English Premier League Betting
Now seen in 212 territories and beamed into 643 million homes around the globe, the Premier League is the most watched sports league in the world. Its popularity has, of course, transferred into the betting industry, with many bookmakers prioritising the Premier League ahead of traditional ‘betting sports’ like horse racing and greyhounds. It is, however, important to realise that bookmakers are certainly not unanimous in their approach to the Premier League. Indeed, you should really shop around to get the greatest odds, promos and markets. Some of the best Premier League betting sites are highlighted below:
Recommended Sites
Best Sites for Odds
It is crucial to be aware that odds for the Premier League, and football in general, can vary a lot from different bookmakers, sometimes much more than sports like horse racing. There can be less consensus from bookmakers, because there are more mitigating factors: team playing home or away, transfers, injuries, form, managerial pressure, tactics and so much must be taken into account. This can lead to big differences in prices, but also leads to a big opportunity for punters.
The table below shows the outright odds from different bookmakers for the 2018/19 Premier League season:
| Bookmaker | Manchester City | Liverpool | Manchester United | Chelsea | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Sky Bet | 4/6 | 9/2 | 7/1 | 12/1 |
 | Betbright | 4/6 | 5/1 | 6/1 | 11/1 |
 | Karamba | 5/8 | 5/1 | 13/2 | 12/1 |
 | Paddy Power | 4/7 | 5/1 | 6/1 | 14/1 |
 | Royal Panda | 8/13 | 9/2 | 6/1 | 11/1 |
 | Betfair | 8/13 | 5/1 | 13/2 | 11/1 |
 | Mr Green | 13/20 | 5/1 | 6/1 | 11/1 |
 | Sport Nation | 20/33 | 19/4 | 25/4 | 11/1 |
*Odds correct as of 15th July 2018
The important thing to notice is that there is not a huge variation in the outright odds for the two bookies’ favourites, Manchester City and Liverpool, with the differences in payout potential being only marginal. However, as we progress through the teams, the differences become more pronounced. For example, Sky Bet, who come out on top in four of the seven teams, offer a massive 150% increase in the payout for Everton (250/1) than that available with Paddy Power Sport (100/1).
Verdict: Sky Bet
Best Sites for Promotions
Due to its popularity, almost all bookmakers will have promotions linked to the Premier League and football. Some highlights include:
- KarambaBOOST – an extra boost to your profits when you have a winning 4+ accumulator bet.
- BetBright’s In-Play Special – 25% back as a free bet on any daily losses (mobile app only).
- Sky Bet’s Price Boosts – odds are increased across a range of markets.
- Betfair Acca Boost – win up to 50% more on your first accumulator of the week.
However, for the range of promotions applicable to football betting, Paddy Power comes out on top. Not only can you get a risk-free bet of £10 when joining, but you can also avail of a Free Bet Club (£10 free bet each week when you bet £50). There is also an excellent promotion where you will be paid out on your bet if your selection goes 2-0 up and fails to win. As an example, one of the most memorable Premier League matches of last season, Manchester City 2-3 Manchester United (07/04/2018), would have seen punters paid out when backing Manchester City to win as they were 2-0 up at half-time.
Verdict: Paddy Power
Popular Betting Markets
| Market | Description |
|---|---|
| Winner Betting | The most basic market for the English Premier League is betting on who will win, i.e. have the most points at the end of the season. |
| Relegation Betting | The bottom three clubs (from 20) will be relegated at the end of the season and it’s a popular market to bet on which teams will struggle |
| Top 4 Betting | Betting on who will finish inside the top four places in the Premier League has taken on great significance ever since those teams were awarded with Champions League places |
| Manager Sacking Betting | Sometimes referred to as the ‘Sack Race’, a market can be offered on the next Premier League manager to lose his job |
| Individual Match Betting | The basic option for betting on a match is the win-draw-win market, i.e. a win for the home team, draw, or win for the away team. The odds will vary due to the strength of the teams, as well as other factors like home advantage. |
Tipsters
As the world’s most popular sport and league, there is no end of pundits and tipsters ready to give their opinion on football betting. Some are even employed by bookmakers to give impartial advice. While expert analysis should always be taken into consideration by savvy punters, tipsters aren’t always what they seem.
Some tipsters will require a subscription payment to receive tips by email, with many claiming to guarantee a profit. There are, however, several pitfalls here. Most notably, many of these services will require you to bet on football leagues all over the world, not just the Premier League.
Because of the Premier League’s popularity, there are plenty of free tips online. OLBG and the Bettingexpert are well respected by punters. If you want a more casual approach, Football365’s Cheeky Punt is also quite informed.
If you decide to ‘go it alone’ on your betting, its important to make sure that any predictions are backed by statistical evidence. A ‘prediction’ that Harry Kane will score first and Spurs will win 2-0 is not a tip (the market is called a ‘scorecast’), as there is no real data to back up the assessment.
However, a tip that Manchester City could win and keep a clean sheet (the market is called ‘win to nil’), because 58% of their away games ended that way, is based on real analysis of the data (2017/18 season).
Doing your own research – a site like soccerstats.com is a treasure-trove of information – can help you make informed decisions. You can use knowledge on individual teams, such as 71% of Manchester City’s games having three or more goals last season, but also the Premier League as a whole, such as 49% of matches seeing both teams scoring in 2017/18. A simple glance at the table can tell you that Brighton were 3.5 times more likely (7) to win at home than away (2) last season. The key is matching statistics to the odds and weighing up whether the insights give value or not.
Premier League History
The English Premier League, sometimes shortened to EPL, was created in 1992 to replace the old First Division. Its rise in popularity coincided with the growth of Sky Television’s Sky Sports arm. In 1992, Sky paid £191 million to show the Premier League for five seasons (300 games). In the most recent deal (2018), Sky and BT Sport collectively paid £4.464 billion to show matches over the next three seasons. TV rights sold around the world to a potential audience of 4.7 billion people have added even more to the largess of the Premier League clubs.
The most successful Premier League team is Manchester United, who have lifted the trophy 13 times since the league’s inception. United, however, have not won the league since their legendary manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, left in 2013. In recent years, Chelsea and Manchester City, both funded by wealthy owners, have been more dominant. Indeed, some see City’s current team, under the astute hand of coach Pep Guardiola, as capable of matching United’s early dominance.
As for betting on the Premier League, it too has risen with the growth of the sport. Consider the fact that nine of the 20 Premier League teams going into the 2018/19 season will have gambling companies as the principal sponsor on their Premier League shirts. The most famous betting event is obviously that Leicester City fairy-tale win at 5,000/1 in 2016. But there have been lots of other famous instances linked to betting, such as Paddy Power paying out on Manchester City winning the league in early December last year, five months before they were officially crowned champions.
Odds, markets and promotions for the Premier League vary from bookmaker to bookmaker. Shop around and search for the best odds and promotions for a particular line/market. All the betting companies on the recommend list have demonstrated a commitment to providing the best Premier League betting, with the likes of Sky Bet in particular excelling for Premier League odds and Paddy Power being among the best for betting promotions.
