Soccer is undoubtedly the most popular sport on the planet. Given how easy it is to play, and how little investment it requires, many people in lower-income countries can play the game anywhere they can set up some posts.
The World Cup is the pinnacle of <a href="/soccer/">international soccer</a>, and as a result is one of the most watched sporting events every four years. With this comes a significant amount of betting on the event. Internet Gambling has changed the way we access gaming in general, and the introduction of mobile betting sites to the mix has opened up markets that are soccer-mad. Let’s take a look at what makes a great World Cup Betting site.
<h2>Features of a Good World Cup Betting Site</h2>
There are so many factors to take into consideration when choosing a site for betting on the World Cup. Our team of experts looks at every site we can find, reviewing all the important criteria to come up with our overall ratings and rankings. To give you some insight into the process, here are some items that our reviewers have in mind when testing a site.
Mobile Platform
In many developing countries, potential gamblers are far more likely to have a smartphone than a PC. When considering a betting site for World Cup gambling, we want to find the sites that offer the best mobile betting platform, including both app and browser formats. We look for sites that update odds quickly and that have mobile-intuitive betting formats so players can get their wagers in quickly and without error.
World Cup Extension Betting
As you know, the World Cup happens once every four years, but qualifying to be one of the 32 teams in the Finals happens all the time. We look for the sites that focus not only on the Main Event but also the regional qualifying events as this is where you can find some great value in predicting upsets. While many sites will offer odds on qualifying rounds, the best ones will offer the most diverse types of bets on these – the same as the ones offered on the World Cup Finals.
Live Betting
Soccer is a sport that is perfect for the in-game betting that has become very popular in recent years. With the outcomes of many matches, especially in the opening round of the World Cup, not in doubt, finding value in betting typically means betting on outcomes from within the match itself. This can include picking who will score next if there will be a penalty kick in a certain time frame or the time of the next goal scored by either team. All of these in-game bets make the overall viewing experience far more interesting than just waiting for the final outcome.
Live Streaming
This is more important for the qualifying rounds than for the World Cup Finals itself. However, many gamblers may not be able to access even those final games on television where they live. Having a streaming option allows people to watch from their mobile devices, and the best World Cup Betting sites will have links to video streaming of the matches. Some of these streams may be limited to users with real-money accounts, but seeing that you are likely going to be betting on some of the matches, it is not a hindrance to open an account and make a deposit.
Languages
The World Cup is one of the most international sporting events so there will be potential gamblers from multiple countries at a betting site. We look at the site from a couple of different angles when it comes to languages. First, we like to see sites that are translated into as many languages as possible. Also, we give extra credit to sites that offer support in multiple languages, especially if that support is via telephone or Live Chat.
<h2>Basic World Cup Betting Strategy</h2>
Do your research
This one seems pretty simple, but you would be surprised how many players don’t do enough research on the teams in the event. World Cup qualifying goes on for almost 3 years, so by the time a team makes the Finals, they have already given many bettors a look at how they are playing. Have a look at the records of teams during qualifying, including if a team used a full roster or let some of their stars rest. How a team is playing heading into the event can be an indicator of how they will perform on the biggest stage.
Use all the different types of bets
For those of you who don’t know, the top two teams in each group advance to the playoffs, so every game in the group stages means something. However, rather than simply focusing on the individual matches, look for sites that offer a full range of group betting as well. Here are some of the kinds of bets you can make:
<ul>
<li>Outright winner: Name the team that will lift the trophy on July 15th.</li>
<li>Top goalscorer: Predict which player will top the scoring charts.</li>
<li>Winner/top scorer double: A parlay of the first two bets on this list.</li>
<li>Name the finalists: Which two teams will contest the final.</li>
<li>To reach final: Name a team that will at least reach the final.</li>
<li>To reach quarterfinal: As above but the team only has to feature in the last eight.</li>
<li>Group winners: Predict the winner of any of the groups.</li>
<li>Group stage qualifiers: Pick the top two (in any order) from any of the groups.</li>
<li>Winning Group: Name the group that the winning team will come from.</li>
</ul>
As you can see, there is far more to bet on than just the scores of the games, and these bets will keep you interested in what is happening across all the groups, not just the teams you are following or cheering for.
Use your head not your heart
Look, we totally understand if you don’t want to bet against the team you are rooting for, but sometimes it is better to step away from the game altogether. Too many bets are lost on World Cup matches where locals bet on their homeland rather than looking objectively at the matches. We don’t want to suggest that your team doesn’t have a chance to win the whole thing, but we are just trying to be prudent when it comes to protecting your bankroll.
One man shows
Sometimes, you may not realize where a star player from one of the big European leagues is from, and that this player may, in fact, be carrying his country into the World Cup Finals. In these cases, there could be some value in betting on a team with one player who is far better than the rest of his squad. This can be a double-edged sword though, so be careful. For example, Luis Suarez is a superstar player from Uruguay, single-handedly getting his team into last year’s World Cup. However, the side’s hopes were dashed when Suarez was suspended for biting another player (yes, you read that right). With no other start to step up in his absence, people who bet on Uruguay to make the knockout round were sadly disappointed when their bets came in a loser.
Bet on the draw
Some countries are just happy to make the World Cup Finals and are looking not to be embarrassed by other teams during the group stages. These teams provide the best opportunity for making money from betting on no winner. While this can be a painful wager to track, betting on a tie can often bay 2/1, so it makes sense to look for them in the schedule. Look for teams playing against much better competition, or later in the draw look for teams that can qualify by simply not losing their last game. Under these circumstances, we see value in a tame changing its playing style simply to avoid a loss.
<h3>The Best World Cup Betting Sites</h3>
We are very lucky in that there are many great options for players looking to bet on the World Cup. When it comes to rating sites, our team spends hours reviewing each betting site in detail. We cover everything from the deposit bonuses meant to entice you to create an account, to the World Cup-specific promotions a site offers. Also, we look for sites with the best mobile betting interfaces – with the games in Russia, many players will be betting at odds hours of the day, and this likely means using a mobile device to do so.
After careful review of all the sites based on the needs of a World Cup bettor, we have narrowed the field to the following sites you see below. If you click through to any of these reviews, you will see how we came up with the high ratings for each site. Each of these companies has an excellent reputation and most importantly offers the maximum amount of betting options and value for those of you looking for action on this tournament.
<h4>Conclusion</h4>
Even though it only happens for 4 short weeks every four years, the amount of money bet on the World Cup of Soccer is enormous. We want all of our readers to be on the right side of these bets, and the strategies outlined above will go a long way to ensuring just that. You should take these strategies and look at many of the sites we have recommended to find the perfect spot for your wagers. Good luck!!!!!!!
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