Recommended Cricket Betting Bookmakers

From county test matches in the UK, to one-day and T20 internationals in India, Australia and beyond, cricket is now as varied as it is popular.

In fact, with the average event drawing around 100,000 spectators and a few million more watching on TV, it is little wonder that cricket betting is now more popular than ever. With this in mind, we’ve compiled a guide to the best cricket betting sites – enabling you to determine and choose the right cricket betting site for your particular need

In addition to outrights, you’ll find a range of other markets quoted across our recommended bookmakers. The breadth of markets, and the odds on offer, do vary between bookmakers, and it’s often worth your while to compare a couple of different options.

For example, it’s possible to bet on the direction of the first boundary – Betfair offered 11/10 on a leg-side boundary for Kolkata Knight Riders v Royal Challengers Bangalore. Or you can bet on the top wicket taker, with BetBright offering 7/2 on Keemo Paul or 10/3 on Kesrick Williams for the 20/20 international between Pakistan and West Indies.

Betfair is generally the bookie of choice for test betting, and you’ll find the widest selection of markets available here, all at competitive odds. Then of course there’s the betting exchange, where there are a number of opportunities for arbitrage and better value bets. For 20/20 cricket, it’s worth checking out Paddy Power (which offers strong in-play betting), or Betway, which tends to have the biggest range of betting markets for cricket events.

Of the bookmakers we recommend, Betway stands proud as one your best options for live betting. At the time of writing, Betway were quoting a range of in-play markets for the New Zealand v England international test match – on day 4 of session 1, it was possible to choose from markets as diverse as England 71st Over 1st Ball Runs 2nd Innings – quite a specific market, with opportunities for some strong value bets. Over 0.5 was available for 13/8, while under came in at 4/11.

Another option at Betway was England Method of 4th Dismissal – with keeper catch coming in at a decent 9/4.

Since the advent of the 20/20 format, live streaming has become increasingly feasible for cricket fans, with faster-paced action and quicker gameplay over the course of a single day.

However, cricket live streaming still remains largely under served by the bookies, and you’ll be hard pressed to find bookmakers offering any live streaming of cricket events. This is definitely something that will improve in future, but for the time being, your options here are somewhat limited.

Of the major bookmakers, you’re left with Betfair as the only operator who actually offers any decent live streaming for cricket action. As well as competitive odds and a great selection of markets, including in-play, this is another good reason to choose Betfair over the competition for your cricket betting.

Cricket-specific promotions tend to be geared around major events, like the ICC World T20 and The Ashes. These commonly include enhanced odds, or stake-returned bets on certain conditions.

You won’t find too many cricket betting specials otherwise, but you can still take advantage of free bets and welcome promotions for betting on cricket, as with any other sport. BetBright offers 100% up to £100, which can be used for betting on upcoming test matches, or there’s Betway, which provides up to £30 in free bets, plus a free £10 weekly in qualifying circumstances.

ACCAs are another option, although it’s worth pricing up your line across several of our recommended bookies, as the odds do vary between bookmakers, matches and markets. It’s possible to find pre-priced ACCAs and special bets at Sky Bet, including RequestABet lines, which can often offer strong odds on unusual requested or even custom lines.

Betfair and Paddy Power tend to be amongst the best, in terms of cricket ACCA odds, although Betway continues to support the largest number of cricket markets

The leading cricket gambling sites will offer both outright and live odds. Although not as extensive as other sports, our partners will let you take a punt on the following, and more:

The differences between test cricket and 20/20 cricket mean there are differences in the available betting lines. For example, it’s impossible to bet on a draw in 20/20, because the result is only dependent on the total number of runs. Similarly, there’s only one innings of 20 overs in 20/20 cricket, versus two innings in test cricket.

While 20/20 is becoming an increasingly popular format, amongst both fans and punters alike, it is still maturing as a betting market. The ICC World Twenty20 is seeing increasing action over successive tournaments, and continues to grow in importance as a betting event for bookmakers.

International tests, and in particular the Ashes, remain the biggest betting events in cricket for major bookmakers. In the UK alone, there is as much as £15 million bet and growing on the Ashes, while internationally (and particularly in India), volumes are significantly greater.

Betting exchanges, like Betfair, can be incredibly useful in cricket betting – particularly in securing arbitrage opportunities, and locking in guaranteed wins when the odds of your bet begin to shorten. Say for example you’re backing Mumbai Indians to win the IPL at 4/1, and they go on to look increasingly likely to win.

At this stage, it’s also possible to lay Mumbai Indians at shortening odds, for example 2/1. On this basis, a bet of £100 on Mumbai Indians to win the IPL (returning £400) coupled with a lay  of £200 at 2/1 (returning £400) locks in a guaranteed win of £100 – regardless of the outcome.

If Mumbai Indians win as forecast, you’re on for £400 – £100 bet – £200 lay = £100. If they fall short, you pick up a £400 win on your lay, for the combined £300 stake.

There are plenty of other examples of this type of opportunity in cricket via betting exchanges, not to mention a whole host of other benefits for serious gamblers over betting through a bookmaker directly.

• Think About the Format. Much like Andy Murray is a master on grass but not so good on clay, cricket teams prefer to play in certain formats. If a team is full of fast-aggressive players, one-day internationals will be their forte. In contrast, leading test match teams often have more tactical awareness and the ability to change gears. So, before you bet, consider the format.
• Use the Breaks. Test cricket will feature extended breaks. Use this time to analyse what you’ve seen and use it to refine your bets. Unlike sports such as football where the break lasts for 15, cricket matches can last for days. This means you’ll have plenty of time to analyse the action and put in those in-play bets.
• Conditions and Weather. The weather is notorious for disrupting cricket matches, so pay attention to the forecasts before you ante-up. specific teams excel in certain types of weather, if England are playing in overcast conditions conditions then it’d be a wise move to put an over-under bet on one their premier swing bowlers Anderson or Broad.
• Manage Your Money. Spending more than you can afford is the number-one mistake in sports betting. To ensure you’re able to overcome bad luck and let your analytical skills shine through, don’t ever risk more than 2% of your bankroll on a single bet.
• Study the Stats. Like all sports, numbers matter in cricket. From previous results, runs scored, wickets taken and batting percentages, cricket is packed with stats and you should be ready to consume them all if you want to improve your predictions.

From pre-event outrights and in-play score line bets, our selection of top cricket betting sites will give you plenty of ways to ante-up on the following events and more from as little as £0.10.

In addition to keeping an eye on the top international events, your cricket betting journey should also include a look at the top players. Although names will certainly come and go, the following few are some of the best cricket bets today.

• Steve Smith – Batsman – Australia
• Virat Kohli – Batsman – India
• Joe Root – Batsman – England
• Ravichandran Ashwin – Bowler – India
• Mitchell Starc – Bowler – Australia
• James Anderson – Bowler – England

If you’re a cricket-loving punter, keep a regular eye on our cricket betting site ranking table for our latest recommendations for licensed, fair and player-friendly bookmakers.