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Advantages of Live Betting
Experienced bettors and experts highlight the following advantages of live betting:
- Loss insurance. One of the main factors driving the demand for live betting among experienced players is loss insurance. If a pre-match bet fails to materialize for any reason, bettors can place a live bet on the opposite outcome. This helps partially or fully compensate for the loss incurred on the unsuccessful bet. This insurance method is primarily applied to major sporting events or popular sports.
- Real-time data. In most cases, the starting lineup of a team, and sometimes even its tactical scheme, become public knowledge long before the start of the match, especially if these are encounters between favorites in popular sports. Such information forms the basis for bettors’ analysis. However, quite often, coaches make key changes right at the beginning of the match. As practice shows, such actions are practiced by teams with lower chances of winning, as they attempt to disrupt the opponent’s strategy. Another significant factor is gathering information in the first half of the match. The advantage of one of the teams should be evaluated based on statistical data such as ball possession percentage, number of shots on goal, number of fouls, etc. By using this data, one can formulate a fairly accurate prediction for the end of the match and make live betting less risky.
- Increase in profit. In the event that a sporting event has a wide range of betting options, a player can make several additional live bets. Another option for efficient use of the bankroll is to place several consecutive live bets on various ongoing sporting events. Thus, more intensive use of the budget allocated for bets can lead to increased profits in a short period of time. The optimal tactic in this case is to make multiple bets with minimal odds, significantly reducing risks while maintaining a decent volume of winnings.
- “Arbitrage opportunities”. With rapid changes in odds by different bookmakers, there are situations where making opposite bets with different bookmakers guarantees a profit regardless of the outcome. Arbitrage opportunities often arise due to mistakes made by bookmakers. However, only a “professional” bettor utilizing specialized resources for odds analysis can take advantage of such opportunities. There is also a high probability of bookmakers canceling bets in such cases. Therefore, this “advantage” is somewhat conditional.
Disadvantages and Risks of Live Betting
Among the drawbacks of live betting, the following features can be noted:
- Limited betting options. The need for rapid analysis of large volumes of information leads bookmakers to limit the number of live betting lines and the variety of betting options. As practice shows, live bets predominantly involve singles and accumulators on the simplest outcomes: win, draw. Bets on the number of goals scored/conceded and various game moments are extremely rare in live betting.
- Limits. Many bookmakers impose limits on the maximum allowable amount for live betting. Typically, such limits are introduced for matches with unexpected outcomes to prevent a large volume of “hedge” bets.
- High margin. As practice shows, the bookmaker’s margin on live bets can exceed regular pre-match margins by 2–2.5 times and reach 8–15%. This significantly reduces the odds offered on various outcomes and accordingly reduces the player’s potential profit.
- Delays in broadcast. Most bookmakers, in conjunction with live betting, provide a live streaming service for sporting events. However, they often implement delays in the broadcast of matches, usually ranging from 5–7 seconds. Alternatively, they may block the option to place live bets for the same duration. Typically, delays are applied before key moments that could change the outcome of the entire match, such as penalties or dangerous free kicks in football. Such delays allow bookmakers’ experts to swiftly adjust the odds.
- Limited decision time. In many sports, situations within matches change rapidly. For example, the injury of a key player can lead to a sudden, often opposing change in the odds. Players not only need to react promptly to such changes but also must analyze the situation to determine their significance. Inexperienced players often fail to cancel or adjust their bets correctly within the limited time frame and choose the right odds.
- Psychological factor. This factor is especially pronounced when watching the match in the company of supporters. In such cases, the collective euphoria from several minor successes may compel individuals to make incorrect bets.
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How to Place a Live Bet
Registration in 3 stepsThe sequence of actions for placing a live bet differs little from placing a pre-match bet. To do this, you need to do the following.
Step 1
Open Section
Go to the Live Events Section.
Step 2
Make a Choice
Select the Type of Sport.
Step 3
Click on the Odds
Select the Sporting Event and Click on the Odds for the Probable Outcome.
Summing Up
Undoubtedly, the advantages of live betting make them attractive for players. However, there are significant complexities and risks associated with the need for rapid processing of a large volume of information. Therefore, it is recommended for a player to transition to this type of betting only after they have mastered the basic techniques of data analysis and can freely navigate the specific terminology and functional capabilities of bookmaker websites.
