Bookmakers with the best live betting odds

Live betting adds more excitement to a football match

Live betting (or in-play betting) has become very popular in the last few years: sports bettors place about half of all wagers while the match is going on (in-play). This tendency is most probably down to the fact that it is much more exciting to bet during the game. If you can “read” the game, there is a competitive advantage for you. But, who is the best bookmaker for live betting odds?

Betoptimizr investigates.

Sports bettors need, however, to be aware of something important. The odds for in-play betting are significantly lower than those for pre-match betting. The risk taken by online bookmakers is much more economical for in-play betting.

With live betting, the excitement increases but the value decreases!

Live betting adds more excitement to a football match

Our research reveals the following 5 bookmakers for live betting odds:

The bookmakers listed above offer a payout percentage of 95.5% of higher for all your live bets. Be aware that it is not certain that these online bookmakers are active in your country.

The online bookmakers with the best live betting odds

Our research reveals the following 5 bookmakers for live betting odds:

The bookmakers listed above offer a payout percentage of 95.5% of higher for all your live bets. Be aware that it is not certain that these online bookmakers are active in your country.

Live betting odds have lower value

The increased excitement and the possibility to be in control while the match is in-play does (unfortunately) come with a price.

For our betoptimizr analysis, we have made a comparison of 1×2 bets in the Premier League. We have plotted the average payout percentages of 50 bookmakers over the lifecycle of a bet. Each dot in the graph below represents a certain bookmaker:

• Dark blue dots – bets that are placed 4-5 days before the match starts
• Light blue dots – bets that are placed 2-3 days before the match starts
• Purple dots – bets that are placed one day before the match starts
• Green dots – bets placed on matchday
• Red dots – bets placed in-play (live betting)

The drop in odds value for in-play betting is evident. The average payout percentages for in-play bets (red coloured dots) are 2% lower than the average payout for bets placed a few hours before the match starts (green coloured dots). The graph makes it apparent that in-play betting comes at a price. We see a similar picture for the other football competitions.

Cashing out with in-play betting

In-play betting coincides very often with the so-called cash-out feature. Cash-out allows you to take (most of) your potential winnings before the match ends. Most online bookmakers offer this feature.

An example: if you have placed a bet on Team A to win, and team A is leading by 1-0, you may want to cash-out and prematurely claim (a fair) part of your winnings. This way you have ensured a profit even though there is always a chance that Team A loses or draws the match. Be aware that you will not receive the full benefit with the cash-out feature. You will get a pretty fair share of your potential winners.

Over/Under with in-play betting

The over/under bet is a prevalent type of bet during in-play betting. If a team already leads with 3-0 at halftime, the regular 1×2 wager is probably not offered anymore. But most online bookmakers will instead provide the over/under 3.5 goals or (4.5 goals etc.). By delivering these bet types, the match is still exciting from a betting perspective.

The online bookmakers with good odds for in-play betting

According to the betoptimizr scan, the online bookmakers listed above offer good odds for in-play bets. The average payout percentage for these bookmakers is around the 95% mark. This payout percentage is better than the market average.

The online bookmakers with reduced odds for in-play betting

The following online bookmakers have mediocre to abysmal odds based on the betoptimizr scan regarding in-play betting. The payout percentage does not exceed 92%.

Conclusion

In-play betting or live betting is very appealing as it gives you the ultimate control of all of your in-play-bets. If you read the football match, well in-play betting can be very rewarding. However, live betting comes with a price. The average payout percentage is much lower compared to pre-match betting.

Also, be aware that there are huge differences between the odds of the online bookmakers. It certainly pays to shop around.