Cricket betting Guide & Best Sites for UK players in 2023
Are you searching for the best cricket betting sites?
Then you have come to the right page! All the UK bookmakers listed below offer top cricket odds and choice of markets for online cricket betting.
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Top 10 Best Cricket betting Sites
Here's a quick Top 10 of the best cricket betting sites online.
- Bet365
- Betfred
- Quinnbet
- SportingIndex
- WilliamHill
- MobileWins
- MrPlay Sports
- Spreadex
- Vbet
- Hollywoodbets
All the best cricket betting sites are established in the UK and licensed by the UK Gambling Commission for a trustworthy start to your cricket betting.
We have also provided a cricket betting guide to help you make the most out of your bets.
Best Cricket Betting Exchange Site
If you fancy using cricket betting exchange sites instead of the traditional online bookmaker sites then check out the site we recommend below.
The best cricket UK betting site for exchange bets has to be Betfair.
Cricket Betting Guide
The sport of cricket developed in England and it was the national sport of the country in the 18th century. It did not take long for cricket to take off in other countries of the world.
Colonists were one of the main sources of cricket in other countries, such as the West Indies, India, Australia and New Zealand. These are now four of the leading international teams in world cricket, along with England.
Thanks to the internet, it is possible to bet on cricket matches from around the world. However it is thought cricket betting was common in the 17th and 18th century. The UK Gaming Act 1664 was introduced to try and prevent punters betting large sums of money on cricket, which means it must have been popular at the time.
The people of the 1600’s would be astounded to see the wealth of cricket betting options available today. First, let’s take a look at the best matches and events for cricket betting.
Online Cricket Betting – Best Tournaments to play
Cricket is played throughout the year. Thanks to the number of countries which play and their location, you will always find a series of some description being played, regardless of the weather/season in your own country.
ICC Cricket World Cup
However, arguably the most popular tournament for online cricket betting is the ICC Cricket World Cup. This is a One Day International tournament, with the top ten teams in the world competing against each other in a 50 over match. The group stage is a round robin format with the top four teams playing in the semi-final.
England won the most recent Cricket World Cup (2019) in dramatic fashion and the tournament always attracts plenty of betting action.
Twenty20 World Cup
In addition to the Cricket World Cup, we now have a Twenty20 World Cup on which to bet. This is the shortest format of the international game and teams have 20 overs each to bat and bowl. This is arguably the most exciting format of cricket for placing bets because it is fast paced and produces plenty of boundaries and wickets in a short space of time.
Indian Premier League
Another big Twenty20 cricket tournament is the Indian Premier League. This is contested by franchises in India, who bid for the best players in the world at auction. The crowds are fantastic and this is one of the major annual cricket events for betting.
Test Matches – Ashes Tournament
The longest format of cricket is the Test Match and the biggest Test Match series is the Ashes. This is a five match series contested by Australia and England and has a long history. The most eagerly anticipated Test series around the world, plenty of cricket punters choose to bet on the Ashes.
Outside of international cricket and the Indian Premier League, there are many options for betting. Domestic tournaments in England, Australia, India, West Indies, New Zealand and South Africa are just a small sample of what is available.
There are so many matches taking place in various formats around the globe, you will never be stuck for a cricket match on which to bet.
Cricket Betting Odds Explained
Cricket betting odds work in much the same way as other sports, such as football and tennis. At many of the top online bookmaker sites, you will have the option to select which betting type format you would like cricket odds to be displayed.
You can choose from fractional (3/1), decimal (4.00) and moneyline (+300).
Which of these odds you would like to use when betting on cricket is up you.
However fractional odds tend to be more popular in the United Kingdom among the best UK cricket bookmaker sites.
Decimal odds are widely used in other European countries and moneyline odds are frequently found in the United States and Canada.
There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to choosing which are the best odds to use for cricket. It depends which you are most comfortable with but many onsite UK bookmakers at cricket matches have taken to displaying odds in decimal format, more so than fractional as they are a little easier to understand.
Popular Types of Cricket Bets
Let's now have a look at the most popular types of cricket bets so you can get a better understanding of which betting types you might choose to use.
Cricket Match betting
As with most sports, the cricket match betting winner market tends to be one of the most popular cricket bet type markets. You simply select the team you think is going to win the match and place your bet accordingly. It is as simple as that and even if you do not support either of the two teams playing, betting on one of them will add some extra spice to the match.
Series Winner
A similar cricket betting type market to match winner is series winner. International teams tend to play each other in a series of matches, such as the best of three or five matches rather than one-off games.
The Ashes is a good example and England and Australia will play five matches to determine the overall winner. Whether it is a Test Match, ODI or T20 series, you can bet on the series winner.
Individual Players
Betting on the performance of individual players in a match or series has become a very popular way to bet on cricket in recent years. It could be the leading run scorer in a game/series or the leading wicket taker in game/series. You can also bet on who will be named man of the match.
The opening batsman are often key to an innings and odds for the highest opening partnership are easily found at a UK bookmaker sites.
You do not select players when betting on this cricket betting type market but instead select the team from which you believe the highest opening partnership will come.
Number of Boundaries
Another cricket betting market which has taken off in recent years is the number of boundaries. This could be the total number of fours or sixes hit in an innings or match. With attacking batting becoming the norm, even in Test Matches, the number of boundaries is a good cricket betting market.
Extra Cricket Betting Markets
Additional cricket betting markets you may wish to consider include time of first wicket, any century and a specific batsman or bowler to score 50/100 runs or take 5 or more wickets.
What is Draw No Bet in Cricket?
Cricket can often produce a draw result. This is when the match is tied and in terms of Test Match cricket, this can happen when the weather puts a stop to play and not enough overs have been bowled by either team to produce a result. Also, teams can bat for long periods and this can result in the match ending in a draw.
In the shorter formats of the game such as 50 over and 20 over matches, draws can happen. However drawn cricket matches are still a rare occurrence outside of weather interference.
Nonetheless, you may decide to place a draw no bet on a cricket match. If the team on which you bet wins the match, your bet will be a winner.
However, if the match ends in a draw, you will receive your money back. The odds for draw no bet will be shorter than for match winner due to the fact you have covered the draw in the same bet.
In terms of cricket betting and especially the shorter formats, draws are uncommon outside of weather related stoppages, when many UK betting sites will offer a refund anyway if it is washout.
Live Cricket Betting
Cricket betting in-play is very prominent now thanks to the internet. There are so many permutations during a game of cricket, especially in the Test Match format which lasts up to five days, that anything can happen.
One team may look comfortable at 120/1 but suffer a collapse and be reduced to 180/7. This will change the odds dramatically, so predicting when this might happen is key when live cricket betting.
It is also possible to bet on upcoming individual aspects of the match. You can place a bet on who will be the next batsman out or if a player will reach their 50 or 100.
Live cricket betting even works on a ball-by-ball basis. You can bet on whether the next ball will result in a boundary, wicket or a wide, that is how detailed live cricket betting has become online.
Cricket betting live is very exciting but you must be disciplined because it is possible to lose a lot of money, very quickly.
Cricket Match Betting Tips
With so many cricket matches taking place around the world, it pays to have a good strategy when betting on cricket.
Head to Head Records
Much of this revolves around research and there is a wealth of information available for free on the internet. For example, when betting on international cricket, some teams will have a great record against others, especially when playing at home.
Take England for example, they have won just 5 of their last 29 away Test Match series. However, at home England have won 6 of their last 8 Test Match series.
You would back England to beat most teams at home in a Test Match series over three matches or more but would be hesitant to do the same when they are playing away.
Wicket Conditions
Taking note of the wicket condition is also very important, especially when betting on bowlers and batsmen. Some wickets favour seam bowlers whereas others favour spinners.
It would not be worth backing a fast bowler to be top wicket taker if the surface is favouring the spinner. Likewise, some batsmen perform better against fast bowlers than spinners and vice versa.
Playing Conditions
The playing conditions can also have an impact on a match. For example, on the fourth day of a Test Match there could be a lot of cloud cover and the ball starts to swing a lot. This will favour the bowlers and you may wish to back a specific bowler to be the leading wicket taker or back a team to win knowing the conditions are in their favour.
It is surprising how often the conditions can change the outlook of a game, especially in Test Match cricket.
For example, when England played Ireland at Lord’s in July 2019, Ireland required just 182 runs to win the match in their second innings.
However, the weather conditions were perfect for seam bowling and England bowled Ireland out for just 38 runs.
Tip: Always keep an eye on the weather forecast when betting on cricket. It can make a massive difference to the outcome on any given day.
Player Records at Venue
When betting on international cricket, some players will prefer playing at a specific venue more than others. It may be the home of their club team for example or a ground where they have played well in the past.
Either way, it is worth checking the record of players at each venue before placing a bet on them in a match.
Size of the Grounds
When betting on ODI and Twenty20 cricket, the size of the ground is very important. If the boundary is short, expect to see more fours and sixes than you would if the boundary was long.
The distance of the boundary rope can be the difference between a four and a six.
Wait for the Toss before Betting
If you are betting on the match winner market, you may wish to wait until the toss has been completed. It is a matter of luck which team wins the toss.
However deciding whether to bat or bowl is a calculated decision. The weather conditions or wicket condition can determine if a team decides to bat or bowl first and that can sometimes have a significant bearing on the outcome of the game.
In terms of T20 cricket, matches can be very unpredictable. Some would say it is best to avoid betting on this form of cricket because it is impossible to predict what is going to happen with any certainty.
Research All the Factors
So, the top cricket betting tip is to do your research. That includes team and player form both in home and away matches, pitch and weather conditions, result of the toss and head-to-head records. Having all this information to hand will allow you to make an informed cricket bet.
FAQ's
Which are the best betting sites for cricket?
Here are the Top 6 best betting sites for cricket bettors wishing to place bets online.
All the bookmakers serve UK customers and sites like Pinnacle sports, Bet365 and MrPlay Sport also serve players from India.
- Bet365
- MrPlaySport
- Pinnacle - Non UK players
- Betfred
- Hollywoodbets
- WilliamHill
How do I bet online with cricket?
To place your bet online on cricket;
- Visit a bookmaker from the list of sites we have shown on this page.
- Open an account by registering your details and then make a deposit in your local currency.
- Scroll the bookmaker menu until you find the sports event for Cricket.
- Choose your Cricket betting event and select the bet you want to make.
- Enter the amount of your bet and select the confirm button.
Which team is most likely to win IPL?
As of October 2020, Bet365 had the Mumbai Indians as clear favourites at 13/5 to win the the IPL 2020.
However they were closely followed by Delhi Capitals at 3/1 odds suggesting that they could be facing strong opposition from the second favourites.
Next best were RC Banglaore at 5/1 along with Kolkata KR.
The Chennai Superkings were at 11/1 odds and Sunrisers Hyderabad at 12/1.
Rajasthan Royals at 14/1 and Kings XI Punjab at 20/1 were among the lively outsiders. These odds quoted were for win purposes only and were correct as of 08/10/2020 the Bet365 odds are subject to change.
Is cricket betting legal in India?
It is illegal to bet within India on land but there are no restrictions to betting online at the many offshore betting sites which base their operations and serve players away from India.
There exists the the Public Gambling Act (1867) which prohibits all kinds of gambling in India
However unlike in the US where there is the American Internet Gambling Prohibition Act, no specific laws exist in the Indian system that bar online gambling.
It would also become difficult to curb internet gambling offenders if the websites they gamble at hosted by servers located in countries where betting is legal.
On 4 March 2009, the Government of Sikkim (Finance, Revenue and Expenditure Department) issued a memorandum known as Sikkim Online Gaming (Regulation) Rules, 2009.
This outlines the rules and regulations for online gambling licensing within that state.
However, if an Indian resident decides to place bets on a website hosted outside the country, it would be difficult to hold him guilty of online gambling if the laws of the country where the website is hosted, permits online gambling according to Vikrant Pachnanda, a Delhi high court advocate and managing editor of the India Law Journal.
I have been a professional punter on the horses for many years. It is through my passion of sports betting in general that made me want to create this website and promote the best online bookmaker free bets and bonuses.
I currently enjoy punting on football and horse racing. My choice of bets would be correct scores and Lucky 15's. I wish you only the best of luck in your bets and hope you find the bonuses and free bets useful.