You can place bets on an upcoming soccer, cricket, baseball or basketball games, plus many other betting lines on your favourite teams throughout the season.
If you’re a sports betting fan, or new to online betting, this guide takes you through everything you need to know about getting started in the sports betting industry, explains the betting terms, and how to get the most out of online wagering at Stake online sportsbook.
History of Sports Betting
Sports betting has been part of communities for thousands of years. People used to gather at stadia in Ancient Rome to place bets on gladiatorial bouts and chariot races, and it has continued to this day, albeit on different sports!
Comparatively, online sports betting is a much newer phenomenon, starting in the late 1990s and gathering pace in the early 2000s as the Internet increased global connectivity.
Stake.com was founded in 2017 and has become the leading online casino and sports betting site. It offers professional bettors and recreational sports fans the perfect opportunity to back their favourite teams with a range of local currency and cryptocurrency bets on desktop and mobile devices.
How to Bet on Sports Online?
Getting started at Stake sportsbook and online wagering generally couldn’t be easier. If you’re new to sports betting, here are the simple steps that you need to follow to get started:
Step 1: Create a free account. If you haven’t done so, create a free account at Stake.com by entering your details and email address.
Step 3: Understand the types of odds. With your account up and running, you need to consider the different types of odds presented and look for your chosen markets. Check out our guide to understanding and reading odds to learn more.
Step 4: Place your bets. Whether you’re a soccer or ice hockey fan, find the fixture you’d like to bet on and place your wager.
Step 5: Withdraw your winnings. If your bet is successful, all that’s left to do is withdraw and enjoy your winnings. It’s as simple as that!
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Types of Bets
You also need to think about the popular types of sports bets that you can place at Stake.com, as there are lots of common types of bets to choose from. You can also parlay your bets by combining multiple bets into the single betting slip! The most popular types of bets include:
Handicap/Asian Handicap/European Handicap: A handicap bet is where the favourite is given a handicap that they must overcome to win the bet. Equally, the underdog is typically given a head start. Asian and European are different types of handicap bets that you can place at Stake.com. Learn more about handicap betting and Asian totals with our helpful guides on these different types of sports spread bets.
1x2: A 1x2 bet type is as simple as it comes and allows you to bet on three possible outcomes – 1 refers to the home win, x refers to the draw, and 2 refers to the away win.
Futures and Outrights: A futures or outright bet is a wager on an outcome that won’t occur in the upcoming game week. So, for instance, you can place a bet on a team to win a championship or an event at the end of the season. Check out our outright betting guide for more information.
Goals/Points: You can also bet on the number of goals or points your favourite teams will score in a fixture, which is great if you’re unsure which team will emerge as the winner.
Quarters/Half/Full Time: An excellent way to split up your betting slip is to bet on outcomes in quarters or halves, depending on the sport. For instance, you could bet on the number of touchdowns in the first quarter of an NFL game.
Over/Under: Also known as a totals bet, an over/under wager is where you bet on the total number of goals or points to be scored in a game, above or below a specific number. Our over/under betting guide explains this in more detail.
Winning Margin: Winning margin bets are popular in sports like basketball and soccer, enabling you to bet on how many points or goals a team will win by. Learn more about sports betting margins with our guide.
Prop (Proposition) & Player Props: Prop betting is placed on an event or game that isn't tied directly to the outcome. This can be placed on the game, team, or individual players. Player props allow you to bet on players’ performance on the field. For instance, a soccer player’s prop could be whether or not a specific player will score in a game. Learn more about this type of bet with our prop betting guide.
Correct Score: If you have a particularly good feeling about how a game will end, you can place a correct score bet on a whole host of sports at Stake.com.
Exotic Bets: Exotic bets are placed on horse racing events and greyhound racing, allowing the bettor to wager on more than one race at the same time. Check out our betting glossary to learn the most important horse racing terms.
Unique Bets & Strategies: There are a multitude of unique betting options online. If you're looking for new betting options, read our guides to teaser betting, treble bets and round robin betting. You can also check out our guide to progressive betting strategies to help you develop a betting method that works best for you.
Learn about potential returns and payouts to help you decide which bet to place by calculating the Expected Value. Read our guide to EVs for more information. We also recommend reading our glossary on key betting terms if you're a beginner to wagering on sport.
How to Read & Understand Sports Betting Odds
There are several types of odds in the sports betting industry that you need to be aware of, and you can adjust the settings in your account to view the odds in the way you choose. Typically, betting lines are shown in one of the following three formats:
Decimal odds
Sometimes known as European odds, decimal odds are straightforward to understand:
Justin Thomas to win the golf Masters (12.00)
Here, you must place a 1.00 bet to return 12.00 (profit of 11.00) if you fancied Justin Thomas to win a green jacket at the Masters tournament in Augusta, Georgia.
Fractional odds
Like decimal odds, the fractional odds are pretty easy to understand and are typically used by UK-based sportsbooks:
Arsenal to win the Premier League title 3/1
In this example, you would need to bet 1.00 to return 4.00 (3.00 profit) if you fancy Arsenal to win the English Premier League title.
American odds
American odds show a plus or minus followed by a number. For instance:
Cincinnati Bengals (+140) vs Cleveland Browns (-135)
Here, the Browns are the favourites for this NFL fixture, as we can see by the negative odds, while the Bengals are underdogs due to their positive odds.
Now, if you fancy the Browns, you would need to place a 135.00 bet for a profit of 100.00, while a 100.00 bet on the Bengals would return a profit of 140.00.
You can decide how to see the odds represented in your Stake.com account.
Check out some of our more in depth guides including our guide to calculating the vig in sports betting.
Live Betting vs. Pre-Match Betting
From Snooker to Soccer, Stake's online betting site offers the ability to place bets on upcoming events, as well as in-play wagers whilst watching the games live. Our live streaming services are always free, so you can enjoy the action whilst placing your bets!
Live betting is a fun, exciting way to get amongst the action of your favourite teams, players, and sports, and often allows for different bet types such as half time or quarter time scores. In-play betting hosts a variety of promotions and opportunities to take advantage of after the event has started, however the odds vary far more than in pre-match betting.
In contrast, in pre-match betting, wagers are placed before the event has started. This allows bettors to do their research on betting markets and place their bets on upcoming games. Pre-match betting odds will fluctuate far less than live betting, however can still vary due to the number of bets placed on the outcome.
Getting started with online wagering is fun, but it helps if you have a betting strategy. We've developed guides on sports betting strategies that you may like to adopt like progressive betting systems or Kelly Criterion! Whether you're a sports betting expert, or looking for starting advice for beginners, we have a range of sports betting tips and predictions online at Stake.
Here are some general betting tips you can follow to help you pick more winners than losers:
Always research and look for stats relating to form injuries and past performances to help inform your betting slip.
Bet with your head and not your heart! It’s best to avoid the team you support on your betting slip, as it’s difficult to be objective. Analyse the variety of betting options available and place your bets according to the latest odds and markets.
Use our 'Bet Builder' function to place same game multi bets and place multiple selections on the single betting slip. This is an easy way to boost your odds on a specific fixture! Learn more with our same game multi betting guide.
Combine both pre-match and live betting tactics. As mentioned above, there are advantages of placing bets before and during particular sporting events. Keen sports bettors should keep an eye on the betting odds and consider the betting lines as soon as they are published and decide whether the odds are in their favour.
Sports Betting Bonuses & Promotions
After creating an account at Stake.com, be sure to check your account regularly for the latest sports betting bonuses and promotions that you can use to your advantage. These can include free bets, cashback offers, and bet boosters to increase your chances of winning. Read our guide to the best Sportsbook promotions happening right now!
As a sports fan, Stake.com has you covered with a wide range of betting markets, and you can bet on the following sports and leagues on the biggest sporting events of throughout the year:
Soccer: You will find markets for all major soccer leagues at Stake.com, from the EPL to the MLS. For more information, check out our ultimate soccer betting guide.
MMA & Boxing: MMA and boxing are increasing in popularity year after year, and you will find all significant fights and undercards in the UFC, Boxing and other MMA leagues via the Stake sportsbook. Read up on our MMA & UFC betting guide and boxing betting guide for more.
Ice Hockey: Stake.com is home to multiple NHL markets, offering puck line bets and other betting options. Discover our hockey betting guide for more tips and tricks!
Golf: Keen golf fans can place outright bets on their favourite golfers in major golf tournaments throughout the year. Learn more with our golf betting guide!
Formula 1 (F1): Back the best racers and teams from around the globe, including our very own Stake F1 Team, as you watch the action unfold on the track. You can also learn more with our F1 betting guide.
Simulated Reality Leagues (SRLs): Betting on SRLs are becoming a popular form of online betting on virtual sports such as soccer and cricket. It's a great way to get amongst the betting action when the conventional major events and seasons aren't running. Learn more about how to bet on SRLs with our Simulated Reality League betting guide.
How to Deposit & Withdraw Funds to Bet on Sports
Easily deposit your local currency or crypto units into your account in order to make sports bets by following the steps listed below:
Step 1 - Retrieve your deposit address, located in Wallet > Deposit.
Step 3 - Use your deposit address as the ‘send to’ location for your crypto wallet or exchange.
Step 4 (Optional) – If you wish to make a deposit via local currency, you can buy crypto for Stake via Moonpay and Swapped.com.
Learn more about deposit and withdrawal methods for betting, with our online payment methods guide at Stake.com.
Stake.com offers live support to players via our customer support staff for help with issues regarding sports betting and depositing and withdrawing units for wagering and and casino games online.
Stake.com is a licensed and regulated online sportsbook and casino registered in Curacao. Please refer to our terms of use for a full list of betting rules, regulations, and security before getting started at the Stake sportsbook.
We pride ourselves on offering the tools and information to help you be Stake Smart.
