Written By Ciaran McEneaney |
Updated on 03 December, 2024
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The best live betting sites offer markets when the game is already underway, with the live odds on these markets changing in real time based on the in-game action.
Nearly all major sportsbooks will offer some form of in-play betting, but these are our picks for the best of the best.
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Live sports betting, also sometimes called in-play betting, is a feature that allows you to bet on a game or event after it has already started. The odds are updated to reflect the action as it unfolds. This means you can read the game and bet in real time on how you think it will go.
You’ll get access to all the key markets you’d get pre-game when you live bet, such as who will win and what the final score will be, along with live odds on various proposition wagers like next player to score.
Like we said earlier, almost all the best sportsbooks will offer in-play sports betting, but these three stand out as the best places to get involved and bet live.
Odds: After looking across multiple sites, we can confirm that the live odds you find at BetOnline are the same, if not slightly above, what you’ll get elsewhere. They are quickly updated too, meaning that if you have an insight into the game then you can make your move and get the best value.
Game Coverage: BetOnline offers live betting on all of its events, meaning that you can always dive into the action. Plus, if you can’t watch live, you can follow major events with the game visualizer and stat tracker, which breaks down the action and lets you see in real time what’s happening.
Live Betting Markets: All the major live betting markets are available at BetOnline, meaning you’ll always be able to find what you want. Whether you want to live bet on the next player to score a touchdown, who will win the next set in a tennis game, or the outcome of a soccer match already underway, it’s all available here.
Live Betting Features: The best feature on BetOnline is the visualizer. This lets you easily follow the action and latest stats from a game if you aren’t able to watch live. Plus, you can use the Multi View feature, where you can filter out distractions and only see games that you want.
Promotions: BetOnline will give you a risk-free $50 wager to use on your first live betting wager. This means that if your first live bet misses, you’ll get your stake up to $50 back as a free bet credit. This is just one of the massive range of promos and bonuses that BetOnline offers.
Payouts: The fastest way to get paid out at BetOnline is by using crypto. Whether you’ve placed your wagers before a game starts or by live betting with the action underway, a payout in crypto can be settled in as little as an hour. This is much faster than a fiat method, which can take up to 15 business days.
Pros
Cons
BetOnline is among the top sports wagering sites you can play at, so it should come as no surprise that they are also one of the leading in-play betting sites. While it would be nice to see a recurring bonus for regular live sports betting, the $50 risk-free first live bet is one of the most generous promos available.
The live betting suite at BetOnline is a pleasure to use as well. It’s fast, meaning live odds are updated quickly, and your bets processed rapidly, while the whole thing is simple to navigate. Major events have fantastic looking graphics breakdowns too, while you can keep track of the games you’re interested in using the Multi Viewer function.
Odds: Our research showed that the live betting odds on Bovada are in line with what you can find elsewhere on the market. That means that you can dive into the action knowing that you’re getting great value on your wagers.
Game Coverage: Bovada offers live betting on all of its top markets. For major events, you’ll even get some of the best looking graphics anywhere to show you what’s going on and display the game’s stats alongside the live odds.
Live Betting Markets: All the major live betting markets are covered at Bovada, so you’ll always be able to find the bets you want. The best thing is that live betting markets are available directly in the sportsbook, meaning you don’t need to click away to a separate part of the site to find in-play bets.
Live Betting Features: Most betting sites have their live sports bets separate from the main sportsbook. This isn’t the case at Bovada, though. The site’s best feature by far is offering you all the live in-play betting markets alongside upcoming events. This lets you keep one eye on the future action while also keeping track of how current games are playing out.
Promotions: There are no specific promotions available at Bovada for live play, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be left short of bonuses to use while in-play betting. There is a huge $750 welcome bonus when you join, plus parlay boosters and a rewards program.
Payouts: Like BetOnline, the fastest way to get your winnings on Bovada is via crypto, where payments can be processed in as little as one hour. Bovada also has a voucher system, where you can buy and sell funds directly between players via a marketplace, which cuts down on the deposit and withdrawal times.
Pros
Cons
Bovada has always been one of the most reputable names on the market, and its live betting service shows exactly why. Perfectly integrated into the regular sportsbook, the live betting service at Bovada has stunning graphics and some of the best live odds available.
It would be nice to see Bovada offer a bonus specifically for live betting, but this is a very minor complaint. A fantastic site, very generous package of overall sportsbook bonuses and cutting edge live betting software makes Bovada one of the best in-play betting sites.
Odds: When you compare the odds on Sportsbetting.ag, you’ll find them in line with those you’ll get anywhere on the market. The superfast live betting software they use updated quickly too, meaning you’re never left waiting and can always place your wager when the value is right for you.
Game Coverage: Sportsbetting.ag offers live sports betting on most of its events. There were a few niche events that had no live markets but there was enough coverage of other events to keep us happy.
Live Betting Markets: You’ll find all the major live betting markets on Sportsbetting.ag. Live soccer markets had plenty of options but it was the MLB and NFL markets that really impressed with a huge number of in-play prop bets.
Live Betting Features: The best feature when live betting with Sportsbetting.ag is the Multi View function. This lets you easily put any events you’re betting on, or simply want to keep track of, onto a dedicated page. This means you only see what’s most important to you with no distractions.
Promotions: There’s a huge range of sportsbook promos to choose from ranging from reduced juice on NHL bets and a Lights Out bonus on college basketball to last minute KO insurance in the UFC. When you add in the deposit, crypto and reload bonuses that are also available, there’s lots of value to be found.
Payouts: The theme continues here with the fastest way to get paid out on Sportsbetting.ag via crypto. When using any of the sixteen leading cryptocurrencies available, you can expect your winnings to be in your wallet within 48 hours. Traditional payouts are also available, but these are much slower to hit your account.
Pros
Cons
There is a lot to love when in-play betting at Sportsbetting.ag. The live odds update quickly, meaning you’re never left hanging while trying to place your wagers, and the Multi Viewer function lets you easily keep track of the games you have action on.
While it would be nice for Sportsbetting.ag to offer a bonus or promotion specifically for in-play betting, the amount of rewards on offer and their fantastic live betting suite still make it one of the absolute best choices for live in-play sports betting.
Live betting, which is also known as in-play betting, lets you bet on games and events after they’ve already started. To do this, live betting sites use special software that keeps the live odds updated to reflect the action as it happens.
These live odds are affected by things that happen in a game, such as the score, a change of possession or an injury to a key player, along with the normal things that affect the price such as how money is moving in the market.
All of this gives you the chance to follow games live, see how things are unfolding, and get the latest live odds so you can back what you think will happen next. It really is that simple.
Live betting promos can be rare and for the most part they tend to be one of the following.
One of the most common live betting promos you’ll come across is a risk-free bet for your first live betting wager. This will allow you to try out in-play sports betting without needing to worry about making a mistake or reading the game wrong.
As with any risk-free bet, you’ll get your stake back up to a set amount as a free bet credit if your pick misses the mark. While there may be some restrictions on this credit, such as not being able to use it on another live odds market or needing to meet minimum odds, this is still one of the best ways to try out live in play betting.
Although parlay bets are most often placed before games start, such as before kick off on a busy NFL Sunday, there are still some you can line up and place when you’re betting in-play. This means that you could also be eligible for the generous parlay bonuses which are on offer.
Like parlay bonuses, these are often available pre-game, but sometimes a little odds boost may be offered on an in-game prop wager such as a specific player to score next. These are great value but you need to stay on the lookout for them and be quick to take them up.
There are a number of different kinds of live bets that you can place. Here are the most popular.
The most popular in-play betting market is usually the outcome of the game. With the action underway and maybe even some scores recorded, it’s easier to get an idea if a team is going to win, or if their opponent is going to stage an epic comeback.
Live betting is perfectly suited to backing player props as you can watch some of the game and see how the players are performing on the field, and back their performance based on what you’ve seen. For example, after tuning in and getting an idea of the flow of the game you might think a soccer player is likely to score a goal, or a quarterback to throw a couple of interceptions.
There’s an incredible number of match props you can live bet on. Everything from what the result of a drive will be during a football game down to whether a pitcher will throw a strike or a ball next can be backed. This makes it a stand out live betting market.
Some live betting sites will allow you to create parlays out of live markets. These will work just like any other parlay bet you’d place, with all the legs needing to hit in order for the bet to win. If it does, though, you’ll enjoy much greater returns than if you’d have placed single wagers.
You place live bets exactly the same way you would any other kind of wager – select your game, pick your market, and add it to your bet slip.
All live betting markets can be accessed by hitting the ‘live bets’ or ‘live betting’ tab on a site. In some cases, you just pick an event and any live betting markets that are available will automatically appear on your screen.
For example, if the Kansas City Chiefs are playing, and Patrick Mahomes is favoring passing the ball to Travis Kelce, then you could bet on Kelce to score the next touchdown. On the other hand, if the defense is playing well, you could decide to bet on the drive ending in an interception, a punt, or a turnover on downs.
The only major difference between in-play betting and placing a wager before a game begins is that there is a slight delay in processing with live bets. This is completely normal, and is so the software your sportsbook uses can check the odds haven’t moved. If they have, you’ll simply be asked to confirm the new live odds and resubmit the bet.
All the major national and global sports and leagues are available for live betting, along with some surprising niche ones like esports betting and darts. These major sports, though, are the undeniable kings of live betting.
The high octane action coupled with regular breaks in play make the NFL one of the most popular sports to live bet on. Plus, football offers some of the most expansive prop markets out of any sport, meaning there’ll always be places to look for value.
No sport is as high scoring as the NBA, and this makes it as exciting to live bet on as it is to watch. This also makes it a perfect sport to bet on points totals, as well as seeing how players fare against their under/over stat lines.
There is no sport more fluid than soccer, where goals can come from anywhere to change the game. Along with being popular for prop bets such as cards and corners, the dynamic nature of a soccer match makes it a favorite for live bets at soccer betting sites.
There are plenty of markets for in-play betting with tennis. With each point, set, and game all available to back, you’ll never be short of options. One of the most popular markets in tennis live betting is for a player to break a serve.
Not only is the NHL great for in-play betting on markets such as the next team to score, the two 20-minute breaks between periods make it a perfect sport for unpacking the action that’s just happened and making an informed bet on what will happen next.
MLB has one of the widest ranges of markets that you can live bet on, ranging from it the next pitch will be a strike or a ball, to how many runs will be scored and who will win.
Golf is a great live betting sport because you have a couple of different ways to get into the action. You can either use the breaks while players go to their ball to bet on the outcome of the shot, or stick watching a single hole and get a feel for how each golfer will fare based on the ones who’ve already come through.
Our pick for in-play betting on the NFL is Bovada. With live bets being seamlessly integrated with upcoming games, you can easily keep an eye on the action underway while also looking ahead to the upcoming kickoffs.
A busy night of NBA can have multiple games all overlapping, which makes BetOnline the place to go for live betting. The Multi View function allows you to just pick the games you want to focus on and filter out the rest.
There are few games as stats based as baseball, so picking a live betting site that displays the information best is key. The way the game is presented on Sportsbetting.ag makes it the premier place to live bet on MLB.
There’s no doubt that BetOnline is the best in-play betting site for the NHL. Not only does it have great live odds and well presented breakdowns of the action, but the Multi Viewer function helps you to filter out the games you’re not interested in and focus on what matters.
Soccer is a fast flowing, dynamic game, and so needs a live betting site that can keep up. The answer is Bovada, who not only have one of the most responsive sites around, but also the best looking visualizer to break down the action and present what’s happening.
One of the most exciting things about live betting sports is reacting quickly to what’s happening to place your wager at the best, and most profitable, time. This means you should take some time to look around the live betting portal and make sure it’s laid out in a way you find easy to navigate.
Take some time to check out the options, and think about which you feel most comfortable with. There’s nothing worse than being left trying to navigate the site when the live odds hit the value you’re looking for.
All live betting sites offer major markets from the biggest events and leagues around the world. But, if you’re a particular fan of betting on one specific thing, make sure to check that the market is available. The best ways of doing this is by looking at the in-play betting site’s FAQ section, or checking out similar events that are already live.
Promos and bonuses are undoubtedly some of the best parts about playing at any sportsbook. Not all of your offers will be able to be used with live bets, though, as restrictions can often apply.
If you have an offer you want to take advantage of, make sure to check you can use it to live sports bet. Even better, also check to see if there are any in-play betting exclusive offers.
Both offshore sportsbooks and state licensed sportsbooks offer live sports betting, meaning no matter how you choose to bet, you’ll be able to dive into the heart of the action. There are some key differences between the two different kinds of sportsbooks, though.
Offshore live betting sites will offer you much more freedom. You’re able to live bet from anywhere in the US and aren’t restricted to being in certain states, or even at certain physical locations, to log in and play. You’ve also got far more deposit options, with crypto being the preferred deposit method for live betting sites based offshore.
Some are also no verification betting sites. This means that you don’t need to provide your personal information when signing up for an account or placing wagers.
You’re also free of the player prop restrictions that are common at state licensed sportsbooks, especially on college sports, when you bet in-play using an offshore site.
State licensed live betting sites do have some advantages. They are easier to make fiat withdrawals from, and in the ultra-rare case of a dispute you can contact the same gambling commission that would settle the issue at a casino sportsbook.
The simple fact, though, is there is significantly more freedom, and are more ways to live bet sports, when you use an offshore in-play betting site.
Live betting on sports is one of the most popular, and most fun, ways to get in on the action. All the top sportsbooks offer in-play betting, so when you’re looking to sign up, don’t forget to check these three things.
Some sportsbooks will offer special live betting promos that you should take full advantage of. If you’re looking to use one of the regular sports betting promos, though, make sure to check that they’re eligible to be used on a live odds bet.
The best live betting sites, like the ones covered here, will offer all the available in-play betting markets. If you are looking to sign up and play on just one or two, though, it’s a good idea to ensure that the live bets you’ll want to make are available.
A big part of the fun of live sports betting is finding the right time to place your wager, and sometimes that is a very small window. There’s nothing worse than being stuck navigating a site or app when that window is open, so make sure that how things are laid out on any prospective live betting site make sense to you.
Yes, live betting on sports is completely legal. In fact, many bettors prefer in-play betting as it gives them the chance to watch the action, get a feel for what they think will happen next, and place a bet to back up their read.
Each sportsbook will have its own special section where you can start live in play betting. Here, you’ll be able to find all the events you can live bet on. Simply select your event, find the markets you want to back, then add them to your bet slip to place them like normal.
Live odds take into account what’s happening in a game when they are calculated. This can include everything from the score and flow of play to weather changes and if there have been any key injuries. If a market looks more likely then the odds will shorten, and if a result looks less likely then you’ll start to see longer odds.
Yes, live odds are updated in real time in order to reflect what’s going on during your sporting event. For example, a soccer team could be +200 underdogs before kick off, but move to -200 if they are leading late in the game.
All major sports will have live betting markets, where you can bet on everything ranging from the overall result to the outcome of the next play. Some of the most popular sports for live betting are the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, tennis, golf and soccer.
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