A Brief Guide to Betting on the 2014 World Cup

The World Cup is almost upon us and if you’re looking for any last minute tips for betting on the number one football tournament in the world, then you’ve come to the right place.

This year gives you a whole host of new betting options for the tournament, with mobile betting really taking off since 2010’s tournament in South Africa. With more potential bets than ever before, you don’t want to enter the tournament cold, so here are some top tips to make the most out of this year’s tournament.

1) Don’t bet on your own team

Most sports betting losses come from punters betting on their own team, whether they’ve got a chance or not. England’s expectations may have been dampened this year, so there’s less chance of fans logging on to online sportsbooks in the UK and placing loss leading bets. Or is there?

Of course England fans will find a reason to back their team, even if the chances of lifting the World Cup are incredibly low. For example, one “fact” doing the rounds is that in 1966 Atletico won La Liga, Austria won the Eurovision song contest and a team came from 2 goals down to win the FA Cup.

There’s more, too, with Real Madrid having won the European Cup that year: this time around they’re in the final against city rivals Atletico.

So, betting on England for the World Cup will reach its usual heights despite their chances being pretty low.

Other countries should take note, too. Yes, Greece, you’re in the World Cup, no, you’re not going to win the thing. Ditto Australia, the US or Mexico. There is an exception to the rule, though, and that’s for one of the favorites. Yes Brazil, Spain, Argentina and Germany fans: there is a very good chance you may well win this thing.

2) Take advantage of other bets

Of course, you don’t just have to bet on the overall winner of the World Cup. There are a myriad of other bets available to you, including old favorite top scorer. Who to go for this time round, though?

Lionel Messi tops the odds list, with Barcelona team mate Neymar second and Real Madrid superstar Ronaldo 3rd at most bookies, but perhaps there’s value to be found further down the list?

The World Cup favorites aren’t always the top team in the rankings.

• Brazil are most people’s favorites, but FIFA only ranks them 11th

• Spain are the top seeded team, but most bookies only have them as 3rd or 4th favourite

• France are one of the higher placed teams at most bookies, but FIFA has them in a lowly 21st

Miroslav Klose, for instance, always seems to find his best form at World Cups and he even has the chance to become the all-time leading goal scorer this year.

That’s not the only possible way to bet on the 2014 World Cup, though. At most betting sites, you can find options such as the top scoring and lowest scoring teams, the number of points each team will collect in the group stages, who will qualify, who will make the semi-finals and a lot more besides.

In other words, you’re pretty much spoilt for choice at this year’s World Cup. There’s a good reason for that, though, and it’s called competition.

3) More bookmakers = more choice

One of the best things that has changed over the past 4 years is the explosion of the interactive gambling market. Nowadays you’re not limited to a choice of the top 3 bookies, instead having a whole host of independent and not so independent sportsbooks to choose from.

Whether you’re betting on sports in the UK, Australia or anywhere else, you’re likely to find yourself faced with a market fighting over your hard earned cash. As a consumer, what more could you want?

As each bookie fights the more over each individual player, they’re getting better offers and more innovative features every minute. So you get a far greater choice when it comes to placing bets. That’s not the be all and end all, though, as those same bookies will fight to keep you.

As such, you can find great promotions and offers to help you on your way, as well as loyalty bonuses such as free bets. It also gives you a lot more options on where and how to bet.

4) So where to lay those bets

There’s a huge choice of betting options nowadays: no longer are you limited to popping into your local betting shop. So here is a run-down of some of the best options you can take.

First up, you can always head down to those shops. You may know the staff, the regulars, or you may just pass it on your way home from work. Generally, however, your options are limited that way.

Instead, head to an online sportsbook, and you have a much larger choice of bets, as well as great deposit bonuses in most cases. It also allows you a bit more flexibility on when to place that bet. It’s not the most flexible, though, at least not anymore.

With the surge in mobile betting, you can now place your World Cup bet on the toilet, in the bath or on the bus home from work. That’s not all its good for, though, as betting while watching the game can give you even better insights. Welcome to the world of in-play betting.

So, if it seems like only a matter of time before Suarez puts one away against England, just pick up your smartphone, visit the site and place a next scorer bet on the Uruguayan superstar.

Even more, many bookies offer you the chance to “cash-out” on a bet during the game. So if you suddenly realise you’re not going to win, just cash out and get some of your money back.

So there you are. With the World Cup looming large on the horizon, it’s time to get those mobiles out and start betting. Who knows, perhaps you can land a nice payday while enjoying the football.