over Quantity
Think and bet smart if you want to make money betting on football with my methods. This is where the quality over quantity comes in. When you play quantity, you are storing your hopes in chance. However, quality bets afford you better control of winning. The quantity method has to do with placing bets on a bunch of games. When someone bets on many different games, they spread their money across them and sit back, hoping to win at least 53% of these bets to make some money.
The quantity method of betting on sports is a simple way to try and make some money. But, you do not have enough time to properly analyze each game. Without good analysis, the chances of winning big over time are just not okay. It’s tough to outsmart online sportsbooks, especially if do not focus on one sport. You can make rhe money betting on many sports, but chances of winning it are rare.
On the other hand, the quality method is about picking just a few games that seem really promising. You focus on fewer games, spend more time on each one, and maybe bet more money on the games you feel really good about. The main hurdle here is figuring out which games aren’t worth the bet. But you have to be committed if you want to win more often than not. You can focus on value bets (look for a few bets that seem to offer better odds and bigger wins), make educated picks, and just be patient. It requires a lot of discipline to identify worthy bets but it pays off. After doing the research, bettors might find just a few games that are better bets than the rest. And that’s perfectly fine.
5. Consider Odds Compilation
When you flip a coin, it’s a 50-50 chance, meaning the odds are evenly split between the two sides, right? Now, if you set the odds, like if you are a bookmaker, you might offer odds of 1.95 on each side, which allows you to make a bit of profit. On the other hand, if you bet, you’d probably want odds of 2.05 on each side to achieve a similar profit margin. So, you are going after that two and a half percent.
Now, when it comes to compiling odds for something like a football match, say Manchester United versus Chelsea happening over the weekend, it gets a bit more complex. You have to consider the starting lineup, the weather conditions, and so on. Most people find this difficult and may not be able to do it. However, if you are really good at math and understand how odds compilation works and you are familiar with the leagues, then this could be something you want to engage in to win bets.
6. Take Advantage of the Two-up Promotion from Multiple Bookmakers
Many bookmakers such as Bet365, Paddy Power, Sky Bet, Coral, and Ladbrokes do offer the two-up promotion. How this promotion is simple. If the team you bet on leads by 2 goals at any point in the game, the bookmaker will treat your bet as a win. So, if your team is ahead by 2 goals, like 2-0, 3-1, or 4-2, you are considered a winner right away.
However, to make money from the two-up promotion over time, you need to introduce value betting into your strategy. It’s simple. In value betting, you look for odds that are almost the same with the bookmakers as they are on betting exchanges. For example, if you can bet on Manchester United with odds of 2.0 at Bet365 and find the same odds on an exchange, the two-up offer from Bet365 adds extra value. If Manchester United leads 2-0 but the match ends in a 2-2 draw. You’d lose the bet on the exchange, but thanks to the two-up promotion, you win with Bet365.
Over time, if you consistently find odds that closely match those on the exchange, which accurately reflect the real chances of the game’s outcome, the extra security from the two-up offer means you’ll likely profit in the long run. This is because the bet is at odds that are right where they should be. Moreover, there is the added advantage of the two-up promotion for extra value. If you keep doing this, you’ll earn money. It’s your choice how you want to extract value from it. If you prefer consistency, then a direct value-seeking method really works.
7. Pick Up Asian Handicap
I’d also like to touch on Asian handicaps. Asian handicaps can really give you an advantage when you know how to properly use them. We’re talking about various types, such as level ball, quarter ball, half ball, three-quarter ball, full ball, and draw no bet options. If you go into this kind of betting, you can eliminate the bookmaker’s edge, and bet at roughly zero percent advantage to them. This method will open up the opportunity to use your own insights and test your ability to make a profit.
You should also compare the 1×2 market to the Asian handicap market. Sometimes, when you bet across different platforms on the 1×2, you get to create a more favorable Asian handicap for yourself. Here’s a quick example: if you’re betting on a game with a +0.5 goal start, which is like betting on a team to win or draw, and the Asian handicap odds are 1.95. If you find odds of 3.5 for a draw and 4.58 for an away win, by combining these, you can create odds of 2.00 for the same bet. So, you get better value at 2.00 compared to 1.95 by shopping around and creating your own odds. This is definitely something to learn for anyone serious about getting ahead in betting.
8. Take Advantage of Live Betting
At number 8, we will talk about live betting as a method you can use to make money betting on football. Live football betting is also known as in-play betting. Here, you can place wagers on football matches as they are happening in real-time—as simple as that.
Odds change in real time according to the current state of the game. For example, if a strong team like Manchester City concedes an early goal against a lower-ranked team, the odds for Manchester City to win will go up. There are also flexible betting options, including the next goal scorer, number of corners, next team to score, total goals, correct score, specific player performance metrics, etc.
Depending on your sportsbooks, you can have a cash-out option during live betting. The odds may be lower but you’ll part with your winnings or cut your losses before the match ends.
9. Take Advantage of Accumulator Promotions
At number 9, we will talk about accumulator promotions. Your typical bookmaker is fond of bettors who place accumulators. That’s because a typical casual bettor may wager a small amount each week on around 10 selections, hoping to win a large sum. Bookmakers are more than willing to encourage this behavior. However, there are moments when we can make the right selections and actually find value in these bets. Usually, you compare odds on betting exchanges to find close ones and then look for bookmaker offers, such as money-back on one losing selection, enhanced odds for multiple selections, cashback offers, or bonus winnings.
An accumulator or acca combines multiple bets into one. All selections must win for the accumulator to pay out. So, the risk is high but it boosts the potential return. Accas are popular in the EPL due to the league’s competitiveness and the abundance of statistical data for better betting decisions.
In this method, let’s say you bet on a weekend’s EPL fixtures and decide to place an accumulator bet on the outcomes of four matches:
- Manchester United to win against Leeds United
- Liverpool to win against Brighton
- Chelsea to draw with Arsenal
- Manchester City to win against Everton
If a sportsbook offers enhanced odds for this combination, or if you qualify for acca insurance, your returns could increase, or you may have a safety net if one selection fails.S. Some sportsbooks with accumulator promotions are Bet365, William Hill, Paddy Power, and Betfair.
10. Value Betting
Moving on, let’s discuss a common theme in this post, which is value betting. We have talked about extracting value from promotions and using betting exchanges, and now it’s about finding direct value from selections. Whenever bookmakers offer odds that are higher than those on the Betfair Exchange, taking those bets will, over time, lead to profits. This method is supported by a wealth of data. You can also place these bets in physical shops; for example, in the UK, Betfred shops offer the same odds as online. This means you can find value bets online and place them in shops. A particularly good area to target is lower-league English football during midweek. Compare prices on Betfair with those available at bookmakers, and you can often identify value bets, as the odds will be slightly higher in shops. This is a proven method I have used to profit from bookmakers and make money betting on football. It’s a simple and easy way to earn.
11. Do Your Research Before the Bet
As you get more into the world of football betting, you’ll begin to understand game lines and props better. You really have to do your own research and come up with theoretical lines before checking what the sportsbooks have to say. Focus on details such as team or player stats, weather, or injury news when making smart betting decisions. During this research, study the odds to arrive at quality betting over quantity. Sometimes, right when the odds are released, there’s a chance to find early value before everyone else jumps in. But, keep an eye on how the odds change to stay ahead and bet at just the right moment.
12. Don’t Bet with Sentiment
Do not overlook this last piece of advice on making money in soccer betting. Never allow your love for a team to cloud your judgment. Many sports enthusiasts find it difficult to view their favorite teams objectively. If you are this person, it will affect your betting decisions negatively. The byproduct will be avoidable losses. So, you need to set aside your fan feelings and treat this as a business, not something personal. If you find it hard to bet impartially on your favorite teams or players, try to avoid betting on them and instead focus on other opportunities.
Conclusion
We have looked at 12 different strategies that guarantee thousands of pounds in soccer earnings if you bet smart and responsibly. Something I didn’t talk about is surrounding yourself with like-minded bettors. Football betting is business, especially if you want to make money on football, so networking with the right people is important. You don’t have to find people immediately—you can begin on your own at first, and eventually, look for support to help you make the best decision.
Read Also: 6 Easiest Football Bets to Win
