Even though cricket isn’t one of the biggest sports in the world to bet on, it actually gets a bit of a cult following within the betting industry. Whilst eh majority of casual bettors likely wont bet on a cricket match say compared to a random horse race, there are still a pretty large group of people who bet on sports each week.
That being said, a number of bookmakers now operate a huge back catalogue of markets to choose from along with a staggering number of games as well. One of the main reasons as to why it’s as popular as ever is the coverage that the sport now gets in terms of television rights. For those of you based in the UK the sport has taken on a huge role with some of the bigger satellite companies and even has had dedicated channels just for cricket.
One thing that we are aware of is that cricket betting isn’t for everyone. It’s a sport that a lot of people either love or hate, and there appears to be pretty much no middle ground as a result. Hopefully some of the bookmakers that we have picked out below will help you choose a site that’s right for you and suits your cricket betting needs somewhat as well.
- In this Article:
- Bookmakers
- How to Bet
- Betting Markets
- Betting Rules
Best Cricket Betting Sites
#1 – BetVictor
BetVictor come in at number one on our list that is mainly down to their market coverage being excellent. They possibly don’t include as many features as we would like but they will make a really awesome base for any cricket enthusiast. As with most sports that BetVictor cover extensively, their in-play section is one that really comes to life and is a real pleasure to use. Here you can see information such as latest scores but it also allows you to track a really wide range of markets as well.
The site probably lacks a little from the number of tournaments that are covered. You will get all your main choices such as the English domestic leagues and major international matches, but aside from that, the lesser competitions aren’t as well covered.
#2 – Coral
Coral will be your best bet for cricket betting offers and they are constantly coming up with enhanced promotions for cricket betting. They vary depending on the competition but we’ve even seem them push some of the lesser English domestic games with top run scorer offers and enhanced doubles/trebles.
The thing with Coral is that the site always feels really fresh and we like the markets that they have on offer. They aren’t necessarily all exclusive to Coral, in fact you can probably find them all somewhere online, but as a collection we feel they tend to strike a really nice balance between ones that are common and then others that are less common, but still good value.
One thing we noticed is that Coral haven’t included cricket on their live streaming channel, which is a shame. Whilst we rank them in the middle of the pack, we definitely feel that if you haven’t already tried them, they are worth popping back to every now and then, if only to take advantage of their enhanced offers for betting on cricket.
#3 – Betfred
Betfred are another decent choice when it comes to cricket betting. We feel their ranking is deserving because they don’t cover the range of markets that the three bookmakers above them do. But, as with most of these posts, you will find that they will be more than adequate for the majority of bettors, but in terms of extra features, Betfred do lack a little.
The biggest void probably comes in the form of the number of matches covered. Outside of big international tournaments and domestic English cricket, markets can feel very slim, especially in comparison to likes of BetVictor. It’s an even bigger shame because once we got into the fixtures, the markets that were on offer were particularly impressive. We loves the range of ‘tongue in cheek’ markets such as who will win the toss with both teams odds on for a coin toss!
As ever with Betfred, they do a lot of things very well, but just can’t seem to get over the finish line. Their cricket betting section is decent, but it doesn’t go the extra mile and if you compare this to the likes of football on their site, then it doesn’t even get a look in!
#4 – Ladbrokes
It may seem like Ladbrokes have come last in our poll, and technically they have, but you could probably link the final three spots altogether as they each offer very similar products when it comes to cricket betting.
They are another that concentrates heavily on the English domestic season along with international matches. We do like the fact that they include a cricket HUB of which can select/de-select the markets that you want to bet on. They are another bookmaker who turn the majority of their match markets live and then you can again choose which markets you want highlighted when into the live betting section.
Feature wise, the site is a little thin on the ground. We were a little disappointed from the live section for it not include some sort of up to date scoreboard and also the lack of any live streaming service is one factor that stopped it’s progression in our cricket betting poll.
How to Bet on Cricket
As you will already be aware of, there are a number of bookmakers who dedicate time and effort into betting on cricket. The amounts vary for each, but it’s not necessarily a case of picking the #1 ranked bookmaker to bet with. You need to first work out what you want to bet on and what you want from the bookmaker.
Do you want the best odds? Do you want the biggest bonuses? Do you want a free bet? Do you want to be able to bet live? Do you need live streaming? Ideally, there will one bookmaker that comes out on top for each category, but in all honesty that’s highly unlikely to be the case. So you need to decide what you want from your cricket betting bookmaker and then to go with the one that best suits those needs.
Betting Markets
The match odds market is going to be the most popular and from this you will need to pick the result of the game. Remember though, in cricket there will be some matches that can finish as a draw and some that have to have a result either way. These need to be factored in when betting on this market.
Top batsmen allows you to bet on the player that you think will score the most runs in that match. Often this will be broken down into two markets with one for each team and then betting versus that team. Occasionally you can pick and overall winner, but this will likely be a separate market. Similarly to this market, you will be able to bet on who you think will be top bowler in the game. This comes down to the amount of wickets they have each taken but if this is a tie it goes on average runs per wicket.
Betting on the total number of fours or sixes in the game has proved to be quite popular within the cricket betting industry. These can either be the total number of fours/sixes scored in one innings or the total amount scored in the game. More often this will be a choice of a spread or group of numbers to pick from.
The spread is actually a pretty popular market to bet on with cricket. This is a points system that allows you to take the over or under a certain amount of runs for each innings. You bet per point (or per run as it’s more commonly known) and depending if you back the over or under on the spread, you will win money for every amount over or under your prediction. Let’s say that you bet £1 per run on the under 300. The team scores 250 meaning a deficit of 50 runs with you taking £50 (£1 x 50 runs) as your profit. If it was over 300 scored then you would owe £1 for every run over 300.
Cricket Bets
- To Win The Match – This is pretty simple in terms of selecting a team to win the match. It only becomes complicated where aspects such as the draw (test matches) or tied games (one day games) can occur. The draw is pretty simple as this will be included in the possible results to bet on, a tied game gets a little more obscure as some bookmakers will refund bets or conversely, simply put it down as a loss for you.
- To Win The Toss – Before each game you can bet on which team will win the toss. You do not need to guess what they will do after they toss has occurred, just if they are successful or not.
- Top Batsmen (Team and Match) – You can select which batsmen you think will be the top batmen for that specific team in terms of volume of runs scored and also which batsmen will score the most runs overall in the match.
- Most Match Sixes – You can select which team will hit the most sixes in the match. A tie is also available as a betting choice. Additionally to this you can select individual players to score the most sixes as well.
- Highest Opening Partnership – The opening partnership market is simply choosing which team will put on the highest number of runs for their opening partnership.
- First 6 Overs – The accumulation of runs in the first 6 overs of each innings is taken into consideration for this market. The team with the most wins.
- Top Team Bowler – The top team bowler is based on how many wickets are taken per each bowler. In the event of a tie the bowler with the least number of runs conceded will be deemed the winner.
- Fall of First Wicket – It’s possible to choose the over or under on the amount of runs on the board before the first wicket falls.
- A Fifty or Hundred to be Scored in the Match – Two separate markets here, first bet on whether there will be a fifty scored in the match. Secondly choose whether there will be a hundred scored in the match.
Cricket Betting Rules
Cricket is actually one of the more complicated sports when it comes to betting rules, mainly because the weather affects so many games. Let’s try and clear a couple up for you now.
Limited overs games will pay out on match bets should the game start and then finish with an official result. Match bets will be settled if the game finishes in a bowl out or a super over. The only way bets will become void is if no play has taken place for that game or the game is abandoned for whatever reason.
Test matches work a little differently in that if the game is washed out or abandoned after 1 or more deliveries being bowled then the game will be settled as a draw. If the game finishes as a tie then dead heat rules will apply to that game and the draw would be deemed as a losing bet.
The top batsmen market also has a number of rules worth noting. In games that include 2 innings then only the runs from the first innings will count towards this market unless otherwise stated. A minimum amount of overs needs to bowled in an innings fro this bet to stand and will vary depending on the format of the game. If two or more players score the same amount of runs then dead heat rules will apply.
The team to hit most boundaries market will become void should both teams not have the same amount of overs. If the market had already been settled before the game sees its reduction then the market will stand.
Rule Highlights
- Batsmen / Bowler Market – Where a batsmen or bowler market has been formed, all bets will be taken from the first innings unless otherwise stated.
- Abandoned Games – Where games are abandoned through the weather official results will be held by the bookmaker. Where no result has occurred then the market will become void and any unsettled bets will be refunded.
- Man of the Match Markets – Man of the match markets will be declared by the officials of that game. The same goes for any player of the series awards, as well.