English Sports

Great Britain has a reputation of being a very proper country, but when it coming to sports betting the English roll up their sleeves, put on their green visors, and study the books just like Yanks and Aussies. Of course, a good deal of English sports action actually originates in Ireland. The games from the Emerald Isle might be a little different, but the odds on favorites are the same.

Just as with most countries outside the United States, soccer is the most popular sport. Other very popular sports betting alternatives include rugby and cricket. Golf and tennis occupy their own niche, just as they do in the United States. The unique part of English sports betting are the Gaelic sports – Irish football and hurling.

Soccer

English passion for soccer is legendary. Overwrought English soccer fans are responsible for the term “soccer hoodlum.” When it comes to soccer, the World Cup is the top of the line, but that only comes around every four years. The rest of the time British soccer fans are following and making bets on the English Premiere League. The usual odds on favorite in that league – sort of the New York Yankees of English soccer – is Manchester United.

There are other English leagues also, at least four of them, that qualify as “minor” leagues as in American baseball. That list of soccer betting choices does not include the Scottish Premiere League and its assortment of minor leagues. Beyond that, there are leagues in most major European countries and various European Union cups and championships.

Gaelic Sports

In Ireland, they follow the beat of a different drum, and the bettors, or “punters” as they are called in the United Kingdom, place wagers on a different type of sports. One is Gaelic football, which bears some similarity to Australian Rules football in that the ball can be carried, not just kicked, and can be passed from player to player by punching it.

Irish hurling has a lot in common with field hockey, only a lot more violent. The players in this game use curved sticks to whack something similar to a baseball through a goal. These so-called “Gaelic sports” have their own association, the Gaelic Athletics Association (GAA) and their own section in English sports betting web sites.

Darts

Lastly, aside from staples of English sports such as cricket and rugby, the British have a passion for betting on darts. While darts might fall short of the true definition of a full-fledged sport, the top players and national competitions have their own betting lines.

For the most part, dart punters do not need a sports book to determine who will come out on top. In most cases, the smart money, and, as to be expected, the shortest odds, have been on 12-time world champion Phil “The Power” Taylor for many years.