What is Handicap Betting? Handicap meaning & examples

When you bet on handicap markets, you can wager on a variety of markets. In general, though, there are two types of handicap bet types – European and Asian handicap betting markets. The concept of handicap betting is to help level the playing field, especially in games where there is a short-priced favorite. It also offers bettors the chance to back a strong pick at better odds than is available on the moneyline. The teams will receive a positive or negative handicap pre-match, and that could be whole numbers (goals), halves, or even quarters. Handicaps are used to level out the playing field for a sporting event with one clear favourite.

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Chelsea are -2 on the handicap against Bolton, for a handicap bet on Chelsea -2 they will need to win by 3 goals or more for the bet to win. Simply take the final result Chelsea 4 -1 Bolton and subtract Chelsea’s handicap of -2 from the final score, giving us a result of Chelsea 2-1, a win for those backing them -2. If you bet on the USA here and they won 1-0, you would win your bet, but if the game finished 1-1, you would lose your bet, as the half-goal handicap reduces the USA score to 0.5.

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Strategies and Tips for Handicap Betting

We found an impressive 11 different handicap markets on a relatively low level provincial New Zealand game, so you’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to the biggest events. A great way to try out the goal handicap is in international football, for example, when England plays San Marino. Handicap betting provides one team with a goal or points deficit, or handicap, to overcome. This can make matches more interesting to bet on, when one of the teams involved is perceived to be significantly better than their opponents. If the handicap is set at one goal, they must score two more goals than their opponent to win a bet. This would give one player a +1.5 set head start at the beginning of the match over the favourite.

• Cricket, with its rich history and global following, offers numerous betting opportunities.
• Whichever team you back with this is given a 1.5 goal headstart after the time you place the bet.
• Make use of responsible gambling tools offered by all regulated bookies and new casino sites, such as deposit limits, loss limits, self-exclusion and time-outs.

Asian formats are considered more risk-mitigated due to split bets and void scenarios. The main purpose of handicap betting is to make unbalanced events more appealing to bettors. For instance, when a strong team faces a weaker opponent, the odds on the stronger side may be too low to offer meaningful value.

You can also benefit from that deficit and bet on the underdog, making long-shot bets easier to get right. The world of sports betting offers a diverse range of markets, but for seasoned punters looking to extract maximum value and strategic depth, new european sports betting sites stands out. In 2025, a growing number of top-tier sports betting sites are embracing Asian Handicap markets, providing a sophisticated option for those who understand its nuances. The handicap market is a sports betting market that makes one-sided games more interesting and exciting.

On a wider note, most consider the European handicap to be is more straightforward and easier to understand when compared to the Asian handicap. And in European Handicap betting, fixed odds provide better odds for underdogs in contrast to Asian handicap betting. Asian handicap betting may seem complex and confusing to some, but it has various sub-types that will help you break it down into basic betting.

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Handicap in Totals and Props

The +0.5 is giving the team you back a half goal advantage, meaning in the event of a draw they would win as they’d have an extra half goal added to their score. Betting on a team with a +0.5 Asian Handicap will see them win in the event of a draw as the half goal edges the result in your favour. Should the team you backed win 2-1, you’ll lose the bet as the extra half goal brings your teams’ score below their opponents’.

Be sure to follow some of our tips to ensure you get the best handicap and the best odds. If you are still confused as to how handicap betting works then let us know in the comments below. Otherwise check out more of our Sports Betting Beginners guide if you are new to betting. Odds can make a difference to your winnings in the long run, so you’ll want to bet on the best odds available. Do your research when planning a handicap bet, you’ll want to check several betting sites to see who offers the best handicap and odds. It’s always better to back the best odds in order to maximize your profits.

Outplayed.com acts as an aggregator of operator sites which are licensed by the Gambling Commission. Horses that compete in handicap races are constantly assessed for their performance and assigned a certain handicap weight by dedicated officials. The exception to this is horse racing, where handicap means something else entirely. Although its viewership has dropped somewhat in recent years, with only 11.3 million Americans watching the 2024 NBA finals, it remains one of the biggest sporting leagues in the world. On OKBet, you’ll notice odds are tightly optimized using in-depth data, giving you fair lines with minimal house edge. All of our recommended sites are licensed and regulated by the UKGC, meaning that they are safe to use and themselves use the latest security software.

This means handicaps are not applied to final scores and that the winner of the market is deemed the outright winner of the market (or the ‘Draw’). The minus symbol (-) is offered to the favourite team with a handicap disadvantage, and the plus symbol (+) is offered to the underdog who has a handicap advantage. Depending on the handicap, you might still win if the team you bet on loses the unibet login game. In addition, you can get half or full refund of your stake, even if you lost the bet.

The same applies whether you’re using betting sites, casino sites, slot sites, poker sites or any other form of gambling. If they win by one goal, they lose the -1.5 market and draw the -1 market, so half your stake is returned. Using BV Gaming, Betano has access to its impressive catalogue of markets and odds for handicap betting or Asian handicap betting. As one of the best rugby bookmakers on the market, you can expect a great experience with rugby handicap betting on Betfred. Betfred is quality handicap betting site for football and other sports.

For example, you might expect a surprisingly close FA Cup tie when a non-league team is drawn against Premier League opposition. Rather than having to gamble on an upset, the handicap market gives you the chance back the outsider to lose by a narrow margin and still win your bet. The handicap meaning in soccer gives one team a goal advantage over the opposition. For handicaps to work in soccer, one team must cover a handicap to win. In this case, one team may start with a 1-0 head start over their opponent. With a handicap bet, you are not betting on the winner, but on the margin of victory.

This guide will show you how to interpret this information, avoid traps, and capitalize on bookmaker errors. In Asian handicap betting, the weaker team is given a head start in the form of goals, while the stronger team starts with a deficit. The final outcome is calculated by adding the handicap to the actual match result. When handicaps include half or quarter goals, the outcome is binary, so you can only win or lose. Refunds are possible in cases where the Asian handicap is set as a whole number, for example +1 or -1.

However, bear in mind that handicaps will be expressed differently in different sports. For instance, in rugby and basketball, the handicap is expressed in points, while in football and ice hockey, it’s in goals. In baseball, the handicap is expressed in runs, in tennis, it is in sets or games, and so on. Handicap markets require a deeper understanding of scoring patterns and team/player consistency. Misinterpreting the margin required for success or overlooking tie conditions in European formats can result in unexpected outcomes. Leon Bet presents basketball handicap markets in both pre-match and in-play formats, allowing users to respond to momentum shifts.

The types are have been created to give you a better understanding from basic Asian Handicap permutations, along with examples to help clarify things further. If your selected team wins the match, draws, or loses by one goal, your bet will win. A two-goal or more defeat (e.g 2-0, 4-2, 5-1) would mean your bet loses. For the bet to fully win, your chosen team will need to win by two goals or more.