Betting on the World Cup for American Gamblers

Any event that happens once every four years, whether it be the Olympics, a United States presidential election, or the Rolling Stones doing another ‘farewell’ tour for the 15th time. In 2022 we’ve got one of those significant four-year events as the World Cup comes to Qatar. 

 

For those who have made Serie A picks all year or have had success with English Premier League plays, betting on the World Cup is very similar. With the United States back in the World Cup, American gamblers should refresh themselves with the ins and outs of soccer betting. 

World Cup Should Set American Soccer Betting Records 

The USMNT had built some momentum after making it to the round of 16 in 2014 in Brazil, but that cooled off after they failed to qualify in 2018 in Russia. Therefore hype is at an all-time high as the Americans head to Qatar. 

 

A lot has changed in the United States since 2018, moving on from a 76-year-old president to a 78-year-old one but also having a lot of states legalizing sports betting over the last four years. With the World Cup moving from the traditional Spring/Summer play when a lot of people are vacationing / working / watching their kid’s sports games to November – December when it’s cold outside and people are stuck indoors; this is likely to be the most soccer bets ever placed in the U.S. 

Soccer Betting Basics

It doesn’t take a ton of explanation to know the basics of soccer bets – win, lose, draw, and totals. What you usually see in soccer betting is a three-way money line which will be something similar to Team A -130, Team B +120, and Draw +240. 

 

These bets are only graded during regular time and not extra time, which is why in the World Cup – where gameplay is exceptionally tight – the draw is a very popular wager. 

 

Since the draw is such a wild card – kind of like the green tiles on a roulette wheel – another very popular form of soccer betting is the two-way moneyline. This essentially eliminates one result from the wagering, with the options being Team A/Draw or Team B/Draw or Team A/ Team B. Your odds aren’t going to be as great with two-way moneylines, but that’s because your chances of winning are as higher as winning playing with your Serie A predictions today. 

 

You can also take out the draw altogether with a ‘draw no bet’ wager. This means if the teams are tied at the end of regulation, it’s a no-bet, and your money is refunded. Once again, you’ll have to pay higher odds for these wagers, but you save the heartache of losing on a draw. 

Advanced World Cup Betting 

In the group stages of the World Cup, there are going to be games basically every time you turn on your TV, which is why it’s essential to know some of the other soccer bets available. One of the ways to combat the high odds you might see in a draw-no bet or two-way moneyline wager is with goal-line odds. This is essentially the point spreads you’d see in other sports but here, -0.5 goals to -2.5 goals or higher. If a team covers these numbers, it’s usually a really nice return on investment. 

 

One thing to note about soccer betting is that totals aren’t as cut and dried as in other sports. Total wagers are often halved since there are so many ties in soccer, so an over 2.25 is basically a winning bet on 2.5 but also a tie on 2.0. 

 

Like other sports, prop bets are also a very popular soccer wager. Unlike NFL football, for example, where an anytime TD scorer might only have +250 odds because there are so many TDs scored in a game, an anytime goal scorer in soccer could easily have a +650 payout, even for some of the best players in the world. 

 

If Americans aren’t quite familiar with soccer, european leagues’ predictions, as Serie A predictions, or the World Cup in general, nothing ramps up the educational process like putting some money into the matches. When there’s a payout on the line, you’ll dig deep into the record books to see why your wager was – or wasn’t – paid out.