London is a football city. Whether you’re an Arsenal die-hard, a Chelsea regular, or someone forever blowing bubbles, the Premier League shapes the rhythm of the capital. And for many Londoners, watching the match has always come hand-in-hand with having a bet.
Betting on football has changed considerably over the years. What was once limited to picking a winner or a score is now a far richer experience, with markets covering everything from goalscorers to the number of yellow cards a specific player will receive. For those who haven’t bet before, or haven’t bet in a while, the range of options can feel a bit overwhelming at first.
This guide will walk you through everything from the basics of odds to more advanced markets. Make sure to stay all the way until the end so you’ll know exactly where to start and how to get the most out of your Premier League betting.
Odds: What the Numbers Actually Mean
Before placing any bet, you’ll need to understand how odds work. In the UK, odds are most commonly shown as fractions (e.g. 3/1) or decimals (e.g. 4.0). Fractional odds tell you how much profit you’d make relative to your stake. So if you bet £10 at 3/1 and you win, you’d get £30 profit plus your £10 stake back, giving you £40 in total. Decimal odds include your stake in the return, so 4.0 means the same thing: £10 × 4.0 = £40 total.
Odds also reflect how likely a bookmaker thinks an outcome is. Short odds (like 1/3 or 1.33) mean a team is heavily favoured to win. Long odds (like 10/1 or 11.0) suggest an unlikely outcome but a bigger payout if it happens. Most bettors find decimal odds easier to compare, and many bookmakers now offer both formats so you can switch to whichever suits you.
Simple Bets: Where to Begin
The most common Premier League bets are easy to understand, which is why they’re a good starting point. The match result market, often listed as 1X2, gives you three choices: home win (1), draw (X), or away win (2). It’s the most widely placed bet in English football.
Another beginner-friendly option is both teams to score (often abbreviated as BTTS). You’re simply predicting whether both sides will get on the scoresheet, regardless of who wins. There’s also over/under goals, where you bet on whether the total number of goals in a match will be above or below a set line, most commonly 2.5.
To get started with these bets without risking your own money straight away, checking out the latest Sporting Life free bets is a solid way to explore different markets with boosted offers from leading bookmakers London and the UK.
Free bets let you place wagers on real Premier League fixtures without putting your own funds at risk from the off. They’re commonly available to new customers across most bookmakers, and they can be a useful way to find out which markets you enjoy most before committing your own money.
Goalscorer and Player Markets
Beyond match outcomes, bookmakers offer a wide range of player-specific markets. The most popular are first goalscorer, anytime goalscorer, and last goalscorer. An anytime goalscorer bet will pay out as long as your chosen player scores at any point during the 90 minutes, making it less volatile than predicting who opens the scoring.
These markets reward football knowledge. If you know a striker has been in strong form, is set to start, and is facing a side that concedes frequently, you might see better value in an anytime goalscorer bet than simply backing their team to win.
Prop Bets: Corners, Cards, and More
Some of the most interesting Premier League markets go well beyond the final score. Proposition bets (or prop bets) cover specific in-game events, and they’ve grown considerably in popularity. You can now bet on things such as:
- The total number of corners in a match (over or under a set line)
- Which team will take the most corners
- Whether a specific player will receive a yellow card
- The number of cards shown across the entire match
- Whether a match will go to half-time with no goals (a nil-nil at the break)
Player card markets, for instance, are well-suited to bettors who follow tactical patterns closely. If a midfielder regularly gets involved in physical duels and is up against a side known to draw fouls, the odds on them receiving a yellow card can represent strong value.
Corner betting has also developed a dedicated following. Some analysts track corner statistics just as carefully as goals, looking at which teams press high, how often they win set-pieces, and how their opponents defend. For bettors willing to do a bit of research, these markets offer real depth.
In the End
Premier League betting has something to offer at every level. If you’re new to it, starting with match results and over/under goals will help you build familiarity without overcomplicating things. As you get more comfortable, goalscorer markets and prop bets open up new ways to engage with matches you’re already watching.
The key is to approach it as a way of deepening your enjoyment of football rather than a route to guaranteed returns. No bet is ever certain, and that uncertainty is, frankly, what makes football the sport it is. Good research, a clear budget, and an understanding of the markets you’re using will put you in a much better position than backing on instinct alone.
Please bet responsibly and if you think you have a problem, consider calling the National Gambling Helpline at 0808 8020 133 for free.
