World Cup Betting Odds

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There's no sport that is more international than soccer (football). Billions of people worldwide watch soccer every year, which means online sportsbooks draw all kinds of nationalities. That said, you'll see several different odds offered when the World Cup rolls around every four years.

So whenever you visit a site to bet on the World Cup, it's always nice if you understand the three main odds that are used: decimal, fractional and moneyline odds. Let's take a closer look at each type of World Cup betting odds below.

Decimal Odds

Decimal odds have a pretty big international presence when it comes to the World Cup. And there's a good reason why: they're very easy to understand. A decimal line begins at 2.0, and moves down for the favorite, or moves up for the underdog. Before we go further with this explanation, take a look at the following sample World Cup line:

Brazil  1.65
Croatia  2.50

Brazil is the favorite here, and bettors would be risking $1 to win every $0.65 in profit ($1.65 total). By wagering on Croatia, you'd be risking $1 to earn every $1.50 in profit ($2.50 total). Also keep in mind that there are usually tie options offered in World Cup pool play matches. Here's a look at this:

Brazil  1.65
Draw  2.20
Croatia 2.50

If you were to bet $1 on the Draw option and the game ended in a tie, you'd earn $1.20 in profit. Of course, the other betting options remain the same as what we discussed before.

Fractional Odds

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Those who are familiar with fractions should have very little difficulty understanding these odds. Fractional odds are very popular in the UK and other parts of the world. When you see these fractions, the numerator represents what you're wagering and the denominator is what you can expect to win. Here's an example of fractional odds:

Italy  11/10
Draw 5/7
England  10/11

Italy is favored in this match because bettors are wagering $11 to win $10 in profit. Those betting on England would risk $10 to win $11 in profit. Anybody who bets on the game being a tie would risk $5 to win $7.

Moneyline Odds

Anybody who's used to North American sportsbooks has probably seen moneyline odds at some point. Moneyline odds use a negative symbol to indicate favorites and a positive sign to indicate underdogs. In other words, these odds try to even out betting action by paying less money for winning favorite bets and more money for winning underdog wagers. Here's a look at moneyline odds in action:

Greece  -165
Draw  +235
Japan +145

Greece is the favorite here because you would be risking $100 to earn a $65 profit ($165 total). Likewise, if you bet $10 on Greece, you'd only earn a $6.50 profit. Assuming you bet $100 on Japan and they won, you would receive a $145 profit ($245 total). If you made a $100 Draw bet and both teams tied, you'd collect a $235 profit.

World Cup betting odds aren't anything to be intimidated by. In fact, they're actually quite easy to understand once you take a few moments to look at the basics. So no matter what online sportsbook you visit, you should have a very good idea on how the betting lines work.