Pre-Match betting takes place before an event and is suspended once the match or fixture begins. These betting options are displayed under the heading of the sport. ‘Sports’ is the first option on the main menu on the Homepage. Clicking this option takes customers to the main sports page where the Pre-Match markets can be found.
Generally, for each event, the match result market will be displayed with a link to additional markets which can total up to 400. The number of betting options depends on the sport, league and importance of the fixture. In addition to the regular sports, customers can bet on Esports, novelty bets, TV and Entertainment and Politics.
Pre-Match Betting Sports
The three most popular Pre-Match betting sports are football, tennis and horse racing. Please find below information about these sports and some of the other minor Pre-Match betting sports:
Football
Football is by far the most popular Pre-Match betting sport. In fact, on some sites, over 80% for all bets are related to football. The most popular betting leagues are the Champions League and Premier League in England. The biggest single match in Europe is the final of the Champions League which in 2019 brought Liverpool and Tottenham who both play in the Premier League.
Bookmakers accept this bets until kick-off and suspend betting when the match begins. Customers then move to in-play betting and view live streaming. This betting begins a few days before a match. Initially, there are only a small number of markets, but more are added as the match approaches.
Tennis
Tennis is the second most popular Pre-Match betting sport, but more bets are placed in-play. It lends itself to live betting because of the fluctuations in the scoring and play.
Tennis matches are played in rounds in a pre-defined draw. Once two players have been confirmed for a meeting in the next round, bookmakers issue some Pre-Match markets which increase nearer the match. The number of Pre-Match markets is lower than for a football match but can total over 80.
Horse Racing
Horse racing is still the core sport in betting offices in the UK, so online customers expect a decent service. Bookmakers offer Pre-Match odds on meetings in the UK and Ireland and the major overseas meetings including the Dubai World Cup and Breeders’ Cup. At the time of writing, the industry was offering the following types of Pre-Match promotions: Best Odds Guaranteed (BOG), enhanced accas, acca insurance and extra place races. Pre-Match bets on horse racing can be win or each-way.
Other Sports
Bookmakers offer Pre-Match betting odds on up to 50 sports which include the most popular ones above and many of the more obscure. The most bet on Pre-Match market is the winner of the event after regular time. In football, this is a three-way market, and the potential outcomes are Home Win, Draw and Away Win. Sports like snooker, darts and golf the outright winner market is popular for pre-match betting. In head-to-head sports like snooker, darts and tennis, the two-way match winner is popular.
