Football Betting Markets Explained: Guide for South African Bettors | SportPesa South Africa

Football betting markets are the different match outcomes or events available to wager on. They range from result markets such as 1X2 and Double Chance to goal-based markets such as Over/Under and Both Teams To Score (BTTS).

Each football betting market has its own settlement rules. Understanding what has to happen for a bet to win, lose or be refunded helps you read the market correctly before placing a wager.

Browse current SportPesa South Africa football markets and check the market rules and displayed odds before betting.

Betting markets are the specific outcomes or match events that can be selected on a betslip. SportPesa football markets include 1X2, Double Chance, Draw No Bet, Over/Under goals, Both Teams To Score, Correct Score, handicaps and other match or player-event markets where available.

ALSO READ: Key Betting Terms on SportPesa Explained

1X2 is a full-time match-result market: 1 means a home win, X means a draw and 2 means an away win. For standard full-time football markets on SportPesa South Africa, settlement is based on 90 minutes plus referee-added stoppage time unless otherwise stated; extra time and penalties are excluded.

·       1 = home team wins.

·       X = the match ends in a draw.

·       2 = away team wins.

·       If your selected outcome occurs, the return is calculated from the accepted stake and odds shown on the betslip.

Draw No Bet removes the draw as a losing outcome for the selected team. You choose either the home team or the away team. If your selected team wins, the bet wins; if the other team wins, the bet loses; if the match ends in a draw, the stake is refunded under the standard market rule.

Double Chance combines two of the three standard 1X2 outcomes into one selection.

·       1X: home win or draw.

·       X2: draw or away win.

·       12: home win or away win; the selection loses if the match is drawn.

ALSO READ: 1XUP Betting: What It Means and How It Works

Over/Under goals is a totals market based on the number of goals scored during the stated settlement period. For example, Over 2.5 wins when three or more goals are scored, while Under 2.5 wins when there are two or fewer.

Half-goal lines such as 0.5, 1.5, 2.5 and 3.5 avoid a push because the final number of goals cannot equal the line.

BTTS asks whether both teams will score at least one goal during the stated settlement period.

·       BTTS Yes: both teams score at least once.

·       BTTS No: one or both teams fail to score.

·       A 1-1 or 3-2 result settles as BTTS Yes.

·       A 0-0, 1-0 or 3-0 result settles as BTTS No.

For a fuller explanation, see the SportPesa South Africa BTTS guide.

Correct Score means predicting the exact score at the end of the stated settlement period. A full-time correct-score bet wins only if your selected final score is exact.

·       A 2-1 Correct Score selection wins only if the match finishes 2-1 after the applicable 90-minute settlement period.

·       Stoppage-time goals count toward full-time settlement.

·       Extra time and penalty shootouts are excluded from standard full-time football settlement unless the market says otherwise.

Check completed match results on SportPesa South Africa results.

Handicap markets apply a virtual goal advantage or disadvantage before the bet is settled. The displayed handicap must always be read together with the market type because European and Asian handicaps settle differently.

European handicap is a three-way market with home, draw and away outcomes after the displayed whole-goal handicap is applied. For example, a European Handicap 0:1 gives the away team a virtual one-goal advantage before the market result is determined.

Asian handicap is a two-selection market that applies a virtual advantage or disadvantage to the teams. The market can use whole, half and quarter-goal lines.

·       Whole-number lines such as 0 or -1 can produce a push/refund under the applicable settlement conditions.

·       Half-goal lines such as -0.5 or +0.5 cannot finish level after the handicap is applied.

·       Quarter lines such as -0.25 or -0.75 split the stake across two neighbouring handicap lines, which can create half-win or half-loss settlements.

·       Corner markets: can include total corners, team corners and handicap-based corner markets where offered.

·       Card markets: can include total cards, booking points or red-card markets. Check the exact points and settlement rules before betting.

·       Player markets: can include goals, shots, shots on target, assists or disciplinary events where available. Player participation and void rules depend on the specific market terms.

Half-time/full-time predicts the match result at two separate points: half-time and full-time. It does not require an exact score.

The nine possible result combinations are Home/Home, Home/Draw, Home/Away, Draw/Home, Draw/Draw, Draw/Away, Away/Home, Away/Draw and Away/Away.

·       First goalscorer: predict which eligible player scores the first goal under the market rules.

·       Anytime goalscorer: predict whether an eligible player scores during the stated settlement period.

·       Last goalscorer: predict the player who scores the final goal where the market is offered.

·       Always check the participation and void rules shown for the specific player market before placing the bet.

Use SP Score for live scores, fixtures and match statistics.

An accumulator combines two or more selections into one bet. Under the normal structure, every selection must settle successfully for the accumulator to win, unless a special promotion or market rule says otherwise.

The combined odds are calculated from the odds of the individual selections accepted on the betslip.

Bet Builder allows multiple selections from the same match to be combined where the feature is available. For example, a bet builder may combine a match result, goals market and corner market. Check the displayed combination rules and odds before confirming the bet.

Live or in-play football betting means placing a bet after the match has started, on markets that remain available during play. Live odds and available markets can change quickly as the match develops.

If a Cash Out option is shown for an eligible bet, review the value and applicable conditions before accepting it. Availability is not guaranteed for every bet or at every point in a match.

Choose a market by first understanding exactly what has to happen for it to settle as a win, loss or refund. Do not choose a market simply because the odds are higher or because another market is described as ‘safer’.

·       Read the market name and settlement period.

·       Check whether the market is full-time, first half, player-specific or event-specific.

·       Understand what happens if the match is drawn, postponed or a player does not participate.

·       Check the displayed odds and stake before confirming the bet.

·       Use live scores and statistics as information, not as a guarantee of an outcome.

·       Set a betting budget and do not chase losses.

A football betting market is a specific match outcome or event you can select on a betslip, such as 1X2, Double Chance, Over/Under goals, BTTS, Correct Score or a handicap.

1X2 is one of the simplest to read because the options are Home, Draw or Away. Simplicity does not mean the market is lower risk or more likely to win.

BTTS No wins when one or both teams fail to score during the applicable settlement period.

Under the standard Draw No Bet rule, the stake is refunded if the match ends in a draw.

SportPesa South Africa’s standard full-time soccer markets are generally settled on 90 minutes plus stoppage time unless otherwise stated. Extra time and penalties do not count for those standard markets.

No. No betting market or strategy guarantees a win. Understanding the market rules can help you avoid settlement mistakes, but it does not remove betting risk.

SportPesa South Africa is for customers aged 18 and over. Betting carries financial risk, so only bet with money you can afford to lose, set limits and avoid chasing losses. For support and self-exclusion information, visit SportPesa Responsible Gaming. The National Responsible Gambling Programme can also be contacted on 0800 006 008.

Football betting markets give bettors different ways to select match results, goals, handicaps, player events and other outcomes. The important part is understanding each market’s settlement rules before placing a bet. Review the current SportPesa South Africa football markets and terms and conditions before betting, and always bet responsibly.