In Play betting, also known as live betting, is one of the most popular forms of betting in the UK and is growing each year.
In Play betting gives you the ultimate thrill as you choose from hundreds of different bet types on various sports while the events develop. It means you’re in complete control of your bets at the time you want to make them — and gives you the best opportunities to back the odds that are right for you.
But how does In Play betting work? In this guide, you will learn about the differences between betting and In Play betting, the benefits of developing your understanding of In Play betting, and how live streaming can further aid your decision making.
The Difference Between Betting and In Play betting
In Play betting is effectively an evolution of normal betting but it takes place during live sporting events. Most of the markets — such as goalscorers, match results and points totals — remain active during In Play betting.
But the ultimate difference between normal betting and In Play betting is that the latter’s odds can change quickly during the action. And this means you can change your mind on bets during sports events, switching to back different teams, players or outcomes.
For example, you could put a pre-match bet on Manchester United to beat Reading in the FA Cup. Those odds will likely be very small and once the bet is placed, you’re stuck with the odds. Should Reading score early, United’s In Play odds will rise — but you will have missed out on that.
What In Play betting — or live sports betting — lets you do is choose the moment you want to make that bet. Of course, it’s for you to decide when the place the bet, knowing that the odds will likely go up or down, depending on how events unfold during the match.
How do I bet In Play?
It’s easy to get accustomed with how to bet In Play and live during sports events. Our sportsbook here at Unibet works the same way, whether it be pre-game or In Play. You simply find the In Play fixture you want to bet on and click on the market you’d like to consider. Then, when you think the time is right, you can make the bet.
There is usually a delay of a few seconds between your bet being placed and it being accepted. This is to make sure a major event — like a goal in football or eagle in golf — hasn’t dramatically altered the In Play odds while you were making the bet.
Indeed, odds can change in an instant, which is why In Play betting can be such fun. Being able to guess the exact timing of an event is very difficult indeed!
Features of In Play betting
In Play betting has opened up the world of sports gaming to a whole new level. Not only can you bet In Play, you can also watch matches, follow the live stats and even cash out midway through the action.
It means you never miss a thing and here at Unibet we have plenty of features to aid your In Play betting experience.
Unibet TV Live Streaming
Sport live streaming with Unibet TV has revolutionised online betting in recent years. And it has also made In Play betting the forefront of the industry.
You can live stream and bet on thousands of sporting events each year with Unibet. We offer our services on football, basketball, hockey, tennis and a whole range of other sports.
Watch live sports and bet In Play through your computer, smartphone or tablet. Our Unibet app can be downloaded and installed to ensure you get the latest odds fast, as well as the up-to-date live streams.
Unibet TV live streams games from the biggest football leagues in Europe, Australia, Brazil and the United States. You can, among other things, watch matches from La Liga, Bundesliga and Serie A live.
In American sports such as NHL and NBA, we show every match of the season in full live stream alongside In Play betting markets. And we also show matches from some of the biggest international sporting tournaments on the planet, such as the Copa America, Africa Cup of Nations and the Cricket World Cup!
Our Unibet TV live stream is available to our players if you’re logged in and have money on your Unibet account. If you do not have any money on your account, you will still be able to watch our live streams if you have placed a bet in the last 24 hours.
And many of our top games come with live commentary, so you know exactly what’s going on!
Cash Out
Our unique Cash Out feature gives you the opportunity to cash out on a current bet before the outcome is decided, allowing you to secure part of your winnings or cut your losses.
For example: Let’s say you've put a £10 live bet on Manchester United to win against Arsenal with the odds of 1/1, where the payback will be £20 if you win the bet. United lead with 1-0 but Arsenal are dominating the game and are pushing for a goal with 20 minutes left in the match. The equalising goal seems inevitable and your bet looks uncertain. Our Cash Out feature offers you the possibility to secure your bet with a payback of, for example, £16 by cashing out your live bet, instead of waiting for the match to finish and potentially lose your bet.
The Cash Out feature simply gives you the opportunity to secure a part of your winnings by pressing the ‘Cash Out’ button. The money will be credited to your account immediately.
Likewise, through the Cash Out feature, you can also reduce your losses. Let's say your bet is the same as above, with the difference that Arsenal are leading 1-0. Due to Arsenal dominating the match, you don’t think Manchester United will be able to turn it around and win the game. Rather than losing your entire bet, you can decide to reduce your losses and accept our offer by pressing the ‘Cash Out’ button and get part of your stake back.
Many fans also use this option to bet on 0-0 draws in football, which initially will be priced at around 4/1. As the match goes on without a goal, those odds will shorten. Fans may then cash out on their 0-0 bet if they think there’s going to be a late winner! After all, around 15% of Premier League goals are scored in the last 10 minutes of matches.
Action Betting
Action Betting is a unique feature of our Live Betting product. It gives you an exciting betting experience where you can place bets fast as lightning, usually on the next event in a specific sport.
Action Betting results are confirmed much faster than standard bets, and give you the chance to win in less than 60 seconds.
Unibet has the largest selection of Action Betting markets in the widest range of sports. You can experience Action Betting for sports like football bets, tennis, cricket, basketball, volleyball, darts and many more. In order to place an Action Bet simply look for the red lightning bolt logo in our Live Betting markets, place your bets, watch the action unfold and receive your winnings within seconds.
Learn more about terms and bet types for sports betting in our betting and sporting glossary. For questions regarding In Play betting, you can find the answers in our short live betting walkthrough.
The Visualisation
The Visualisation is our scoreboard when betting In Play. You can visualise the game through this feature. For example, in football, you can see where the ball is on the pitch, how it's moving, which team has the ball, whether there’s an attack or even a dangerous attack, as well as stats on the match.
With the visualisation, you see everything you need to make an informed bet. It gives you information on the number of shots on target and off target, cards given in the match, number of corners, which match minute the game is in and of course the score itself. The visualisation also offers a heat map of the pitch, on which you can easily see where the most action has taken place. Unibet’s visualisation is an excellent tool for when you’re betting In Play!