Betting on the Premier League Explained

Have you been a fan of the English Premier League for ages but are only now interested in joining the betting world? Have you only recently discovered the appeal of the sport and league and are looking to learn more about it? No matter your situation, you shouldn’t go into sports betting without doing some research first. Here is a useful guide for betting on the Premier League.

A short history of the Premier League

Do you remember the day in 1992 when the English Premier League was formed? Or, have you not been born yet? Well, regardless, you should know that this league was formed when the English First Division decided to leave the Football League. Four leagues were formed then, the top division being the Premier League, which has had different names over the years due to sponsorships. Currently, it is only called the Premier League or EPL.

At first, there were 24 teams in the league, but this number was reduced to 20 in the 1994/95 season. Since its inception, 50 teams have played in the EPL: 48 from England and 2 from Wales. Despite this fact, only 7 teams have managed to win the title. Manchester United lifted the trophy 13 times, Manchester City 6 times while Chelsea, Arsenal, Blackburn Rovers, Leicester City, and Liverpool have also been champions.

How does it work?

In terms of how it works, you should be aware that each team plays 38 matches during a season. A team will meet every opponent twice over the year, once at home and once away. If everything goes according to plan, the season starts in August and ends in May.

The team that has the most points after all the matches are played is crowned the champion. They, alongside the second- and third-placed teams, qualify for the Champions League, and the fourth place gets a chance to play in the qualifiers for this tournament. The team that ends the season in fifth place gets a spot in the Europa League.

On the other hand, the teams that end the season in 18th, 19th, and 20th place will be relegated or demoted to the second division – the Championship. Conversely, the top two finishers in the Championship get promoted to the EPL, while there is also a playoff tournament that determines which team is the third that gets to play in the Premier League.

Where to bet on the EPL?

When looking for a bookmaker to place a bet with, you should keep in mind that there are various options in the UK. For one, you can visit a local brick-and-mortar betting shop and place a wager to support your favourite team or one that you think will be the winner. You can also choose from a variety of other bets, like the first goalscorer, the total number of goals, and many more.

However, if you’d rather stay at home and avoid crowds, you can also opt for online sports betting. Fortunately, the internet is the perfect place to find betting sites only for Premier League and make a wager. You want an operator that is licensed and secure in order to protect your personal and financial information, so do some research beforehand.

Understanding the odds

Of course, before you place a bet, you should learn a bit more about odds in case you’re not already familiar with them. As bookmakers offer bets on everything from match and championship winners to how many goals there will be and which player will score first, you want to understand each bet and its odds.

The most popular bets include the match result, goal total over-under, and Asian handicap. The match result bet means that you need to guess who will win after 90 minutes and added time. With goal total over/under, you have to decide if you will bet on there being more or fewer goals than a specific number. Asian handicap is when you select a winner while one team has a goals handicap.

Odds will change during the season, but you can expect some general favourites and some underdogs, both in terms of teams and players.

Betting tips

As a beginner, you’re surely always on the lookout for some helpful tips. For starters, you should do plenty of research and analysis as well as learn some statistics to see if you can spot some patterns. Knowing the shape a certain team is in can be very useful when placing bets.

Then, you might want to narrow down your field. Placing only a certain type of bet can be useful as you will get a chance to learn more about that specific niche. You should also keep a record of your bets and how well you did. This is key to being consistent in your betting efforts.

If you’re thinking about betting on the Premier League, you should familiarize yourself with the teams and players a bit better, understand the shape they are in and learn more about the types of bets. As the opportunities for betting are available in both brick-and-mortar shops and online, placing some bets will not be difficult.