Best Champions League Betting Sites

The Champions League is undoubtedly the pinnacle of European football. It doesn’t get much more exciting than a knockout competition that pits Europe’s elite clubs against one another. The evening kick offs, raucous crowds, and of course the famous anthem all play a part in making Champions League match days the most magical nights of the season.

With so many tightly contested affairs, picking a favourite is often a tough task for sportsbooks. The price you get on your bets will often depend largely on the sportsbook you pick, so choose wisely. Read our impartial reviews and guide to the basics of Champions League betting to help make your decision a whole lot easier.

The Markets on Offer

There’s a lot of different football markets to bet on these days, and the variety can be seemingly endless at some sites. With the Champions League running throughout the football season, there are plenty of opportunities for punters to make a tidy profit from some of the highest quality football around. Let’s have a look at some of the most popular:

• Match betting 
• Match result 
• Both teams to score 
• Result and both teams to score 
• Over/under goals 
• Double chance 
• Handicap 
• Outright betting

Match Betting 

These are the most popular bets available to punters and are based around wagers placed on a single match. These are ordinarily placed before the game starts and your winnings are not paid out until the game has finished. Some match bets are wagered on the outcome after 90 minutes of play, while others take into account extra time and penalties. A game will only go beyond 90 minutes in the knockout rounds of the Champions League, and not in the earlier rounds of group games. Let’s now have a look at the outcomes you can bet on during a Champions League match.

Match Result 

This is arguably the most attractive to many punters because of its simplicity. All you need to do is pick a winner — it’s as easy as that.

Both Teams to Score 

If you can’t pick between two teams, then a great compromise is wagering on both teams to score. When two teams are evenly matched, it can be very difficult to draw a line between the two, especially when the bookies have put a similar price on both sides to win. Both teams to score is a great alternative. 

Result and Both Teams to Score 

This relatively new market can offer some great winnings given that you’re betting on two outcomes. But, as with all bets with all higher potential profit bets, they also come with greater risk. 

Over/Under Goals 

This market is all about choosing how many goals you think will be scored in a particular match. It’s a good option if you’re struggling to pick a winner and the bookies aren’t offering very favourable odds on one particular team to come out on top. As such, bookies will typically let you bet on whether you think there will be over or under 0.5, 1.5, 2.5 and 3.5 goals in a game.

Double Chance 

This market involves a bit of compromise from both punter and bookie. Instead of betting on a specific outcome, you can wager on a combination, such as ‘win or draw’ or ‘home team to win or away team to win’. It’s a great market if you’re struggling to pick a winner, but by making such a compromise, your potential winnings will be lower than choosing just one outcome. 

Handicap 

The handicap market is one of the best places to squeeze value from a bet when there’s a significant gulf in quality between the two sides. Because the Champions League features teams from all across Europe, you will often see teams like Olympiacos pitted against a true heavyweight like Bayern Munich. Betting on Bayern to win won’t offer much of a return, which is where handicaps come in. 

The handicap is applied to the scoreline, so if you place a bet ‘Team A -1’, they would simply have to win by more than 1 goal.

Outright Betting

Your bets don’t have to be limited to specific games because you can also bet on the outcome of the tournament itself. The obvious bet here is picking the outright winner of the Champions League, but the market also extends to the highest goalscorer as well as the player with the most assists.

In-Play Options 

One of the best things about modern online betting is that you can place bets while the game is going on. Also known as live betting, these markets give you a lot more flexibility as a punter. If you didn’t like the odds of a particular outcome before the match started, or you simply forgot to put a bet on in the first place, in-play markets give you a way back into the game. The odds change as the game progresses, giving you the opportunity to gauge the perfect moment to place your bet.

An added bonus to in-play betting is that the market can also give you better value bets. The odds of Manchester City beating Dinamo Zagreb would be pretty short before the game kicks off. However, should City go a goal down early, they may still be favourites to win, but you would get far better odds on backing them to turn it around.

Live Streaming

To go along with their in-play betting opportunities, the best Champions League bookies will allow you to live stream games. You will most likely need to have placed a bet within the last 24 hours or at least have a funded account, but it’s still a great way to watch the best Champions League action without having to pay a subscription. Live streaming can also really enhance your betting experience, allowing you to see what’s happening in real time and make the most informed decisions possible.

Cashing Out

Cashing out is now a common feature of online sports betting, and you should be familiar with the concept if you’ve ever placed a bet. It essentially allows you take any potential winnings you have from a bet while the game is still going on. It’s a great feature if the side you backed is winning, but you can sense the momentum changing and want to get out while you still can. It’s also great if you want to cut your losses so you don’t risk losing your original stake entirely.

Accumulators

Accumulators, or accas, are one of the most popular forms of sports betting around, and it’s easy to see why. They allow you to place a single wager on a range of selections, multiplying the odds together. This means that, from an initially small outlay, you could be in for some seriously big winnings. 

However, in order for you to win big, all your selections must come in. That’s why the best bookmakers offer acca insurance, returning your original stake as a free bet should just one leg of your accumulator let you down. These aren’t available on all markets or all forms of accumulator, but it will certainly soften the blow should one bet let you down. 

Specials and Promotions

With so many bookies out there these days, many have to go the extra mile in order to stand out from the crowd. That’s why the very best will offer their players a variety of specials and promotions to try.

Some will allow you to take control of your bet, allowing you to create your own wager. Bookies like William Hill and Ladbrokes allow you to do this via Twitter through the hashtags #YourOdds and #GetAPrice markets.

Others will offer early payouts, such as Paddy Power’s ‘2 Up You Win’, which will give you your winnings if the team you back goes two goals up at any point.

Bonus Offers

Bonuses are a central part of choosing which site to play with for many punters. They can help you get familiar with a particular site as well as boost your bankroll. Betting sites always want to try and attract new customers, and welcome bonuses are a great way for them to do that. Of course, there are special offers available for existing players too, so let’s have a look at some of the key bonuses you should keep your eyes out for. 

Matched Deposit 

The matched deposit is one of the most popular and straightforward betting bonuses. The betting site will match a percentage of your first deposit up to a certain amount, such as 100% up to £200, for example. These bonuses will usually come with certain wagering requirements attached to them, however, so it’s best to keep an eye out for those.

Free Bet

Free bets are another very common bonus available at bookmakers, and they’re also pretty easy to get your head around. A common example will look something like ‘deposit £10 get a £10 free bet’. Free bets will also come with certain wagering requirements attached, however, so be wary of those before you jump straight into one.  

Enhanced Odds

These sorts of bonuses are usually reserved for the biggest matches as a way for the bookie to stand out from the crowd. Most sportsbooks will have relatively similar odds for most Champions League games, so in order to stay ahead of the competition, bookies will offer better value odds for the biggest matches.

Money Back Offer

The money back offer is more of a consolation prize than anything else, giving you some cash back if your bet loses. This will usually be given back to you as a free bet, and there will almost always be a cap on the maximum amount given back. Nevertheless, it’s a great way to recoup some of your losses.

Betting On-the-Go

Betting on the go is one of the biggest advantages of modern day betting. Most online bookies will have a fully optimised mobile site if not a top class mobile app. Of the two options, we would recommend sites that provide a native app, allowing you to access odds and place your bets enlightening quick speed. 

An extra benefit of mobile betting is that, by enabling push notifications, you’ll never miss out on the newest promotion nor the latest on the ever changing odds market.

Tips

With so many Champions League games taking place throughout the year, filling out your betting slip can be a daunting task. A lot of punters turn to betting tips to help make their decision but, while there are lots of different tipsters operating today, they should always be approached with caution.

While there’s nothing wrong with taking advice from a tipster, we’d always recommend doing your own research. Have a look at the table, the form of each side, what the result was the last time they met, and how well they’re doing in their respective domestic leagues. No tipster is ever guaranteed to be correct 100% of the time, so never bet more than you’re willing to lose.

Payment Options 

When choosing the right Champions League betting site for you, the payment options available to you should be a key priority. You don’t want to sign up to a site to take advantage of a great bonus they have on offer, only to realise at the last minute that they don’t support your favoured payment method. Let’s have a look at the sort of payment options you will likely come across.

Debit Cards

Debit cards are almost universally accepted by online betting companies and are arguably the most familiar to punters. With your activity fully secured by your individual bank’s safety features, deposits are processed instantly while withdrawals can take up to five working days to be processed.

Ewallets 

Ewallets are rapidly growing in popularity with online punters and it’s easy to see why. Ewallets like PayPal, Skrill and Neteller are totally free to sign up to, completely secure and each transaction is processed in a matter of hours, not days. Some of the best betting sites may exclude e-wallets from their bonuses, so it’s always best to check out the T&Cs of an offer before you jump straight into one.

Compare and Bet

Now you know what makes a good Champions League betting site, it’s time to pick out your favourite. All you need to do is compare our list of bookies, register at your favourite, claim your bonus and start betting!