Football is one of the most popular sports to be on in the UK but does the average punter make money? Probably not. Gambling on football was worth a record 1.4bn to bookmakers in a year.
There is no easy way of winning consistently while betting on football and most of us look for tips or betting advice.
However, if you come across a tipster claiming to guarantee a profit, be very cautious. Some affiliate tipsters can make money through referring customers or through a revenue share of your losses.
BettingLounge is a bookmaker comparison site, that also offers betting tips on the side. But, they fully disclose their affiliate details in their honest "About BettingLounge" page while admitting they are not expert tipsters.
It is refreshing to see an honest affiliate in an industry that usually hides their relationship with bookmakers.
Blindly following "expert" tipsters
There are hundreds of betting experts plying their trade for free or sometimes for a fee on social media. But, always take their tips with a pinch of salt. Many of them are affiliates with betting companies, and it is not uncommon to see bad tips to generate revenue for themselves.
Some use £20-£100 rolling challenges, but they are hard to hit consistently, and losses will undoubtedly begin to build. Instead, use sites that provide betting previews and draw your decision from their research and stats provided.
All of BettingLounge's Acca tips come with extensive previews and research in the attempt to aid your betting decision. Remember, they do not claim to be experts so do not blindly follow their tips either.
Chasing losses
One of the biggest mistakes you can make when betting on football! Say you backed the early kick-off in a number of your bets but it let you down. Do not repeat the bet with the other picks. It will only lead to more losses and a frustrating day.
Remember, betting on football should be fun. Of course, you want to make money but it should be with money you are prepared and able to lose. After any loss, never start looking for bets to recover those losses. Even if you did manage to get the money back, it can be a sign of a gambling problem beginning to develop.
Always backing the favourite
This is usually a beginners mistake but experienced gamblers can also fall back into this habit.
Firstly, the favourites often have short odds and terrible value for the risk that is there. In fact, I saw an affiliate chuck in Bayern Munich at 1/10 to win at home to Freiburg the other week, 1/10!
There was absolutely no value in that pick and guess what, Munich went on to draw that game and lose that acca. Actually, several picks lost but losing a 1/10 pick is embarrassing and needless.
Look for value and you can often find decent odds in smaller markets if you choose to put in a bit of work. Success ultimately comes down to how much time you are willing to commit to research.