Rating live betting services in the USA

How Does Live Betting Work - live betting strategy

Since legalization, sports betting in America has widely been wide open in terms of how a player can make bets. One of the most popular features of sports betting is the ability to wager on live events, known as live or inplay betting. 

Our live betting ratings determine which sportsbooks feature the best sections for live betting based on criteria such as ways to follow the event on the site, sports and lines available for live betting and more. 

Best Online Betting Sites that have live betting

On this page you can find how each sportsbook compares in terms of live betting on their sites. We look at things like how to watch the game on the site, quality of odds and number of events available for live betting so you know where to go to make bets during the games!

888Sport

The live section on 888sport is objectively more helpful in preparing someone to bet on a live game rather than actually following the game live on the site. 

The sports and markets available for live betting resemble those that you will find on the sportsbook itself, which is a good thing meaning that all the normal bets and games are available. 

The biggest downside is the absence of any live streaming or advanced live tracking scoreboards that help you to actively follow a live event.

Beyond the live section, 888sport continually features good bonuses and promotions on the site as well as a high number of lines for bets such as totals or point spreads.

SugarHouse Sportsbook

SugarHouse Sportsbook came out of the gate with a very important addition to its live betting section; the ability to live stream games on the sportsbook. 

One great thing about SugarHouse Sportsbook is that it has live streaming for many different games and sports available, and not just for the most popular ones. For example, live streaming is even available for table tennis. 

In order to see all of the games that the sportsbook is streaming at a certain time, you can go to the ‘Streaming Live’ section of the site. You can then log in and watch the game on the site.

SugarHouse also has strong promotions along with sections like the ‘Jackpot Parlay’, which can help you to make parlay bets with the best odds. 

Unibet Sportsbook

Unibet Sportsbook features a list of the main live events happening in boxes right on the main screen. You can access the live section by clicking on any of the events shown. 

The odds for each event will be listed on the side of a live scoreboard for each game. There is a good amount of markets available including all of the main bets. 

The live section and odds will both update quickly based on the in-game events shown on the scoreboard. Unibet Sportsbook also has statistics available for each game including things like trends and number of hits, fouls, etc. 

Something unique to the site are Unibet’s ‘action bets’, which are bets that constantly update and change based on the game. These are often offered to the player with great odds. 

William Hill Sportsbook

William Hill consistently offers some of the best welcome bonuses and promotions.These promotions will also update giving the player new opportunities to earn free bets or higher odds. 

The inplay section on William Hill Sportsbook has one main screen for each event where you can follow the event through a live scoreboard. You can find a good amount of sports betting lines for each of the live games as well.

William Hill live betting has a scoreboard that will immediately alert the player whenever something happens in the game as well as track the flow of the game. 

For example, during an NBA game, you can see which team has possession of the ball, when baskets are made, fouls, etc and even where the ball is on the court.

How Does Live Betting Work?

Simply put, live betting is the process of placing a wager on an event as it is happening. This can be done at any time throughout the game. 

For example, you make a bet on an NFL game during the second quarter or an MLB game right in the sixth inning. In the live section, you can search through the different bets and number of lines available and follow the odds as they change throughout the game.

When you feel the time is right, you can quickly select and make your bet.  From there, the bet will work like any other, either winning or losing based on the outcome.

There are multiple benefits to live betting rather than betting before a game. One big reason is that you can watch part of a game first before placing a bet, giving you an advantage over players who bet on a game before its start. 

You can begin to see patterns developing and also keep track of major changes like injuries or substitutions and adjust your bets.

Some live betting tips

The best thing about live betting is the advantage you have when watching part of a game first, and then making a bet. 

This will give you the best feel for the game. If you are betting beforehand, you are likely relying on analyses and predictions from experts on the game or past team form.

These can of course help, but there is no guaranteed way to know how a team will perform on a specific day except for watching them. This gives you all the power as you can gain the best insight, especially if you know what to look for.

Once you begin to understand the flow of a game, you can take advantage of this by choosing an appropriate bet. 

If a soccer team is handling a lot of the possession but the counterattack of the opposing team looks threatening, you may bet on both teams to score in the game. 

Or if both teams in an NBA are playing offensively, you can look at total over bets.

Live Betting Tips

•  Keep an eye out for key injuries or substitutions in a game

• Pay attention to how a team starts the game, and its motivation level

• Check the bonus section for any offers on live betting

• Understand the form of key players for each team

• Take advantage of special bets that may come up during the game

• Learn more about sports betting in the School of Betting

More Ways to Win - live betting strategy

There are many different ways to win live bets, which can include anything from picking a key moment from the game and making a quick bet to getting a feel for the game over time and waiting for favorable odds to wager on. 

A key thing during any event is to watch for swings in momentum from the opposing sides. In sports like soccer or hockey where the flow of the game is continuous this can be a major factor in deciding the outcome of a game.

If one team begins to pick up momentum quickly this can lead to more scoring opportunities and more goals. 

It can also make it hard for a team to come back from these changes in score thus leading to an early “victory” for one side. 

Another thing that can be done with all sports is betting on the favorite team if they go down early in the game. Stoppages like halftime and intermissions are a blessing in these circumstances. 

The favorite teams will almost always be the better teams, and over time in the game can overcome small differences in score and eventually prove their superiority. The odds in these cases will also be much more favorable if the stronger team is losing early on.

Live Rating FAQ

What is Live Betting?

Live betting is the act of placing a bet anytime during a game or event. This can be done from the beginning to the end of a game.

How do odds work in live betting?

Sportsbooks will determine which markets are available for each live event. The odds will work for live betting in the same way that they work for future games. 

The odds will move up or down depending on which side the public is betting. However, with the live betting, the movement in the odds will take place more quickly and frequently. 

Major changes in a game will trigger an even faster movement of odds. There is a race to see which bettor has the best foresight into any given situation, so pay attention!

How can you make live bets online?

If you are not close to a physical sports betting location or simply do not want to make the trip, there is good news. 

The majority of online sportsbooks feature a live betting section, where you can make bets during a game without having to leave the house. Going to these live sections you will be able to place bets just like a normal bet throughout the game.

What are the best live betting sites?

The sportsbooks that have the best live betting sites usually follow a simple criterion: allowing the player to comfortably make bets during the game and then providing the necessary tools to follow the game on the site. 

Most sportsbooks will feature the main lines for each live event, anything more than that is usually not necessary simply due to the pace of most games and the time constraints you will have selecting a bet.

However, being able to place a bet without leaving the event screen is a major plus. Another big factor for live betting is the ability to follow the game accurately when making a bet. 

The best option would of course be for a sportsbook to have live streaming of games on its site, however there are many live scoreboards that do well in conveying the game to its users.

• Beyond the live betting rating, you can get a more detailed account of a sportsbooks live betting section in our Sportsbook Reviews.