Top 3 Most Popular Type of Football Bet Updated for April 2025

Updated: 25th April 2025
It does not seem all that long ago that the type of football bet that bookmakers would accept was a treble.
However, a huge increase in the number of live games covered on television and radio allayed the layers` fears of match fixing and allowed for betting on single fixtures.
Coupled with the rise of the online bookmaking firms, this has lead to a great rise in the popularity of football betting.
The obvious bet of a single wager on a football match for it to be either a home win, draw or away win ranks as the most popular. Let's look at the other types of bets that punters use and rank in our top 3 below.
Punters' Favourite 3 Type of Football Bet
High demand has seen the introduction of a vast range of football bets. Some of the most popular are discussed below:
1. Betting on a Single Result
This is a throwback to the days when punters had to mark “1” for a home win, “2” for an away win and “X” for a draw.
These were marked on the long lists of matches of the football coupons available in high-street betting shops.
Newcomers to football betting often remark that the odds offered appear generous. Take this example Germany at 5/6 to beat Portugal (7/2) in a European Championship game.
The important thing to note here and often overlooked by novices, is that the draw is also priced up (around 12/5, in this example).
So a bet on either side to win, in this market, is lost if the game is drawn.
Seemingly obvious, but you`d be surprised. Also noteworthy is that betting applies to 90 minutes play only. Extra-time and penalties not counting.
2. Betting Without the Draw
Late equalisers are a cause of great frustration to football punters.
Many an enjoyable Saturday afternoon has be ruined by an injury-time goal that denies a big pay out.
This has seen a rise in popularity of forms of betting that eliminate the drawn game from the match “equation.” A “Draw, No Bet” type of football bet is exactly what it says.
The stake refunded on a drawn game, or treated as a non-runner in a multiple bet.
Prices are shorter than 1-2-X betting, for example, the Germany-Portugal tie may well be priced up as 4/11 Germany and 2/1 Portugal.
3. Asian Handicap Betting
In “Asian Handicap” betting, the side considered the weaker of the pair receives a head start of a fractional number of goals.
So that when the handicap is taken into account, the game cannot be drawn.
For the Germany-Portugal example, a reasonable Asian handicap would be Germany -0.5 goals, Portugal +0.5 goals, with both sides priced at 10/11.
As well as betting on the outright result, there are numerous betting opportunities on all aspects of a match.
A quick look at a leading UK bookmakers reveals 150+ different types of football bet relating to the Germany-Portugal Euro encounter, over and above those already mentioned.
These include the correct score after 90 minutes. Numbers of goals, corners, throw-ins and yellow / red cards, goal scorers.
Shirt numbers, keeping a clean sheet, having a penalty awarded and many others.
This massive range of available bets can greatly increase the enjoyment derived from watching a live game. This is especially true if realising a profit via free football betting sites bonus offers.
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