In what is the hugely popular and continuously growing world of online betting, in the UK, one sport dominates. Football reigns supreme and it is of course the biggest competitions that draw the biggest betting crowds. Naturally, both the Champions League and Premier League are massively popular with punters, though that’s not to say that other divisions are forgotten about, far from it. For example, the Championship – England’s second tier of professional football – isn’t far behind the biggest competitions in terms of online betting popularity, so we bring you the top ten Championship betting sites.
Having a punt on the Championship is something that most football punters in the UK are accustomed to. Given the popularity of the league, lots of bookmakers cover it. Choosing one can be a tough task, especially for the newcomer. Below you can see our top ten.
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‘Win/Draw/Win’ is one of the oldest and one of the most common football betting markets. As one would expect, this market allows punters to bet on either a home win, an away victory, or a draw.
Unlike the above, ‘Both Teams to Score’ betting doesn’t involve the result. This market allows punters to bet on whether both teams will find the net during the match. If ‘BTTS – YES’ is chosen, both teams need to score at least once for the bet to be paid out as a winner. If ‘BTTS – NO’ is taken, then at least one of the teams must fail to score.
Popular with Championship bettors, ‘Over/Under’, is all about goals. It’s a case of opting for either more, or less than a certain number of goals, the most popular being over or under 2.5. If going for over, then three or more goals must be scored. Similarly, under requires less than three goals.
Punters can also bet on which team will win the league. In general, most bets in this area are placed either before the season starts or during the early weeks, though players can still select the league winner right up until the last game of the season.
This is where bettors can bet on two of three outcomes. For example, both a home win and a draw. In other words, if Nottingham Forest are playing Reading and you choose to take ‘Reading/Draw Double Chance’, you’d be paid out as a winner in the event of a draw or a Reading win. A Forest win would result in a loss.
‘Draw No Bet’ also allows bettors to cover two parts of a three-way market, though not quite to the same extent. Essentially, ‘Draw No Bet’ means to bet on a team to win with the insurance of a refund in the event of a draw.
A player-focused market, ‘First Scorer’ is where punters select a player to score the first goal of the match. Only goals scored in 90 minutes (plus injury time) count.
Another player-focused market, ‘Anytime Scorer’ allows punters to bet on a player to score at any time during the match. In knockout/cup matches, only regular time (+injury time) counts. Goals scored in extra-time do not count.
In the Championship, teams are fighting for promotion to the Premier League. This market allows punters to bet on a team to win automatic promotion by finishing in one of the first two places.
There are three promotion places available, two go up automatically for finishing 1st and 2nd, while the third promotion place is decided by the winner of the play-offs. Teams finishing 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th battle it out to pave a way out of the division. Usually done at the start of the campaign, punters can bet on a team to make the play-offs.
In the Championship, three teams go down at the end of each season. ‘To be Relegated’ allows punters to bet on a team to finish in the bottom three. It’s often a bet that is placed early on in the season, though the market remains available until the final day.
In general, Championship football betting is a bit of a fun. For instance, an accumulator on a Saturday afternoon can make checking the scores more exciting, while a few bets when watching a televised game with friends is another way to add extra enjoyment. On the other hand, there are people out there who take Championship betting far more seriously. If aiming to make a long-term profit from betting on England’s second division is your goal, then there are a few things to consider first.
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Season | Winner | Runner-up | Play-off winner |
2021-22 | Fulham | Bournemouth | Nottingham Forest (4th) |
2020-21 | Norwich City | Watford | Brentford (3rd) |
2019-20 | Leeds United | West Bromwich Albion | Fulham (4th) |
2018-19 | Norwich City | Sheffield United | Aston Villa (5th) |
2017-18 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Cardiff City | Fulham (3rd) |
2016-17 | Newcastle United | Brighton & Hove Albion | Huddersfield Town (5th) |
2015-16 | Burnley | Middlesbrough | Hull City (4th) |
2014-15 | Bournemouth | Watford | Norwich City (3rd) |
2013-14 | Leicester City | Burnley | Queens Park Rangers (4th) |
2012-13 | Cardiff City | Hull City | Crystal Palace (5th) |
2011-12 | Reading | Southampton | West Ham United (3rd) |
2010-11 | Queens Park Rangers | Norwich City | Swansea City (3rd) |
2009-10 | Newcastle United | West Bromwich Albion | Swansea City (6th) |
2008-09 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Birmingham City | Burnley (5th) |
2007-08 | West Bromwich Albion | Stoke City | Hull City (3rd) |
2006-07 | Sunderland | Birmingham City | Derby County (3rd) |
2005-06 | Reading | Sheffield United | Watford (3rd) |
2004-05 | Sunderland | Wigan Athletic | West Ham United (6th) |
With the Championship being a league that is hugely popular among UK bettors, most firms cover the competition extensively. However, not every site is the same. In fact, there are plenty of sites that don’t cut the mustard when it comes to Championship betting. We believe that the ten sites listed in this article are the best Championship betting sites, in terms of safety and overall quality.
The Championship season usually starts one or two weeks before the Premier League, so in early August. There’s often more than one list of fixtures per week, with games often on Saturday’s and Tuesday’s. Unlike many European leagues, which take a winter break during December, the Championship runs all the way through Christmas and into the new year.
Accumulator betting is a big thing in the Championship. With lots of matches taking place each week, mainly at the same time as each other, lots of punters get stuck into Championship accumulators. For those who don’t really know what accumulator betting is, here’s an example. An accumulator bet involves grouping together several single bets. If you bet on three teams to win at odds of 11/10, 7/5 and 13/8. Now, a winning £10 bet on either of those three teams as a single would return £21, £24 or £26.25. Three separate £10 winning bets would yield a combined return of £71.25, leaving a profit of £41.25. In contrast, a winning £10 bet on the three teams in an accumulator would return £122.30. Each leg of the accumulator is multiplied as follows: £10 x 11/10 x 7/5 x 13/8 = £122.30
To receive a free bet, you must meet the requirements set out by the bookmaker offering the free bet. Be sure to check the free bet criteria and terms and conditions before depositing/betting to obtain a free bet.
It is possible to bet on the league winner at pretty much any point between the start of the season and just before the final ball is kicked. Many punters prefer to bet on the winner earlier rather than later, as the more teams left in the title race, the larger the odds.
Three teams are promoted from the Championship each year. These three replace the three teams relegated from the Premier League. 1st and 2nd go up automatically, while the final promotion spot is reserved for the winner of the play-offs, which are contested by the teams that finish 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th.