Goal line betting is wagering on the total number of goals that you think will be scored in a soccer match or other sporting event.
Goal line betting is also commonly referred to as over/under or totals betting.
How It Works
With goal line betting the oddsmaker sets a total number of goals to be scored in the match (this includes both teams totals). You can then wager on whether there will be more or fewer goals scored than the indicated goal line.
Example
Let’s look at an example. Here is a screenshot of the goal line on the Confederations Cup Final between Brazil and Spain:
- Over 2.5 goals (2.10)
- Under 2.5 goals (1.80)
In this example the goal line is set at 2.5.
You can bet on either over 2.5 goals being scored in the match, or under 2.5.
If you bet over, then your bet wins if 3 or more goals are scored. And if you bet under then your bet wins if 2 or fewer goals are scored in the match.
Odds
As you can see there will often be odds associated with each outcome. In the above example the over 2.5 pays out at 2.1 (+110), while the under pays out at 1.8 (-125).
Pushes
It is not uncommon for the goal line to be a whole number, such as 2, 3, 4 or any other amount. In these cases it is possible for a push to occur. If the match finishes with the exact number of goals being scored as the goal line total then the bet is considered a push and your wager amount is refunded.
For example say that you bet that over 3 goals will be scored in a match between Manchester United and Chelsea. The match finishes with Chelsea ahead 2-1. In this case your wager will be returned to your account and the bet will be considered a push.
Goal Lines With 2 Totals
In the third place game at the Confederation Cup the goal line between Italy and Uruguay shows two totals:
- Over 2.5, 3 (1.975)
- Under 2.5, 3 (1.875)
In this case half of your wager goes towards the 2.5 goal line, while the other half is placed with 3 being the total.
For example, say that you are betting $20 on the over 2.5, 3 goal line. In reality you are betting $10 that there will be more than 2.5 goals and $10 that there will be more than 3 goals.
Continuing with this example, if the game finishes 3-0 for Italy then you would receive $29.75 on your $20 bet. The half bet on the 2.5 total won $9.75, while the half that went towards the 3 total was a push.