Use In-Play To Your Advantage
In-play betting, also known as in-running or live betting, is betting while the event is actually taking place. For example, placing a bet on a horserace while the race is being run, or on a football match whilst it is being played.
The chance to win a high amount of money in a short space of time is one of the advantages of placing a bet in-play, and it’s available to do on all major sports. Betting in-play is one of the most popular ways for punters to wager their money, and it’s an ever-changing landscape that betting firms have taken advantage of over the years.
With regards to football, the best way to place a bet with fast results is towards the end of the game. For example, if a game is a tightly contested draw and they’re nearing the 90th minute, the odds on either team may be heavily increased as opposed to the start of a game. If you’re watching the game, you’ll be able to make an intelligent guess as to who may win or if you fancy the underdog to nick it, you can place the bet knowing you’ve at least not got long to find out the result.
In Horse Racing you have to be quick, especially on the short races. The shortest races that will be on show are the five furloughs (1000 metres), which can take less than a minute to complete as the horses go flat out from the off. It is possible to do it via calling the bookies, however as the race is over so quickly you’re better off betting in-play on a race that is over a mile at the very least.
Other sports such as darts, boxing and athletics have in-play markets that can punters can keep an eye on while the event is on. They can use their knowledge to react quickly to the state of play while watching on the selected betting site as to what in-play bet offers the best return for their money. Betting a high amount of money in-play shouldn’t be taken on if the punter doesn’t have a good range of information on the event, especially if it ends in a short amount of time.
What are the fastest betting events?
While in-play boosts will normally give you, on average, the best value for money in a short amount of time, there are bets that will give you more favourable odds with a smaller return.
| Event |
Average Event Duration |
Quickest Market |
Popular In-Play Bet |
| Horse Race (5 Furloughs) |
55 seconds |
Winner |
Outright Winner + X Lengths |
| 100m Race |
10 seconds |
Winner |
Outright Winner |
| Greyhound Race |
32 seconds |
Winner |
Outright Winner + X Lengths |
| Judo |
3 minutes |
Winner + Method |
Outright Winner |
| Tennis |
2 hours |
Next Point Winner |
Outright Winner + Set Winner |
As you can see, some of the fastest markets in the world that don’t include in-play bets can finish in a shorter time that it takes to have a shower in the morning! These type of markets are known as ‘pre-match’ bets and are normally placed by the regular punter, or one that’s heavily knowledgeable in the sport.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll find out the result of your bet quicker than everyone else, even a punter that’s placed a bet on a 90 minute football match. As mentioned earlier, an in-play bet that’s been boosted could easily return you a better investment on your money, as well as being a faster bet. For example, the 100m race only takes on average 10 seconds from start to finish. If you bet on a football player to take a shot on target, from the moment you place that bet, the player could have received the ball and taken a shot within a second and you’ve instantly won the bet. The same can go for a rugby match. If a boost is offered for a player to score a try. If you time it right for when the player’s team has possession, place that bet and it’s possible to win it in that time period.
Why Would I Want Fast Results?
Aside from winning money quickly, there are other advantages to betting on sports that are over quickly.
If we run off the basis that you’ve won a bet from a horse race that lasted a minute, you’ll be able to either receive your money from the bookies immediately over the counter, or it should be in your betting account within minutes of the race finishing. This gives you an advantage against a fellow punter who’s still waiting for a shot to be taken in a game of football. With your funds given to you so quickly, you can look to other events and markets to start placing bets almost immediately.
Another reason you may want fast results is that sporting events can take up a long time in your day. If you’ve got plans and don’t want to spend over an hour watching a game of rugby, just to see if an in-play bet is worth it, then bets with fast results is the answer. The risk that an opportunity of a fast bet may not win, never mind even appear, would add to the frustration that comes with a long event.
While it’s a risky way of putting it, placing a fast bet gives you a great way to win money fast. Winning fast bets via in-play boosts can see massive returns when done correctly. It does come down to the punter, and if they’re content to lose money in a short space of time with the reward being worth the risk.
Why I Should Be Aware Of Fast Bets
It can be very easy to get caught up in the world of fast bets and you can find yourself in financial trouble quickly. The lure of a fast bet is similar to the style of a casino which makes it so appealing to the gambling community, but with the appeal comes the risk.
Sports bettors need more than well-meaning slogans to help them mitigate the risks of gambling addiction and problem gambling – they need practical strategies. One way to do this is to identify their own patterns of behaviour that lead to ’tilting’. Tilting is when a sports bettor’s emotions are negatively affecting their judgement, leading them to make riskier decisions and ultimately making them vulnerable to problem gambling.
Achieving this is challenging, however, due to the cyclic nature of in-play betting products. With in-play betting, sports bettors can rapidly change their position on a game or event several times within a short period of time.
Will Prochaska, a Strategy Director at Gambling with Lives, said: “You take someone’s interest in football which may have traditionally been a bet once a week – which wouldn’t have been a particularly addictive activity given the space between each gamble – and you turn it into something that mimics a fast-paced, casino-style game where you can bet every few seconds.
“Some sports lend themselves better to this than others.”
Prochaska also commented on the way tennis can be particularly dangerous to bet on in-play.
He said: “Tennis is a particularly dangerous sport as it has quick points and you can bet per point.
“You’ve got a very repetitive and addictive product with in-play tennis betting. It’s consistently shown to be a very dangerous product and one which makes the industry an awful lot of money due to its speed of play and the amount of revenue it can generate quickly from an individual gambler because of the opportunities to bet.”
What should I do?
The first rule of betting is to stop when it stops being fun. Unless you’re a professional, placing a bet should be an enjoyable experience and not something that starts to affect your mental health, nor crippling yourself with debt you struggle to pay back.
However, while keeping this in mind and when in control of your betting, it’s important to do your research and place wagers, in-play or pre-match, with a clear mind. Doing this will help you place fast bets, especially in-play, and will give you a better chance of gaining a profit.
A fast bet can be an enjoyable experience, even when you’re on the losing end. If you’re new to the game of fast bets, it might be best to start with smaller wagers to see how you fare before increasing your stake.
