Traditional football betting used to mean backing a selection before the start of a match and that was that. You could watch the game or wait until the final whistle to find out whether or not your bet had won or lost. Now things are very different.
A few years ago the concept of betting in play, also known as betting in running, was introduced by some bookmakers and the betting exchanges. What this means is that you can carry on betting even if the game has started and can do so right up until the referee blows his whistle for full time. If you are watching a game live on TV you can wait and see how the game is going before deciding which way to bet. You could even wait until one team has scored before deciding to bet.
The odds on offer are constantly changing depending on how the game is going. Goals, penalties and sendings off have the greatest affect on the odds on offer. You may have placed a bet before the game started and you see the game going against you, in which case you could then bet against your original selection in order to cut your losses or even to make a profit from the opposite selection.
It is often the case that if a pre match favourite takes the lead in a match but you feel that based on their performance in the match the underdog has a chance to equalise or even go on to win the match that you can get a huge price in play. This can lead to tremendous profits if done correctly.
A lot of the bookmakers and the exchanges offer live streaming of football matches where you can watch and bet at the same time. However, please be aware that even although these matches are advertised as live there may be a few seconds delay because of the streaming over the internet and so you may see things a few seconds after people watching live on TV. This can have an effect on the price.
Among the markets offered in play are team to win, over/under 2.5 goals, over/under 3.5 goals, over/under 4.5 goals, total number of goals, next team to score, last team to score, correct score, number of bookings, number of sendings off, number of corners and winning margin.
Some of the recommended sites that offer in play or in running betting are detailed below with a brief description of what they offer. Most of them also offer sign up bonuses or free bets for people opening new accounts.
Click on the banners to get the bonuses now.
| Bet365 |  |
Betdaq | |
Betfair | |
Boylesports | |
| Coral | |
Ladbrokes | |
PaddyPower | |
Skybet | |
| Totesport | |
Unibet | |
VC Bet | |
WBX | |
| William Hill | |
bet365 are currently offering a 100% deposit match up to £200 for new customers.
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Betdaq are one of the betting exchanges which means that you are betting against other people rather than a traditional bookmaker. This also means that you are able to lay selections rather than just back them. For a full explanation of betting exchanges see the exchange basics section.
Betdaq have in play betting on the Champions League, UEFA Cup, English Premiership, English Championship, Italian Serie A, Spain and UK cup competitions.
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Betfair are one of the betting exchanges which means that you are betting against other people rather than a traditional bookmaker. This also means that you are able to lay selections rather than just back them. For a full explanation of betting exchanges see the exchange basics section.
Betfair offer in play betting on a large selection of football including, Champions League, UEFA Cup, English Premiership, English Leagues, English Blue Square League, Scottish Premier League, Italian Serie A, Spanish, Portuguese, Australian, International football matches. Other leagues are available. Betfair also offer a lot of these games direct to your desktop with live streaming.
Betfair are currently offering a £20 no lose bet for new customers.
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BetVictor offer a comprehensive in running service on all major sporting events from around the globe. These include Rugby Union, American Football, and Basketball among others. The football on offer includes International football, Champions League, UEFA Cup, English Premiership and English League.
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Boylesports offer a wide range of in play betting opportunities for sports such as basketball, snooker, volleyball, golf, rugby, ice hockey, boxing and the NFL. In terms of football they offer, among others, the following selection, English Premiership, English League, Scottish Premier League, Champions League, UEFA Cup, Spanish Primera Liga, Italian Serie A, Dutch Eredivisie, German Bundesliga, French Championnait, FA Cup, Scottish Cup and Italian Cup.
Boylesports are currently offering a £20 free bet for new customers.
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Coral offer a comprehensive football in play betting service. Check the website daily for details.
Coral are currently offering a free £50 bet for new customers.
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Ladbrokes have a large number of sporting events to bet on in play. This includes a lot of football. Among the football you can bet on are Champions League, UEFA Cup, International football, English Premiership, English Leagues, Scottish Premier League, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Australia and domestic cup competitions. Ladbrokes also offer a live streaming service allowing you to watch live games on your PC.
Ladbrokes are currently offering £30 of free bets for new customers.
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paddypower offer a huge range of betting opportunities for each match in play. They offer live betting on most of the most popular televised sporting events including football. The football in play games covered include Champions League, UEFA Cup, International matches, English Premiership, English League, English Blue Square Premiership, Scottish League, UK Cup competitions, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, German and Australian football.
paddypower are currently offering a £50 free bet for new customers.
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Skybet offer a huge range of betting opportunities for each match in play. As with Sky's live coverage of football, Skybet offer live betting on a huge range of football leagues and cup competitions. The football in play games covered include Champions League, UEFA Cup, International matches, English Premiership, English League, English Blue Square Premiership, Scottish League, UK Cup competitions and many others.
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Totesport offer in play betting on live UK domestic football, Champions League, UEFA Cup, International football and Spanish La Liga.
Totesport are currently offering a £10 free bet for new customers.
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Unibet offer many sports to bet in play, including Tennis, Ice Hockey, Winter sports, Basketball, Rugby Union, Volleyball, Handball, Darts, American Football and of course football.
The football on offer includes many of the European Leagues, France, Spain, Italy, Greece, France, Germany and many others. They also offer English Premiership, English League, International Football, Champions League and UEFA Cup.
Unibet are offering a £20 bonus for new customers.
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WBX are one of the betting exchanges which means that you are betting against other people rather than a traditional bookmaker. This also means that you are able to lay selections rather than just back them. For a full explanation of betting exchanges see the exchange basics section.
WBX have in play betting on a wide range of football markets.
WBX are currently offering £25 of free bets to new customers.
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The new William Hill site offers a huge range of sports to bet on in play. Including, Ice Hockey, Rugby Union, Darts, Basketball, Cricket and of course football. The football on offer includes International football, Champions League, UEFA Cup, English Premiership, English League, Scottish Premier League, Greece, Spain, Italy, League Of Wales, Portugal, France and Germany. They also offer a range of matches on their live streaming service betlive tv.
William Hill are currently offering £25 of free bets for new customers.
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